March 2021 Edition

Edition 2, March 2021

Welcome to the March 2021 edition of Pacifica Voice.

In this edition follow → link to articles:

  1. An invitation to → Pacifica Goal-Setting Session from Suzanne Moore
  2. SOCIAL JUSTICE
    1. → Unpaid farm workers reported by Victoria Sanchez De Alba.
    2. → ICE and the County Sheriff updated by Blue Murov.
    3. → Coastside Families Taking Action introduced by Divya Demato.
    4. Thoughts on the → Trump administration by Dan Evenhouse.
    5. The → World Social Justice Day event and the “Start with Ourselves” conversation summarized by Linda Peebles.
  3. CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
    1. Request for Mayor to → retract managed retreat comment from Peter Loeb.
    2. “See Change”: a review of the → Sanchez Art Gallery event from Roy Earnest.
    3. Is the → City ignoring trouble with the sewer system by Stan Zeavin.
    4. So many questions left unanswered → about the seawall offered by Christine Boles.
  4. HOUSING
    1. → California COVID tenant relief and tenant protection from public advocates.
    2. Informational flyer for tenants from → Faith in Action, Bay Area.
    3. Pacifica Housing 4 All → pays tribute to Monique Barr.
  5. THE COMMUNITY SHARES
    1. → Pacifica Library events from Paula Teixeira.
    2. → Pacific Beach Coalition updates from Lynn Adams.
    3. The → importance of space exploration by Rudy Evenhouse.
    4. Opinion: → How Ronald Reagan created QAnon offered by Mark Hubbell

 

Month Events:

  • FRI/SAT 3/5 and 3/6 Pacifica annual goal setting (refer to City’s agenda to be posted).
  • MON 3/8 7:00 PM City Council
  • TH 3/11 7:00 PM PPA General Meeting
  • SAT 3/13 7:30 PM virtual surf movie fundraiser, “Heart of the Sea”.
  • MON 3/22 7:00 PM City Council
  • SAT 3/27 9:30-12:30 People’s Alliance Retreat for current members of Pacifica Progressive Alliance. Contact: PPA Steering Committee if interested.
  • TH 4/1 Virtual kickoff of Earth Month with Jackie Speier hosted by Pacific Beach Coalition TBA
  • Sanchez Art Gallery Special Exhibit 2/12 – 3/21/21 in the East Gallery – SEE CHANGE: Creating Space for Fear-Free Conversation Around Sea Level Rise. By appt Thu-Sun: also check the virtual tours.
  • Please see programs offered by Pacifica Libraries
  • APR 1 – APR 30 Earth Month of Action
  • TH 4/22 Virtual talk with Caren Loebel Fried about counting albatrosses on Midway Atoll TBA

 

Photos have been contributed by Leo Leon, Mark Hubbell and Michael Dobres

Pacifica Voice is eager to receive articles on issues important to our community. Please send them to editors@pacificavoice.us for consideration.

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Pacifica Goal Setting Session Friday & Saturday, March 5-6th
Author Suzanne Moore

Pacifica’s annual goal setting session is scheduled Friday and Saturday, March 5th and 6th. City clerk Sarah Coffey suspects the agenda will be available sometime after the 1st of March.

Each new fiscal year, the City identifies “goals, projects, and initiatives” for the coming year. Although the “Work Plan” is not intended to be comprehensive, it does highlight those issues of greatest priority and provides a focus for “attention and resources”.

The goal setting is open to the public and allows time for public comment. For the community, we have the chance to let Council know what issues we feel are of greatest importance.

Here are some suggested topics.

  1. COVID’s impact on our community has been huge. There are two areas that deserve our City’s attention:
    1. Equitable recovery of our businesses,
    2. SB 91 and outreach to tenants and property owners for monies to prevent eviction, foreclosures, and debt.
    3. The digital divide makes outreach a challenge, especially for those most at risk: people of color, elders, families of low income.
  2. Affordable housing and homelessness, problems before COVID, have worsened. Here are concerns:
    1. Create a pathway toward permanent housing for our unhoused – safe parking and transitional housing as stepping stones for safe and affordable housing,
    2. Build moderate to very-low income housing. This is desperately needed in our community.
  3. Our City’s general plan, coastal plan, and safety plan are all out of date. We need to commit to updating them since they are our community’s guide for its future. COVID has also made apparent that our City could benefit from a health and wellness focus as part of the general plan.
  4. Redistricting data will be available around Halloween this year, and deadlines for cities will be 4/17/22. The community needs to know if Pacifica plans to redraw district lines and what process is planned. Are there any “communities of interest” with shared social or economic interests that should be drawn to assure they have a better voice in selecting a representative? Possible shared interests could be neighborhoods which are predominantly culturally diverse or neighborhoods largely of tenants.
  5. Transportation with seamless, reliable public transit for the Coast would benefit all the coastal communities and assist in equitable economic recovery.
  6. Pacifica Police Department can further community dialogue, build on the personal stories shared 6/17/20 that suggested racial profiling, create 2-way dialogue with nonpartisan mediators, and proceed with solutions from community input.

Participate in the goal setting session and make your concerns known.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

CASTILLO SEED OF HALF MOON BAY UNDER INVESTIGATION:
Missed employee payments since mid-December
 Author Victoria Sanchez De Alba

(We acknowledge SF Chronicle reporter Tatiana Sanchez in her 2/5/21 article, “Hemp farmworkers in Half Moon Bay say they haven’t been paid in 7 weeks”.)

Castillo Seed of Half Moon Bay is under investigation for unpaid employee payments since mid December. Castillo Seed rents space from Oso Vega in what was once the Bay City Flower Company at 2265 Cabrillo HWY South. Both Castillo Seed and Oso Vega have not responded to outreach from this author.

This story broke because of concerned citizens and advocates: Kate Shea, coast side resident; nonprofit Coastside Hope; and the San Mateo County Farmworker Affairs Coalition (SMC FAC). Coastside Hope notified the Farmworker Affairs Coalition who filed a labor violation with the State of California Labor Board 1/18/21.

The DA’s Office of San Mateo County is also working with the State in its investigation. Castillo Seed is closed temporarily until it proves it has Workers’ Compensation Insurance. Lucas Brown of the California Department of Industrial Relations confirmed that, as of 2/23/21, the Castillo Seed stop order is still in effect and the investigation is ongoing.

Judith Guerrero, Executive Director of Coastside Hope, reports that they have assisted 21 employees. Director Guerrero said, “The effect on families is more than just lost wages. A father and head of household felt helpless to provide for his family”. “Another family was fearful they couldn’t pay the $495 DACA application fee for one of their children” said Guerrero.

Coastside Hope wants these workers “to be empowered and speak up. The farmworkers were intimidated and felt afraid. We want them to be aware of their rights,” continued Guerrero. The nonprofit has provided financial assistance grants, food and food gift cards, and assisted with rent and utility bills.

If you are interested in helping, Coastside Hope can receive donations through their website coastsidehope.org and click on “Apply my donation” to Farmworker Fund.

The SMC Farmworker Affairs Coalition is open to new members. Contact FAC representative vsanchezdealba@gmail.com.

 

Liberation, not Deportation
 Author Blue Murov

The California Values Act of 2018 made California a Sanctuary State to protect the rights of immigrants. Collaboration with ICE is restricted and voluntary under the law.. However, since 2018, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s office transferred over 100 immigrants directly to ICE when they were released from jail instead of letting them go home to their families and communities. A jail-to-ICE transfer occurs when immigrants and refugees are deemed eligible for release from county jail, but are handed to ICE for detention and deportation by the Sheriff’s office.

In January, San Mateo County Coalition for Immigrant Rights (SMCCIR) invited six Bay Area individuals to tell their personal stories. More than 100 people attended the “Liberation, not Deportation” Community Panel to find out how we can #StopICEtransfers and keep San Mateo County immigrant families and communities together.

Ayda told us how her son was violently turned over to ICE from the San Mateo County jails. He was held in ICE detention for 14 months and deported to Mexico in November 2020. Her son was finishing his degree in psychology. During his time in Mesa Verde detention, Ayda’s son said that people were dying from illnesses and were subjected to horrible treatment.

Sergio lives with his wife and children and works as a residential and commercial building cleaner. Sergio was turned over to ICE when he appeared in court for a hearing – no court decision was made, but police told him he needed to see an immigration officer and forced him to wait hours for ICE to arrive. Sergio spent 8 months at Mesa Verde detention center.

Juan has lived in the US for 20 years. He works in construction and is the sole provider for his family. “We are working people, we contribute to this country and we pay taxes.” Juan and his son still suffer from the trauma of Juan’s transfer to ICE by Bolanos. “The detention center in Yuma was not clean, not fit for animals,” Juan told us.

Ronnie came to live in the US when he was 3 years old. Today he is a college student studying fire science to be a firefighter. He wishes Bolanos would see him as a productive person and hard worker. Ronnie volunteers with other immigrant youth to help them navigate the complicated DREAM ACT set up in 2001.

ICE does not have the resources or the staff to round up every person they would like to deport. ICE relies on sheriffs, like Bolanos, and other law enforcement agencies to aid them. Bolanos posts a list of inmates eligible for release on a public website. When family or friends arrive, they discover that ICE arrived before them. Once a person is in ICE detention it is almost impossible to get them the necessary legal support to avoid deportation.

This practice needs to stop. Here are actions and resources to help end transfers to ICE and deportations:

Call & Send Emails to Supervisors & Sheriff to stop ICE transfers – bit.ly/SMCstopicetransfers.

Participate in the #100DaysforFreedom Campaign (bit.ly/100DaysFF) every Tuesday. This is an ongoing action that will continue until our community members are free! Every Tuesday from 9 am – 5 pm PST for the duration for the moratorium (by May 2, 2021), community members will take action using this guide. Calls take about 5-10 minutes. Let ICE know immigrants and refugees are our community members! Please feel free to call or tweet on your own throughout the week as well.

Check out services and resources from SMCCIR organizations: bit.ly/SMCCIRresource

Share San Mateo County rapid response line: 203-666-4472. The San Mateo County Rapid Response Hotline is a 24-hour response hotline if you or a loved one have been arrested by ICE, witnessing ICE activity, or awaiting a potential ICE transfer from county jail.

For more information or questions email iceoutofsmc@gmail.com.

 

COASTSIDE FAMILIES TAKING ACTION (CFTA)
 Authors Divya Demato and Aisha Baro, CFTA Council Members

Coastside Families Taking Action (CFTA) is a group of families devoted to making the San Mateo Coast a welcoming, supportive, active, and empowering place for children and families. The founders were energized by the national movement around Black Lives Matter after the George Floyd murder and decided that they wanted to be proactive about fostering a diverse, progressive, sustainable, and equitable community on the Coastside.

While it is a young organization formed less than 1 year ago, CFTA is dynamic and engaged in local life. Its first event was on the Fourth of July, 2020, when it organized a caravan that drew over 40 cars that peacefully drove from the Princeton Harbor to Main street – this to express on the Fourth of July, our nation’s birthday, that Black Lives Matter.

CFTA is proactive in local politics, forges key relationships within City Hall, and advocates for greater equity. The group supports initiatives for homeless shelters and actively advocates for representation of the Latino voice within local government. CFTA endorsed and successfully campaigned in support of Councilmember Joaquin Jimenez.

Similarly, CFTA has partnered with indigenous leaders to raise awareness of the plight and history of the Ohlone community, the first inhabitants of Half Moon Bay. The organization has raised awareness about racism and held antiracism discussions. One event, facilitated by an expert in the field, attracted 50 local families. In the same vein, regular educational sessions are held at bedtime for children. The goal is to expand children’s minds and views of the world by highlighting different traditions such as “Dia de los Muertos” or Diwali through a bedtime reading.

Another great outreach to the community has been the Farmworkers lunches held regularly by the group to address acute and urgent survival needs.

CFTA champions its causes through its subcommittees focused on anti-racism, radical law enforcement reform, affordable housing, educational equity, gender equality, immigration reform, refugee advocacy and environmental and health policy issues. The subcommittees are empowered to make decisions, and they represent a great leadership opportunity for anyone committed to make a difference in the community.

CFTA prides itself on an openness to diverse ideas. The membership has a broad range of ethnicities, ages, and mindsets and holds an expansive view of the concept of family. CFTA welcomes parents and non-parents, all types of family units, and single individuals. CFTA’s core community resides along the mid-coast of the San Mateo peninsula from Montara to Pescadero. The organization strives to be inclusive – content includes Spanish translation when possible.

CFTA encourages new community members to join and accept leadership roles within its subcommittees and/or council. The organization’s website is https://www.coastsidefamiliestakingaction.org. Everyone is welcome!

 

POINTS OF VIEW: an exercise inside the minds of Trump and Biden supporters
An attempt to summarize opposing positions.
Author Dan Evenhouse

Preface: Below is a written exercise in what it is like to live in the mind of a Trump supporter, followed by the response of a Biden supporter. I myself am not fully in either camp, although I did (eventually) vote for and support Biden in the 2020 campaign. My complaints about the 2020 campaign are too long to get into here, but suffice it to say that the campaign was in some ways typical of United States two party system politics. While I think there is in fact ‘a dimes worth of difference between the two parties’, it seems to me that in recent years big money has taken over both parties to the point where only an administration and President such as we just lived through can make it obvious that there is a greater and lesser danger to our democracy.

Click below for summaries of the comments I gleaned first from supporters of the former President (Trump), and secondly from supporters of the current President (Biden). These are amalgamations and any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, are coincidental. I started with the Trump supporter, since that was the hardest point of view to understand, even after talking with a lot of them. The second section is a response by a Biden supporter (again an amalgamation). My apologies that I did not have time for a proper Progressive response, which would be rather different, I would think. I look forward to hearing what people think about this topic. After all, the fight to save our democracy (and country!) has only just begun….

Point of view from a Trump supporter Response of a Biden Supporter

A SUMMARY:

While there are reasons why some have supported former President Trump, there does not seem to be a reason for any significant part of the population to continue to support Trump in his current status – as President for Life in the exile of his own mind. I can’t think of a better and more apropos fate than for the former President to continue to appeal to a narrower and more radicalized lunatic base – until the former President shows up, alone, at the Lincoln Memorial, wearing horns and tattoos, like a morbidly corpulent orange hued monstrosity that would have made Emperor Norton blush – and finally has that conversation that proves to himself, and no one else, that he is “a better President than maybe Lincoln”.

 

World Social Justice Day and “Start With Ourselves”
Author Pacifica Peace People member Linda Peebles

On Saturday, Feb 20th, Pacifica Peace People (PPP) and Pacifica Social Justice (PSJ) members stood in front of Walgreens in honor of the World Day of Social Justice. This year’s theme specifically called for social justice in the digital economy and focused on inequality in the availability, affordability, and access to the internet. In the US, we clearly see the inequity among disadvantaged young people who struggle in substandard and overcrowded quarters, work on inferior online devices, and have limited on-line access. In-home student learning is also often complicated by food insecurity.

Throughout Saturday’s hour-long protest, advocates received a very positive response from people driving or walking by. Our community is familiar with Saturday morning protests at this site – the very corner of 14 years of silent Saturday vigil by Women in Black. Our protesters were pleased to stand there and remind our community to think about social justice.

Start with Ourselves: A Conversation on Race

Additionally, Pacifica Peace People have begun “Start with Ourselves,” a conversation on race. Our two on-line small groups shared learned messages about race originating from family, school, church, and community. We listened quietly to each other’s unique stories and experiences without judgment. Participants described a sense of intimacy, group energy, and purpose. We are enthusiastic and invite others to join us. For more information or to sign up, please contact deliaforpeace39@gmail.com or thepeebles@aol.com

CLIMATE and CLIMATE CHANGE

Mayor Beckmeyer should retract her statement
 Opinion By Peter Loeb

Pacifica Mayor Sue Beckmeyer said, “Managed retreat is something that the city does not support.” This is a misrepresentation. The Pacifica City Council has never voted on a position on managed retreat, and many Pacificans believe managed retreat should be one of the long-term adaptation strategies in response to sea level rise and coastal erosion.

Since Mayor Beckmeyer made this statement in her role as Mayor, she should retract her statement made in the Denver channel 7 News Article:
“Coastal erosion and sea-level rise changing landscape of community”

 

“EBBOUT” this month at the See Change Exhibit – Sanchez Art Center
Author Roy Earnest

On a warm day in April, 1975, my friend Jan and I were driving to a friend’s house for a birthday celebration. As we were rolling along, we passed a dead animal along the side of the road, which made it the 4th one we saw that day. I turned to Jan and said, “Jeez! A lot of animals are getting hit by cars along this road. I wonder what’s going on?” She said, “Maybe it’s because it’s Spring and animals are on the move.” There was a short pause and then she said, “You know what I call dead animals that have been hit by a car?” I said, “No. Tell me.” “I call them SKIVs!” I said, “Skivs? Hmmm, where did you learn that word?” She turned to me with a smile, “I made it up!”

This was my first introduction to a neologism (new word) which, I have come to learn, is something that happens with all living languages. It’s how languages evolve and meet our need for communicating, why we hold in high regard the art involved in poetry, fiction and nonfiction, song lyricists, rap artists, compelling speeches, Shakespearean plays. The world wouldn’t be as interesting and beautiful without these forms of art that helps us describe and make sense of our experience of living as we are searching for the words to express them. (As I am right now, while writing this article.)

The Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica Center for the Arts is celebrating the art of the spoken word this month through March 21st and also combines the artforms of photography, painting and sculpture. Entitled See Change, the exhibit shows the results (so far) of an art project funded by the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability that provides community space for reflection and fear-free conversation about sea level rise. San Francisco Bay Area artists Kim Anno and Alicia Escott were awarded the project and have included in their collaboration Heidi Quante and Modesto Covarrubias. This creative group of modern-day linguists have established The Bureau of Linguistical Reality that offers guided discussions with small groups to create neologisms (new words) to help describe community feelings, concerns, our relationship to the ocean, and our hope that we can come together in a positive way to plan for our shared future.

I had the opportunity to be part of a small group that engaged in this process in October 2020. We were invited to express our concerns and hopes for Pacifica’s residents, animals and flora that live along its beaches as they pertain to various aspects of sea level rise. The three of us – Ian Butler, Lisa Ryner and I – all expressed a desire for calmer, more reasoned discourse about how coastal communities discuss, plan, and prepare for, what most experts say, will be an inevitable rise of 3 or more feet of sea level rise. Once we got going, some new words were born. One was “Ebbantageous” which is a return to a community discussion about sea level rise that is manageable, balanced. The slang derivative of this neologism is to “ebbout” which means to take a step back and appreciate the firm sand that provides a stable surface for a constructive discussion. We acknowledged that this term was also derived from the term “Chill Out”, which is often used as a dismissive put down of someone who we don’t agree with – but we were consciously striving to put a new meaning to “Ebbout” and connect it with an ebbing tide, when the sea itself seems to be relaxing. “Ebbout” is what we fervently want to see happen among Pacificans who are trying to figure out the best way to respond and plan for sea level rise.

What I also loved about the discussion was how respectful everyone was about other points of view that we didn’t necessarily agree with. We were all wholeheartedly engaged in a good-faith discussion about what has become a very contentious topic in Pacifica and many other coastal communities around the world. None of us were trying to create “snarky” new words. We were going for words that were constructive and that shined a light onto potential paths forward, together. During our group, the facilitators of the Bureau of Linguistical Reality shared some new words created by others, and many of these neologisms are currently featured in the “See Change” Exhibit. Here’s a few I particularly liked:

Wedapting: A community coming together through dialogue and problem solving for long term planning to adapt to extreme storms, sea level rise or other extreme weather events caused by climate change. A coming together for mutual protection. An openness of a community to weather difficult discussions around triggering topics. This includes long term planning for both private homes and city infrastructure, recognizing both are essential components of a successful community.

Sandulate: Respecting and loving that the coast is an alive and changing system and building in a way that works with its inherent systems. Recognizing that some erosion will happen in places and sediment build up will result in other places. That to “preserve” a shoreline is often trying to fix it in a snap-shot of time that is unhealthy and unrealistic. It’s akin to building a hard thing on an ever changing surface.

Anthropocene: While this isn’t a word that was created as part of this art project, it is certainly relevant to a discussion on sea level rise. Eugene Stuermer coined this word in the 1980s and was made popular in the early 2000’s by Paul Crutzen, a Nobel prize winning meteorologist and atmospheric chemist. It refers to an informal geologic chronological term for the proposed epoch that began when human activities started having a significant global impact on the Earth’s ecosystems. The term is meant to render the end of the official Epoch, the Halocene, as no longer relevant to the conditions of the planet. The Anthropocene has no precise start date but based on atmospheric evidence may be considered to start with the Industrial Revolution.

The See Change exhibit at the Sanchez Art Center features these and many other neologisms/new words that describe some aspect of sea level rise plus a whole host of others in a binder that can be reviewed in the lobby of the East wing where the exhibit is set up. Along with “word exhibits” are stunning paintings, photos and sculptures that provide more context and texture to this very unique and powerful exhibit.

Another wonderful aspect of this exhibit is that attendees are invited to interact with the exhibit in two ways. Everyone is welcome to try their hand at creating new words about their feelings around living with sea level rise. Make a new word about your own feelings or experiences of living amid coastal erosion and rising seas. Word submissions can be placed in a red collection box which will be used collaboratively with the Bureau of Linguistical Reality, a project of Escott and Quante.

Attendees are also welcomed to do some weaving while they are at this exhibit. Add a line (or many) to our communal weaving locations and transform recycled and repurposed plastic bags into art objects using the metaphor of “weaving our community together.”

Many thanks to the Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica Center for the Arts for providing our community with a very compelling collection of highly original art. This exhibit helped me to ebbout about the whole topic of sea level rise. I encourage you to go there and ebbout too.

 

Sewer System and Sea Wall
Author Stan Zeavin, Linda Mar Resident

A recent study by the Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the City of Pacifica (requested in 2016) concluded that the cost/benefit of building a $10M wall along Beach Boulevard can’t be justified. The Army Corps’ estimated cost of $28M to $45M is for a seawall which won’t be undercut by the ocean. This doesn’t include the cost of beach nourishment, etc.

Which would have the greater impact on our city, the failure of the wall or the failure of the pump station? Only 12% of Pacificans live in the coastal flood zone, while 40% (over 16,000 people) are dependent on the Sharp Park pump station. If the pump fails, raw sewage could be backed up to the very ends of the system.

Nothing precludes Pacifica from getting future funding for this kind of seawall. But the odds keep shrinking as more and more coastal areas appear in harm’s way. Who will pay for the seawall costs that are not covered by the feds or some other outside entity? Most troubling about this process is that the cost of a seawall this size was known at the time of the city’s request 5 years ago. On the chance that funding could dry up for a seawall, why isn’t our government looking into alternatives to the wall while concurrently working on the sewer system?

Since the purpose of the seawall is to protect the sewage system, has the city spent any money or time for planning or fixing the sewer infrastructure? Our city government seems to be ignoring the sewer system. Minimally, the city must prepare a cost analysis of the sewer system redo (including the pump station) before any more money is spent on other Sharp Park projects.

The problem of fixing the sewer system is not simple. Many coastal cities are facing similar risks and researching different solutions. Their research could be helpful to Pacifica.

And yes, it’s about the money. Pacifica has a finite amount. Why have we not seen a cost comparison between the restructuring of the sewer system and the seawall – it could be very enlightening. We need to reconsider our priorities and broaden our scope if we’re to stay solvent. Now.

Sea Wall and Coastal Erosion
Author Christine Boles

The city’s recent seawall meeting was disappointing. At December’s meeting, residents asked to see options for natural solutions that can adapt with increasing sea level rise. The 2014 General Plan says, “Wherever feasible, shoreline protection shall take the form of nonstructural measures, such as setback, redesign, relocation or beach replenishment.”

The only viable natural option presented was putting native plants next to the wall.

The city’s justification for a new wall is to protect infrastructure. Questions posed weeks ago about the value and condition of infrastructure in the area remained unanswered.

What are we protecting? How much is it worth? Should it be moved anyway for safety reasons? For those of us on the north side of town, all our sewers flow through this area. What is the risk to homes as well as to the ocean if sewers fail?

There was no discussion of relative costs associated with any options and there is no certainty of funding. The Army Corps of Engineers already analyzed one project for a new wall back in 2017. The study said that cost/benefit analysis rendered the project ineligible for their program. It was not even close.

What is our backup plan if we can’t get funding? Even with funding, it will take years to get approvals and build the wall. What temporary measures should we be exploring to protect public safety?

There was one very enlightening comment by the senior project engineer, Gillian Millar, who obviously has a healthy respect for the ocean. In essence, she said a new wall will not stop the sea, it will only buy us time — how much time was not discussed.

We need to start talking about concerted plans for sea level rise and adaptation and the hard truth that some structures will be lost. Many beachfront homes in Sharp Park, Linda Mar, Pedro Point and Manor have already been lost. Of course, no one enjoys these discussions, but it is our reality and must be addressed. We must start talking

about real resiliency, the ability to adapt to rising sea levels, and threats from climate change for the next 100 years including increased risks of fire, flooding and landslides that affect the entire city.

We need visionary leadership that does not just put the problem off by hiding behind a wall. Our children and grandchildren are watching. What future Pacifica will we leave them?

HOUSING

Faith in Action

LÍNEA DE RESPUESTA COMUNITARIA

(203) 666-4472

COMMUNITY RESPONSE LINE

Behind on rent due to COVID-19? (click for Spanish translation)

Before making big decisions, get informed! There is a NEW EXTENSION of the state law that provides some protections against eviction until June 30, 2021.

3 steps to prevent eviction:

(1) Provide a signed Declaration of COVID-19 Financial Distress to your landlord click here to download declaration

Each time you get an eviction notice or written demand for payment from your landlord, respond by returning a Declaration of COVID-19 financial distress (see Attached form) to your landlord within 15 days. Don’t forget to keep a copy or take pictures for your record.

You don’t have to wait for a notice to give the declaration to your landlord. You can send it NOW.

Returning the declaration can protect you from eviction until June 30th 2021.

(2) By June 30th 2021, 25% of the rent from the period of September 1st 2020 to June 30th 2021 must be paid.If you have the ability to pay part of the rent, pay what is possible each month.

Include a letter instructing the landlord to apply the rent to the current month.For tenants unable to pay 25%, there is a NEW rental assistance fund by the state of California that will help many tenants by paying 25% of their rent debt to prevent eviction. The fund has not yet opened and is still being set-up. Call the community response line for more information.

(3) BEFORE you apply for any loans and/or sign payment plans from your landlord, call the Community Response Line above or talk to a lawyer. You can have a FREE consultation with the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County at (650) 517-8911 or Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto at (650) 326-6440.

 

 

Monique Barr: September 24, 1962 –January 30, 2021
Pacifica Housing 4 All pays tribute to one of our own.
By Suzanne Moore, Lesley Bode, and our community

On 1/30/21, life-long Pacifican, Monique Barr, passed away due to COVID-19. Daughter Lesley Bode asks that we keep her mom in our thoughts and prayers.

Monique was very proud of her city. Born 9/4/62 to George and Diane Barr, Monique was raised in the supportive neighborhood of Desvio Court. With several children birthed in a few months of each other, Monique was one of the seven babies known as the “Desvio Court Baby Mafia”.

Monique was a Terra Nova graduate. Both she and her best friend, Lesley Usher, had a dream to explore the United States by driving long-haul trucks. Toward that dream, Monique became one of the first women to graduate from Skyline College’s Automotive Program and she received her trucking license.

Monique lost her friend, Lesley, in a tragic motorcycle accident, but pushed on and worked as a truck driver until an ankle injury ended that career.

Monique described her daughter, Lesley, as “my crowning achievement.” and named her for her best friend. While raising her baby daughter, Monique earned an AA from De Anza Community College as a certified physical therapist assistant.

Mother and daughter weathered hard times and they remained close. Monique was very proud when Lesley graduated in 2019 from UC Santa Cruz.

For those who called Monique a friend, we valued her strength, honesty, courage and compassion. Monique was a volunteer, and she gave back. One of her last volunteer efforts was as a member of the Unhoused in Pacifica Task Force. She generously shared information about her family’s experience in hopes it would benefit her entire community.

Gloria Stofan described Monique as “a stronger fighter for those less fortunate and vulnerable, especially those considered unhoused and living in their vehicles. She was a fearless advocate.”

Monique will be deeply missed by her daughter, Lesley Bode, Lesley’s father, Harry Bode Jr., Monique’s sisters, Denise and Cindy, their brother Steve, extended family and friends, and Pacifica Housing 4 All. The family will host a celebration of her life in the future when it is safer for people to gather.

A Go-Fund-Me has been started to help with funeral, medical, cremation, memorial(s), medical expenses, and to help support Lesley as she prepares for graduate school. Any excess will be given to the Pacifica Resource Center, with gratitude, to further their mission of decreasing homelessness.

To visit the page please use the link: gf.me/u/zhrdvg or search Help Us Honor The Life of Monique on Go Fund Me. As Monique would, donations can be made in her memory directly to the Pacifica Resource Center; 1809 Palmetto Ave, Pacifica, CA 94044.

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Contributed in memory of Monique by Carolyn Jaramillo

When Great Trees Fall
by Maya Angelou

When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.

When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.

Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance, fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
dark, cold
caves.

And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.

THE COMMUNITY SHARES

San Mateo County Library Events
 Paula Teixeria, Supervisor

Make it March! At the San Mateo County Libraries

ESL Book Club Monday, Mar 1 • 2:00 PM
Let’s read books and learn English at the same time. Join other language learners in a virtual meeting where we read together and discuss the text.

 

 

The Winning Resume Tuesday, Mar 2 • 10:00 AM
 The Employment Development Department (EDD) is one of the largest state departments with employees at hundreds of service locations throughout the state. Bimonthly on Tuesdays, join an EDD representative for a workshop on the vital steps you can take to make your resume top notch.

Podcasting for Beginners Tuesday, Mar 2 • 5:00 PM
Join us for our first of four Podcasting for Beginners workshops! We’ll discuss how to develop a podcast, including all the basic considerations such as choosing your subject matter and more. Along with library staff support, we’ll be working together in groups to write-out a podcast episode.

How to apply for a CA State Job Thursday, Mar 4 • 10:00 AM
 Learn how to jump-start your career and make a difference by working at the State of California. Working for California means much more than showing up for a job. As an employee, you will be able to work on programs that are vital to the economic growth of our community and state. The State of California provides a wide variety of services. From accounting to woodworking — they have a job for you!

 

 

Gentle Chair Yoga Thursday, Mar 4 • 11:30 AM
Interested in learning how to do yoga or already have a practice and want to join others in your community for free online sessions? Join certified yoga instructors for accessible well-rounded vinyasa-inspired flow yoga and chair yoga classes on alternating Thursdays from 11:30-12:30. Sessions will focus on relieving stress and rejuvenating your body!

Social Justice Sewing Academy Friday, Mar 5 • 11:30 AM
Celebrate Women’s History Month with the Social Justice Sewing Academy!

In part one of this two-part workshop we’ll discuss women’s history, women in leadership, and how we can honor the women in our lives and community.

 

 

DIY Food Preservation Series Sauces and Salsas Tuesday Mar 9 • 4:00 PM
Learn about savory salsas and sauces with the UC Master Food Preservers! These scientifically tested recipes can be made easily in your home kitchen and water-bath canned for your home pantry to be ready as a quick addition to a variety of meats and vegetables. Prepare to get saucy!

Housing Equity Tuesday Mar 15 • 4:00 PM
Richard Rothstein – Author Talk
Are you interested in learning about the history of race and residential segregation and how it has influenced society? Join us for an author talk with Richard Rothstein to discuss his book, The Color of Law.

 

 

 

Labor Market Information Tuesday Mar 23 • 10:00 AM
This workshop will provide job seekers the basics of how to effectively use Labor Market Information (LMI) as an essential tool to make informed, accurate decisions on how to get a job, improve your skills or enhance your careers.

Wildflower Hikes of the Bay Area Monday Mar 29 • 7:30 PM
Spring is on the way and it’s time to get out and enjoy some of the most beautiful trails California has to offer, right in our own backyards! Jane Huber and Linda Hamilton are both excited to share the best wildflower hikes in our area to take advantage of the season.

 

 

San Mateo County Tax Preparation Resources
https://smcl.org/tax-resources/
We have some basic tax forms at either Pacifica branchVisit San Mateo County Libraries
on Facebook
on Instagram

 

Pacific Beach Coalition (PBC) Updates

Heart of the Sea
Pacific Beach Coalition Movie Fundraiser

We are pleased to introduce our 2021 Annual Surf Movie Fundraiser. Heart of the Sea, this year’s truly inspiring movie, will be hosted virtually via Crowdcast (similar to Zoom). Share on Facebook.

READ MORE

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Street to Beach Cleanups – Volunteer

Thanks to your active participation we are really helping to keep our streets and beaches cleaner! Updated Results:

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PBC will be kicking off Earth Month (April) with a virtual chat with Jackie Speier on April 1st, 2021 Details will be coming soon.

Contact: info@pacificbeachcoalition.org
Website: pacificbeachcoalition.org

 

One Giant Leap Back: How Democrats are sidelining deep space exploration
Rudy Evenhouse

We have had several exciting spaceflights in recent years: The Perseverance rover landing on Mars, as well as the Demo-2 and Crew-1 flights to orbit. But Perseverance was just a rover, and the recent crewed space flights everyone talks about were only about 254 miles above Earth.

To give you some perspective, the moon is 238,900 miles away. So, the crewed Apollo flights of the 1960s and 1970s went drastically farther than our current flights to low earth orbit. The last Apollo mission was launched in December 1972, and it is the last time a crewed mission left low earth orbit.

Essentially, human space exploration is dead. Why? The success of the Apollo flights had strong national security ties. If you could launch a man to the moon, you could send an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) to Moscow. The US had also been badly beaten by the Soviet Union in the Space race of the 1960s, with the Soviets launching the first satellite into space and the first man in space, as well as multiple other records. It was a matter of national pride that we went to the moon, though a lot of science was done as well.

It also should be noted that by the time Apollo 11 launched, NASA’s budget was already being cut. NASA’s budget peaked in 1965 and kept declining throughout the Apollo program and in the years afterwards. Many people thought that the Apollo program should have been cancelled after Apollo 11 completed its mission. As it was, 3 Apollo missions ended up being cancelled because the program was deemed “too expensive”. Since then, NASA has not been able to break the stranglehold of low earth orbit.

To be fair, Presidents have tried to expand space programs. George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush both made proposals in this area. Both proposed return to the moon programs; however, both failed. In George H.W. Bush’s case, Congress rejected the idea outright, balking at the cost. George W. Bush’s plan was approved, and it was called the Constellation program. Unfortunately, it was cancelled by President Obama before it could achieve its goal. Why was it cancelled? It was behind schedule and not meeting its goals. One might think that would be reasonable to cancel the program. However, we must first ask why was the program not meeting its goals?

It seems the program was being underfunded, so of course it was bound to fall behind. A trip to the moon will always be costly, but if we decide we are going we must put all necessary resources into it, or it will fall behind and get cancelled, like the Constellation program. The Constellation program was an example of how NOT to do a return to the moon program. Constellation was announced in 2005 and was supposed to launch a lunar mission in 2020. Its timeline was long so expenses could be spread out in the short term. Obviously, that is a strategy that did not work, because the plans would have spanned multiple administrations, and the next administration would have likely cancelled the previous presidents space programs. That is what happened to the Constellation program.

In the past few years however, a new effort to return to the moon has been launched called the Artemis Program. A 2017 directive from former President Trump instructed NASA to land a crewed mission on the moon by 2028. Later, it was shortened to 2024. Trump’s Administration also revived the National Space Council, which was chaired by Vice President Pence. Trump and Republicans attempted to get a $25 billion budget for NASA, which would have been it’s largest in years. The proposed budget was key funding for a human landing system allowing NASA to actually land on the moon. The $3.3 Billion NASA needed to meet the 2024 deadline was shafted by House Democrats, who instead gave a paltry $850 million, nowhere near what they needed. Additionally, a Democratic Representative suggested that the deadline for landing on the moon be pushed back to 2028. Why would this not work? Pushing back the deadline would leave the program vulnerable to cancellation just like what happened to the Constellation program. If the program is consistently underfunded and delayed, it could very well be cancelled before it is able to achieve its goal of returning humans to the moon.

Nancy Pelosi and President Biden both have voiced their support for the program, but if the Democratic representatives in power consistently underfund and delay the Artemis Program, both Pelosi’s and Biden’s words are meaningless. Democrats have pushed for NASA to do educational programs to inspire young people to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – STEM jobs that NASA provides. This is definitely a good thing. However, I would argue that Democrats are hypocrites for trying to get our space agency to inspire the next generation of engineers, rocket scientists, and astronauts, yet not allowing NASA to do cool missions that would inspire young people to go work for NASA in the first place.

Historically, Republicans have a much better track record of supporting human deep space exploration. As a Democrat, I think my party can do better. The question is: do Democrats want to continue to be all talk and no action? Or do they want to create a bipartisan coalition to explore the far reaches of space?

 

How Ronald Reagan Created QAnon
Opinion by Mark Hubbell

Hoping and believing that the expanding availability of information is to be a good thing — The Information Age is “Now!” But humans and our institutions apparently are not ready for ‘Now!’ Previous generations were afforded the luxury of adopting information, to suit our needs for an informed society at our own leisurely pace. In a dramatic role reversal, we are now faced with the challenges of catching up to the necessities of interpreting and integrating the rapidly evolving sociological impact from the raw information onslaught.

In the mid 1980s, futurists in my Silicon Valley clients’ organizations were warning of technology evolving at rates much faster than the generational adaptation speeds that humans were thought to be capable of. Within my circle of influence at that time was one particularly interesting workmate and friend, who happened to be the niece of then President Ronald Reagan. Several times she recounted to me her experiences of spending holidays at the Reagan’s Ranch in the Santa Barbara Hills. The President would telephone her several days in advance of the upcoming holiday, to express his excitement over her instructing him once again of how to program his VCR. Having worked his way up from a start in the radio broadcast industry,

to a motivational speaker for General Electric, President of The Screen Actor’s Guild, Governor Of California, and ultimately Commander In Chief of the United States, one might expect that he should have been capable of managing his remote. But that’s not the impression that his right wing handlers wanted the public to remember. Decades later, these concocted right wing legacies still stick to our footprints like dog-poo.

The ‘80s — was a decade most likely to be remembered for creating a culture of cleverly interwoven fact and fiction. Previously anchored by the surety of The Fairness Act, trust in our national news media at large was at its historical apex, after The Supreme Court’s renewed

definition of broadcaster’s responsibilities — “the Fairness Doctrine was not only constitutional but essential to democracy. The public airwaves should not just express the opinions of those who can pay for airtime; they must allow the electorate to be informed about all sides of controversial issues.” Unfortunately for all of our futures, America’s right wing was not agreeable to recognizing the same farsighted wisdom shown by The Court. Hiding behind President Reagan’s supreme religious credentials as an otherwise ignorant front man, shrewd political maneuvering in stacking the regulatory board with ultra-conservatives, allowed the FCC to override the courts, providing Reagan the opportunity to veto continuance of The Fairness Doctrine in 1987. This void of ethical responsibility was immediately filled with meritless sensationalism by six-time loser, Rush Limbaugh — fired from all six of his previous small town radio gigs — finally hitting the big time in TV Town NYC, by lambasting women, people of color, gays, and any other lesser privileged group. Limbaugh even made a particular point of challenging science — the connection between smoking and lung cancer, the disease that ultimately did him in last week. Barring an immediately unforeseen change, there will be a long line of entrepreneurial bullshit purveyors, rushing to cash in on Limbaugh’s success.

It’s a dangerous situation when religion becomes a utility to a sector of the population trained at birth, down through generations, not to question as truth that a superior being with human-like characteristics created the universe in six days, resting on the seventh, after creating

women from a man’s rib as an afterthought in his spare time. Given that, what makes it such a difficult stretch for those indoctrinated to believe that Hillary Clinton along with her gang of liberal pedophiliac cannibals would be running a take-out service from the basement of a New Jersey pizza parlor … “Q”-Parler? The renowned media theorist, Marshall McLuhan long ago predicted these cognitive dangers of newer more highly effective communication innovations continuing to offer the same archaic content. Quite possibly, the solution would be more responsive to the public, than a corporate-centric model. What is going on now is obviously not working well. A deeper understanding of the effects on our senses extended by the media is needed to revitalize our divided nation and dysfunctional democracy.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it, until someone persuades me differently. You are welcome to try, by contacting me at: pacifica.RESIST@gmail.com