Morro Bay Life • August 2021

AUGUST 2021 • MORROBAYLIFENEWS.COM

Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future. ~ John F. Kennedy

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

MARITIME MUSEUM

JOINS ‘GEOCACHE’ TREASURE HUNTS PAGE 6

STEPHANIE NASH

SINGER AND DAIRY FARMER AGVOCATE PAGE 10

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 19 PASO ROBLES, CA

ROBERT “RED” DAVIS PASSES AWAY PAGE 4

******ECRWSSEDDM****** POSTAL CUSTOMER MORRO BAY, CA 93442

MORRO BAY COUNCILMEMBER

2 • August 2021 • Morro Bay Life

Making Communities Better Through Print™

T

he beautiful summer months were just what we all needed, warm days full of sunshine, smiling faces, music, and gatherings. For a short time, we were able to remember what it felt like to live just for today, enjoy every precious moment together, and realize how important our freedoms are.

In July, we celebrated our Independence Day, filled with a day at the beach, the annual Avila Beach dog parade that we were honored to be asked to Judge this year, and fireworks in Cayucos!

ASSISTANT EDITOR Melissa Guerra

Our boys went on their first overnight camping trip without us at Camp Natoma in mid-July. After seven days and six nights, we were beyond ready to have them home (actually, we were ready after the first night). They both returned as young campers should, covered in dirt, older and wiser, with lots of stories that continue to be told even a few weeks later.

LAYOUT DESIGN EDITOR Mike Michaud

Community Writer Camille DeVaul Patrick Patton

AD DESIGN

Jen Rodman

Ad Consultant

If it were not for hopes, the heart would break.

Dana McGraw Jessica Segal

~Thomas Fuller

Administrator

Cami Martin office@13starsmedia.com

CONTRIBUTORS James Brescia, Ed.D Laura Andes Neil Ferrell Sarah Santana Valentina Petrova Contact Us 805.466.2585

Visit our website! morrobaylifenews.com morro bay life is published monthly. all rights reserved , material may not be reprinted without written consent from the publisher . morro bay life made every effort to maintain the accuracy of information presented in this publication , but assumes no responsibility for errors , changes or omissions . morro bay life is a product of 13 stars media .

This month Mirac turns nine, and Maximus turns seven. Two big birthdays that they are excited to celebrate with family and friends full of Star Wars, Ninjas, a Bounce House, and of course, Lego.

We are continuing to homeschool this year and look forward to traveling and having them experience the world from a different point of view.

The times we are living in are not like any other, and we need each other now more than ever. We live in one of the most incredible places in the world, with some of the most caring and inspiring people. Each and every month, as we put our publications together, we strive to show you all just that.

Along with a reminder that our locally owned businesses are the heartbeat of our local economy, and when we invest in each other, we invest in the future of our communities for generations to come.

The time to make a difference is now; we decide how this part of the story will be written; it is up to us...We the People.

We hope you enjoy this month’s issue of Morro Bay Life.

Much love, Hayley & N ic

Coming Soon to Cayucos!

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Hayley & Nicholas Mattson hayley@13starsmedia.com

Morro Bay Life • August 2021 • 3

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congratulations Putting a Spotlight on QUINTANA Businesses The Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce is putting a spotlight on local businesses who are working hard and adapting to the ever-changing environment. Spotlight Businesses are nominated and selected by fellow business owners in Morro Bay as a standout business with exceptional ownership.

If you know of a business or non-profit that deserves a spotlight, please send your nomination to our Ambassador’s Committee for review by emailing Lynsey Hansen at lynsey@morrochamber.org.

Business spotlights recognize Chamber member businesses that provide a consistent, positive customer experience, are actively engaged in the community and demonstrate resilience during challenging times. This month we’re highlighting four businesses that have proven to be good role models for how to keep employees and customers safe during the pandemic, and have gone to extraordinary measures to keep their doors open.

Please help us CONGRATULATE these businesses on their spotlight award by visiting their establishments, purchasing their products or services, and leaving good reviews online.

Back and Better than Ever!

Savory Palette

The Chamber was happy to celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of The Savory Palette with a ribbon cutting ceremony back in July. The Savory Palette is a wine shop specializing in boutique wines from our local Central Coast, other California AVA’s and a few international favorites as well.

Come relax on the beautiful waterfront in Morro Bay with great wines, cold pints of craft beer and tapas! You can find them in the Marina Square at 601 Embarcadero Ste 5 in Morro Bay.

Forever Stoked

The time has finally come to paint alongside the artists of Forever Stoked, they call it PAINT PARTY. Join the artists themselves at the gallery for a fun few hours to travel on a creative paint journey guided by a member of the fun loving FS crew. You will receive as much or as little instruction as you prefer. No artistic experience is necessary, just a good attitude. They provide all necessary materials and supplies.

Bring whatever food or drink that makes you comfortable to have fun with the paint.

Reserve your spot online at their website. https://www.foreverstoked.com/collections/reservations.

More dates are coming soon!

The gallery is located at 1164 Quintana Rd, Morro Bay Ca 93402

Commercial Real Estate Finder on Chamber Website Perry’s Parcel & Gift

We’re Are you looking for a second retail space or know someone who wants to open a business in Morro Bay?

Check out our available commercial real estate page on the Chamber website.

Click on each profile for additional information about the property and contact information to learn more. www.morrochamber.org/marketspace/

The team at Perry’s Parcel & Gift feel strongly about supporting their local community and they know you do, too. Every quarter they choose a local non-profit organization to support.

With any Perry’s Parcel & Gift purchase you can round up your payment or simply donate an amount of your choice. All funds donated by everyone will be matched by Perry’s and given to the selected organization at the end of the quarter period.

You can find them at 785 Quintana Rd in Morro Bay. This quarter’s selected organization is El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO).

4 • August 2021 • Morro Bay Life

Making Communities Better Through Print™

IN MEMORIAM

Morro Bay Councilmember Robert ‘Red’ Davis Passes Away Event celebrating his Life in the planning STAFF REPORT MORRO BAY — Councilmember Robert “Red” Davis passed away peacefully on Saturday, Jul. 24, at his home in Morro Bay. Red is survived by his loving wife Gail Davis and their daughter Catherine Sullivan, son-in-law Pat, and granddaughters Caitlyn and Sara. He was 76 years old.

Red Davis began his service as Councilmember in 2017 and won a second four-year term in November 2020. Councilmember Davis was instrumental, along with his Council colleagues, in moving forward the Water Reclamation Facility, improving the City’s financial condition, and enhancing communication with the community.

Prior to being elected to Council, Red Davis served on various City ad hoc committees,

including the General Plan Advisory Committee. He volunteered for numerous community organizations, including the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Morro Bay Library, and Bike SLO County. Red retired from CalTrans in 1996 as a project manager after 33 years of service and proudly served his country in the U.S. Air Force from 1965 to 1998, retiring as Senior Master Sergeant.

“On behalf of the City Council, I want to offer my heartfelt condolences to Gail, Catherine, and her husband and their children, and to Red’s many friends in Morro Bay and beyond,” offered Mayor John Headding.

“Red Davis was a wonderful leader and friend to so many. He was a servant leader who worked tirelessly to advance and improve the quality of life of our community as a whole. Red’s strong work ethic, clear and concise communication style and genuine care for our community members enabled him to make a huge impact on important City initiatives. Those included

the WRF project, Embarcadero improvements, advancement of offshore wind energy, stabilization of City finances, and the realization of several economic development projects. Red was truly one of a kind, and we are going to miss him greatly.”

The City, along with Councilmember Davis’ family, will host a public celebration of Red’s life within the next couple of weeks, most likely at the Morro Bay Community Center. Event details will be posted to the City website once they are finalized.

“We are grateful to have known and worked for Councilmember Davis as City staff,” said City Manager Scott Collins. “I greatly appreciated his curiosity about how things worked and his kindness. He loved his job and connected so well with the community and City employees. We wish love to his family and friends during this tough time. We hope members of the community will join us in honoring Red’s life and service.”

CITY

Harbor Department Fishing For Revenues Harbor fund will receive none of $3 million funds from Measures Q and E taxes approved in 2006

By NEIL FARRELL for Morro Bay Life MORRO BAY — Though the Morro Bay Harbor Department’s budget is balanced with a small surplus, all is not well on the bay as the department is falling far short of the kind of revenue it needs to properly maintain its facilities.

So the City Council was asked to come up with some priorities for raising revenues that have been debated and suggested by the Harbor Advisory Board, and unfortunately, the Council didn’t make any firm recommendations.

The Department has been struggling with revenues since the power plant outfall lease was canceled by Dynegy (now Vistra), the plant’s owner, upon the shuttering of the plant in 2014.

Before that, the department’s single largest lease payment, some $250,000 a year, had been a small windfall for the Harbor Fund.

The harbor budget for the Fiscal Year 2021/22 (which began Jul. 1) is some $2.15 million in revenues, and $2.05 million in expenditures for a $96,000 surplus, according to a report from Harbor Director Eric Endersby.

But despite the black balance sheet, “there still exists a very significant budget deficit to properly fund the department’s capital program needs,” he said. “Current projections show that need to approach $500,000 annually for the next ten years—$5 million.”

Balance has been achieved “due in large part to the master fee cost recovery measures recently enacted,” he continued, “as well as the City’s commitment of $150,000 in ongoing and $50,000 in one-time funding from Measure Q/E funding.”

Measures Q and E are 0.5 percent and 1.0 percent local sales tax measures approved by voters in 2006 and 2020, respectively. Between the two, City Hall expects to take in over $3 million a year in a normal economy.

Unfortunately, the harbor fund, despite being the City’s largest producing business district for sales taxes, gets none of it. Instead, the Harbor gets its money entirely from tideland’s lease payments, parking fees at the launch ramp, dockage fees, and slip rentals. And starting last fall, the department put together a pilot program of RV camping along the waterfront.

Endersby told Morro Bay Life that the RV camping program, though controversial, had already raised about $100,000 since it started in September 2020 (it was closed for all of January 2021, he said, due to a spike in COVID cases) and

would continue through this September.

They have nine spaces in a lot by Morro Creek, seven at the Triangle lot where the Maritime Museum is located), three at Tideland’s Park (reserved for fishermen), and three at Coleman park for a total of 22.

He said they may give up on Coleman Park, as that seems to be the location that has garnered the most complaints from residents who say it’s too close to the Harborwalk and ruins the ambiance of the area.

The department put up some privacy fencing at Coleman Park and will likely lose one space.

And though the City Council had given the green light to add up to 10 spaces in the parking lot at the base of Morro Rock, Endersby said after speaking with local Native American groups, who consider the Rock a sacred site, he’d decided not to develop those spaces.

He told Morro Bay Life that the department was working on an application to the Coastal Commission for a full coastal development permit to make the program permanent, a process they hope to have done before the program’s pilot period end this fall.

According to Endersby’s report, suggested revenue sources have come and gone over the years and included installing paid parking (meters and lots); allowing paid special events and get a cut; licensing concessionaires like food trucks to set up at the beach and waterfront parks; licensing for-profit businesses like boat bottom cleaners; turn the Triangle lot into a concert venue; incentivize leaseholders to diversify their offerings; expand the City’s offshore, mooring field in the bay; cannabis sales (the City cannabis ordinance prohibits pot stores on Embarcadero but CBD product sales are okay); the harbor fund receiving a percentage of the City sales and TOT collected by motels and businesses on the Embarcadero; and forming a “Harbor District” similar to the Port San Luis Harbor District (with a surcharge added to property taxes).

None of these has ever gotten much momentum, but there were others that fared better, though with mixed success.

Among these, building a new, modern aquarium showed the most promise. But Endersby said the proposed project by the Central Coast Aquarium of Avila Beach is kaput.

“CCA did not meet their performance requirements they agreed to with the City,” Endersby said, “in addition to losing their Executive Director, who was the driving force behind the fundraising for the MB project. I am sure that the COVID Pandemic had pretty much everything to do with it, but nevertheless, we notified CCA some time ago that we considered the CCA MB project dead, and we were

pursuing other options for the site.”

The other option in play right now is a project by 3 Stacks and a Rock Brewery to remodel the old Morro Bay Aquarium building and open it as a brewpub. The City had initially given them a 3 to 5-year lease, and Endersby said they will now negotiate something longer given the poor condition of the building and the amount of work they will put into it, instead of going out for proposals, as would be the normal path to lease publicly-owned tidelands trust properties.

“While we did not RFP it,” he said, “at the time, we also didn’t have the world knocking on our door either. And because the aquarium RFP that did bring us CCA had a total of one other respondent, the Tylers [Dean and Bertha, both now deceased], the Council gave 3-Stacks the option for a long-term lease if the CCA project failed. Which it has, so here we are.

“And they will be sinking a small fortune there to get the building fit for their occupation, which warrants a longer occupancy as well. Their longterm vision is to completely raze and redevelop the site, but that would likely be in the 10-yearout range.”

Normally, if the No. 1 choice in an RFP process fails, the second-place bidder gets a chance, but with the Tyler’s both now passed away, the RFP is moot. The lease site, though never a big moneymaker for the Harbor Department, has brought in nothing since closing over 5-years ago.

Endersby’s report said the City has two main strengths going for it — the Tidelands Trust Act requires that lease payments go to the Harbor Fund; and “The City’s historical image as a quaint fishing village, and the continued presence of a commercial fishing small boat fleet.”

Under weaknesses, the Harbor Board listed — a lack of long-term planning, especially with

regards to big maintenance needs; and “relative to maintaining and augmenting existing sources of Harbor revenue.”

Under “threats” they listed — the general fund (City Hall) “extracting funds from the Harbor Fund, and losing sight of ‘small-town Morro Bay,’ and becoming a Pismo Beach in a desire for revenue and profits.”

And with Morro Bay being in the gun sights of the Federal and State government’s desire to tap offshore wind energy, the possibility of signing a new lease for the use of the outfall canal to bring electric transmission wires ashore means there could be another lease agreement in the works.

Or, if Vistra succeeds in building a giant battery storage facility at the power plant, there may be an opportunity there as well.

The battery project is already gaining opposition among residents, and the wind farm has numerous engineering and logistical issues to overcome, including the establishment of a “Wind Port” where the giant turbines would be worked on. An economic study of the issue suggested it would need a 50-acres maintenance yard, a deep-water port, and a very large (floating) quay to be able to service the turbines.

Such a facility would not be feasible in Morro Bay or in Port San Luis. Diablo Canyon power plant has been mentioned as the likely place for a wind port.

The other potential source is a harbor district, and Endersby said the boundaries of one would likely be the communities of Estero Bay—Los Osos, Morro Bay, and Cayucos, and areas in between. However, a Harbor District is a complicated process that requires voter approvals, and Endersby said they haven’t even explored the idea.

Morro Bay Life • August 2021 • 5

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6 • August 2021 • Morro Bay Life

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MORRO BAY FIRE DEPARTMENT

SPECIAL PROJECT

Maritime Museum Joins ‘Geocache’ Treasure Hunts

By NEIL FARRELL for Morro Bay Life

MORRO BAY — It’s one of Morro Bay’s treasures, and now the Maritime Museum is part of the worldwide treasure hunting phenomenon of “Geocaching.”

Scott Landers, who lives in South County, delivered a former Mustang Daily newspaper rack to the Maritime Museum on Jul. 14, part of the process of setting up the museum to be part of the “Adventure Lab” geocache experience, adding the museum to a treasure hunt for geeks the world over.

“We looked at it as a way of getting people to come here,” said Scott Mather, Maritime Museum Association president, “by hiding a prize.”

Landers said he has been setting up sites up and down Hwy 1 as a special project and hobby and has about 20 now (see adventurelab.page.link/CfxP).

Mather described it as a game that’s free, with paid versions too, that uses cell phones and GPS to locate little containers set up all over the world.

Such containers can be as small as a jar or large, like the news rack. They can even be situational, in that someone follows clues to a particular location for a selfie, which is what Landers said he’s done at Hearst Castle.

At that geocache, he said, you follow clues to a certain statue in the castle gardens for a selfie. Landers said that worldwide there are millions of such sites and thousands in SLO County. And there are already dozens in the Estero Bay Area communities, too, including Morro Bay’s waterfront.

Landers has 20 sites, and “Somebody finds one of my 20 every week,” he explained.

There are rules, such as geocaches aren’t supposed to be hidden in a way that requires digging or upsetting the environment.

And they’re supposed to be at least a tenth of a mile apart from each other, which could prove problematic with the museum, as the nearest site is across the Embarcadero at “Nick’s Bench,” the bronzed, Ford truck seat made from the actual seat of the late-Nick Howell’s old, beat-up work truck that plied the waterfront for decades, as Howell, a diesel mechanic, worked on fishing boats.

The sites are also not supposed to be advertising, and it’s preferred they be outdoors and accessible because apparently, GPS treasure hunting happens round the clock.

Landers said he’s set up the Highway 1 Adventure Lab sites as a family activity that would help parents get their kids out of the house for some fun and adventure.

Businesses can benefit because it brings them literally to their front doors.

Morro Bay Maritime Museum has joined the world of ‘Geocaching’ after this old newspaper rack was set up as one of the Adventure Lab treasure hunt sites.

Maritime Museum Association President Scott Mather (left) helps Adventure Lab set up man Scott Landers, set up the rack at the tugboat Alma. Photo by Neil Farrell

Mather said the site will help the museum “to reach a whole new demographic” of visitors. He added that while adults and especially older folks can appreciate the museum’s exhibits for their historical value, kids have a harder time enjoying the static exhibits. And that doesn’t mesh with one of the museum’s tenets—to educate the public on Morro Bay’s maritime history.

And most sites have a prize for when they are discovered. It might be a small toy or souvenir, and Landers said they discourage putting candy or any foodstuffs in them to avoid ants and critters raiding the treasure troves.

“It’s supposed to be a trade situation,” he said. Mather said they might put souvenir coins in the museum’s geocache, which is set up at the Tugboat Alma exhibit.

“Geocaching,” reads a definition from Google, “is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache [container] hidden at that location.” When it’s found, hunters “sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location.”

It all started May 3, 2000, in Beaverton, Ore., and has been described as a “game of hide and seek.”

As for the Adventure Labs, they are apparently a bit different. “Adventure Lab is a new app and platform in development from the team at Geocaching HQ,” reads a notice on their website, “that allows you to create, play and share unique outdoor scavenger hunts, experiences, and games. There are currently over 20,000 public Adventures available worldwide.”

The Adventure Labs are relatively new, and so there are only a handful of experienced geocachers that are allowed to set up sites, Landers among them. “Unlike traditional geocaching, Adventures do not require a physical container and can be located indoors. The Adventure Lab app expands the boundaries of traditional geocaching into new spaces and experiences while introducing innovative and fresh ideas that make exploring even more fun.”

And with Adventure Labs, the geocache sites can be public or private.

City Appoints New Fire Chief, Daniel McCrain Former Fire Captain for the Cambria Community Services District Fire Department STAFF REPORT MORRO BAY — Morro Bay City Manager, Scott Collins, announced on Jun. 30 that he appointed Daniel McCrain to be the City’s new Fire Chief.

Collins selected McCrain from a pool of over 20 candidates following a comprehensive interview process that included interviews with community members, Morro Bay Fire Department staff, and local fire and police chiefs.

McCrain’s first day with the City team was Jul. 31.

“I am excited to bring Daniel McCrain onboard at this key time in Morro Bay history,” said City Manager Collins. “The City is going through some big changes, and the Fire Department will play a key role in seeing these challenges and opportunities through successfully. Therefore, we need a strong leader and manager to guide these important efforts by working closely with our talented Fire Department staff. Daniel is the right person for the job, and I look forward to him joining my executive team and leading the Fire Department.”

Daniel McCrain comes to Morro Bay with over 27 years of fire/paramedic and emergency management service experience. Currently, he serves as Fire Captain for the Cambria Community Services District Fire Department, where he oversees emergency response for his shift and the agency’s fire prevention, community education, and commercial business inspection programs. Prior to that, he was the Operations Director/Paramedic for the Cambria Community Healthcare District, where he managed paramedic and EMT staff, training, and records.

McCrain served in several fire management roles for other agencies and has taught paramedic and EMT courses at Cuesta College. McCrain

New Fire Chief Daniel McCrain.

Contributed photo

has a bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management from Waldorf University and an associate’s degree in Fire Technologies from Allan Hancock University.

“I am honored to be selected as the new Fire Chief for the City of Morro Bay,” said McCrain. “This is a great responsibility, and I am very humbled that the City has put their trust in me to guide the department into the future.

The members of the Morro Bay Fire Department are an incredibly talented and dedicated group of people that care for the community. I am so grateful for the love and support from my family, which has been instrumental in my growth and progression throughout my career. I thank the City for giving me the opportunity to work with this outstanding department.”

McCrain will oversee the department of 13 full-time employees and several part-time employees. Key upcoming Fire Department initiatives include reviewing the potential world’s largest lithium battery storage project, concluding public health emergency activities related to the COVID-19, and updating the Fire Department Strategic Plan. McCrain will oversee the department with the help of recently promoted Division Chief/Fire Marshal Matt Vierra.

McCrain will replace Fire Chief Steve Knuckles, who began working for Morro Bay in 1999 as a Fire Captain and was promoted to Fire Chief in 2013.

COURTS

Judge Michael Duffy Sentences Former Morro Bay High School Teacher Tyler Andree will serve 120 days Jail, felony probation, and register as a sex offender STAFF REPORT SAN LUIS OBISPO — Former Morro Bay High School teacher and swim coach Tyler Andree (25) was sentenced to serve 120 days in the county jail, be placed on supervised felony probation, and to register as a sex offender for 20 years for his crimes of having sex with a 17-year-old student and communicating with a minor with intent to commit a sexual crime.

The plea agreement was approved by the Honorable Judge Michael Duffy at the time of the plea on Jun. 9. The terms of the agreement ensured that the defendant would be held accountable for his actions without subjecting the two young women to testifying in court and enduring the additional

mental anguish of cross-examination by a defense attorney.

Andree’s criminal conduct first came to the attention of Morro Bay Police Department on Jan. 11, when a woman from Washington State called to report that an inappropriate sexual relationship between a Morro Bay High School student and a swim coach had occurred the previous academic year.

It was also stated that the victim was 18 and had graduated in June of 2020.

However, the reporting party was not willing to identify the teacher or victim by name. This prompted an investigation that led to identifying teacher and swim coach Tyler Andree as the suspect.

The investigation revealed that Tyler Andree engaged in an improper relationship that included sexual intercourse on at least one occasion sometime in 2020 with one of his female students who was in the last semester of her senior year in high school.

The student turned 18 during the semester. Due to the significant length of time that had passed before the crime was reported and investigated, there was a lack of forensic cyber evidence (obtained from the defendant and electronic communications providers) that could have helped to more accurately pinpoint the time of the sexual activity between the teacher and his student.

According to the District Attorney, it is not a crime under California law for a teacher to have sex with a student who is over the age of 18.

In 2012, the California Legislature rejected Assembly Bill 1861, sponsored

by Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R), representing Stanislaus County, that would have made it a felony crime for “any teacher or employee of a public or private elementary or secondary school who engages in a sexual relationship or inappropriate communication with a pupil of any age.”

Later in 2020, Tyler Andree also

engaged in sending inappropriate messages communicating explicit sexual intent with another 17-year-old female student. This conduct formed the basis for the felony conviction of communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a specified sexual crime.

“There is no safe haven in San Luis Obispo County for people in positions of trust who take advantage of those who they are responsible to protect,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “This conviction will rightly ensure that Tyler Andree is never again allowed to coach, teach, or be in a position of care for children.”

Tyler Andree is now a convicted felon and is required to register with law enforcement in the city where he resides every year on his birthday for 20 years. In addition, if he moves to another city in California, he will have to notify law enforcement in that town or city that he is a sex offender registrant and register there annually.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Danielle Baker, who is assigned to the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse prosecution unit, supervised by Chief Deputy District Attorney Lisa B. Muscari.

Tyler Dale Andree, 25, was first exposed when a concerned party called the Morro Bay Police Department to report an inappropriate relationship between the swim coach (Andree) and one of the students. Contributed photo

Morro Bay Life • August 2021 • 7

Making Communities Better Through Print™

BUSINESS

SARAH SANTANA COLUMNIST

$10 in economic value.

However, this essential community support is threatened by a looming funding crisis. In 2020, 32 percent of leaders surveyed by the National League of Cities expected to furlough or lay off employees due to the pandemic’s economic impact, and libraries have begun to report job losses, according to the American Library Association.

useful,” said Sarah Burris, community relations coordinator for Bay County Public Library in Florida. “You can also support libraries by becoming a member of the Friends of the Library group, attending programming, and sharing the cool things your library is doing with friends.” In Bay County, those programs include virtual art history and French classes.

ESTATE AND GIVING

AN OASIS OF LEARNING

SPARKING CREATIVITY

Free access to a private library was “like a blessing from above” for a poor telegraph messenger in the late 1800s. It would prove to be fundamental to his success.

That messenger? Andrew Carnegie. This steel-baron-turned-philanthropist later used his millions to singlehandedly fund a network of 1,700 libraries across the U.S., public and free for all to use.

Today, American libraries have evolved to offer much more than books, with access to e-books, 3D printers, homework help, and more. Amid the pandemic, they have stepped in, once again, as a community safety net, lending Wi-Fi hot spots to residents without internet access, providing grab-and-go meals, offering virtual job interview classes, and hosting online art therapy and social events.

For every dollar spent on public libraries, residents receive anywhere from $2 to

With big dreams and constrained budgets, these institutions have sought philanthropists’ help through Library Giving Day, launched in April 2019.

Though libraries are supported by public funds, their reliance on property and sales tax dollars means uneven funding for locations in low-income areas. Some parts of the country have been dubbed “library deserts” – the U.S. is ranked 62nd in the world in libraries per capita, according to a Syracuse University study of World Bank data.

More than half of the American public – 172 million people – have library cards.

That’s why private citizens are stepping in to fill the gaps, making large donations memorialized on buildings and circulation desks and creating bequests. Even a donation of $10 can add a book to the shelves.

“Monetary donations are the most

At the dawn of the internet age, futurists predicted the death of public libraries.

However, these resourceful institutions have adapted to help bridge the digital divide and uphold their mission of universal access to information. Nearly 1.3 billion people visit the library each year – millions more than the number who see movies in theaters. Many of those are millennial parents bringing children for storytime, plays, maker spaces, and other activities that expand the imagination, Pew Research Center reports. With a little creative thinking and collaboration with an advisor, philanthropists can help keep that mission alive.

Sources: Forbes; The Brookings Institution; The Atlantic; librarygivingday.org; 2019 Public Libraries Survey; American Library Association; Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies; Pew Research Center

Sarah Santana is an independent columnist for Morro Bay Life. She is the president of Santana Wealth Management and you can contact her at sarah.santana@raymondjames.com.

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8 • August 2021 • Morro Bay Life

Making Communities Better Through Print™

COVID UPDATE

Governor Newsom Announces State Employee Mandates for Vaccines CDC will withdraw request for Emergency Use Authorization Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel STAFF REPORT SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — After introducing the “California Roars Back” plan, a part of the $75 billion budget surplus announced back in May, followed by hosting several “Vax for the Win” campaigns throughout June and July that offered prizes, trips, and cash winnings of $1.5 million per person for a total of $15 million. Along with a massive push for Californians to return to living life, Governor Gavin Newsom changed his tune on Tuesday and stated that now “We’re experiencing a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

Newsom’s statement followed a press conference held at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Oakland on Tuesday, Jul. 27. During the conference, it was announced that the State of California would require all state workers, workers in health care, and highrisk congregate settings to either show proof of full vaccination or be tested at least once per week (twice as a standard according to Newsom). In addition, Newsom encouraged all local government and other employers to adopt a similar protocol.

“We are now dealing with a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and it’s going to take renewed efforts to protect Californians from the dangerous Delta variant,” Newsom said.

“As the state’s largest employer, we are leading by example and requiring all state and health care workers to show proof of vaccination or be tested regularly, and we are encouraging local governments and businesses to do the same. Vaccines are safe— they protect our family, those who truly can’t get vaccinated, our children, and our economy. Vaccines are the way we end this pandemic.”

As stated, unvaccinated workers will be subject to at least one weekly COVID-19 test and will be required to wear appropriate PPE. This requirement also applies to highrisk congregate settings like adult and senior residential facilities, homeless shelters, and jails.

The new policy for state workers will take effect on Aug. 2, and testing will be phased over the next few weeks. The new policy for health care workers and congregate facilities will take effect on Aug. 9, and health care facilities will have until Aug. 23 to come into full compliance.

PCR COVID-19 TESTING On Jun. 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public to stop using the Innova Medical Group SARSCoV-2 Antigen Rapid Qualitative Test for diagnostic use. The FDA explained they have significant concerns that the performance of the test has not been adequately established, presenting a risk to health.

In addition, labeling distributed with certain configurations of the test includes performance claims that did not accurately reflect the performance estimates observed during the clinical studies of the tests. Finally, the test has not been authorized, cleared, or approved by the FDA for commercial distribution or use in the United States, as required by law.

The FDA has identified this recall as a Class I recall, which is the most serious type of recall.

Then on Jul. 21, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that after Dec. 31 of this year, the CDC will withdraw the request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the CDC 2019-Novel

Coronavirus (2019-nCoV ) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel. The assay was first introduced in February 2020 for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 only.

According to the CDC, the PCR test that has been used solely in San Luis Obispo County and nationally is inaccurate and could potentially risk false results. Therefore, they encourage laboratories to consider adopting a multiplexed method that can facilitate the detection and differentiation of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses.

In May, after several reports were released regarding the inaccuracy of the PCR test, we asked the San Luis Obispo County Department of Public Health about the COVID testing and being able to tell the difference between COVID and influenza. Their response was, “In its own testing efforts at the Public Health Lab and those being conducted at our community testing locations, the County of SLO continues to utilize PCR testing now, at the same thresholds we have used throughout the pandemic...SLO County has identified PCR testing as a best practice and has therefore stayed with that method. This is also the method used for all confirmed positive cases logged in CalRedie, the state’s communicable disease reporting system. The County has also continued to test for influenza throughout the pandemic. However, we have seen very little influenza in comparison to COVID this flu season.”

Along with the CDC’s information, it was also confirmed that the current testing for COVID-19 can not detect different strains such as the Delta variant.

It has been reported that the COVID Delta Variant is what is causing the new outbreaks and hospitalizations to spike even though studies show that it is known to be more transmissible however not deadly.

San Luis Obispo County Health Officials reported that the 129 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in San Luis Obispo County during the week of Jul. 19, nine were caused by the Delta variant.

According to a report released by the CDC on Jul. 9, the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant emerged in India and is currently widespread. Evidence suggests that it is potentially more transmissible than other variants; however, not more deadly.

Research shows that most viruses multiply into other variants.

According to the CDC, viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur. Sometimes new variants emerge and then disappear. Other times, new variants persist. Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States and globally throughout the last year.

Scientists monitor these changes, including changes to the spikes on the surface of the virus. By carefully studying viruses, scientists can learn how changes to the virus might affect how it spreads and estimate how sick people will get from it.

Since the SARS-CoV-2 is still so new and research and testing are still being done, all cases are the current case studies at this point.

The CDC states if you think about a virus as a tree growing and branching out, each branch on the tree is slightly different than the others.

By comparing the branches, scientists can label them according to the differences. These small differences, or variants, have been studied and identified since the beginning of COVID. Some variations allow the virus to spread more easily or make it resistant to treatments or vaccines. Those variants will be monitored more carefully.

Because not all cases are sequenced to

determine their strain, officials say the actual number of Delta variant cases could be higher.

The Delta variant now represents more than 49 percent of cases sequenced in California, and according to the CDC, that is to be expected.

“The Delta variant spreads more quickly and easily than other strains of COVID-19, but we each have the power to stop its spread here in SLO County,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, County Health Officer.

The CDC is monitoring multiple variants; currently, there are four notable variants in the United States: B.1.1.7 (Alpha): This variant was first detected in the United States in December 2020. It was initially detected in the United Kingdom.

B.1.351 (Beta): This variant was first detected in the United States at the end of January 2021. It was initially detected in South Africa in December 2020.

P.1 (Gamma): This variant was first detected in the United States in January 2021. P.1 was initially identified in travelers from Brazil, who were tested during routine screening at an airport in Japan in early January.

B.1.617.2 (Delta): This variant was first detected in the United States in March 2021.

It was initially identified in India in December 2020.

These variants seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19.

The County stated that five additional cases of the Delta variant have been identified over the last week of July and reported that only a small percent of COVID-19 cases are sequenced to determine their strain. Officials say the actual number of Delta variant is higher.

It has yet to be confirmed how the County is testing for the Delta variant and COVID since the CDC released the information regarding the current PCR testing for COVID-19 can not detect different strains such as the Delta variant, and the results from such test are inaccurate.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS Currently, the three COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S. are presented as safe and effective and still under emergency orders from the FDA. The CDC states that the COVID-19 vaccinations will help protect from getting COVID-19, however as the current studies continue, reports show vaccinated individuals can still contract the virus.

Currently, the FDA has granted emergency use of three COVID-19 vaccines.

On Dec. 11, 2020, Pfizer-BioNTech became the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) after the company reported positive clinical trial data included news that the vaccine was up to 95 percent effective at preventing symptomatic disease.

In June, the FDA announced it will place

a warning on the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccines regarding a “likely association” between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and reported cases of heart inflammation in young adults.

This inflammation may occur in the heart muscle (myocarditis) or in the outer lining of the heart (pericarditis) and is considered important but uncommon—arising in about 12.6 cases per million-second doses administered.

The inflammation, in most cases, gets better on its own without medical intervention.

Current Status: Emergency use in the U.S.; authorized for use in the European Union (under the name Comirnaty).

The Moderna’s vaccine was the second one authorized for emergency use in the U.S.—it received FDA EUA on Dec. 18, 2020, about a week after the Pfizer vaccine. Moderna is also an mRNA vaccine, using the same technology as the Pfizer-BioNTech one and with a similarly high efficacy at preventing symptomatic disease.

As with Pfizer, the FDA announced in June it will place a warning label on the mRNA vaccines regarding a “likely association” between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and reported cases of heart inflammation in young adults.

This inflammation may occur in the heart muscle (myocarditis) or in the outer lining of the heart (pericarditis) and is considered important but uncommon—arising in about 12.6 cases per million-second doses administered. The inflammation, in most cases, gets better on its own without medical intervention.

Current Status: Emergency use in the U.S.; authorized for use in the European Union.

On Feb. 27, the FDA granted emergency use approval for a different type of vaccine, called a carrier, or virus vector, vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson.

An analysis released by the FDA in late February showed that the vaccine might reduce the spread of the virus by vaccinated people.

The FDA has attached two warnings to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In July, it attached a warning after rare cases of the neurological disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome were reported in a small number of vaccination recipients. Most of the cases occurred within 42 days after vaccination.

In April, the FDA added a warning label after ending a pause on the vaccine it had recommended “out of an abundance of caution” over an uncommon but potentially serious blood clotting disorder occurred in a small number of recipients.

Current Status: Emergency use in the U.S.; authorized for use in the European Union (under the name Janssen).

For more information on vaccinations, visit fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/ coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19vaccines or speak to a medical physician.

Morro Bay Life • August 2021 • 9

Making Communities Better Through Print™

AGRICULTURE

By CAMILLE DEVAUL of Morro Bay Life

C

annabis cultivation continues to be a hot topic in San Luis Obispo County.

Some SLO county residents are hesitant to share their support for the industry for fear of scrutiny.

After Part One of this series, I received an email from someone who said they initially voted against the recreational use of cannabis but has since changed their mind and believes there are misconceptions on both sides of the debate.

The same person said they are hesitant to voice their opinion because of fear of negative public comments.

This is the second time someone has told me they feel this way.

Steve Shelburne, a resident of Paso Robles, is currently in the process of getting a permit through the County to grow cannabis on his property. He wanted to share his viewpoint on the cannabis industry entering SLO County from a farming perspective.

“I’ve had a little bit of push back from various entities. It’s something I’ve done a lot of research on to understand what the points of contention were and what the reality is,” said Shelburne.

Shelburne currently rents 80 acres of his property to an alfalfa farmer.

When cannabis was legalized, the farmer approached Shelburne with the idea of trading some alfalfa acres for cannabis.

“At first, I was reluctant, but then I did more research,” said Shelburne.

He continued, “I don’t use cannabis. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I’m just an average guy, but understanding there might be a better opportunity return on investment, I partnered with him to try to move the process forward.”

In June 2019, Shelburne and his partner formed SLOCann LLC, started the application process, and met with the County for their pre-application meeting.

During that meeting, the County laid out the process for Shelburne to apply for a minor-landuse permit--which is step one if you want to grow cannabis for commercial use legally.

Shelburne’s minor use permit is a public document that can be viewed by visting energov. sloplanning.org/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService#/ search His project number is DRC2020-00037 if you want to view his application.

Currently, Shelburne’s minor use permit is 35 percent complete. But, according to Shelburne, he has paid over $30,000 during the application process and has around $20,000 to go before he can even be considered for approval.

Right now, Shelburne’s permit is on a temporary hold due to outstanding funds, according to County Planning and Building Executive Assistant Katie Martin.

However, according to Shelburne, he does not show any outstanding invoices when he views his account.

Out of the nine applications submitted for his permit so far, only “Distribute Referrals” is marked failed on Jul. 14, 2020.

THE GREAT

CANNABIS DEBATE, PART II

Cannabis Cultivation from the View of a Farmer

Martin explained, “Distribute referrals pertains to the application referrals that are sent to various County and outside agencies, such as Public Works, Cal Fire, Environmental Health, the Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, etc.”

She continued, “The fact that the dashboard indicates “failed” on Jul. 14, 2020, simply notes that this step was canceled or redone for some reason.

There is another entry right above this entry that shows Distribute Referrals is marked as passed on Jul. 14, 2021. It is likely that there was an error with the first entry, and it had to be corrected. The only way to correct it is to “fail” the first attempt and create a new entry.”

Shelburne compares getting approved to grow cannabis to getting approved to build a strip mall.

The first step to growing cannabis in SLO County is getting approved for a minor use land permit.

To apply for a minor use land permit, the following documents need to be filed: • General Application Contact Information • Land Use – Project Information Form • Environmental Description Form • Information Disclosure form • Land Use Consent of Property Owner form (only if the applicant does not own the property • Hazardous Waste and Substances Statement Disclosure (PLN-1122) Within these documents, the applicant needs the following reports submitted: • Archeological Report • Biological Report • Botanical Report • Geological Report These are just a few of the reports and documents needed. You can review the complete application package by visiting slocounty.ca.gov/ Departments/Planning-Building/Forms-Documents/Land-Use-Permit-Forms-and-Documents/Land-Use-Permit-Application-Package/ Land-Use-Permit-Application-Package.pdf Currently, there are 78 applications somewhere in the process of getting their minor use permit for cannabis-related activities in SLO County.

According to Shelburne, the main concerns contributing to the negative stigma of cannabis are crime and odor.

“I’m expecting there will be some push back, but my biggest concern is that there is a lot of subjective bias and misinformation—I just don’t think that they’re educated, and I don’t blame them,” said Shelburne.

He continued, “At the end of the day, it will become a commodity—that will drive the price down. Once the price goes down, the illegal activity associated with cannabis will go away.”

Again, because the legalization of marijuana is relatively new, data for crime rates and marijuana legalization is limited.

According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) final report published Jun. 2020: “We (NCJRS) found that marijuana legalization has not had an overall consistently positive or negative effect on matters of public safety. Instead, legalization has resulted in a varied set of outcomes, including concern about youth access to marijuana and increased drugged driving, a belief that there is increased cross border transference of legal marijuana to states that have not legalized, reports that training and funding for cannabis-related law enforcement activities have been deficient given the complex and enlarged role the police have been given, and the persistence of the complex black market. On the “positive” front, legalization appears to have coincided with an increase in crime clearance rates in several areas of offending and an overall null effect on rates of serious crime.”

The full report can be read by visiting nij.ojp. gov/library/publications/effects-marijuana-legalization-law-enforcement-and-crime-final-report To start, Shelburne and his partner plan to trade two acres of alfalfa for two acres of cannabis. Then, if all goes well, they will expand another acre.

Those who oppose cannabis often use its high water needs as a factor against the crop.

According to Shelburne, water usage for alfalfa and cannabis are comparable. Because he is trading alfalfa acres for cannabis, his water usage is not expected to change significantly one way or the other.

One alfalfa farmer says that one acre of alfalfa needs about five inches of water every 25 days, depending on soil conditions and temperatures.

Because cannabis is still relatively new to grow in some states legally, accurate water usage data is still hard to come by.

In an article by Daniel Gaddy, “The Cannabis Water Report” on watertechonline.com, because cannabis is not federally legal, there is still a lack of accurate industry water usage data for the crop.

In April 2020, the Resource Innovation Institute (RII), a nonprofit that promotes energy efficiency for cannabis growers, formed the Water Working Group (WWG).

WWG is made up of experts from various fields searching for a better understanding of cannabis water usage.

The group partnered with New Frontier Data and the Berkeley Cannabis Research Center and created the Cannabis Water Report.

According to the report, “Compared to major agricultural crops, including cotton, grapes, and corn, the total water used to grow cannabis has a nominal impact on total water use in farming.”

The report found water use on cannabis highly depends on growing location and techniques.

“A portion of our research was focused on understanding why cannabis had received such notoriety as a water-intensive crop,” said Christopher Dillis, a postdoctoral researcher at the Berkeley Cannabis Research Center.

He continued, “We need to educate people about what is happening now in the legal industry and separate that from the old narrative around the illicit industry. The report reveals that water use practices are highly diverse in the new regulated cannabis industry, and we hope that this new data leads to well-tailored regulatory policies that are responsive to this diversity.”

The report argues that the accusation of the cannabis industry contaminating water sources, being a water-intensive crop, and others can be addressed by placing specific regulations on the legalized industry. In contrast, no regulations can be placed on illegal grows.

You can read Gaddy’s full article on watertechonline.com Download the full water report by visiting info.newfrontierdata.com/cannabis-h2o Overall, Shelburne feels, “The negative stigma attached to it [cannabis] is unwarranted.

I don’t think these people have done significant research. I don’t want to say that they’re not good people. I just think they bought into what the Federal Government has been telling them for 80 years.”

He continued, “It’s [cannabis] changed, and I think people don’t understand CBD and THC and how they affect the system, and it’s just one of those things where I think there is a lack of education.”

Cannabis is going to be an ongoing and controversial topic within our County. As we continue this in-depth series, we will look to bring more information, different perspectives, and outlooks from both sides of the subject.

And as always, with an unbiased outlook.

If you would like to share your insight into the subject, email to camille@13starsmedia. com. Also, to read Part One of this special, visit pasoroblespress.com/special-sections/agriculture/ the-great-cannabis-debate-part-one.

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10 • August 2021 • Morro Bay Life

Making Communities Better Through Print™

AGVOCATE

Singer and Dairy Farmer Stephanie Nash AgVocates Against ‘30 by 30’ Plan

By CAMILLE DeVAUL of Morro Bay Life TENNESSEE — One week after President Joe Biden took office, he signed an executive order known as the “30 by 30 Plan.”

By 2030, the United States Government plans to “protect at least 30 percent of the states’ land areas and waters; to help advance the protection of 30 percent of the nation’s oceans; and to support regional, national, and international efforts to protect at least 30 percent of the world’s land areas and waters and 30 percent of the world’s ocean” according to the assembly bill text.

In essence, the Country’s goal is to conserve 30 percent of its waters and land by 2030.

The Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful preliminary report was released on May 6. According to the report it is, “only the starting point on the path to fulfilling the conservation vision that President Biden has outlined.

Where this path leads over the next decade will be determined not by our agencies but by the idea and leadership of local communities. It is our job to listen, learn, and provide support along the way to help strengthen economies and pass on healthy lands, waters, and wildlife for generations to come.”

But a deeper look into how those lands and waters will be protected has spurred controversy amongst farmers and ranchers across the Nation.

Stephanie Nash, a singer/songwriter, dairy farmer, and agricultural activist, speaks loudly against legislative threats made against farmers and ranchers, especially the 30 by 30 plan.

Stephanie’s family operated a dairy farm in California for 85 years until 2010, when they decided to purchase property in Tennessee and move their dairy farm operations there.

Around 2008, Stephanie’s father began to see a shift in California. Increasing regulations set on farmers in the State showed him that life for farmers and ranchers in California would only worsen.

For eight years now, Stephanie’s family has been successfully milking dairy cows in Tennessee.

Stephanie says she learned her advocacy voice

while participating in the dairy challenge at Fresno State. Dairy challenge is the evaluation of dairy farms to help other farmers financially, reproductively, and more.

“I wanted to learn what the struggles were throughout our country regulation and bill wise,” Stephanie shared.

Now, Stephanie works at her family’s dairy running their calf-heifer program and watches over 850 cattle. In addition, she gives tours and shows the community their operation, family aspect, and the importance of family farms.

“Farms are trying to survive, and they aren’t getting the support they need,” Stephanie explained, referring to federal legislation and regulations in agriculture.

In 2020, Stephanie began a video series called “The Life of a Farmer,” in which she travels to different family farms and shares their story.

“It’s not even just about what we do on a daily basis, but it’s the importance of that farmer telling their story—they feature the farm, the family, and their operation. They feature what is going on in their state,” Stephanie explained.

She also takes to TikTok, a social media app, where she voices her concerns for struggling farmers and educates people on how some legislative bills affect the agriculture industry.

In particular, Stephanie often refers to the 30 by 30 plan.

“The 30 by 30 bill is a threat in the biggest way because they are using climate change and people don’t understand—my experience has been they are going to regulate you, they are going to fine you if you don’t do exactly what they want from you and they are going to make it unaffordable for you to survive,” Stephanie said.

Shortage of labor workers and the cost of feed and other essentials are constantly working against farmers. At Stephanie’s dairy farm, they are struggling to find people willing to work.

While prices for food goes up in grocery stores, the farmer doesn’t see an increase on their end except for higher cost for feed, equipment, and supplies.

States are already moving forward with plans to comply with the 30 by 30 plan.

California was the first state to begin creating a plan to conserve 30 percent of its water and land.

However, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts describes the 30 by 30 plan as a “land grab” and is lobbying against the bill.

The Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report says, “Federal agencies can and should advance conservation by supporting programs that incentivize voluntary conservation efforts and provide new sources of income for American farmers, ranchers, and forest stewards.”

The section goes on to promote more use of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

CRP is a USDA Farm Service Agency program where in exchange for payment, farmers agree to “remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.”

While the program sounds enticing—money in exchange for not farming—that also means less land in service for farming and growing food.

Governor Ricketts warns that because the President’s 30 by 30 plan is vague about obtaining land, private land rights could be threatened. He warns that at the county level, conservation easements could be put into effect.

He says, “Once you’ve entered into a permanent easement, you have forever surrendered control of your land to the land trust or federal government.

Future generations will not have the flexibility to develop or manage the land differently.”

In California, the federal government owns 47 percent of the state’s land. But in Nebraska, 97 percent of their land is privately owned.

Ricketts says, “If 30 percent of land in Nebraska is set aside for conservation, it will shift the property tax burden onto fewer farmers, ranchers, homeowners, and business owners. Right now, the federal government pays about $2.50 per acre on average in lieu of taxes on land it holds with conservation easements. Even if a land trust holds the conservation easement, the land’s potential taxable value is still greatly reduced. This leaves fewer taxpayers to pay for schools, roads, bridges, and other services.”

Stephanie continues to push for people to

Stephanie Nash’s family owned and operated a dairy farm in California for 85 years, then decided to move the farm to Tennessee. Photo (left) Stephanie with her father Steve Nash.

Contributed photos

support their local farmers.

She reminds people that during COVID, large corporations like Walmart and Costco were allowed to stay open while the small businesses were forced to shut down.

“It just makes you wonder what their actual end plan is with the 30 by 30 bill. The biggest plan is they are going to bankrupt family farms, and they are going to take over, and they are going to manage the price. And I tell you, if they get to that point, your food will be three or four times it is now. That’s a message for everybody to hear.”

In recent years, many women in agriculture have risen up to be the industry’s voice, pushing back against misconceptions against the industry.

“I just want to read about it [legislature] because I want my family farm to survive, and I want to tell people about where their food comes from and the importance of it.”

To learn more about Stephanie Nash, you can go to her website stephanienashmusic.com.

Read the Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful preliminary report by visiting doi.gov/ sites/doi.gov/files/report-conserving-and-restoringamerica-the-beautiful-2021.pdf.

Read about Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts efforts to stop the 30 by 30 plan at governor.nebraska. gov/press/gov-ricketts-slams-“vague”-30-x-30report-biden-harris-administration-agencies

CITY

City Now Accepting Applications for Community Grants Submission due by Friday, August 13 STAFF REPORT MORRO BAY — The City is currently accepting applications for community grants.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, and should be submitted to City Hall, c/o City Manager. Applications may be emailed to citymanager@morrobayca.gov, mailed, or hand-delivered to 595 Harbor Street, Morro Bay, CA 93442.

Please visit morro-bay.ca.us for a copy of the application and Council-approved Commu-

nity Grants Policy that includes a requirement the City’s General Plan, action plan, Council for annual reporting of grant funds as well as a Goals, or other policies). These may include, sample City contract awardees will be required but may not be limited to: to sign. Please review all materials carefully when • Crisis Intervention and/or Centers determining if you would like to apply for a City • Youth Services and Athletics of Morro Bay Community Grant. Grants may be • Active Adult service agencies awarded for projects and/or programs that qualify • Health and Safety under one of the following categories: • Youth-Serving Agencies A total of $50,000 in grants are available, • Social service agencies and programs. part of which is to help eligible non-profits who • Bilingual service agencies suffered impacts from COVID-19 • Low-income service agencies 1. Community and Social Services: Funding for • Homelessness programs and services that address identified • Economic Development community needs or problems (as stated in 2. Cultural Arts, including but not limited to:

• Museum, including artistic, historical, or scientific display or education • Performing Arts, including music and theater arts • Fine and Visual Arts 3. Project: Funding for one-time projects designed to address a significant community need or problem. City funding shall be limited to a specific timeframe, usually not more than one year.

If you have any questions, contact Scott Collins, City Manager, at scollins@morrobayca.gov or (805) 772-6206. The estimated award of grant funds is September 2021.

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Morro Bay Life • August 2021 • 11

Making Communities Better Through Print™

OPINION

How to Become a Hero in Five Seconds Laura Andes

guest contributor

“I

t’s tough to do the right thing.” I’ve heard it, thought it, and shared it. And I’m willing to wager I’m in (your) good company. We may end up squabbling over what tough actually means, but I intend to challenge this perspective.

Setting an admirable daily example is most definitely a labor of love, yet it is nevertheless an accessible skill. Indeed, becoming a hero is not just attainable but also uncomplicated. So much, so that being a decent, honorable community member could all start with an act as simple as deliberately choosing to walk on the correct side of the street.

Blessed to be a resident of beautiful Morro Bay, I have nurtured a most gratifying habit: I walk or cycle near the gorgeous coastline almost daily.

Given my most common routes utilize streets without sidewalks, I am well-informed when it comes to human-behavior-on-public-roads. It is sad, if not distressing, that a shockingly sizable percentage of pedestrians apparently do not grasp that there is only one correct side of the street to walk along.

Why? Well, selecting one side of the street is unquestionably a more perilous prospect for a pedestrian than choosing the other. No matter which side of the street you choose to walk on, there will be two primary sources of danger: moving vehicles in front of and behind you.

When people walk in the same direction as the flow of traffic, their bodies are closest in proximity to approaching automobiles they are unable to see (and thus unable to react to in a timely strategic manner). On the other hand, when people walk against the flow of traffic, they see with ease the closest moving hazard; hence, they can, if necessary, react swiftly and appropriately to an approaching vehicle that poses the most danger to them. Therefore, facing oncoming traffic as a

pedestrian is the safest course of action.

You might be wondering, “Come on, lady, how could choosing where to walk make me a hero?”

Well, because when you are safer, we are safer.

Being safe is a group effort. Obviously, group effort requires individual effort: without individuals contributing, there is no group to speak of.

Furthermore, even though walking with the flow of traffic may not be a legal violation, putting yourself in harm’s way unnecessarily defies common courtesy as well as common sense. Put differently, legality and morality are not synonymous terms.

Still, there is a different, more pressing reason why intentionally choosing where to walk is heroic.

Taking a moment (one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi) to inhale deeply and deliberate about your next course of action makes you the kind of hero we so desperately need. A regular routine of breathing deeply and taking a few sacred seconds to ponder, “what’s the ideal (safest…sustainable…sympathetic) course of action I can take right now?” is the motherload when it comes to establishing excellent habits. It is to our detriment that this undeniably useful mental mindset is woefully lacking in our highly distractible, technology-centered, buzzingly busy 21st-century lifestyle.

Developing mindfulness is undoubtedly a labor of love; that said, even when we fail to become sage-like experts, we improve ourselves (and thereby the world) just by way of trying to become more skilled. When we seize upon life’s countless opportunities to become more mindful, each and every one of us becomes exactly the kind of hero we need. And it could all start with an act as simple as deliberately choosing to walk on the correct side of the street.

Morro Bay Life’s Guest Contributors are independent and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of our publication. If you are interested in sharing your opinion or view, please write to us at editor@13starsmedia.com.

LIFE INTELLIGENCE

How to Deal With People Who Take Things Personally VALENTINA PETROVA COLUMNIST

U

sually, people who take things personally refuse to admit it. They often project how they feel onto others, justify their emotional states, and make a mountain out of a molehill. They react to what they think is happening, not to what is happening. Meaning your perspective of the situation will be different from theirs. You may find yourself accused of saying or doing things that have never crossed your mind, guilt-tripped, and blamed for the way they feel.

You may find yourself on the receiving end of condescending, sarcastic, and provocative remarks, passive-aggressive behavior, even violence.

Feeling confused, you may not know how to respond and what to do.

You can ignore strangers who take things personally, walk away and never see them again.

But what about people close to you? People you work with, live with, and possibly depend on?

First, make sure you communicate clearly.

Avoid “you” statements. Switch to “we” and neutral language, especially when discussing difficult subjects. Instead of saying “you have a problem,” try “what can we do together to improve/ resolve, etc.” In the spirit of clarity, it’s better to explain yourself a little more than to economize.

You can also preemptively address the person’s possible reactions. “I know this may sound critical, and I am sorry. I value you and what you to contribute...” Start your explanations with “from my perspective” or “the way I understand it…” to avoid sounding accusatory.

If it sounds like you have to think ahead of how to express your thoughts, requests, and desires to someone taking things personally, you are correct. Yes, it is a lot of work! But it is less work than having a full-blown argument or escalate a situation to the point of no return. Consider the

challenge a growth opportunity. Take an effective communication class or read up on it and grow your communication skills. It will help you in other situations too.

Second, know yourself, your worth, and pay attention to your emotional reactions. You may be fine around regular people but find yourself defensive and confused by an experienced, manipulative, overly sensitive person. Remember, they’ve had a lifetime to practice taking things personally.

If you know who you are and your sensitivities, you can avoid confusion because you will know where your stuff ends and where their defensiveness begins. You will know if you truly caused the commotion or it was their over-reaction. If you made a mistake, apologize for it. If you didn’t, say you are sorry for how they feel, remind them of your intentions, and even repeat your request or rephrase your statement more clearly. Keep yourself calm and levelheaded. Don’t add fuel to their fire.

Do not apologize for anything you did not do.

However, do seek to understand them and try to communicate your perspective. Sometimes it helps. Sometimes it doesn’t. Let it go. Agree to disagree or discuss later.

Third, ask yourself if you want to be right or if you want to be happy. Sometimes, you may have to be right. Another time, you may choose happiness. Decide based on the circumstances, what’s at stake, and the players involved. You choose your friends. You don’t have to keep the company of overly sensitive drama queens. Keep your distance.

Minimize interactions. When you do interact, take their reactions with a grain of salt. This is your practice not to take things personally.

But wait! There is more. Read the rest of this article on my blog at vpetrova.com Valentina Petrova has helped people with life, health, relationships, financial, professional, and more since 2015. Email her at valentinapetrovaconsulting.com.

EDUCATION

Service to the Community I simply can’t build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery, and death...

I think... peace and tranquility will return again. ~ Anne Frank

JAMES BRESCIA, Ed.D County Superintendent of Schools

S

an Luis Obispo County enjoys beautiful topography, a pleasant climate, and a significant community service ethic. During the summer of 2021, civic groups, private businesses, non-profits, and government agencies have joined forces to best support our community as we exit the global pandemic. Sustainable practices that are interlinked as a mutually supporting process can create prosperity in society for generations. Civic responsibility moves beyond the legal duty of care requirements and can be considered an ethical or moral service. Two such agencies connected with my office that serve adults who in turn benefit our youth are the SLO Noor Foundation and SLO Career and Technical Education (CTE) Foundation.

These agencies understand that helping those who provide for our youth is a variation of paying it forward.

Both Noor and the CTE Foundation acknowledge the obstacles and challenges individuals face because of economics in San Luis Obispo County. Mitigating the effects of access to health care or educational training is a shared theme of both non-profits.

The work of these agencies contributes to the well-being of internal and external stakeholders with a positive impact on the youth of our community. Because the families and primary caregivers of students throughout the county have economic challenges, serving the adults that provide for our youth is an investment in our future. To attract the best investment for business expansion, increase customer base sales, and create greater prosperity, the community must provide increased access to services such as health care, child care, and educational training. Employers throughout the county acknowledge the business benefits when a community provides for increased health and economic interests.

My work as a classroom teacher, school principal, college instructor, district superintendent, and now as your county superintendent made me aware of groups providing health care, child care, and educational training to the economically challenged. I did not fully appreciate the positive impact of these services on the community until I became more involved with Noor and CTE. Through Noor’s clinics, medical practitioners provide quality preventative and episodic primary health care to the uninsured. Educational literature, case management, and social work assistance are also available. Some of the individuals Noor serves are the adult family members of some of our most vulnerable students in the commu-

nity. Noor’s medical, dental, and vision care strengthens families, economic prosperity, and the community. Noor has been in service for nine years, provided 2,000 prescription glasses, conducted over 40,000 patient encounters, and logged over 7,800 volunteer hours. The Noor Foundation is a partner in service with the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education.

The SLO CTE Foundation is a non-profit organization aimed at improving the lives and economy of our community by supporting and inspiring transformative education opportunities. Our efforts support three proven initiatives of the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education: SLO Partners, the arts, and K-12 technical education. SLO Partners provides access for students to remain in the community while training in a new field or career path through fast-tracked boot camp programs.

These boot camps work in partnership with Cuesta College, local industry, and educational leaders. Scholarships are provided by local businesses, grants, and donors that value the investment in our future. The digital marketing, web development, precision manufacturing, cybersecurity, trades, and the Ticket to Teach programs to connect local talent to the workforce and career pathways.

The SLO CTE Foundation is committed to preserving and promoting the arts in education. An education system that teaches critical thinking, creatively approaching problems, and addresses challenges, equips students for long-term career development in our rapidly changing global economy. Our goal is to help all students become lifelong learners and enthusiasts of the arts. We actively envision each student’s limitless possibilities. Students’ technical, academic, and employability skills taught in CTE courses are essential for college and career success. Just as American businesses are redesigning how they deliver services, educational leaders, legislators, and policymakers should redesign how we provide for our community. Our service systems are social justice in action. A healthy and well-educated populous strengthens our democracy and grows our economy.

America faces a challenge today of providing a safe environment, rebuilding our economy, and competing in the global marketplace.

Although additional work is still needed to provide access to health and education services, this summer will prove that we are an adaptive, resourceful, and hopeful people. Anyone interested in supporting the SLO Noor Foundation or the SLO CTE Foundation and their services can find additional information online or contact the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education. It is an honor to serve as your County Superintendent of Schools.

12 • August 2021 • Morro Bay Life

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