United Presbyterian Church to close
Tarmo Hannula: The United Presbyterian Church on East Beach Street is slated to have its last service Jan. 5 before they close. The congregation has been around Watsonville since 1860. Our reporter Johanna Miller will have an article with more details soon.
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Watsonville’s public safety sales tax update named Measure Y
Tony Nuñez: The updated half-cent public safety sales tax going to Watsonville voters in March 2020 will be called Measure Y.
Passed by voters in 2014 as Measure G, the tax has raised roughly $4 million per year for the city’s fire and police departments, allowing both agencies to hire more employees, purchase more equipment and stabilize youth prevention programs.
The new measure, which will require two-thirds voter approval, will give 8 percent of the sales tax to the Parks & Community Services Department after voters voiced support for the expansion of safe spaces for young people, according to city staff.
Police will receive 54 percent of sales tax, and fire will receive the remaining 38 percent.
If approved, the measure would remain in place until repealed by voters.
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METRO Diary: Tarmo’s tales of bus travels
Tarmo Hannula: On Monday I first took the 69A to downtown Santa Cruz and walked to the Superior Court to take photos during the high profile murder case of Michael Escobar. Right before the bus rolled up to pick me and another older man up on Soquel Avenue I took several photos of the bus approaching for the fun if it. A few minutes later I heard the man who boarded the bus with me complain to the driver, “I don’t think that man has the right to take your photo.” The driver was far too concerned about driving safely to respond. That passenger hasn’t the foggiest idea about my rights photographing a bus out on a public road.
Then, on my way home from Watsonville that evening I got to talking again to the coach operator, Loretta. She knows I work at the paper and often asks me about what I am calling news of the day. I think her approach to driving and dealing with the public is impressive in that she is so friendly, accepting and helpful to anyone. I also got to chatting with a woman named Meghan who said she lives in Watsonville. She said she was taking care of errands in Capitola and then Santa Cruz and wouldn’t be heading home, on the bus, until well after dark. When I asked her how long she’s been using METRO she said: “since before third grade.” Meghan said that one day she woke up to find her mother really sick with pneumonia during the summer before she entered third grade. She parked her younger siblings in front of the TV, told them to behave and took some money and caught the METRO on Freedom Boulevard into town to buy food. After purchasing things like Kool-Aid and macaroni and cheese, she took the groceries on a return METRO back home and cooked them up for her mom and also brought treats to her siblings for behaving so well in a crisis. It all worked. Quite a feat of quick thinking and action for an 8-year-old. Meghan went on to tell me that she has had her photo in The Pajaronian twice, once around 1990 when she was walking along Freedom Boulevard with a bag of groceries and the second time, a year later of her doing exactly the same thing.
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Volcano kills six in New Zealand
Tarmo Hannula: Six people died during the eruption of a volcano on White Island in New Zealand. About 30 people also suffered burns and other injuries in Monday’s massive eruption that has left about two-feet of ash on the island. Two helicopter pilots, who typically lead tours of the islands, were able to rescue about a dozen visitors to the island, news sources said.
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Airplane disappears in Antarctica
Tarmo Hannula: An airplane mysteriously disappeared without a trace in Antarctica Monday with 38 people on board the scientific mission. The C-130 Hercules aircraft departed from the Chilean capital of Santiago at night and had stopped in Punta Arenas near the country’s southern tip before taking off again toward the south.
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Quote of the day: “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Hermann Hesse
