Santa Cruz mulls decision to permanently close museums, pool, and community center

That's really outrageous. Due to the budget revenue situation? I wish someone with some insider knowledge of the costs for various departments, salaries, and the level of revenue could expand a bit on this.
Santa Cruz has had very high housing prices, and a lot of people with Silicon valley money own here. It is a big paradox that one can travel all over the less fashionable midwest and mountain state where people have less money, and they have locally funded schools, parks, police and so forth. I lived in Santa Cruz until recently, and I looked up what my (very nice) landlord was paying property tax for our 3 unit house - and it is something like $13,000/yr. Nearly all the buildings sold since 2003 have these >$8000 tax bills. How can it be that Santa Cruz so quickly enters a state like Philadelphia, where the manufacturing base left in the 70s.
Another counterintuitive phenomenon that I've thought about has been how three of my friends with library degrees were never able to get paid fulltime employment as librarians because we've apparently moved into an era of fixed budget cuts with reduced hours and volunteer staff. Yet, in the 60s through 80s, I understand there were lots of libraries with staff and few threats for closure. During the same period, the economically defined 'productivity' per worker has gone up tremendously. If productivity goes up, that means that society should have more wealth, and it should be *cheaper* to provide extra services, and we should even be transitioning towards having shorter workweeks to provide the same lifestyle experienced in 1970. Instead, there seems to be the opposite trend where the same amount of healthcare, housing, services, or retirement becomes more and more expensive.

great picture of the po-po in today's paper:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_11145415

Yes, it's all thanks to a federal grant; the parallel isn't lost on readers. The whole article describes how the new vehicle will help since before the cops couldn't get into their cars wearing all their gear.

""The most important part is there's air conditioning in the back for us," Forbus said."

The last time *I* saw this stuff used was in the lower ocean neighborhood. Meaning that there are still some resources being pumped into neighborhoods of color in Santa Cruz. The community center is closing, but the cops got air conditioning...

There is grant money for all sorts of things. To decry the fact that the police got money from the DOJ for a vehicle is sort of ignorant. DOJ does not fund museums and parks. If you want these things to stay open how about proposing some viable alternatives or solutions.

Uh, just because various Police projects are funded by grants doesn't mean it's money well spent. Considering that the City's budget shortfall is affected by the State's and Fed's budget shortfalls, I think it's completely appropriate to point out that the DOJ is funding frivolous purchases or the already over-funded SCPD. Yes, frivolous. "We had to take multiple vehicles before we got this new truck" is a pretty stupid justification. We all know that those funds could have been better allocated.

The funds were used for what they were intended for. Just because you do not like what they were used for does not mean they were misallocated. Apples and oranges. Those funds could be used for law enforcement and nothing else. The city can't apply to DOL|J for a grant and then use it to fund a museum. BTW before you critize the vehicle you spend some time in full riot gear and see if you don't appreciate a vehicle designed for the job.

At the next City Council meeting, it may be decided that the Santa Cruz Teen Center will be moved from it's currently leased space at Laurel St. and Pacific Ave. to City-owned space at the Louden Nelson Community Center on Laurel St. and Center St.

According to the December 4 City Council Agenda Report for the next meeting on December 9th at 3pm, moving the Teen Center would result in approximately $70,000 in annual savings.

The Teen Center is an important community resource providing a safe and supervised space for teens after school.

The number of teens using the space various from day to day. Teens are given a free membership and allowed to drop-in whichever days they need or want to.

The Santa Cruz City Council will meet on Tuesday, December 9th at 3pm. The meeting is technically open to the public, however many concerned people, such as Teen Center staff members, will not be able to attend due to work conflicts.

Basketball is one of the many activities that kids enjoy at the Santa Cruz Teen Center.

I might be missing something here. Is there a problem with re-locating the Teen Center from leased property to city owned property? Both locations are in the downtown area, so that doesn't seem problematic. Saving $70,000 a year on rent seems like a smart thing to do, especially if the city wants to avoid cutting other programs.

Even if it was the only thing the grant could be applied for, it was frivolous to give new vehicles to our repressive police cars. The federal budget is out-of-whack when you apply for repression but not for a teen center.

If the police are receiving federal money, an equal amount could be subtracted and relocated to other worthier causes. Obviously City Council could estimate the amount of $$ coming to the feds through the notorious War on Terror and the Drug Hysteria War, and substract an equal amount. So, yes, drawing attention to the funding and City Council's behavior here is very appropriate.

While we're at it, has anyone ever estimated the amount of money squandered on the Drug War recently? This century-long scandal is actually being dealt with in countries like Switzerland where the problem is being treated medically. Santa Cruz could lead the way here by clarifying its priorities and so instructing its police. If the Council's head were not so far up the lower intestinal track of the PD.

At the Tuesday City council meeting on 12-9 (last one of the year) when all these budget cuts are coming (during the afternoon when folks find it harder to be there--naturally), there'll also be a commendation for Officer Jim Howes--notorious for discriminating against homeless people and organizations. Last time when he received a commendation, I tried to raise "the rest of the story" and then-Mayor Emily Reilly refused to allow public comment.

If the resisters muster sufficient support, public comment on these issues will not be allowed but heeded.

Not that the gangs and hobos on main street didn't contribute, but I'm sure you helped in justifying the police not be the targets of budget cuts. Give them a reason for their budget, and they'll always be first priority.

Generally, federal grants (for anything) are very specific about what the money can be spent on. So often times we'll find ourselves spending money on something we don't need, because that's the only way we can spend the money.

Cop car: $80K

Defending against Robert's frivelous lawsuit after his nazi salute: $100,000.


Simple math.

$100,000, so far....

Now if the city officials would just respect the rights of citizens then we could save a lot of money....

TUESDAY DECEMBER 9TH

TUESDAY THERE WILL BE A MARCH AT 2:00PM FROM THE BEACH FLATS PARK TO THE CITY COUNCIL

GET IN CONTACT TO SAVE THE COMMUNITY CENTER.
CALL 831-459-8217

Friends,

While it may, on the surface, seem logical to save $70,000 on rent for the Teen Center by moving it to Louden Nelson, please be aware that the way the city had the space for the Teen Center was by closing a childcare center that had been in Louden Nelson for 30 years.

That childcare center serves mostly very low-income families. The closure came with little warning and no opportunity to negotiate new terms for staying in the facility.

So what the city has now done is trade one group of kids for another, just a different age group. Families of very young childcare age children are scrambling and some staff will lose their jobs.

Just thought you should know....

My kids' preschool in Santa Cruz runs about $1000/mo per kid for 5 full days.
My health insurance is about $300 /mo for one adult and two kids- $7500 deductible.

Anybody know where I can get a better deal?

So you are saying that your children are not worth $5.50 and hour? It amazes me that we as a society will pay a guy $60/hr to fix our car but balk at paying over $2-$3 and hour for child care.

Each teacher has several students and I'm paying it so I guess I'm willing. So seriously, does anybody know where I can get a better deal?

I'm trying to figure out how all the hardworking folks in the Beach Flats community are able to afford childcare services. I want to know because I could use some help too.

I wonder if Robert Norse will now drop his lawsuit lifestyle and allow the good citizens of Santa Cruz to put their tax dollars to work saving some of these services. It really is awful to continue with forcing the City to spend over $100,000/year defending itself against frivolous claims that have no reasonable basis in fact and do absolutely nothing to further the interests of the people.

I encourage Robert to put first the interests of this community that he cares so deeply about. What say ye, Robert?

Norse says "If the police are receiving federal money, an equal amount could be subtracted and relocated to other worthier causes."

But if the money they received was never budgeted in the first place, you are still left with a budget shortfall.

Use the same example in a different scenario. A food service for the homeless is suffering a budget shortfall. That service receives a federal grant to buy a specific item they could use, bud did not include in their budget. While taking the money gives them an item they would like to have, it still does not solve the budget problem. Should the service not take the item that will make their program better? Certainly not. It is still providing an increase in service. But you can't subtract "an equal amount" of the item against the budget as it was never included in the first place. It's a nice addition, but that's about it.

Thanks Indybay for reinstating the post about Robert dropping his lawsuit!!
The editors did good by reinstating the post!!

Thanks Indybay for restoring my comment. I appreciate the evenhandedness of the moderators in this matter. And really Robert, what say ye? Will you agree to drop your lawsuits against the city or to at least give them a rest for a couple of years, to allow those funds to be used for nobler causes such as parks, pools and recreational centers for teens? I know you'll want to just ignore me and hope my question is forgotten, but please don't just go silent on us Robert. I know this is an uncomfortable question, but will you please answer it? I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to hear your answer to this. Thanks.

They use one another as their child care. It's not uncommon to see one adult with a pack of kids in the neighborhood.
At least, I'm inferring the former statement from the latter one, so I can't say for sure, but it sure beats paying $1000/mo/kid.

I imagine there's a lot of unlicensed childcare going on and that will increase with the closing of Beach Flats Community Center. Is that a good thing? Should we all try and deregulate childcare so anybody can watch the kids? That would help with affordability.

That must be paid out of the general fund as well. The City of Santa Cruz contributes at least two officers to the County Narcotics Enforcement Team, and has also been very quiet about Measure K, which was supposed to help eliminate police harassment of small-scale cannabis users and growers, right? If so, why is the City Police Department still employing undercover cops to spy on people? How much is spent on that, and what possible good does it do? According to the Country Sheriff:

"The two incumbent detectives of the NET section (formerly the Marijuana Enforcement Team MET) continue to focus on a variety of illegal drugs including commercial marijuana investigations. A good percentage of the teams’ manpower over the past year was spent separating the legitimate medicinal marijuana users from those who purported to be medicinal users in an effort to cover up their illegal growing and/or selling operations."

Note also that longtime medical cannabis activist Valerie Corral now faces the loss of her land due to the continual harassment by the DEA and other police organizations.

The drug war is a joke, and everyone knows it. See the following:
"Law Enforcement Against Prohibition"
http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php

and the excellent KOPBUSTERS, catching corrupt cops in Texas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHmP_KtmcB4

The undercover drug cops are the shadiest lot of all - and yet the City of Santa Cruz has gotten involved in sending cops to spy on political demonstators, and that's just what they've been caught doing. There are plenty of other areas where undercover police activity may have been involved...

Speaking of Measure K, recall that it called for the following:

"Shall the Santa Cruz Municipal Code be amended by adding an ordinance that requires Santa Cruz police officers and other law enforcement officers in the City of Santa Cruz to make enforcement of state and federal laws pertaining to the distribution, sale, cultivation or use of marijuana by adults their lowest law enforcement priority?"

That would mean reducing the police workload, and thus the police budget, which would save the city enough money to keep the far more important public services open.

That's a nice idea Norse, but it's relying on the idea that the money provided by the federal government can be spent on whatever the police like -- that is rarely the case, the money is provided to fund specific programs, programs which likely would not exist without federal grants...

The city of Santa Cruz pays a retainer for the attorney, Bersone. They pay the same retainer whether they have to use him or not.

You could look at it this way, Norse is actually helping you get your money's worth! If you've seen Bersone at the city council meetings, then you'll know you pay for him to sleep thru those meetings.

Wrong. Lawyers' retainers retain their services and guarantee payment of their bills, which are still a function of hourly work provided. If you don't believe that Robert Norse is one of our most expensive citizens who doesn't even live here, then we must not be attending the same City Council meetings.

Barisone probably looks like he's sleeping because he is bored with Robert's nonsense. It's not like he hasn't heard the same diatribe from him for the last quarter century.

You may have already heard. Along with two museums and the Harvey West Pool, in order to balance the budget in these dark economic times, the Santa Cruz City Council is closing the Beach Flats Community Center and Community Gardens. The community center includes tutoring programs, homework support, childcare, cultural events, computer labs, and other family support.

If you've never been there, the Beach Flats Community Garden is a self-sustaining community gem that provides food and work to dozens of Beach Flats families. The city tried unsuccessfully to shut down the garden this spring, but was stymied by an uprising from the community.

These public services are threatened in a city that spends far above average on "public safety." Police services are Santa Cruz's largest single expenditure, weighing in at a whopping 27 percent of the budget. If the city budget were a pie in which everyone got a razor thin slice, the bloated police department would be taking a full quarter of the entire pie. And with the cuts at last Tuesday's council meeting, that slice will be even larger.

The city of Davis, for instance, another UC city the size of Santa Cruz, is typical and shows very different priorities. According to the city's annual budget, police expense makes up only 8 percent of the city budget. Further, in the current economic crisis, the Davis City Council is considering cutting the police budget by a million dollars.

So if it seems like we live and work in a city with a cop at every corner, perhaps this helps explain it. In lefty liberal Santa Cruz, if you sit on a sidewalk, or run through a stop sign on a bike, or relax on a sunny day down by the river you are virtually guaranteed an interaction with authority. Has outgoing Mayor Ryan Coonerty convinced you yet that our little town is so crime-ridden that it deserves this corpulent police expenditure? Do you feel safer yet?

This is the same police force who week after week have posted two to four officers at $75 an hour all day at the farmers market to silence the traditional drum circle. But come a budget crisis, the first thing that is on the chopping block is the community center in the only primarily Spanish-speaking part of town.

It is time to question the priorities of our City Council.

The council considered these weighty matters at their council meeting on Tuesday afternoon, making it difficult for working people to have a voice in the matter. Nevertheless, a parade of hundreds spoke before the council to seek alternatives to cuts in these services. The council arrived at the meeting already heavy with regret, the outcome of their decision already inevitable, public outcry notwithstanding. Cuts in services were necessary, the council said, and reductions in "essential" police services were off the table. Indeed, no council member made a motion to reduce the bloated police expense to balance the budget.

Perhaps in the coming months, your demands that the City Council reset their priorities and dig deeper for a more sensible budget solution will not continue to fall on deaf ears.

Wes Modes has lived, worked and been involved in art and politics in Santa Cruz for 20 years. He is on the board of many local nonprofits, and helped start Guerilla Drive-In, Free Skool, and most recently the SubRosa Community Space.

The Beach Flats Community Center (BFCC) is a community and family resource center in the heart of the largely low income, Latino neighborhood of Beach Flats. In partnership with families, neighbors, and many other community partners, The BFCC works strategically to improve the living and social conditions of youth and families in the neighborhood so that together we can create healthy families and communities.

The Beach Flats Community Center:

* Provides a vehicle to access and bridge neighbors to City of Santa Cruz services and social service agencies so as to increase youth and family opportunities.

* Provides a neighborhood and community public gathering space. As a neighborhood and community hub where families gather and access the tools needed to help their families thrive and succeed.

* Manages and coordinates the effective use of the Beach Flats Community Center facility, Beach Flats Park and two community gardens to ensure access to residents to neighborhood resources.

* Effectively collaborates and makes deep connections within our networks that are flexible and continuously responsive to community and family need.

* Over 15 years, continues to provide a constant organizational presence through which the majority of services flow in and out of the Beach Flats neighborhood.


Partners who work with the Beach Flats community provide an estimated 1,400 contacts per month to an average of 150 families. It is the ongoing relationships built through these contacts that are at the core of current and future coordinated efforts to insure a safe and secure neighborhood.

As We See It: Shakespeare Santa Cruz appears to have weathered the storm; will other programs be so lucky?
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Posted: 12/21/2008 01:30:27 AM PST

Just a week ago, the stunning announcement was splashed across the front page: Shakespeare Santa Cruz had one week to come up with $300,000 or face a final curtain call.

For years, Shakespeare Santa Cruz has been running annual deficits. And for years, UC Santa Cruz has been picking up the tab. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the university, already feeling the sting of state budget cuts and knowing full well more are on the way, told SSC it could no longer cover the gaps. The theater company had to come up with the money or cancel its 2009 season -- and possibly end its 27-year run.

As you read these words today, it is likely SSC has already met the goal. By mid-week, with contributions flowing in at a steady pace, SSC managing director Marcus Cato was confident the money could be secured by the deadline. By Friday afternoon more than $275,000 had been raised. The final tally won't be known until Monday morning.

Hardly a day goes by that we don't hear of an agency or program that is suffering through financial hardships. If your personal finances have taken a hit, and as businesses are struggling to hang on, you can be assured community services that depend on the largesse of grants and donations are equally strapped.

That SSC should be able to raise $300,000 so quickly is a testament to the reputation it has built, not only at home in Santa Cruz but nationwide. Shakespeare Santa Cruz is synonymous with quality, cutting-edge theater.

In opinion pieces and letters to the editor, community members have passionately and eloquently come to the aid of what is regarded as one of the crown jewels of Santa Cruz.

Simply put, the community has stepped forward and shown its willingness to keep a much respected institution alive.

We can't help but wonder what value the community will put on other projects that don't have the cachet of Shakespeare Santa Cruz. The Surfing Museum, Museum of Natural History, Harvey West Pool, Beach Flats Community Center are but a few of the community services now endangered.

As volunteers come together with plans to rescue these worthy community operations, will they find the level of support that will allow them to continue?

Are we willing to give of our time and money to rescue services that rarely grab the headlines, but play vital roles in the daily lives of so many people?

It may very well be that the current economy is the thing wherein we'll catch the conscience of the community.

By Genevieve Bookwalter

Santa Cruz Sentinel
Posted: 12/05/2008 07:59:47 AM PST

SANTA CRUZ — Close the Beach Flats Community Center. Close the Harvey West Pool. Close the Museum of Natural History and the Surfing Museum. Lay off more than 13 full-time workers. Cut work weeks from 40 to 36 hours for those who are left.

These are some of the cuts city leaders could make Tuesday as they grapple with a $7 million deficit in their $181 million budget — a deficit much worse than what was predicted just five months ago.

As a result, the proposed cuts are "not a negotiation game. It's an emergency response to our bleeding cash out of here at a pace that we can't sustain. That's the way people have to look at it," City Manager Dick Wilson said.

Santa Cruz leaders are desperately looking for ways to trim another $4.2 million from the budget after cutting $2.8 million last month. November's cuts eliminated open positions and cut smaller items from department budgets. But "the next set of cuts will be extremely painful for those employees that are affected, as well as for residents that receive those services," reads the staff report for Tuesday's meeting.

The quick and drastic measures are an about-face from the city's original plans in June, when the deficit was $5 million and voters had not yet shot down a 911 phone line tax. Leaders then agreed to make a smaller set of cuts in November and re-examine the budget next year.

But residents in August voted against a 911 tax that would have generated $1.3 million for the city, and the failing economy has since driven the deficit higher.

Now, the museum, pool and other closures could happen as soon as February, according to the city report. Santa Cruz leaders also will be talking to union negotiators about eliminating raises and having employees pay more into their retirement pension accounts. City managers already have turned down cost-of-living raises this year.

These cuts might not be the last, either. If the economy continues to worsen, more closures and layoffs could be necessary, Wilson wrote.

Jenifer Lienau Thompson, who oversees the Museum of Natural History and the Surfing Museum, said she already is thinking about where collections could be safely stored if the museums close.

"We provide a big service, and I think it's going to be a loss for the whole community," Lienau Thompson said.

Last year, 35,000 visitors toured the Surfing Museum and 15,000 stopped by the Natural History Museum.

Jesse Shank, who has helped staff the Surfing Museum for the past 15 years, said he is scared of losing his job. He plans to attend Tuesday's meeting.

"We're Surf City, so I believe we should keep the museum," Shank said.

Mayor Ryan Coonerty declined to comment on specific cuts Thursday, but did not mask the gravity of the situation.

"Seven million dollars out of our general fund is an extraordinary amount," Coonerty said. "That puts almost everything in Parks and Recreation on the block, and there are going to be very difficult cuts."

i really hope this center stays alive, and I hope Santa Cruz will understand the priority of such a need for this center that creates community