Santa Cruz County Local News

The Veteran’ Transition Center of California is the largest organization serving veterans on the central coast. Since 1996, this non-profit has operated on historic Fort Ord land to provide homeless Veterans and their families with housing, food, clothing, case management, life skills, substance abuse counseling, benefit enrollment, medical referrals, and employment training.
Lisa Kincaid, Marketing and Development Director, and Madison McNamara, Development Assistant, join the show to share about the VTC mission and how it is honoring Veterans Day 2024 with a "Salute the Veterans Jamboree" celebration on their on their grounds at Fort Ord on November 10th. Bring the family to meet the vets, check out the mini car show, enjoy bounce houses, taste delicious food from local vendors and celebrate the powerful work of this local non-proft.
To participate in their SPONSOR A VET program and support the programs that ensure no vet is left behind, visit their website: vtcofcalifornia.org

The Vivid Dreaming method with artist Margot Wilson, which consists of breath inductions twice daily for three minutes each time. This process can create bursts of short, intense dream fragments that help us shift our holding patterns. These dream fragments provide windows into how we are stuck in life and compensating visualizations allow us to develop more healthy responses. We also talk about the kundalini and the vagal nervous system and how grounding meditations induce feelings of security, stability, and confidence.
BIO: Margot Wilson is an artist and independent researcher in meditation, dreaming and hypnagogic visualization and the creator of the Vivid Dreaming Method. An astrologer for approaching 40 years she has Bachelor's and MPhil degrees in Philosophy and Master’s Degrees from the Royal College of Art in Writing and Contemporary Art Practice.
Find our guest at: CreativeForceCoaching.com
Here is a link to some of Margot's grounding meditation practices: YouTube.com/user/margotfwilson
This show, episode number 280, was recorded during a live broadcast on October 12, 2024 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick Kleffel for also engineering the show and to Tony Russomano for the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question by emailing Katherine Bell at katherine@ksqd.org. Follow on FB and IG @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at onair@ksqd.org. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms released the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Note that closed captioning is available on the YouTube version of this podcast and an automatically generated transcript is available at Apple Podcasts.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe and tell your friends.

The late Olga Cossi tells us what being smart really means.

What Happened to the American Dream?
The Demise of the Middle Class and How to Restore Our Future
 “Be Bold America!” Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 5:00pm (PT)
What does each political party mean by “The American Dream” when they invoke this touchstone of American success?
Our comprehending the difference between the Democratic and Republican definitions of “The American Dream” provides us a clear understanding of each political party’s motivations and the future they would design for America and whether or not "The American Dream" could be renewed.
Before Ronald Reagan's presidency the middle class was 66% of the country. Now, it is 43%.
Which America do you want to live in? ...

*When Democrats invoke the American Dream, they mean something very specific, pioneered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They understand that a middle class is not a “normal” thing that naturally evolves in nations; the first more-than-half-of-us American middle class came about post-1940s as a result of specific policies put into place by FDR. Thus, Democrats argue, the American Dream includes the opportunity or ability to, for example:
— Move into the middle class with a good union job so a single wage-earner can support a family
— Buy a home for a reasonable price where the mortgage doesn’t exceed a third of post-tax household income
— Live safely without fear that your home will be broken into or your child can be shot at school or on the playground
— Have decent healthcare that won’t bankrupt you if somebody gets sick
*When Republicans — particularly billionaires and multimillionaires like Trump and Vance — invoke the American Dream, they largely ignore the middle class. Instead, that phrase to them means the ability to live like King Midas and, for example:
— Buy judges for the Supreme Court to get decisions that make their life easier
— Legally bribe judges and politicians at every level from the county commissioners to Congress and the president, and
— Avoid paying taxes so successfully that the average American billionaire today pays less than 8 percent in income taxes.
*Written by Thom Hartmann
Interview Guest: 
Thom Hartmann is a New York Times bestselling author of over thirty books and has been America’s #1 progressive talk radio show host for more than a decade. His influential show is carried on SiriusXM and radio stations nationwide, and it is simulcast as a television program on Free Speech TV.
Thom Hartmann's latest series of books, titled Hidden History, tackles critical subjects such as guns, healthcare, the Supreme Court, democracy, voting rights among others. His newest release, The Hidden History of the American Dream: The Demise of the Middle Class―and How to Rescue Our Future, explores the erosion of the American middle class and offers actionable solutions to restore economic opportunity and fairness. With his incisive commentary and well-researched insights, Thom Hartmann continues to be a trusted voice in progressive media, engaging audiences with his articulate analysis of today's most pressing issues.

Tune in at 12 a.m., Monday, October 14th, "Columbus Day," and hear the Gypsy Scholar present his Orphic Essay-with-Soundtrack entitled "Columbus Day vs. Indigenous Peoples Day: Goodbye Columbus!"
Be sure to check out the “Indigenous Peoples Day” webpage, which is dedicated to this musical essay at revradiotowerofsong.com

Saturday afternoon provided some beautiful football weather for Pajaro Valley, which was looking for its first 3-0 start in league play for the first time in the school’s history.

Aptos High senior Nate Garcia recorded three touchdowns to help lift the Mariners past Palma in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division action Oct. 11.

You can’t be well informed unless you are informed well! Join hosts Erik Nelson and Tony Russomanno as they unpack the week that was, on this October 12, 2024 “RAT PATROL” edition of WHAT A WEEK!

After more than a year in court, Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County has agreed to pay nearly $1 million to a firefighter who alleged that his coworkers attacked him and district leaders retaliated against him for speaking up about unfair treatment.

A mix of tax breaks, fee waivers and other incentives could invigorate a potential redevelopment of the Capitola Mall, a consultant said Thursday at a Capitola City Council meeting. It remains unclear whether the mall’s owner would be open to such measures.

We are again just weeks away from another presidential election. An election that won't be decided by a plurality of the popular vote, but by what even our Supreme Court has referred to as the “anachronism of the Electoral College.”

Work is moving forward on a project to restore native habitat and implement a series of water quality treatment projects to redesign the path of stormwater to Middle Struve Slough.

In a tiny, cramped classroom on Pajaro Valley High School’s sprawling campus on Tuesday, a group of students was taking turns on a makeshift stage expressing various emotions and personalities as dictated by their drama teacher.

Allan Fisher, resident of Santa Cruz, is an active member of the Palestine Justice Coalition and the Panetta Vigil for Human Rights in the Middle East. He is the son of Holocaust survivors from Germany. Now retired, he taught ESL for 37 years at City College of San Francisco.
Dr. Rolla Alaydi is an educator, teacher, and author of the book NORAH: From My Grandmother’s Kitchen: Palestinian Recipes and Memories. Born in Almaghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, she now resides in Pacific Grove, where she is an active member of the community. As a single mom, Rolla is tirelessly working to raise awareness and funds to help rescue 21 family members trapped in Gaza. Tragically, she has lost 52 relatives, including her aunt Zainab, who was killed in Israeli bombing of her home in Gaza. Rolla’s mission is deeply rooted in advocacy and support for her family. There is a gofundme campaign to raise funds to help the survivors of her family get out of Gaza to safety.
Dianne Monroe is a former journalist, playwright, arts educator and workshop facilitator, now in her elder years. She is inspired by her work as part of Rolla Alaydi’s family support team, and eager to share from her experience. Her longstanding commitment to Palestinian freedom, equality and dignity is rooted in her origins as the child of a Jewish family that was fortunate to escape the Holocaust.
References cited:
https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/one-year-after-107
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-war-gaza-numbers-hamas-palestine-b2623961.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2024/10/8/one-year-of-israels-war-on-gaza-by-the-numbers
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-806634
Image credit: Al Jazeera

A developer that wants to build a combination storage-and-office building at 125 Bethany Dr. at the northern end of Scotts Valley has a little more work to do to get the project over the finish line.

Every two years, Santa Cruz County residents are inundated with requests to vote on measures, propositions and local candidate races. Quadrennially, those attempts to garner votes seem to increase in propensity and quantity, with some local intersections plastered with so many signs that they can’t all be absorbed during an average red light wait.

Jeffrey Solinas was a freshman in UC Santa Cruz when he decided to become a doctor.

By Julie Horner

Support fair water rates and Holloway for SLVWD board

Martinez represents hope and practical solutions