A Leading Critic of Big Tech Will Join the White House

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A Leading Critic of Big Tech Will Join the White House

By Cecilia Kang

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday named Tim Wu, a Columbia University law professor, to the National Economic Council as a special assistant to the president for technology and competition policy, putting one of the most outspoken critics of Big Tech’s power into the administration.

The appointment of Wu, 48, who is widely supported by progressive Democrats and anti-monopoly groups, suggests that the administration plans to take on the size and influence of companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, including working with Congress on legislation to strengthen antitrust laws. During his campaign, Biden said he would be open to breaking up tech companies.

That confrontational approach toward the tech industry would be a continuation of the one taken by the Trump administration. Late last year, federal and state regulators sued Facebook and Google, accusing them of antitrust violations. The regulators continue to investigate claims that Amazon and Apple unfairly squash competition.

Biden has also expressed skepticism toward social media companies and the legal shield known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. He told The New York Times editorial board in January 2020 that Section 230 “should be revoked, immediately.”

The tech companies have fought vigorously against new antitrust laws and regulations, building out some of the most potent lobbying forces in Washington to push back.

Wu has warned about the consequences of too much power in the hands of a few companies and said the nation’s economy resembled the Gilded Age of the late 1800s.

“Extreme economic concentration yields gross inequality and material suffering, feeding the appetite for nationalistic and extremist leadership,” Wu wrote in his 2018 book, “The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age.”

“Most visible in our daily lives is the great power of the tech platforms, especially Google, Facebook and Amazon,” he added.

Wu was a contributing writer for The Times before dropping that position for his appointment to the White House.

His role, with a focus on competition policy, will be a new one in the National Economic Council. Wu will also focus on competition in labor policy, such as noncompete clauses enforced by companies, and concentration in power in agriculture and the drug industry. The job does not require Senate approval.

Biden has not yet named nominees to officially lead the Justice Department’s antitrust division and the Federal Trade Commission — the main agencies overseeing competition in commerce. Progressives have vociferously fought for the appointments of left-leaning advocates like Wu over individuals with histories of working for tech companies and law firms that represent them.

“Tim has been a longtime antitrust advocate, and he has pushed public officials to break up and rein in Big Tech,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a statement. “I’m glad to see him in this role.”

Wu has left academia at various times to work in government. He was a special adviser to the Federal Trade Commission in 2011 and 2012 and then joined the National Economic Council to work on competition policy during the Obama administration, which was known for its kid-glove treatment of tech companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon. Wu has since expressed some regret.

“I worked in the Obama administration, and I worked in antitrust, so I will take some personal blame here, but we have not provided the merger oversight we should have,” Wu said in an interview at the Aspen Ideas festival in 2019. He added that “maybe sometimes we had an overly rosy view” of the tech sector.

Relatively unbridled by regulations, those companies greatly expanded through mergers and acquisitions during President Barack Obama’s two terms. Wu has talked about the pivot of many Democrats since those days, with the realization that the tech giants have failed to live up to promises to protect user data, treat small competitors fairly and root out misinformation from their platforms.

Wu is best known for advocacy against powerful telecom companies and for coining the term “net neutrality,” the regulatory philosophy that consumers should get equal access to all content on the internet. More recently, he has turned his attention to the gatekeepers — like Facebook, Google and Amazon — that dominate speech, search and retail online.

During federal and state antitrust investigations of Facebook, he joined with Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook, to argue for the company’s breakup.

The appointment sets the tone for a new era in antitrust enforcement, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust. Klobuchar has introduced a broad bill to strengthen antitrust laws.

“The laws haven’t changed, so enforcement and new ideas are key,” she said. “This is the shot in the arm that competition policy needs.”

Copyright 2021 The New York Times Company

California Prioritizes Vaccinations for Disadvantaged Communities

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California Prioritizes Vaccinations for Disadvantaged Communities

California Gov. Gavin Newsom at a Thursday press conference announced that 40% of the state’s vaccination doses will be prioritized for disadvantaged communities, a move he said was needed to address the disproportionate impact that the novel coronavirus has had on Latinx people across the state.

The state mandate that requires 70% of vaccines go to those 65 and older and the rest be used for essential workers still stands, Newsom said. But now counties across the state will need to use nearly half of their doses in communities in the lowest quartile of the state’s Healthy Places Index (HPI).

The HPI provides overall scores and data that predict life expectancy and compare community conditions that shape health across the state. In Santa Cruz County, most of Watsonville falls in the lowest quartile of the HPI. Neighboring Pajaro, which is under Monterey County’s jurisdiction, also falls in that quartile.

The initial goal of the new mandate is to deliver a minimum of 2 million doses to the hardest-hit quarter of the state, Newsom said. Currently, the state has delivered 1.6 million doses to those communities. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) estimates that it will reach 2 million doses sometime in the next two weeks.

When that happens, Newsom said, the CDPH will slightly loosen its four-tiered, color-coded reopening system, allowing slightly higher case rates so that counties can move more rapidly to less restrictive tiers. The tiered system could loosen again when 4 million doses have been administered in those communities, Newsom said.

County health officials at a Thursday press conference said it is unclear how the mandate may impact their distribution, but that they have already focused a “good portion” of their doses in the Watsonville area.

What the mandate does do, County Health Services Agency Director Mimi Hall says, is strengthen its resolve in its distribution plan, which has prioritized older adults along with South County and Latinx residents.

Newsom said that the state on average over the last seven days has administered 224,000 vaccines per day, and that nearly 10 million of roughly 40 million Californians have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

He also said that the state has partnered with more than 300 nonprofits to conduct outreach to disadvantaged communities timid about receiving the vaccine or having a hard time getting the shot.

“All of that said, we’re still falling short,” Newsom said. “All of that said, we’re not meeting our goals.”

According to state data, 40% of Covid-19 cases and deaths have occurred in the lowest quartile of the HPI. The rate of infections for households making less than $40,000 per year (11.3%) is more than double that of households with an income of $120,000 or more (5.2%). At the same time, California’s wealthiest populations are being vaccinated at nearly twice the rate of its most vulnerable populations.

Newsom also emphasized the toll the pandemic has had on Latinx communities. About 55% of the state’s 3.4 million cases have been in people of Latinx descent. Those Californians have also accounted for roughly 46% of the state’s 53,048 Covid-19-related deaths.

Local data closely mirrors those numbers. About 52% of the county’s 14,760 cases have been reported in Watsonville. In addition, Latinx residents make up 54% of cases when county data is filtered by ethnicity.

The county has administered more than 88,000 vaccinations, and 17.4% of those vaccines have gone to Latinx residents. White residents have received 43.8% of the county’s vaccines. 

County health has not yet extrapolated data on how many vaccines have been administered by city or zip code. But they say those numbers have slowly improved since the county moved into the latter half of Phase 1B, which opened up appointments to essential workers. 

Many of the county’s vaccines have been distributed to federally qualified health centers in Watsonville such as Salud Para La Gente. The county also partnered with the city of Watsonville to reach South County residents by opening up a mass vaccination site in downtown Watsonville. Since opening on Feb. 6, nearly 4,000 doses have been administered at that site.

But for most of March that site will solely administer second vaccines doses, as it makes the shift to the online state-run My Turn system, which is already in use in various counties and has been used successfully by roughly half a million Californians searching for a vaccination.

My Turn will soon be the go-to option for all Californians in search of a vaccine, health officials say. It is available in eight languages, and for those without internet access appointments can be made by calling 833-422-4255. The hotline is available in English and Spanish.

Another 1.6 million Californians have already signed up for a My Turn notification.

Still, county health officials acknowledged vaccines, especially first appointments, are still scarce. However, the recent approval of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine has provided another tool for the county to continue its vaccination efforts. The county received 1,300 doses from that pharmaceutical giant Thursday, on top of 1,170 doses from Pfizer and 2,400 from Moderna.

Those numbers do not include the vaccines distributed to health care providers such as Dignity Health-Dominican Hospital, Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health, the last of which recently had to delay thousands of second-dose appointments across the state because of vaccine scarcity.

Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin also said the state has told the county that there will be a “resolution” to vaccine shortage by mid-March.

That would align with the CPDH’s planned implementation of the statewide distribution system from Blue Shield. The California health plan provider on Monday began its three-wave “onboarding system,” starting with large counties that have struggled to quell Covid-19 such as Fresno, Imperial and Kings. Santa Cruz County is in the third wave, and is expected to be integrated into the system on March 15.

CDPH said in a press release it hopes to administer 4 million doses per week by the end of April through that system.

Treasury to Invest $9 Billion in Minority Communities

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Treasury to Invest $9 Billion in Minority Communities

By Alan Rappeport

The Biden administration unveiled a plan Thursday to invest $9 billion in minority communities, taking an initial step in fulfilling its promise to ensure that those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic have access to loans as the economy recovers.

The Treasury Department said that it is opening the application process for its Emergency Capital Investment Program, which will provide a major infusion of funds to community development financial institutions and minority depository institutions as they look to step up lending.

The effort is a priority of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who has warned that the fallout from the pandemic is exacerbating U.S. inequality.

“America has always had financial services deserts, places where it’s very difficult for people to get their hands on capital so they can, for example, start a business,” Yellen said in a statement. “But the pandemic has made these deserts even more inhospitable.”

She added: “The Emergency Capital Investment Program will help these places that the financial sector hasn’t typically served well.”

Yellen has for years been an advocate for community development financial institutions, arguing that they are an important tool for fostering a more inclusive economy.

The relief programs that were rolled out in 2020, such as the Paycheck Protection Program, for small businesses, drew criticism from minority groups, who said Black and other minority-owned businesses were at a disadvantage in applying for a limited pool of funds because many had weaker banking relationships than their white-owned counterparts. A Federal Reserve Bank of New York study last year found that Black-owned businesses suffered the sharpest rate of closures in the first part of 2020.

The Treasury Department is using funds that were approved in the $900 billion stimulus package that was passed in December and signed by former President Donald Trump.

Community development financial institutions, which provide affordable lending options to low-income consumers and businesses, were largely neglected under Trump and his Treasury Department. President Joe Biden and Yellen have signaled that they will be critical for improving racial equity in the United States.

The new program will make direct investments in local lenders that support small businesses and consumers in low-income communities. The investments will have low interest rates and provide lenders with greater incentives to offer small loans to those who are most in need, both in rural areas and in places where poverty is persistent.

Treasury officials said that they want the new program to reinforce the health of CDFIs. The department is also in the process of putting in place two separate programs that will provide an additional $3 billion in grants and other support to the lenders.

Copyright 2021 The New York Times Company


Bidding Wars and Overblown Fears: the Curious Case of the California Exodus

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Bidding Wars and Overblown Fears: the Curious Case of the California Exodus

By Lauren Hepler

When a strange and deadly virus shut down Hollywood last March, Alexander Shea knew he had to move fast. But to where?

The 24-year-old actor and usher at Beverly Hills’ Wallis Annenberg theater was out of work overnight. Soon, the whole economy shut down. When rumblings about closing state borders got louder, Shea piled what he could in his Mustang and left his $1,500-a-month, 390-square-foot Glendale apartment for his hometown. 

“My girlfriend and I were in the car with our dog driving to St. Louis,” Shea said. “I got like three hours of sleep in two days.”

Stories of mid-pandemic moves like Shea’s have reignited familiar fears about California residents and businesses fleeing for more affordable alternatives, especially with added remote work flexibility. But new moving data and unusually busy California real estate agents cast doubt on the exodus panic that’s taken hold in the press and far-right social media circles. Perhaps the better questions are whether the shifts are temporary, or what might happen once the state’s eviction moratorium lifts.

A new report released Thursday by the California Policy Lab, a research arm of the University of California, found “no evidence of a pronounced exodus from the state,” nor data to suggest that large numbers of wealthy residents are leaving. Two notable exceptions: the city of San Francisco saw a large year-over-year loss, and the state as a whole saw more departures and fewer arrivals in the final quarter of 2020. Some 267,000 people left California around the end of the year, compared to just 128,000 people moving in from other states. 

“To date the pandemic has not so much propelled people out of California as it has shifted them around within it,” according to the report. “The absence of a pronounced exodus from the state should come as a relief to people concerned about effects on state tax revenues.”

The decision to move has always been highly personal — subject to work, family ties, lifestyle preferences and a million other variables — and official federal moving data takes years to compile. In California, the nation’s most populous state with some 40 million people, the number of things happening at once can make things even murkier. 

The remote work crowd is just starting to confront the prospect of salary cuts if moves to lower-cost locales become permanent. Arts advocates warn of a “cultural depression” after 175,000 creative jobs vaporized during the pandemic. For Californians barely hanging on, breakdowns in the state’s job safety net are colliding with long-running failure to build affordable housing or accurately count people forced into precarious situations like couchsurfing or living in cars. Through it all, the state wound up with $26 billion more than expected, thanks largely to tax receipts from wealthy individuals who are still here.

What we know so far about the much-discussed California Exodus is a patchwork. The new California Policy Lab analysis is based on credit reporting data, which doesn’t necessarily catch movement among young people with little credit history, or some very low-income or marginalized groups. U.S. Postal Service data recently analyzed by the San Francisco Chronicle showed that Bay Area movers overwhelmingly stayed in the region. Companies like Zillow and U-Haul have offered up their own partial data, and a cottage industry of online moving groups say they’re flourishing with ideological pitches to move to Texas, Idaho or beyond.

“The traditional data sets that we use to look at residential mobility are great, but they’re not very frequent,” said Natalie Holmes, the UC Berkeley doctoral student who authored the lab’s report, opening the door to more anecdotal reports. “I have a friend who’s in an Airbnb in Tahoe, because she can work remotely,” Holmes said. “These are all capturing slightly different concepts of where people live.”

New booms and busts

Until recently, San Francisco was often in the headlines for being one of the most expensive places in the world to live. But since last March, the number of people leaving the city on net jumped an eye-popping 649% compared to the same period in 2019, based on the California Policy Lab’s analysis of address information filed with credit card companies and other financial agencies. About 80% of those 38,800 people stayed within the region, though counties in the Sierras like El Dorado, Placer and Nevada also saw sizable gains. The report does not say where those who left the state moved.

The in-state shuffling is already leading to new booms in some corners of California. High in the Santa Cruz Mountains, not even the combination of a pandemic and a summer wildfire that burned down 900 homes has slowed real estate bidding wars. As far as Heidi Hart can tell, all the anxiety has actually supercharged the housing market. 

“It feels like people around here have kind of accepted this ridiculous, expensive market, and they want more of it,” said Hart, fresh off her best year ever as owner of Santa Cruz County’s California Dreaming Real Estate. “It’s like it’s a drug or something. There’s money coming out of the woodwork from everywhere.”

Houses in Santa Cruz County are getting up to 20 offers and selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars over the asking price, Hart said, in large part because there are fewer options. She currently has 25 homes listed for sale, compared to the usual 100 or so this time of year. About 60% of buyers are coming from the Bay Area to take advantage of remote work, Hart estimates, some putting up inherited cash or tech stock proceeds to make offers more attractive. Most sellers are staying close to home, at times transferring low property taxes guaranteed by California’s Proposition 13 to bigger houses, but a few have cashed out for Utah or Idaho.

The sense of scarcity is more acute at lower price points, which are harder for researchers and official counts like the census to track. As home bidding wars rage on, would-be renters in Santa Cruz post on Craigslist about doing “the parking lot shuffle” while living in their cars — a precarious situation unemployed Californians in other parts of the state are living through, too.

Roughly 2,000 miles away in Missouri, Shea and his girlfriend are somewhere in the middle of these extremes. Nearly a year after the pair left LA to move in with family, he still spends hours fighting California bureaucrats over what he estimates is around $8,000 in unpaid unemployment benefits. 

As for what comes next, an acting agent gave him a lead in Atlanta, where California rent might translate to a mortgage payment. He’s even considered moving to New Zealand.

But there’s one other appealing alternative: “If things go well,” Shea said, “I’ll just move back to LA.”

For the record: An earlier version stated there was a 649% increase in San Francisco departures since last March. The story has been updated to clarify the increase is a net change in migration.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Organizations Raise Funds for LGBTQ+ Community During Pandemic

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Organizations Raise Funds for LGBTQ+ Community During Pandemic

When Diversity Center Santa Cruz County established its LGBTQ+ Covid-19 Emergency Aid Fund last year, the organization expected to get some applicants, then grow slowly by word-of-mouth.

They ended up handing out close to $16,000 in just the first six months to hundreds of applicants.

Ashlyn Adams and Deanna Zachary, who recently took over as interim co-executive directors, said they put up a form online to request assistance of up to $500. Applicants only needed to provide demographic information, but can also answer questions about their current situations.

The answers, Zachary said, were telling. About 70% of applicants are people of color, and 30% are transgender. About 60% are under the age of 25. 

Many are unemployed or low income. Needs vary, but a good deal are homeless or close to it, and many cannot afford vital items such as HIV medications.

“The stories of these individuals … have been pretty heartbreaking,” Adams said. “If you think about it, it’s only $500. How much do they need 500 bucks right now? Are [they] going to fill out a form for it? Hundreds of people have said, ‘Absolutely. This is the difference between me and homelessness.’”

According to a recent study from the True Colors United organization, up to 40% of homeless youth in the United States are LGBTQ+. The fact that so many applicants of the Covid-19 fund have been youth worries Adams, who for two years was the center’s Youth Coordinator.

Adams said many youth are kicked out of their homes because their family does not accept them being LGBTQ+. Some are too young to open bank accounts or apply for federal aid, giving them no option but to live on the streets.

“I’ve been homeless, without money,” Adams said, “and I don’t want that to happen to anyone, especially those who have already had such a difficult time.”

Added Zachary: “LGBTQ+ often live on the margins of society. I think people have this myth that it’s just wealthy white men without kids. But one out of five live in poverty.”

The idea for the fund came from one of it’s main donors, who asked to remain anonymous. The donor made another large donation this year to continue the fund. But donations are still needed and are being accepted through the center’s website at diversitycenter.org.

“This is a way of directly helping someone,” Zachary said. “The money is going to a person in your county, tomorrow. It’s immediate support.”

Zachary and Adams are taking the lead at the Diversity Center at a transitional time. They recently bought a new building and are looking to expand programming. Supporting South County and the greater Spanish-speaking community is crucial, they said, since those communities have been severely impacted by Covid-19.

In addition, Adams has established an online platform for people aged 12-18. The program offers everything from at-home workouts, tutoring, sex education, movie and gaming nights and more. The program has about 90 participants and keeps growing.

“What we’re trying to do is just provide a space where kids can talk to friends and meet people who won’t bully them,” Adams said. “Especially those who are stuck at home with unsupportive families.”

In South County, the Pajaro Valley Pride organization is once again offering an education scholarship to local LGBTQ+ students. This is the fourth year the small nonprofit has offered the scholarship, though last year they received no applicants.

Danielle Elizalde, marketing coordinator for PV Pride, said that due to the lack of applicants in 2020, they will be able to give at least two scholarships this year, between $500 and $1,500.

“The world is crazy right now, and people really need money for school,” Elizalde said. “Not everyone is able to work during this pandemic. We want to give money to deserving students who want an education.”

The scholarship is open to high school seniors attending a school in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, who are LGBTQ+ identifying or an ally involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy. Students must be on track to graduate with a 2.5 GPA or higher and enrolled full-time (12+ units) in higher education in Fall 2021. Applications and more information are available in English and Spanish at pajarovalleypride.org.

Elizalde said that PVP’s announcement of the scholarship has brought them back into the community after months of inactivity. The organization relied heavily on in-person events and meet-ups.

“Nothing beats that in-person communication,” she said. “Not having that has been a major roadblock for us.”

The organization has been holding virtual meetings, doing what they can to stay connected.

“Some of us are definitely struggling, with all the chaos of what’s going on,” Elizalde said. “So we lean on each other. It’s great to have that kind of support.”

Moveable Murals Exhibit Returns to Downtown Watsonville

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Moveable Murals Exhibit Returns to Downtown Watsonville

The first phase of Pajaro Valley Arts’ (PVA) annual Moveable Murals exhibit has been installed in downtown Watsonville, and this year’s show brings something new into the mix.

Now in its third year, Moveable Murals showcases local artists in public venues across the city. This year’s exhibit, “An Act of Love—Wearing Masks During the Pandemic” features murals by local artists and photography collages featuring Pajaro Valley residents wearing protective face masks.

The collages and two of the murals were installed last week at 250 Main St., and another mural is scheduled for installation next month. They will remain up for a full year.

PVA’s Judy Stabile, who heads up Moveable Murals, said their intent with the theme was not only to raise awareness of the importance of wearing masks during the pandemic, but also to demonstrate how people’s personalities can come through despite doing so. 

“Wearing masks is critical at this juncture,” Stabile said. “It’s the easiest way to protect you and your loved ones. We wanted to show the community that you still have an identity, your personality can still shine through, even when you wear a mask.”

“An Act of Love” was funded by the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust. PVA worked closely with the city of Watsonville and the Watsonville Parks and Recreation Commission on the project. They put a call out for artists in November to submit ideas for murals, and asked residents to send in images of themselves, family and friends (including pets) and/or essential workers for the collages.

Selected images were submitted by Genevieve Daly, Kimberly deLucia, Brianna Flores, Linda Martin, Marianne Nagel, Joey Ontiveros, Graciela Vega and Karen Lemon.

Lemon designed the collages, digitized by PVA’s Hedwig Heerschop, and then printed on vinyl banners by Safari Signs. Installation was completed by a small team from the city: Grant Adams, Miguel Navarrete and Rex Rackley.

“This truly is a community project,” Stabile said. “Everyone has come together to make it happen.”

Two pieces by Watsonville artist Erik Davison, titled “Wear Together,” were chosen to be featured. They depict a group of individuals with symbols of pandemic-era safety: masks, sanitizer and social distancing. 

Davison, who is relatively new to the region, said it is his first time having a public art piece.

“I’ve been wanting to do public art for a while,” he said. “It’s a great way to promote positivity, and creativity in a community. With this piece … I wanted to show the diversity of cultures here, to represent all walks of life.”

Davison said he initially submitted one design, but PVA responded and asked him to do a second mural to go with it.

“Especially since I’m new to this community, I feel honored to have been asked,” he said. 

Next month, the second phase of “An Act of Love” will be installed, with a series of four hand-painted murals by Watsonville artist Jaime Sanchez, titled “Flying Together.” The murals will depict colorful birds wearing masks, and will be situated adjacent to the other pieces.

When completed, the exhibit will spread across the entire Main Street side of the building, viewable from cars, bikes and pedestrians passing through downtown.

PVA is also extending the deadline for entries into its “Wear a Mask” poster contest to April 7. The contest invites artists of all ages to submit poster designs that tell their Covid-19 story. They can illustrate everything from how the virus has impacted their family, to places they want to visit after the pandemic.

Drawings, paintings, photographs and collages will be accepted. Artists can submit up to three designs. No entry fee is required, and two $50 gift certificates to Kelly’s Books in Watsonville will be awarded. Download a form at bit.ly/3810Y90. Email the form with jpeg file(s) to he****@****ts.org.

Stabile said she is grateful to the local arts community, and eager to work on new projects. The organization hopes to reopen their gallery soon and is continuing to work on projects at Ramsay Park, local schools and with other nonprofits.

“It is truly our mission to bring the community together through the arts,” Stabile said.

For more information, visit pvarts.org.


Program Launches to House People in Temporary Shelters

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Program Launches to House People in Temporary Shelters

Housing Matters, a local organization that aims to resolve homelessness, announced Feb. 24 that it is teaming up with Santa Cruz County to house 90 of the region’s most vulnerable residents.

Housing Now is a new program that hopes to help homeless residents who have been sheltered during the pandemic exit into permanent housing, rather than go back onto the street.

Homelessness has increased in the past year, mainly due to the pandemic freezing certain industries and jobless residents no longer being able to pay rent. But Housing Matters has also seen a lot of people coming into shelters who previously declined homeless services.

Tom Stagg, director of programs at Housing Matters, speculated that this is related to the fact that hotel rooms and other socially-distanced shelters, such as the pallet shelters Housing Matters provides at its campus, give individuals a certain level of privacy and independence. This is a contrast to congregate shelters, which are more like dorm rooms with bunk beds and communal spaces.

“When we got the new pallet shelters … we kept hearing people ask, ‘How can I get in there?’ Many had declined [our services] in the past,” he said.

According to Housing Matters, since the pandemic started, shelter capacity across the county has increased by approximately 300 beds. Stagg said those who have stayed in temporary shelters or hotels are among the most vulnerable in the county.

“Beds were reserved for high-risk individuals,” he said. “Even once the pandemic is starting to fade behind us, it will still be unsafe for the health of those folks if they have to return to the streets. It’s critical that we move them into housing before their shelter or hotel stay is up …. The county is committed to ensuring people don’t return to the streets, and we’re excited to be part of that effort.”

Housing Matters hopes to house 90 people in the next 15 months through Housing Now. It plans to hire five new case managers and one program manager, plus additional staff to help meet this goal.

Case managers will aid up to 20 individuals, guiding them through the housing search process—from how to find rental listings to filling out applications and resumes.

In addition, they will work directly with landlords, acting as a liaison between them and people from the program. They hope this will encourage landlords to look at their clients as prospective renters. Stagg encouraged local residents who own rentals to contact Housing Matters if they have availability and want to be part of the program.

“Sometimes, a client might not look great on paper—but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work out,” he said.

Lastly, Housing Now will offer rental subsidies. When a client moves into housing, Housing Matters will help pay rent and support them with home visits, organizing expenses and more until they can become self-sufficient.

Housing Now is funded by Santa Cruz County, and, as part of the recruitment efforts, it is offering competitive pay for new hires.

“These positions will start at $31 per hour, which is quite competitive for case management positions in our county,” Rebecca Steckler, Housing Matters deputy executive director, said in a press release. “We hope to attract experienced professionals who can hit the ground running.”

Steckler noted that Housing Matters will run an internal recruitment effort, and also look for talent outside the organization. 

“It’s part of our culture to hire from within whenever possible,” she said. “Though of course whenever we do that, we have positions to backfill. We’re excited to meet new talented individuals throughout this search process, either for these new positions or other newly open positions.”

Housing Matters will host a job fair Thursday from noon to 4pm for interested candidates to meet hiring managers. The fair will be held in-person, with strict social distancing protocols in place. Attendees will arrive at pre-designated times, and will follow all Covid-19 safety best practices.

People can visit housingmatterssc.org/careers to view job postings. To apply, candidates should email their resume to re*******@**************sc.org. Once it has been confirmed that an applicant meets qualifications, they will be sent a link to sign up for a time slot at the fair. For more information, contact Housing Matters’ Human Resources Coordinator Raine Armanino at 831-458-6020.

Destroyed Section of Highway 1 in Big Sur Could Reopen by Summer

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Destroyed Section of Highway 1 in Big Sur Could Reopen by Summer

Major emergency repairs of Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast began Monday.

Colin Jones of Caltrans said heavy rains caused a massive debris flow from the Dolan Fire burn scar and washed out a 150-foot section of roadway on Jan. 28. The gaping bite out of the mountainside and Highway 1 led to a full closure of the highway that sees traffic range from 2,700 cars a day up to around 9,000 cars during the peak of the tourist season. 

Caltrans announced this week that highway repairs at Rat Creek should lead to reopening the curvy and hilly roadway in early summer.

“Highway 1 is an iconic roadway that connects travelers with small businesses on the Central Coast, and we’re focused on restoring travel on this section by early summer,” Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin said in a statement.

Jones said that Caltrans will fill the canyon with dirt in a large V-shape and then construct a new road on top of the fill. The fill option includes replacing the main drainage system at Rat Creek with an oversized main culvert, and several overflow culverts, Jones said.

The reconstructed portion of the highway would increase the capacity of its drainage system, help it withstand future debris flows and enhance the resiliency and sustainability of the highway against rising sea level and coastal erosion, Caltrans said in a press release.

That chunk of highway is 16 miles south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. While many businesses have been cut off from regular traffic flow and customers, Jones stressed that most of them still remain open.

“The big message is: Big Sur is open,” Jones said. “We really worked with the Big Sur Chamber to get the work going and to help keep all businesses and campgrounds open.”

Drenching rains hammered much of California in late January and dumped up to 15 inches of rain around Big Sur that led to the cave-in.

Estimates for repairs, Caltrans said, will cost $11.5 million, including $5 million in ongoing emergency repairs north of Rat Creek. The contractor is Papich Construction of Arroyo Grande, Jones said.

Crews plan to work seven days a week during daylight hours, with longer shifts possible as the project moves ahead. The work order includes the manipulation of tens of thousands of cubic yards of material, Jones said. More rain could add delays.

Things To Do in Santa Cruz: March 3-9

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Things To Do in Santa Cruz: March 3-9

A weekly guide to what’s happening.

ARTS AND MUSIC

ART SHOW Emerging from sheltering in place, Ben, a lifelong artist, photographer, actor and writer, was always looking for the next opportunity to translate everyday experiences into artistic expressions. At the start of shelter-in-place in mid-March, Ben began painting as a hobby, but his painting has since evolved into one of his favorite artistic forms of expression. Meet and greets will be held Saturdays and Sundays 8:30-10:30am with face masks and proper distancing. Ben’s paintings and fine art prints can also be viewed and purchased in the comfort of your home through artevolutionstudio.com. Wednesday, March 3, 7am-11:30pm; Tuesday, March 9, 7am-11:30pm.

BANFF CENTRE MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL VIRTUAL FESTIVAL All the programs? All the programs! If you’ve been too busy getting after it outdoors, or just haven’t made the time yet, now’s your chance to catch all our Virtual World Tour Programs including the Grand Prize Winner: ‘Piano to Zanskar.’ This year, bring the adventure home! Fluff up your couch cushions, grab a snack of choice, and make sure you have a good internet connection because the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour is virtual! Travel to the most remote corners of the world, dive into daring expeditions, and celebrate some of the most remarkable outdoor achievements, all from the comfort of your living room. Films can be purchased individually or as a bundle. Visit riotheatre.com for more information about the online programs and how you can support your local screening. You may also go directly to the Banff affiliate link for the Rio at filmfest.banffcentre.ca/?campaign=WT-163945.

FIRST FRIDAY SANTA CRUZ First Friday is a free event and is perfect for enthusiastic art goers or those just looking to have a fun and enjoyable evening checking out the art scene is Santa Cruz. This month, First Friday Santa Cruz returns to in-person events! In 2020, Arts Council Santa Cruz County launched a new program called the Visual Arts Network. At the height of the pandemic, it became a way for artists to still be visible to their buyers and stay connected with their peers. The exhibit features over 450 original works of art in all media from 150+ artists throughout Santa Cruz County. “450 Pieces” is divided by artists’ last names among three commercial galleries: A-G: Blitzer Gallery, 2801 Mission St., 1-4pm; H-R: Curated by the Sea, 703 Front St., 12-8pm; S-Z: Radius Gallery (Tannery Arts Center) 1050 River Street #127, 6-9pm. This exhibition is a partnership with Arts Council Santa Cruz County, Radius Gallery, R. Blitzer Gallery, and Curated by the Sea. Also, tune in to the virtual event hosted by the Printmakers at the Tannery. The show runs March 5-May 2. Due to the pandemic, viewing will be virtual only. To see the exhibit, please visit firstfridaysantacruz.com. First Friday happens every month; stay social as you socially distance. Friday, March 5, 1pm.

WESTSIDE MARKETPLACE Shop local at the new Westside Marketplace, first sundays at the Wrigley! Featuring local art, handmade and vintage shopping, food trucks, and pop-ups, all outdoors at the Old Wrigley Parking Lot on Mission Street. Free admission. Friendly leashed pups are welcome! Remember to social distance as you shop and wear your mask. If you’re not feeling well, please stay home. There will be hand sanitizing stations at the market and signs to remind you about all these things! Presented by your friends at SCM Makers Market and Food Trucks A Go Go. Sunday, March 7, 11am-4pm.

COMMUNITY

CABRILLO VAPA CROSSTALKS NO. 1 Please join us for the first of Cabrillo VAPA’s CrossTalks, a Zoom storytelling series about careers in creative arts and design. Our first speaker is Naz Arandi, a creative with over 15 years of experience in the advertising and design industry. Arandi has been telling human stories, using technology as an invisible engine to propel immersive brand narratives for Apple, Netflix, Mexico Tourism, PayPal, and others. Currently global creative director at Apple TV, Arandi uses the culmination of her experiences to lead a cross-functional team in product launches, editorial, content and strategic innovation to further propel the brand’s next phase and big ideas. Learn more at cabrillo.edu/vapa-division. Thursday, March 4, 5pm. 

SURF CITY-SANTA CRUZ KIWANIS GRAB AND GO CRAB DINNER The Kiwanis Club of Surf City-Santa Cruz will be holding a curbside delivery/grab-and-go version of its annual Crab Feed. This will be our 40th year for our Crab Feed, and we are not letting the pandemic slow us down! We are currently pre-selling no more than 200 of these takeout crab dinners for $45/person through a link on our club’s website at surfcitykiwanis.com. Saturday, March 6, 5pm.

SALSA SUELTA FREE ZOOM SESSION SALSA SUELTA FREE ZOOM SESSION Keep in shape! Weekly online session in Cuban-style Salsa Suelta for experienced beginners and up. May include Mambo, ChaChaCha, Afro-Cuban Rumba, Orisha, Son Montuno. No partner required, ages 14 and up. Contact to get the link. salsagente.com. Thursday, March 4, 7pm.

TENANTS’ RIGHTS HELP Tenant Sanctuary is open to renters living in the city of Santa Cruz with questions about their tenants’ rights. Volunteer counselors staff the telephones on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 10am-2pm. Tenant Sanctuary works to empower tenants by educating them on their rights and providing the tools to pursue those rights. Tenant Sanctuary and their program attorney host free legal clinics for tenants in the city of Santa Cruz. Due to Covid-19 concerns, all services are currently by telephone, email or Zoom. For more information visit tenantsanctuary.org or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/tenantsanctuary. 831-200-0740. Thursday, March 4, 10am-2pm. Sunday, March 7, 10am-2pm. Tuesday, March 9, 10am-2pm.

GROUPS

CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP Support groups create a safe, confidential, supportive environment or community and a chance for family caregivers to develop informal mutual support and social relationships as well as discover more effective ways to cope with and care for your loved one. Meeting via Zoom and phone. Who may benefit from participating in the support group? Family caregivers who care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, those would like to talk to others in a similar situation, and those who need more information, additional support and caregiving strategies. To register or for questions please call 800-272-3900. Wednesday, March 3, 5:30pm.

COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS OF SANTA CRUZ Parents of a child who died at any age, from any cause, any length of time ago, are invited to join the Compassionate Friends of Santa Cruz for our monthly grief support meeting. Opening circle followed by smaller connection groups. Sharing is optional, grief materials are available. Bereaved grandparents and adult siblings also welcome. Non-religious. Monday, March 8, 7-8:30pm.

ENTRE NOSOTRAS GRUPO DE APOYO Entre Nosotras support group for Spanish-speaking women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets twice monthly. Registration required, call 831-761-3973. Friday, March 5, 6pm.

FAMILY SANGHA MONTHLY MEDITATION Come help create a family meditation cooperative community! Parents will meet in the main room for about 40 minutes of silent meditation, followed by 10-15 minutes of discussion about life and mindful parenting. Kids will be in a separate volunteer-led room, playing and exploring mindfulness through games and stories. Parents may need to help with the kids for a portion of the hour, depending on volunteer turnout. All ages of children are welcome. Please bring toys to share. Quiet babies are welcome in the parents’ room. Donations are encouraged, though there is no fee for the event. Sunday, March 7, 10:30am-noon.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS All our OA meetings have switched to being online. Please call 831-429-7906 for meeting information. Do you have a problem with food? Drop into a free, friendly Overeaters Anonymous 12-Step meeting. All are welcome!. Sunday, March 7, 9:05-10:15am.

WOMENCARE ARM-IN-ARM Cancer support group for women with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic cancer. Meets every Monday at 12:30pm via Zoom. All services are free. Registration required. Contact WomenCARE at 831-457-2273 or online at womencaresantacruz.org. Monday, March 8, 12:30pm.

WOMENCARE TUESDAY SUPPORT GROUP WomenCARE Tuesday Cancer support group for women newly diagnosed and through their treatment. Meets every Tuesday currently on Zoom. Registration required. Contact WomenCARE at 831-457-2273 or online at womencaresantacruz.org. Tuesday, March 9, 12:30-2pm.

WOMENCARE: LAUGHTER YOGA Laughter yoga for women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets every Wednesday at 3:30 via Zoom. Registration required by contacting 831-457-2273. Wednesday, March 3, 3:30-4:30pm.

OUTDOOR

OUT AND ABOUT: INDIGENOUS CULTURE OF SANTA CRUZ Out and About is a monthly series of family-friendly, small group get-togethers exploring Santa Cruz’s diverse natural spaces through guided activities with the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. There is a rich history of Indigenous culture in Santa Cruz, originally named Aulinta by the Awaswas-speaking Uypi people. Join us for a morning exploring this Indigenous culture and the relationships between people, plants, and animals. We’ll learn about oral tradition, ethnobotany, and traditional tools outside in the Museum’s Garden Learning Center. Families are encouraged to attend, but all ages are welcome. Please review the following details prior to registering: Wear a mask at all times; if you feel sick, stay home; maintain at least six feet of distance from others. We are limiting the number of individuals who can join us to 12. Registration is required. santa cruz museum.org. Saturday, March 6, 10-11am.

ROCKIN’ POP-UP: BIOGENIC GEOLOGY When we think of geology and rocks, living things rarely jump to mind unless we’re talking about fossils. And when we think of fossils, we usually think of mineralized bones and shells or tell-tale impressions within sedimentary rocks. Some rocks, however, are made up entirely of the fossilized remains of once living creatures. These “biogenic” sedimentary rocks are an important part of the solid Earth and more common than you might think! The Geology Gents are no biologists, but they nonetheless explore biogenic sedimentary rocks and the incredible geologic histories they record. About the series: Join the Geology Gents, Gavin and Graham, for monthly conversations about rocks live on Facebook. Each month we’ll explore a different geologic topic, from Santa Cruz formations to tips for being a more effective rockhound. Graham Edwards and Gavin Piccione are Ph.D. candidates in geochronology with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UCSC. Event will be broadcast via Facebook live at facebook.com/SantaCruzMuseumOfNaturalHistory/live. You do not need to have a Facebook account to be able to watch the program live. Wednesday, March 3, 3pm.

VIRTUAL YOUNGER LAGOON RESERVE TOURS Younger Lagoon Reserve is now offering a virtual tour in both English and Spanish. This virtual tour follows the same stops as the Seymour Marine Discovery Center’s docent-led, in-person hiking tour, and is led by a UCSC student! Virtual Younger Lagoon Reserve tours are free and open to the public. Part of the University of California Natural Reserve System, Younger Lagoon Reserve contains diverse coastal habitats and is home to birds of prey, migrating sea birds, bobcats, and other wildlife. See what scientists are doing to track local mammals, restore native habitat, and learn about the workings of one of California’s rare coastal lagoons. Access the tours at seymourcenter.ucsc.edu/visit/behind-the-scenes-tours/#youngerlagoon. Sunday, March 7, 10:30am.

Aptos’ Tracie White Follows a Medical Mystery in New Book

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Aptos’ Tracie White Follows a Medical Mystery in New Book

For over a decade, Aptos-based writer Tracie White has written award-winning profiles about Stanford science researchers. One of those stories, about the race for a cure to a mysterious illness, became the seed of White’s new book The Puzzle Solver, created with legendary geneticist Ronald W. David for Hachette Books.

Written in a highly accessible, precise—yet often emotional—style, White’s book documents a father’s quest to understand what was afflicting his adult son, Whitney Dafoe, whose complex set of symptoms had been dismissed by the national medical community as a variety of psychosomatic symptoms often bundled under the name “chronic fatigue syndrome.” White’s absorbing narrative reads like a detective story, beginning in the family’s Palo Alto home where Dafoe languished, unable to bear any touch or sound, and unable to move or eat. Davis was convinced that his son’s affliction was indeed a biological disease, and began a multiyear hunt for markers that would confirm his hunch, and attract the research funding needed to find a cure.

I spoke to White about the genesis and development of The Puzzle Solver.

How was this story different than your other research assignments?

TRACIE WHITE: I was originally assigned this story by my editor at Stanford Medicine magazine. Over the years, first as a reporter and then a science writer, I had gained a reputation for writing tragic stories. For the magazine, I’d written about amputees who survived the 2010 Haitian earthquake, Cambodian refugees with PTSD, and many other heart-wrenching articles—which is probably why I was assigned this one. But this didn’t feel like just another story to me. It felt personal. Being trapped in a broken body, isolated in my parents’ back bedroom in pain like Ron Davis’ son Whitney Dafoe was my own worst nightmare. I couldn’t imagine how Whitney survived like that for years on end.

You had initially written this as an article—how did it become a book?

A literary agent read the magazine article and contacted me about turning it into a book. I hesitated at first. I knew there would be an emotional toll. But Ron Davis and his wife Janet Dafoe were excited about the idea. It’s been their mission, along with their daughter Ashley, to work together to increase public awareness about this long misunderstood disease, ME/CFS [myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome]. And to find a cure. Their goal was to make Whitney the poster boy for ME/CFS, much like celebrity Michael J. Fox is for Parkinson’s. The entire family was willing to forgo their own privacy, to dedicate their lives to this mission and to share their very personal story with the world. How could I refuse to help.

What was the process like? How long did it take from interviews to finished manuscript?

The entire process took about four years, beginning with the interviews I did for the magazine story. The book proposal took two years to write—which was a shock to me. I figured it would take like maybe three months. When Hachette Publishing bought the proposal, they then had me sign a contract saying I would write 70,000 words in nine months. I signed the contract and immediately started to panic. At that point, the longest story I’d ever written was maybe a 7,000 word magazine story. The first draft took over a year to write, during which time I did more research. That was followed by a frenzied two-month rewrite process. Throughout the ordeal, I promised myself I would never again criticize another nonfiction book author now that I understood the pressure of actually writing one myself.

Describe how you were ultimately able to interview Whitney Dafoe, despite the fact that he couldn’t talk due to his illness.

I didn’t meet Whitney until two years after I wrote the magazine story. He was far too sick at the time for anyone other than his caregivers to be allowed in his room. He was kept alive on a feeding tube and was unable to speak. Whitney started spelling out words with Scrabble tiles to communicate to his parents and other caregivers, then for about two years, he couldn’t communicate at all. I was well into writing the book when Whitney’s parents discovered that an infusion of the drug Ativan calmed his nervous system, enough that, for at least a few hours every month or so, he could gesture and use his hands to create a kind of sign language.

At first I figured I’d never be able to even meet Whitney, let alone communicate with him. But Whitney chose to spend some of the few hours available to him while he was on Ativan, to tell his story to me. Whitney is an activist for ME/CFS. He’s desperate for a cure for himself, but also for millions of others sick like him. For a few hours every two or three months, I’d join Whitney in his hospital room, work hard to quiet my own emotions and just listen to Whitney. He was sacrificing his own health to tell me his story. I didn’t want to waste a moment of that time.

‘The Puzzle Solver’ by Tracie A. White with Ronald W. Davis is available at Bookshop Santa Cruz and other booksellers. traciewhite.com.

A Leading Critic of Big Tech Will Join the White House

During his campaign, Biden said he would be open to breaking up big tech companies
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California Prioritizes Vaccinations for Disadvantaged Communities

Nearly half of vaccines must go to disadvantaged communities
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Treasury to Invest $9 Billion in Minority Communities

Effort aims to address how fallout from pandemic is exacerbating U.S. inequality
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Bidding Wars and Overblown Fears: the Curious Case of the California Exodus

Intensifying housing bidding wars undercut fears of a California mass exodus
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Organizations Raise Funds for LGBTQ+ Community During Pandemic

Many applicants seeking support are homeless or close to it
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Moveable Murals Exhibit Returns to Downtown Watsonville

Exhibit raises awareness of how personality can still shine through masks during pandemic
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Program Launches to House People in Temporary Shelters

New program aims to help people transition to permanent housing
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Destroyed Section of Highway 1 in Big Sur Could Reopen by Summer

Reconstructed portion of iconic highway should better withstand future debris flows
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Things To Do in Santa Cruz: March 3-9

First Friday, Westside Marketplace, and more things to do around Santa Cruz
Read more

Aptos’ Tracie White Follows a Medical Mystery in New Book

Book documents a father’s quest to understand what was afflicting his son
Read more
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