COMMUNITY NEWS
Focus Agriculture Class 32 A gri-Culture announces 20 community leaders selected for Class 32 of Focus Agriculture, an award-winning program designed to help community leaders learn about agriculture, one of the economic engines of Santa Cruz County. They are, in alphabetical order: Tony Balistreri, chief financial officer, Salud Para La Gente Elissa Benson, Santa Cruz County assistant administrative officer Yvette Brooks, councilmember, City of Capitola Jim Brown, executive director, Arts Council of Santa Cruz County Erica Padilla-Chavez, CEO, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County Virgilio Ricardo (Ric) de la Cruz, owner, Seasons Living LLC/marketing & sales manager, Westwind Memory Care Evan Ditmars, development review planner, Santa Cruz County Planning Department Lynne Drummond, director of quality & patient safety, Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center Adrian Fischer, program director, CCOF Foundation Darrie Ganzhorn, executive director, Homeless Garden Project Lillian (Lily) Gerrans, interior designer , Lillian Gerrans Design
COMMUNITY BRIEFS
PVUSD Parent Conferences: Feb. 25 By Dr. Michelle Rodriguez his year, we are excited that our Annual Parent Conference is back in person on Saturday, Feb. 25! We have 14 workshop topics being offered by community partner agencies and PVUSD departments. We will also provide a tasty breakfast and lunch as well as childcare. Participants will have an opportunity to attend three sessions, participate in our Resource Fair, and possibly win a prize in our drawing. Sessions will be offered in English, Spanish and Mixteco Bajo. Some topics will be: • PVUSD Social Emotional Supports: Caring for the Whole Child • What I need to know about Community Schools and how they support the Whole Child, Whole Family and Whole Community • How to create safe & welcoming environments for LGBTQ youth • Digital awareness: How to keep your kids safe, happy and healthy while online • Gang awareness and prevention • Parenting through stressful times In collaboration with PVUSD’s Pajaro Passport, all conference participants will
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Yvette Brooks
enjoy a free family fun event following the conference later that day! ••• Free Roller Skating ome explore the wonders of Pajaro with PVUSD’s Expanded Learning Intersession Day 5. On Saturday, Feb. 25, there will be events across Watsonville for TK-6th grade students and their families to explore and access engaging activities. We are thrilled to announce two family events after the Parent Conference: Roller-skating with the City of Watsonville and Pajaro Movie Night at CineLux Green Valley Cinema. Space is limited at both events! Priority will go to the first families to sign up & families participating in the Parent Conference. Both events are free and transportation is available upon request. Roller-skating with City of Watsonville: Family-friendly roller-skating in a pop-up rink at Ramsey Park. Location at Ramsey Park will be weather permitting. Free skate rental will be provided. To ensure your space, we highly recommend you pre-register. Event hours and registration links are: 2-3 p.m. Open to drop-in (limited capacity, no registration needed)
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8 / February 15th 2023 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
Jim Brown
Megan Goddard, senior program manager, Google Maps, Google Kevin Heuer, director of engagement & impact, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County Leeann Luna, program director, Monarch Services Jennifer Merchant, executive director, Grey Bears Sarah Newkirk, executive director, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County Anthony Pagliaro, chief philanthropy officer, Dominican Hospital Foundation Krista Snelling, CEO & president, Santa Cruz County Bank Phil Tavarez, bulk & fleet fueling manager, Sturdy Oil Company Darryl Wong, executive director, UCSC Center for Agroecology
Erica Padilla-Chavez
3-4 p.m. Open by pre-registration/ ticket at bit.ly/3jGrUUQ 4-5:30 p.m. Open to families attending the Parent Conference 5:30-7 p.m. Open by pre-registration/ ticket at bit.ly/3jGrUUQ Get ready for a night at the CineLux Green Valley Cinema with Pajaro Passport. Come see a new release movie or one of our favorite family movies. Your ticket will include popcorn, soda and a candy treat. Sign up for your tickets today to join us at CineLux Green Valley Cinema at bit. ly/3jGrUUQ Show times & movie line up will be released on Feb. 17 to families that sign up. Reserve your space today. Showtimes are expected to start every thirty minutes between 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and will include a variety of family fun movies. Dr. Michelle Rodriguez is superintendent of Pajaro Valley Unified School District. ••• Storm Property Tax Relief roperty owners with homes or property impacted by the 2022-23 winter storms may be eligible for calamity property tax relief. This relief includes a temporary reduction in assessed values as well as
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Krista Snelling
••• Each year, more applications are received for this program than spaces available Starting March 10, participants attend once-a-month, daylong seminars. Speakers range from farmers, to elected officials, to representatives from environmental groups. Topics include ethnic groups in agriculture, new technology, and diversity of commodities locally grown. There are many farm tours and hands-on experiences. Participants spend one day working on a farm. Agri-Culture President Steve Bontadelli, said, “Community leaders will find this program beneficial and, in turn, growers who present information to the class will learn the public’s current perspective of local agriculture. The program is designed to be a two-way learning process.” n
an exclusion from reassessment when the property is repaired or rebuilt. To be eligible, your property must have suffered at least $10,000 in physical damage to taxable property. Damage to personal belongings such as household furnishings, are not eligible as they are not assessed for property tax purposes. To fill out a calamity application, visit https://tinyurl.com/ winter-storm-calamity-packet. If your calamity application is approved and your taxes are not paid by your mortgage company, you may also be eligible to defer the 2nd installment of your property tax bill, which is due April 10. For those seeking a deferral, both a calamity application and request for deferral must be filed with the Santa Cruz County Assessor’s Office before April 10. Those seeking only a temporary reduction in assessed values must submit a calamity application to the Assessor’s Office within 12 months of the date of damage. Applications received after that date are not eligible for relief through a temporary reduction in assessed value and/or exclusion from reassessment upon repair/rebuilding. n Full URL: https://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/ portals/0/County/asr/Winter%20Storm%20 Calamity%20packet.pdf?rev=01262023