High standards needed for Minto Road BESS facility
Battery energy storage may be part of California’s clean-energy future. I am not opposed to it. But clean energy should not become a shortcut around local accountability.
The proposed Minto Road BESS project would place an industrial-scale battery facility near the College Lake Water Storage Project, agricultural land, residents, and regional water infrastructure. That should concern every South County resident.
The College Lake Water Storage Project was built to reduce groundwater pumping, protect the aquifer, address seawater intrusion, and support agricultural water reliability. If a fire, runoff event, or contamination concern limits that water source, even temporarily, growers could be forced back into groundwater pumping—undermining the very purpose of the project.
Now that state approval is being pursued, the standard should be even higher, not lower. If the state approves this project, then the state must also be prepared to help carry the consequences if something goes wrong. South County should not be left alone to deal with impacts to water, agriculture, emergency response, public health, or cleanup costs.
Before approval, the developer and state should publicly prove the worst-case scenario is bounded, runoff can be contained, emergency response is ready, and agriculture, drinking water, and public health are protected.
Clean energy still needs responsible siting. South County should not be asked to accept risks that have not been fully proven, planned for, and accounted for.
Eduardo HurtadoWatsonville
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Berry growers should go organic
I am concerned for the marginalized who have no voice. A group of us from our farmworker ministry at Santa Teresa Church in San Jose went to Watsonville for a pesticide reality tour led by the Center for Farmworker Families. It was shocking and disgusting to see Driscoll’s and Giant’s berry fields with toxic pesticides next to schools and homes. There are reports of brain and leukemia cancers, ADHD, autism, respiratory problems, learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders. Because Hispanic students are disproportionately exposed to these poisons, it is also a health justice issue.
CFF has made a reasonable request to have fifteen parcels adjacent to schools and homes be converted to organic farming. Aside from a small Driscoll’s concession, the two corporations have dragged their feet in accepting this modest proposal.
Because berries with pesticides last longer, Driscoll’s response that they need to sell as many berries as possible throughout the world is an unacceptable excuse. They can meet their goal with as many conventional pesticide fields as they want as long as they are away from inhabited areas. These corporate farmers’ donations to various charities are appreciated, but money cannot buy a healthy life. Besides, don’t they want to be locally known to have compassion for their workers? The elephant in the room is that most of these workers are migrants. This reality does not make any one of them less of a person.
Living in a healthy environment is a basic human right. We urge Driscoll’s and Giant to agree to complete the transition from conventional to organic fields. It is the humane thing to do.
Gino Sartor
San Jose
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Conservatives facing harassment
Santa Cruz County prides itself on tolerance, but local politics tell a different story. Increasingly, conservatives, especially supporters of Donald Trump, are treated not as neighbors with different views, but as outsiders.
Reports of Republican candidate yard signs being removed or vandalized, harassment during sign waves, and protests targeting conservative events point to a growing pattern. Some residents also describe vehicles being vandalized over bumper stickers or feeling intimidated on the road because of political decals. Even if not every incident is formally documented, the perception is clear, expressing conservative views can come with consequences.
Nationally, conservatives have spoken about threats tied to rising political hostility. That same climate is felt locally.
When one political viewpoint dominates, respect for dissent can erode. That’s not healthy for a democracy. Santa Cruz County needs a reset—where disagreement is allowed, debate is encouraged, and no one is silenced for their beliefs.
Mike Lelieur
Santa Cruz
