After spending a week in the dugout and clubhouse of the San Diego Padres for a news article, I was so unimpressed with many of the players that I met that I just about wanted to give up watching the game. But there were two who stood out for intelligence and passion: Tony Gwynn and Brian Johnson. (Keep in mind, unlike football players, most baseball players never go to college, and in that locker room, it really showed). Also, I was there to write a story about the worst player in baseball on the worst team in baseball, but that’s a tale for another day.
I never met Dusty Baker, and after reading Steve Kettmann’s cover story this week, I wish I had.
Baker is a sensitive, intelligent man, who went on from batting behind Hank Aaron to managing a World Series championship team. He also showed class locally as manager of the San Francisco Giants.
As a music lover, I really synced with Baker’s passion for music, dating back to sharing a joint with Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival. And I love that he loves and was inspired by Santa Cruz.
This is a sports story that goes way beyond sports, into philosophy and ideas about managing life. You can meet Dusty at Bookshop Santa Cruz, which should be a thrill.
Also, in this issue, we meet a drag performer who is doing a show for the PRIDE celebrations and a couple of new bands playing the Redwood Mountain Faire. So much going on. There will be a bunch more PRIDE features next week.
One of the most important pieces of content this week is in this same section: the letter from RTC director Sarah Christensen about the wished-for rail line through Santa Cruz. She tells a few dozen protestors who are asking the agency to keep the tracks that, no matter what, those tracks have to go. They are dated and not set for the kind of commuter trains people hope for.
It’s the clearest answer to the falsehoods train proponents have been suggesting. Either way, the costs will have to include new tracks, and the $4.5 billion cost is out of reach for the second smallest county in the state right now.
We’ve got news you need to know about the June 2 mayor’s race..who will you vote for? And we have good news about possible help for Watsonville Hospital. You can never underestimate how bad it would be to lose one of only two hospitals in the county. Can you imagine how backed up the emergency room at Dominican would be without an alternative?
Thanks for reading and have a great week.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
BABY ON BOARD Taken on Steamer Lane. Photograph by Gregg Levoy
GOOD IDEA
United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) joined fellow Ways and Means Committee members to introduce the Rental Housing Investment Act, a bipartisan bill that would modernize the tax code, lower construction costs, and create stronger incentives to build affordable rental housing.
Specifically, the Rental Housing Investment Act would allow builders to immediately deduct up to $150,000 per unit in construction costs, rather than depreciating those costs over 27.5 years.
It would provide an enhanced deduction of up to $250,000 per unit for projects that include income-restricted units reserved for working families. Projects receiving the enhanced benefit would be required to maintain attainability commitments for at least 15 years.
It would apply only to newly constructed multifamily rental housing, ensuring the incentive creates new supply.
GOOD WORK
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, moved to block the Trump Administration’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that would compensate or financially reward convicted January 6 insurrectionists. Padilla asked unanimous consent to pass his No Rewards for January 6 Rioters Act — introduced with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on January 6 of this year, the fifth anniversary of the attack — which would prohibit using federal funds to compensate or refund January 6 insurrectionists, including by barring the establishment of a victim compensation fund and by prohibiting the Justice Department from entering into settlement agreements. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) objected.
