A statue of a surfer on the west side of Santa Cruz has been wearing a face mask for weeks in a row. — Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian

Officials are saying that two people died in early February from COVID-19 in Santa Clara. The news parallels what officials have recently said about the virus: it got a much earlier start in Wuhan, China than first believed.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Harvard graduate Dennis Hayes and Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin met for a brief chat about a day dedicated to environmentalism. What was supposed to be a 10-minute chat, turned into a two-hour boiler session that brought about the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. In Watsonville, I have covered Earth Day/Day of the Child for The Pajaronian on this date for over two decades. It’s always a lot of fun, a hotbed of environmental education, live music, arts and crafts and hands-on demonstrations of how the city deals with recycling, keeping the waterways clean and more. That event is on hold because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Maybe next year?

I noticed on my bike ride today through downtown Santa Cruz that Santa Cruz Police were driving around in their patrol cars handing out to-go meals to homeless people. The friendly gesture was met with plenty of smiles and warm thanks by at least 10 people I saw getting the food.

Quote of the day: “We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us.” — Marshall McLuhan, a 20th century, media theorist

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Tarmo Hannula has been the lead photographer with The Pajaronian newspaper in Watsonville since 1997. More recently Good Times & Press Banner. He also reports on a wide range of topics, including police, fire, environment, schools, the arts and events. A fifth generation Californian, Tarmo was born in the Mother Lode of the Sierra (Columbia) and has lived in Santa Cruz County since the late 1970s. He earned a BA from UC Santa Cruz and has traveled to 33 countries.

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