I’m a Live Oak schools parent, and I would like to see LOSD sell the Live Oak senior center property and recover the $2.4M. Even if those funds couldn’t be used for teaching positions, our district could surely use the money as both a much needed buffer against insolvency, and to start making the repairs needed for our schools–for which the District is now asking taxpayers to fund in the form of Measure H.
What angers me is that the District is holding onto this property for workforce housing, which is something that voters have yet to approve. I strongly oppose workforce housing, because it adds yet another layer of administrative bloat to our district expenses. Do I want to see my tax dollars go to support all that goes along with managing an apartment building? Absolutely not.
Given that there are only 180 days of instruction in the school year, I would argue that teachers are more underemployed than underpaid. We as a society need to revisit this idea that it’s ok to offer education to our children for so few days a year.
Housing in Santa Cruz County is ridiculously expensive for everyone, not just the education workforce. We desperately need more housing. There is no ‘us and them’ here, we are all in this together.
—Claudia Burgin
Teachers Work Hard
Underemployed??? If you think I am underemployed you clearly have not experienced teaching before. I suggest you consider taking a year and investing it in our students as a teacher before you bother offering your two cents!
—KC O’Brien
No Pay for Summer Work
Just FYI, most teachers spend the summer doing professional development. During my “summers” I have a) done a six-week internship at Applied Biosystems; b) written an entire Genetics curriculum; c) participated in Math academies, Earth Science Academies, NGSS academies, writing academies, etc.; d) taken college classes to get re-certified and to earn more teaching certifications (I have more than 10); e) lesson plan; f) batch planning for scope & sequence; g) clean and restock (WITH MY OWN MONEY!) my classroom (which takes days).
You should also be aware that we are paid for 186 days per year, not the summer.
A fabulous wine to have on hand for the coming spring holidays is Soquel Vineyards’ Trinity Rosso.
This full-throttle red wine is an amalgam of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. For the reasonable price of $16, what you get is a rich mouthfeel and soft tannins – along with a ripe blackberry flavor. “The length is elegant with sweet, creamy French and American oak,” say the folks at Soquel Vineyards.
Another red wine by Soquel Vineyards I would recommend is their 2015 Pyramid. A blend of 30% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, and 8% Petit Verdot, this is a beautiful Bordeaux-style blend with lush notes of blackberry, licorice and tobacco. This wine is $50, and perfect for the upcoming holidays.
Soquel Vineyards has a warm and welcoming tasting room. It has been voted Best Winery many times by Good Times readers, including for the Best Of awards of 2023.
I am totally smitten with Heraclea extra-virgin olive oil. Having lived in Turkey for a year, I am very familiar with their exceptional culinary offerings such as olive oil, olives, figs, apricots, and other produce. Izmir, where I lived, is well-known for all kinds of tasty food, including honey and honeycomb. Turkey shines when it comes to olive oil, and the rich, velvety oil made by Heraclea in the city of Milas is worth its weight in gold! All my food is prepared with olive oil, including french fries. I cook them for a lengthy time so they soak up as much oil as possible, a technique I picked up from Greek cuisine. (I lived in Athens for 12 years). Visit Heraclea.com for more info.
Among the meaningful statistics woven through Tonya Fleck’s busy days, number 136 is important. Having founded Santa Cruz Naturopathic Center 15 years ago, I asked whether she was one of the first NDs in town. And yes, this pioneering practitioner was the 136th person to receive a doctoral degree in Naturopathy 20 years ago.
Learning Naturopaths are licensed physicians was also news to me: the term sounds kind of squishy. So I asked Dr. Fleck; what’s the difference between Naturopathy and traditional Western medicine? As it turns out, for the first two years of medical training, nothing. Students study all the same basic sciences and lab diagnostic tools and are also trained in pharmacology and are licensed to prescribe pharmaceuticals (though Dr. Fleck says she rarely needs to.).
I was also surprised to learn a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) can be a primary care physician, licensed to diagnose and treat the same way your regular doctor can. Yet here’s where things differ: Naturopathic medicine emphasizes the body’s inherent ability to heal itself and focuses on treating the root cause of illness. The goal is a holistic balance of physical, mental and emotional wellness.
Dr. Fleck explained “Regardless of the health concern, whether it be sleep issues, hormone issues, gut issues, or even depression or anxiety, I recognize that that’s the symptom and it’s important to treat it, but ultimately, we always need to figure out the underlying root cause. Where’s the imbalance in the vital force?
“As an ND, I’m looking at the whole person. I want to know everything; How’s your gut? How’s your sleep? What’s your vitamin D level? How’s your thyroid? How are your adrenals, right? So it’s very much a holistic approach to health and vitality.”
A traditional Westen model offers a reductionist approach to medicine which assumes different bodily systems and functions operate independently. Fortunately, this model is also evolving as more current research sheds light on the intricate relationship between the mind and body.
Which brought me to my next question, is there a medical component to the rise in stress and burnout so many people are currently experiencing? Specifically, is this the result of what’s known as “adrenal fatigue”, a term used to describe symptoms that often include fatigue, body aches, difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping, and feelings of being overwhelmed by everyday tasks.
While adrenal fatigue is not a diagnosis recognized in Western medicine, so many people experience these symptoms I wanted to know if it’s a condition she addresses.
“Our adrenals are really the foundation of our endocrine system and on a cellular level our bodies are designed to survive. So whenever we’re stressed, like running late to work, my kid is sick, whatever the stressor may be, our adrenals think we’re running from a tiger.
“They don’t know the difference. And so our adrenals are a bit like a fetus where the body will steal from you to make sure the fetus is okay. In the same way, our body will steal nutrients to make sure the adrenals are fed because the adrenals are essential for survival.
“From there, the body then will send nutrients to the thyroid and put more energy into replenishing sex hormones, and eventually producing neurotransmitters that help with depression and anxiety. With most of my patients, there is an adrenal support component, particularly in this high-stressed world that we’re living in.
“The adrenals love B vitamins, vitamin C and adaptogen herbs. In my office we also offer high dose nutritional IV therapies, which is a great way of getting high doses of nutrients directly into the body.
“Although I treat patients with diagnosed diseases, many of my patients don’t necessarily have a diagnosable ‘disease’ but they also don’t feel well or vital. They know when something is off in our bodies.
“I see three pillars of health. One is having a diagnosed disease, the 2nd is not feeling well but not having a diagnosis, and the third pillar is feeling optimal. My goal is to bring all of my patients into the third pillar.”
As we finished our conversation, Dr. Fleck was greeted by a peppy lady in her 70s, who broke into a little happy dance as she waited for her infusion treatment. As we laughed she exclaimed, “Well, when you have an opportunity to feel great, why not!?”
March is Women’s History Month. Who is a history-making woman you admire?
Max Stonebloom
Greta Thunberg because she made such an impact on global warming and how she made an impact on corporations and how they think about what they’ve done.
Max Stonebloom, 12, Student
Tyson Miller
Michelle Obama, for all the things she did as First Lady, and just the way she carries herself.
Tyson Miller, 46, Engineer
Gabriela Candelaria
There are so many. Dolores Huerta because of her activism in rights for farm workers. She’s done so much for minorities in general, it’s really inspiring..
Gabriela Candelaria, 43, Nurse
Joyful
Bertha Benz, wife of Carl Benz, the inventor of the first automobile. She actually drove it herself 60 miles, for the first long-distance journey by automobile. She invented the leather brake shoe, so the brake would grip better.
Joyful Heart, 60, Writer
Lilly Martin Candelaria
A new one is definitely Taylor Swift, she’s pretty powerful. She knows how to market herself and put herself out there and made herself very very recognizable.
Lilly Martin Candelaria, 13, Student
Zachary Salazar
Candace Owens, the conservative commentator. She never gives up, doesn’t back down, doesn’t surrender to anyone pushing her towards how she should believe as a black woman.
“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow talent to the dark place where it leads.” So wrote Aries author Erica Jong. Is that true? Is it hard to access the fullness of our talents? Must we summon rare courage and explore dark places? Sometimes, yes. To overcome obstacles that interfere with ripening our talents, there may be tough work to do. I suspect the coming weeks and months will be one of those phases for you, Aries. But here’s the good news: I predict you will succeed.
TAURUSApril 20-May 20
In October 1879, Thomas Edison and his research team produced the first electric light bulb that was viable enough to be of practical use. In September 1882, Edison opened the first power plant on the planet, enabling people to light their homes with the new invention. That was a revolutionary advance in a very short time. Dear Taurus, the innovations you have been making and I hope will continue to make are not as monumental as Edison’s. But I suspect they rank high among the best and brightest in your personal life history. Don’t slack off now. There’s more work to be done—interesting, exciting work!
GEMINIMay 21-June 20
I watched as the Thai snake charmer kissed a poisonous cobra, taming the beast’s danger with her dancing hands. I beheld the paramedic dangle precariously from a helicopter to snag the woman and child stranded on a rooftop during a flood. And in my dream, I witnessed three of my Gemini friends singing a dragon to sleep, enabling them to ramble freely across the bridge the creature had previously forbidden them to traverse.
CANCERJune 21-July 22
The horoscopes you are reading have been syndicated in publications all over the world: the US, Italy, France, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Netherlands, Russia, Cambodia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Ireland and Finland. Yet it has never appeared in a publication in the UK, where there are over 52 million people whose first language is English—the same as mine. But I predict that will change in the coming months: I bet a British newspaper or website will finally print Free Will Astrology. I prophesy comparable expansions in your life, too, fellow Cancerian. What new audiences or influences or communities do you want to be part of? Make it happen!
LEOJuly 23-Aug.22
Author Jean-Dominique Bauby wrote, “Today it seems to me that my whole life was nothing but a string of small near misses.” If you have endured anything resembling that frustration, Leo, I have good news: The coming months won’t bring you a string of small near misses. Indeed, the number of small near misses will be very few, maybe even zero. Instead, I predict you will gather an array of big, satisfying completions. Life will honor you with bull’s eyes, direct hits and master strokes. Here’s the best way you can respond to your good fortune and ensure the arrival of even more good fortune: Share your wealth!
VIRGOAug. 23-Sept. 22
Virgo advice expert Cheryl Strayed wrote some rather pushy directions I will borrow and use for your horoscope. She and I say, “You will never have my permission to close yourself off to love and give up. Never. You must do everything you can to get what you want and need, to find ‘that type of love.’ It’s there for you.” I especially want you to hear and meditate on this guidance right now, Virgo. Why? Because I believe you are in urgent need of re-dedicating yourself to your heart’s desire. You have a sacred duty to intensify your imagination and deepen your willpower as you define what kind of love and tenderness and togetherness you want most.
LIBRASept. 23-Oct. 22
Author Adam Alter writes, “Perfect success is boring and uninspiring, and abject failure is exhausting and demoralizing. Somewhere between these extremes is a sweet spot that maximizes long-term progress.” And what is the magic formula? Alter says it’s when you make mistakes an average of 16% of the time and are successful 84%. Mistakes can be good because they help you learn and grow. Judging from your current astrological omens, Libra, I’m guessing you’re in a phase when your mistake rate is higher than usual—about 30%. (Though you’re still 70% successful!) That means you are experiencing expanded opportunities to learn all you can from studying what doesn’t work well. (Adam Alter’s book is “Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most.”)
SCORPIOOct. 23-Nov. 21
Sometimes you Scorpios are indeed secretive, as traditional astrologers assert. You understand that knowledge is power, and you build your potency by gathering information other people don’t have the savvy or resources to access. But it’s also true that you may appear to be secretive when in fact you have simply perceived and intuited more than everyone else wants to know. They might be overwhelmed by the deep, rich intelligence you have acquired—and would actually prefer to be ignorant of it. So you’re basically hiding stuff they want you to hide. Anyway, Scorpio, I suspect now is a time when you are loading up even more than usual with juicy gossip, inside scoops, tantalizing mysteries, taboo news and practical wisdom that few others would be capable of managing. Please use your superpowers with kindness and wisdom.
SAGITTARIUSNov. 22-Dec. 21
Here’s a little-known fact about me: I am the priest, wizard, rabbi and pope of Parish #31025 in the Universal Life Church. One of my privileges in this role is to perform legal marriages. It has been a few years since I presided over anyone’s wedding, but I am coming out of semi-retirement to consecrate an unprecedented union. It’s between two aspects of yourself that have not been blended but should be blended. Do you know what I’m referring to? Before you read further, please identify these two aspects. Ready? I now pronounce you husband and wife, or husband and husband, or wife and wife, or spouse and spouse—or whatever you want to be pronounced.
CAPRICORNDec. 22-Jan. 19
“You don’t have to suffer to be a poet,” said poet John Ciardi. “Adolescence is enough suffering for anyone.” I will add that adolescence is enough suffering for everyone, even if they’re not a poet. For most of us, our teenage years brought us streams of angst, self-doubt, confusion and fear—sufficient to last a lifetime. That’s the bad news, Capricorn. The good news is that the coming months will be one of the best times ever for you to heal the wounds left over from your adolescence. You may not be able to get a total cure, but 65% is very possible. Seventy-five percent isn’t out of the question. Get started!
AQUARIUSJan. 20-Feb. 18
A psychic once predicted that I would win a Grammy award for my music. She said my dad and mom would be in the audience, smiling proudly. Well, my dad died four years ago, and I haven’t produced a new album of songs for over ten years. So that Grammy prophecy is looking less and less likely. I should probably give up hope that it will come to pass. What about you, Aquarius? Is there any dream or fantasy you should consider abandoning? The coming weeks would be a good time to do so. It could open your mind and heart to a bright future possibility now hovering on the horizon.
PISCESFeb. 19-March 20
I invite you to entertain the following theory: Certain environments, companions and influences enhance your intelligence, health and ability to love—while others either do the opposite or have a neutral effect. If that’s true, it makes good sense for you to put yourself in the presence of environments, companions and influences that enhance you. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to test this theory. I hope you will do extensive research and then initiate changes that implement your findings. Homework: What’s one way you wish you were different from who you are? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
Here are the preliminary results of some the important races in the area. Follow-up stories to come
Santa Cruz City Council District 2
The District 2 Santa Cruz City Council race is being contested between incumbent Sonja Brunner and newcomer Hector Marin. As of Tuesday night, Brunner enjoyed a substantial lead with 60.75% of the vote.
Marin said that despite what he considered a low primary election turnout, he was feeling good about the race and would await the final results.
Santa Cruz City Council District 3
In the District 3 Santa Cruz City Council race, incumbent Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson took an early lead Tuesday night.
With only the first batch of votes counted, Kalantari-Johnson led 75.12% to Schendledecker’s 23.87%.
Schendledecker was feeling hopeful.
“It will only get better from here,” she said.
Kalantari-Johnson said she was feeling, “Good!”
Santa Cruz City Council District 5
In Santa Cruz’s District 5, which encompasses UCSC and the upper-west side civil-engineer Susie O’Hara took an early lead over UCSC student Joe Thompson.
The all-important student vote could still be outstanding. In recent cycles progressive votes have come in-late. However, as a midterm election, turnout is expected to be low this year.
Thompson came to prominence in 2022 when they led the first unionization of a Starbucks in California. Parlaying this notoriety, Thompson ran for State Assembly, only to lose to Gail Pellegrin. This time around Thompson gained an impressive list of state endorsements, not only progressives, including Rep. Ro Khanna, State Senator Scott Weiner, and former State Senator Bill Monning. Thompson also won the support of local unions and the Santa Cruz Democratic Party.
Susie O’Hara is a civil engineer and former Water Commissioner. Susie O’Hara got the support of Ryan Coonerty and current city council members.
Santa Cruz County Supervisor District 1
Santa Cruz County District 1 Supervisor Manu Koenig led challenger Lani Faulkner as of Tuesday night with 54.61% of the votes counted. Faulkner trailed behind with 44.95%.
The incumbent felt confident about the lead.
“I’m feeling very encouraged by the results so far. Democracy is a team sport and I’m really proud of my team. It’s looking like our hard work paid off,” Koenig said.
Santa Cruz City: Measure M
In the City of Santa Cruz, Measure M, also known as the Housing For People Initiative, will not pass, according to Tuesday night’s preliminary election results. 60.97% of counted votes rejected the measure, while 39.03 % voted in favor. The measure proposed to increase the affordable housing requirement to 25%, as well as the right to vote on building heights that go over existing height limits.
The No on M campaign gained traction in recent months, and called the measure “misguided” and a threat to the development of local affordable housing.
Frank Barron, one of the main organizers behind the measure, said that he feel they ran a good campaign, but hoped it would be a closer race.
“it definitely resonated with many or most, but it’s hard to say if it’s a majority. I’d be surprised if it stayed 60-40,” Barron said
Former Santa Cruz Mayor Don Lane, who was part of the No on M campaign, said he was happy with the preliminary results.
“I feel pleased and energized to work further on affordable housing issues,”Lane said.
After delaying the vote on preliminary layoffs last week amid fierce public backlash, the trustees of the Live Oak School District (LOSD) voted unanimously to pass layoff notices to 42 full time employees. Additionally, nine jobs currently empty will not be filled.
Among the layoffs are a physical education teacher, seven elementary school teachers, a school psychologist, the Director of Special Education, and two preschool teachers.
After doing so, the Live Oak Elementary Teachers Association (LOETA) President Lauren Pomrantz and Vice-President Emily Avila charged LOSD Superintendent Daisy Morales with “neglecting to take actions to prevent our district’s fall into a multi-million dollar deficit.”
They asked that the Board “reconsider the terms of the contract for the superintendent.”
Yard Duty Supervisors, Night Custodians, and six Reading/Math Aides are also on the chopping block.
On the administrative side, the Director of Fiscal Services, Director of IT, an administrative secretary, a financial analyst and three Family Liaisons will also be cut.
Pfotenhauer reiterated that these layoffs are not final, awaiting feedback from the parents on Thursday. The final vote from the Board on its fiscal stabilization plan will be on March 6 at Live Oak Elementary before the state’s March 15 deadline.
Pfotenhauer also said that by answering audience questions out of turn during the meeting she had not followed the Brown Act, the code governing how public school board meetings are run in the state of California.
Pomrantz says the teachers’ union is angry with more than just the layoffs. Red flags were raised internally for years that were ignored by the District as it embarked on big initiatives that it did not effectively plan or fund, according to Pomrantz.
This includes initiatives such as the District’s plans for workforce housing, a new preschool, support programs and the capital facilities bond, says Pomrantz.
Superintendent Morales has also expressed anti-union sentiment, according to Pomrantz, and accuses her of saying she would “‘find someone else to do the job,’” during labor negotiations.
The LOETA also accuses Morales of withholding information from the Board, and discouraging the District’s administration from talking to the Board in full confidence about what was going on.
Board member Jeremy Ray thinks that there is a good reason why a strict separation exists between the Board and the administration. If an individual Board member is directing staff time, that doesn’t work because it undercuts the entire operation of the superintendent, Ray says.
Comparing the school board’s relationship to the administration to the city council and city staff, Ray says, “It is really not appropriate for me to contact the chief budget officer and start asking him questions without going through the superintendent.”
The new Chief Budget Officer Kim Hanwool only started in November after the past chief Alison Warner left after fierce labor negotiations, so Ray hasn’t had time to develop a relationship with him yet.
For Lauren Pomrantz the question comes down to what happened in December, 2023, when the state decertified the district’s budget. Before that happened, there was not a single word out about the budget problem from the district office.
This is why the teachers passed a vote of no confidence in Morales for “abetting the insulation of the Board of Trustees from any sources of information other than what she provides.” 82% of the union signed the vote of no confidence. The rest were afraid of retribution from Morales, according to Pomrantz.
When asked by this reporter to respond to the allegation made by the LOETA that she controlled information given to the Board, she said, “I do not respond.”
Another allegation by the teachers is that Morales’s mentorship of the youngest member of the Board of Trustees, Marlize Velasco, is a conflict of interest. Velasco is a UC Santa Cruz student who began her term in 2022 when no one else filed to run.
Velasco said she did get a binder of information from Morales.
“What hurts me is that they do not see me as my own person, ” Velasco said.
There has been a lot of catching up to do, Velasco said, with having to go through years of documents. She has reached out to the County Office of Education to get more data on the school’s comparative financial situation.
“I support Daisy,” Velasco said.
How to Save the Teachers?
Members of the teacher’s union think there could be another way.
Theresa Gilbert, a third grade teacher at Green Acres Elementary School, told the Board they should consider furloughs. She remembers taking a furlough-day during the Great Recession and doesn’t see why the staff of LOSD couldn’t take furloughs to keep those on payroll who work with the kids.
“Anybody who doesn’t work directly with children should furlow 5-15 days,” she said. “I do know that the Superintendent makes $1,000 [a day]. I do know that one RTI, who is a Response Intervention teacher makes $435 a week. So you can fund a whole department [with furloughs].”
By all accounts Live Oak School District is “top-heavy,” spending 8% of its budget on administration, while the average school spends 5% in California, according to California Department of Education data.
In the last four years, teacher salaries have declined 5%, while superintendent and administrative salaries have risen 49%, although from a much smaller base.
Not included in the layoff notices given at the Feb. 27 meeting was former Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Heidi Odom, who announced her resignation last week. She proposed that her job be dispersed into four separate positions.
Gilbert believes they are going to replace Odom with someone at a similar salary. In 2022-23, the Chief HR Officer made a minimum of $137,349, according to the Cabinet Salary Schedule.
“They are obviously going to hire-in behind her,” Gilbert said. “And they’re going to pay this new person how much money?”
An 85-year-old woman from Boulder Creek plowed into four bicyclists Tuesday on Highway 9 in the San Lorenzo Valley.
Israel Murillo of the California Highway Patrol said CHP responded to a reporrt of a crash at 6:21pm, south of Glengarry Road.
The woman was driving a blue Kia Forte northbound on Highway 9. At the same time, four bicyclists were riding southbound on the east dirt shoulder of Hwy 9, north of the Kia’s location.
For unknown reasons, the Kia veered off the roadway and collided with the bicyclists. After the collision with the bicyclists, the Kia kept moving in an easterly direction and crashed into a tree, where it came to rest.
Two of the bicyclists suffered major injuries and were taken by air ambulance to an out of county trauma center. The other two bicyclists also suffered injuries and were taken by ground ambulance to nearby hospitals.
The driver suffered minor injuries and was not taken to the hospital, Murillo said.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Alcohol and/or drugs are not believed to be factors in the incident.
Santa Cruz Police arrested a man Tuesday on suspicion of vandalizing the Black Lives Matter public mural on Center Street in downtown Santa Cruz last summer.
Deputy Chief Jon Bush said investigators arrested Taj Blum for felony vandalism done to the mural on the evening of July 29, 2023. After receiving reports of the vandalism, officers found the mural splattered with blue paint.
After more than six months of investigation, authorities were able to obtain enough evidence to stack up a case against Blum.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video in which a suspect is seen committing the vandalism. A possible vehicle and person of interest were subsequently identified. After the case was brought to the District Attorney’s Office to determine the motive in the case, Bush said that “at this time, no evidence supports this being a hate crime.”
It’s not the first time the mural has been vandalized. In 2021 Hagan Warner and Brandon Bochat burned truck tire marks across the mural in what prosecutors described as a hate crime for felony vandalism. They were sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $19,000 in restitution, two years of probation and 144 hours of community service.
The mural was painted in 2020 and was part of nationwide protests for racial justice and police accountability after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by Minneapolis Police in May 2020.
In my astrological estimation, the coming weeks will be an ideal time for you to declare amnesty, negotiate truces, and shed long-simmering resentments. Other recommended activities: Find ways to joke about embarrassing memories, break a bad habit just because it’s fun to do so, and throw away outdated stuff you no longer need. Just do the best you can as you carry out these challenging assignments; you don’t have to be perfect. For inspiration, read these wise words from poet David Whyte: “When you forgive others, they may not notice, but you will heal. Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is a gift to ourselves.”
TAURUSApril 20-May 20
Many of you Tauruses have a robust capacity for doing diligent, effective work. Many of you also have a robust capacity for pursuing sensual delights and cultivating healing beauty. When your mental health is functioning at peak levels, these two drives to enjoy life are complementary; they don’t get in each other’s way. If you ever fall out of your healthy rhythm, these two drives may conflict. My wish for you in the coming months is that they will be in synergistic harmony, humming along with grace. That’s also my prediction: I foresee you will do just that.
GEMINIMay 21-June 20
Many people choose wealthy entertainers and celebrity athletes for their heroes. It doesn’t bother me if they do. Why should it? But the superstars who provoke my adoration are more likely to be artists and activists. Author Rebecca Solnit is one. Potawatomi biologist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer. The four musicians in the Ukrainian band DahkaBrakha. Poet Rita Dove and novelist Haruki Murakami. My capacity to be inspired by these maestros seems inexhaustible. What about you, Gemini? Who are the heroes who move you and shake you in all the best ways? Now is a time to be extra proactive in learning from your heroes—and rounding up new heroes to be influenced by.
CANCERJune 21-July 22
Your homework assignment is to work on coordinating two issues that are key to your life’s purpose. The first of these issues is your fervent longing to make your distinctive mark on this crazy, chaotic world. The second issue is your need to cultivate sweet privacy and protective self-care. These themes may sometimes seem to be opposed. But with even just a little ingenious effort, you can get them to weave together beautifully. Now is a good time to cultivate this healing magic.
LEOJuly 23-Aug. 22
If you don’t recognize the face in the mirror right now, that’s a good thing. If you feel unfamiliar feelings rising up in you or find yourself entertaining unusual longings, those are also good things. The voice of reason may say you should be worried about such phenomena. But as the voice of mischievous sagacity, I urge you to be curious and receptive. You are being invited to explore fertile possibilities that have previously been unavailable or off-limits. Fate is offering you the chance to discover more about your future potentials. At least for now, power can come from being unpredictable and investigating taboos.
VIRGOAug. 23-Sept. 22
I invite you to study the fine art of sacred intimacy in the coming weeks. Life’s rhythms will redound in your favor as you enjoy playing tenderly and freely with the special people you care for. To aid you in your efforts, here are three questions to ponder. 1. What aspects of togetherness might flourish if you approach them with less solemnity and more fun? 2. Could you give more of yourself to your relationships in ways that are purely enjoyable, not done mostly out of duty? 3. Would you be willing to explore the possibility that the two of you could educate and ripen each other’s dark sides?
LIBRASept. 23-Oct. 22
Creativity teacher Roger von Oech tells how bandleader Count Basie asked a club owner to fix his piano. It was always out of tune. A few weeks later, the owner called Basie to say everything was good. But when Basie arrived to play, the piano still had sour notes. “I thought you said you fixed it!” Basie complained. The owner said, “I did. I painted it.” The moral of the story for the rest of us, concludes von Oech, is that we’ve got to solve the right problems. I want you Libras to do that in the coming weeks. Make sure you identify what really needs changing, not some distracting minor glitch.
SCORPIOOct. 23-Nov. 21
Most of us have received an inadequate or downright poor education about love and intimate togetherness. Given how much misinformation and trivializing propaganda we have absorbed, it’s amazing any of us have figured out how to create healthy, vigorous relationships. That’s the bad news, Scorpio. The good news is that you are cruising through a sustained phase of your astrological cycle when you’re far more likely than usual to acquire vibrant teachings about this essential part of your life. I urge you to draw up a plan for how to take maximum advantage of the cosmic opportunity. For inspiration, here’s poet Rainer Maria Rilke: “For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.” (Translation by Stephen Mitchell.)
SAGITTARIUSNov. 22-Dec. 21
The myths and legends of many cultures postulate the existence of spirits who are mischievous but not malevolent. They play harmless pranks. Their main purpose may be to remind us that another world, a less material realm, overlaps with ours. And sometimes, the intention of these ethereal tricksters seems to be downright benevolent. They nudge us out of our staid rhythms, mystifying us with freaky phenomena that suggest reality is not as solid and predictable as we might imagine. I suspect you may soon have encounters with some of these characters: friendly poltergeists, fairies, ghosts, sprites, or elves. My sense is that they will bring you odd but genuine blessings.
CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19
Some studies suggest that less than half of us have best friends. Men are even less likely to have beloved buddies than the other genders do. If you are one of these people, the coming weeks and months will be an excellent time to remedy the deficiency. Your ability to attract and bond with interesting allies will be higher than usual. If you do have best friends, I suggest you intensify your appreciation for and devotion to them. You need and deserve companions who respect you deeply, know you intimately, and listen well. But you’ve got to remember that relationships like these require deep thought, hard work, and honest expressions of feelings!
AQUARIUSJan. 20-Feb. 18
Among all the zodiac signs, you Aquarians are among the best at enjoying a bird’s-eye perspective on the world. Soaring high above the mad chatter and clatter is your birthright and specialty. I love that about you, which is why I hardly ever shout up in your direction, “Get your ass back down to earth!” However, I now suspect you are overdue to spend some quality time here on the ground level. At least temporarily, I advise you to trade the bird’s-eye view for a worm’s-eye view. Don’t fret. It’s only for a short time. You’ll be aloft again soon.
PISCESFeb. 19-March 20
In old Hawaii, the people loved their deities but also demanded productive results. If a god stopped providing worshipers with what they wanted, they might dismiss him and adopt a replacement. I love that! And I invite you to experiment with a similar approach in the coming weeks. Are your divine helpers doing a good job? Are they supplying you with steady streams of inspiration, love, and fulfillment? If not, fire them and scout around for substitutes. If they are performing well, pour out your soul in gratitude.
a Naturopathic Doctor can be a primary care physician, licensed to diagnose and treat the same way your regular doctor can. Yet here’s where things differ
March is Women’s History Month. Who is a history-making woman you admire?
Greta Thunberg because she made such an impact on global warming and how she made an impact on corporations and how they think about what they’ve done.
Max Stonebloom, 12, Student
Michelle Obama, for all the things she did as First Lady, and just the way she carries herself.
Tyson Miller,...
ARIES March 21-April 19
“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow talent to the dark place where it leads.” So wrote Aries author Erica Jong. Is that true? Is it hard to access the fullness of our talents? Must we summon rare courage and explore dark places? Sometimes, yes. To overcome obstacles that interfere with ripening...
An 85-year-old woman from Boulder Creek plowed into four bicyclists Tuesday on Highway 9 in the San Lorenzo Valley.
Israel Murillo of the California Highway Patrol said CHP responded to a reporrt of a crash at 6:21pm, south of Glengarry Road.
The woman was driving a blue Kia Forte northbound on Highway 9. At the same time, four bicyclists were riding...
ARIES March 21-April 19
In my astrological estimation, the coming weeks will be an ideal time for you to declare amnesty, negotiate truces, and shed long-simmering resentments. Other recommended activities: Find ways to joke about embarrassing memories, break a bad habit just because it's fun to do so, and throw away outdated stuff you no longer need. Just do the...
Letters
Drastic Layoffs at Live Oak
I’m a Live Oak schools parent, and I would like to see LOSD sell the Live Oak senior center property and recover the $2.4M. Even if those funds couldn’t be used for teaching positions, our district could surely use the money as both a much needed buffer against insolvency, and to start making the repairs needed for our schools–for which the District is now asking taxpayers to fund in the form of Measure H.
What angers me is that the District is holding onto this property for workforce housing, which is something that voters have yet to approve. I strongly oppose workforce housing, because it adds yet another layer of administrative bloat to our district expenses. Do I want to see my tax dollars go to support all that goes along with managing an apartment building? Absolutely not.
Given that there are only 180 days of instruction in the school year, I would argue that teachers are more underemployed than underpaid. We as a society need to revisit this idea that it’s ok to offer education to our children for so few days a year.
Housing in Santa Cruz County is ridiculously expensive for everyone, not just the education workforce. We desperately need more housing. There is no ‘us and them’ here, we are all in this together.
—Claudia Burgin
Teachers Work Hard
Underemployed??? If you think I am underemployed you clearly have not experienced teaching before. I suggest you consider taking a year and investing it in our students as a teacher before you bother offering your two cents!
—KC O’Brien
No Pay for Summer Work
Just FYI, most teachers spend the summer doing professional development. During my “summers” I have
a) done a six-week internship at Applied Biosystems;
b) written an entire Genetics curriculum;
c) participated in Math academies, Earth Science Academies, NGSS academies, writing academies, etc.;
d) taken college classes to get re-certified and to earn more teaching certifications (I have more than 10);
e) lesson plan;
f) batch planning for scope & sequence;
g) clean and restock (WITH MY OWN MONEY!) my classroom (which takes days).
You should also be aware that we are paid for 186 days per year, not the summer.
—Susan B. Toohey