Community Matters

Community Matters

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Community Matters episodes

  • December 19, 2025 Interviews [One hour only due to power outage): Friends of Santa Cruz Public Libraries; Arukah Project

    1) Interview with Ms. Sarah Beck, Executive Director of Friends of Santa Cruz Public Libraries as a participant in the Santa Cruz Gives campaign:

     https://www.friendsofsantacruzlibraries.org/

     https://santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/friendsofsantacruzlibraries/
     
    2) Interview with Ms. Loreal Weitzel, Executive Director of Arukah Project, a local non-profit organization providing support and immediate assistance for victims of human sex trafficking.  Your donations will help make the Hope House available for immediate safe shelter and medical attention when those ensnared in human trafficking call for help.
    https://www.arukahproject.org/
    The need exists now and is anticipated to spike as two large events (Superbowl and World Cup Series) occur in the next few weeks next door in Santa Clara County.
    1 hr 4 min
  • December 19, 2025 Interviews: Sara Beck & Friends of SC County Libraries; Loreal Weitzel & Arukah Project

    Hour One:

    Friends of the Santa Cruz Library - Sarah Beck, Executive Director
         https://www.friendsofsantacruzlibraries.org/
         https://santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/friendsofsantacruzlibraries/
    Arukah Project - Loreal Weitzel, Executive Director
     https://www.arukahproject.org/
      Help fund the HOPE House to provide a safe place for human trafficking survivors to go, escape violence, and begin to restore their lives.
     
    Second Hour experienced an area-wide power failure that stopped an interview with Dawn Berreras of Second Harvest Food Bank due to the Santa Cruz Voice studio equipment going offline.
         https://www.thefoodbank.org/
         https://santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/secondharvest/
    Unfortunately, we were unable to interview Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes - Ashley Bridges, Director
         https://pvloavesandfishes.org/
         https://santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/pvloavesandfishes/
    15 min
  • December 12, 2025 Interviews with Local Non-Profits (Santa Cruz Gives) Senior Legal Services, El Pajaro CDC, Jacob's Heart Children's Cancer Support
    2:05pm - Ms. Rosalina Nunez, Supervising Attorney for Senior Legal Services describes helping elderly navigate legal issues, including senior benefits, landlord / tenant issues, advanced care directives, and elder abuse.  Your donation can help provide free legal service  to anyone over 60 years and a resident of Santa Cruz or San Benito County who would otherwise not be helped.
          https://seniorlegal.org/
          https://santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/seniorlegal/
     
    2:35pm- Consider other local non-profits also doing great work in the Community:
    Rising Worldwide: Donate to help prevent child trafficking and to support trafficked survivors: https://risingworldwide.org/
    Arukah Project: Helping survivors of human trafficking to escape and heal:
    https://www.arukahproject.org/
    Santa Cruz VISTA Center: Helping blind and visually-impaired people in our Community:
    https://vistacenter.org/
     
     
    3:05pm - Ms. Carmen Herra Mansir, Executive Director, describes how El Pajaro Community Development Corporation helps local Latina women begin and develop their small businesses and farms. You can donate to their in-house lending program and help provide the much-needed funding to help launch a new business and independence.
          https://elpajarocdc.org/
          https://santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/elpajarocdc/
           
     
    3:35pm - Mr. Luis Mejia - Interim Executive Director, Jacobs Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services describes the work to help over 125 families in Santa Cruz County who have children battling cancer.  Your donation will help provide food, transportation to medical appointments and family counseling to ease the stress of the diagnosis and treatments.
          https://www.jacobsheart.org/
          Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services
    1 hr 55 min
  • December 5, 2025 Interview with Mr. Amin AbuAmara about the Rail Trail; Groundwater Issues in MidCounty with Mr. Jon Kennedy

    Hour One: Discussion of  Rising Worldwide event and human trafficking in Santa Cruz County; update on Santa Cruz County BESS rules, and what the County Board of Supervisors have on consent agenda upcoming.

    2:30pm Guest Mr. Amin AbuAmara, Director of Capital Improvement Projects for Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) discusses status of Highway One and Rail Trail projects.

    Hour Two: Mr. Jon Kennedy, one of three private well representatives on the Santa Cruz Midcounty Groundwater Agency (MGA) discusses the state of the area's groundwater and what private well owners need to know.  Upcoming meeting 12/11/2025 at Capitola Library at 6pm. https://www.midcountygroundwater.org/

    1 hr 56 min
  • November 28, 2025 Interviews: Hour one: Amateur Radio Operators Roberta Roberts & Pete Johnson: Last Week's Search & Rescue Comm's; Jpir Two BESS Updates; Kris Kirby Runs for Office

    Hour One: Roberta Roberts and Pete Johnson describe how Amateur Radio helped over 100 Search & Rescue volunteers in challenging terrain, interacting with volunteers from many agencies from throughout California.  

    Hour Two: Update on Monterey and Santa Cruz County large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, new rules and Supervisor actions.  Also, update from Kris Kirby, transplanted from Santa Cruz County to Grants Pass, Oregon...visiting Washington, D.C, and running for County Election Clerk!

    1 hr 55 min
  • November 21, 2025 Interview with Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, Phillip Carranco, Karell Reader re: BESS moratorium/ ordinance

    Hour One: Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church discusses why Board's decision to reject a moratorium on large battery energy storage system (BESS) projects will help move the County to develop the rules to regulate where they are allowed and safety requirements for how they operate. Contact him with thoughts on BESS issues: https://www.countyofmonterey.gov/government/board-of-supervisors/district-2-glenn-church

    Phillip Carranco, internationally-recognized regulatory policy expert with local connections, discusses the Draft BESS Ordinance document he wrote, based on the California Governor's Business Office BESS Ordinance template, to assist local jurisdictions such as Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties.

    Hour Two: Continued discussion with Phillip Carranco re: the importance of strong regulation, what happens when a BESS developer goes to the State Energy Commission (CEC) instead of local jurisdictions for licensing and operation permits, and how can people weigh in to make a difference?  

    Karell Reader, an organic apple farmer in Santa Cruz County, joins the conversation with questions about agricultural zoning, public safety, and how to effectively approach decision-makers to strengthen BESS rules for benefit of the people  and environment. 

    1 hr 54 min
  • November 14, 2025 Interview with Tom Ginsburg: 3720 Capitola Road Project; Interview with Nina Beety: MBARI's harmful sonar mapping project

    Hour One: Interview with Capitola Resident Tom Ginsburg: how the Bulb Ave. neighborhood has come together to present reasonable, fact-based discussions to the Capitola City Council as large, dense development projects are proposed (philosophy of BRIMBY...Be Respectful In My BackYard).  The Capitola City Council's actions were responsive.

     

    Hour Two: Interview with Nina Beety, local Resident and Researcher, discusses the harmful sonar geophysical mapping work in the Monterey Bay Canyon that MBARI continues to do in the name of science, using sound waves at 191db-221db but now increasing to 237db with the new David Packard research vessel.  The US Air Force has determined that inaudible sound is lethal at 150db.  Why is MBARI harming our marine life for the sake of mapping that could be done with other, non-harmful methods???

    This work is permitted by the California State Lands Commission...please protest!

    https://www.slc.ca.gov/meetings/

    1 hr 55 min
  • November 7, 2025 Hour 1: Discussion of Santa Cruz County BESS; Hour 2: Vets 4 Vets Interview

    Hour 1: News about release of Santa Cruz County's new rules for siting potentially flammable and explosive large battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in neighborhoods.  Info from Nina Audion, leader of Stop Lithium BESS in Santa Cruz County.

     

    Hour 2: Interview with Wendy Core, Michael Lovejoy, and Travis DeYoung from Vets 4 Vets.  How local Veterans are helping one another to create a Community to overcome isolation, family emergencies, housing and health needs where gaps exist among other local services. Thank a Veteran for their service! https://www.vets4vetssantacruz.org/

    1 hr 56 min
  • October 31, 2025 Interviews re: BESS Issues with Supervisor Glenn Church, Nina Audino and Brian Roeder

    Hour One: Supervisor Glenn Church discusses importance of proposed BESS moratorium in Monterey County to enable careful drafting of BESS Ordinance; Nina Audino (Stop Lithium BESS in Santa Cruz County) discusses safety problems with current lithium BESS technology and what Santa Cruz County Draft BESS Ordinance could include to protect public safety.

    Hour Two: Brian Roeder (Never Again Moss Landing) discusses his TRIM idea to monitor lithium battery abuse and degradation in real time, and support public safety with information on lithium BESS project status at risk of explosion and fire.  Nina Audino joins in with ideas for people to take action and support public safety issues as Santa Cruz and Monterey County agencies develop a draft BESS Ordinance.

    Never forget that a small group of informed and caring people can make a big difference in their Community!

    https://neveragainmosslanding.org/resources/

    https://www.stoplithiumbessinsantacruz.org/

    https://www.countyofmonterey.gov/government/board-of-supervisors/district-2-glenn-church

    1 hr 55 min

About Community Matters

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Community Matters features guest interviews to discuss topics of interest to the Santa Cruz Community. We aim to help people better understand important local issues and learn how to get involved to make a positive difference. Please listen and call in to join the discussions.