Library holding teen book sale
WATSONVILLE — The Friends of the Watsonville Public Library will hold a teen book sale at the library’s second floor conference room, 275 Main St., Monday through Thursday from 3:30-6 p.m.
The sale will include comic books, graphic novels, fiction, non-fiction and more.
Everything will be 50 percent off.
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Congressional staffers holding Watsonville office hours
WATSONVILLE — Staff members from Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s (D-Calif.) office will be available at the Watsonville Public Library, 275 Main St., Suite 100, on Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
They will be available to assist with issues concerning Social Security, Medicare, immigration, veterans affairs, expediting paperwork for passports, searching military records, or any other federal matters.
To schedule a meeting, call Panetta’s Salinas office at 424-2229.
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Fundraiser benefits students’ trip to Japan
WATSONVILLE — The Kawakami-Watsonville Sister City Association Middle School Exchange Program will hold a fundraiser at Applebee’s, 1105 South Green Valley Road in Watsonville, on Dec. 17 from 8-9:45 a.m.
The breakfast will include flapjacks, juice, eggs, bacon and coffee.
Tickets are $10, and are available from students scheduled to travel to Japan or at the door. Proceeds support Pajaro Valley Unified School District middle school students’ trip to Kawakami, Japan.
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CHP offering traffic safety classes
APTOS — The California Highway Patrol is offering traffic safety programs for senior drivers.
The Age Well, Drive Smart Program is designed to provide drivers with the keys to driving safer and driving longer. This program is designed as an educational tool for mature drivers. Topics of discussion will include:
• How to tune up driving skills.
• Refreshing their knowledge of the rules of the road.
• Learning about normal, age-related physical changes and how to adjust to them.
• When it may be time to limit or stop driving.
• Understanding the alternatives to driving.
Age Well, Drive Smart classes are approximately two-and-a-half hours long and are free of charge. These classes are geared toward drivers age 65 and up, but they are open to anyone who feels they can benefit from this information.
The next class will be held Saturday, Dec. 30 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Aptos branch of the Santa Cruz Public Library, 7695 Soquel Drive.
Space in this class is limited. For information, and to make a reservation, call the Santa Cruz CHP Office at 662-0511.
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Follies holding pancake breakfast
SANTA CRUZ — A benefit pancake breakfast will be held from 8:30 a.m.-noon Sunday at 222 Market St. in Santa Cruz.
Cost of the breakfast is $7 for adults, $3 for children under age 10. Also, take a look in “Grannie’s Attic” for household items and small gifts.
Proceeds will benefit Santa Cruz Follies, a local performing arts group for “over 50” Santa Cruz County citizens.
For information, call SCO at 423-6640
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Solar arrays to be built at county facilities
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — Crews will begin installing a series of solar arrays at county facilities.
Construction begins soon on what will eventually be eight solar arrays at county facilities, including the County Governmental Center and Simpkins Family Swim Center.
Funded through Clean Renewable Energy Bonds, the $7.4 million project will save the county several factors more in energy costs over the expected life of the arrays, while offsetting 637 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
“This project will reduce county government’s carbon footprint even further, while providing jobs and freeing up millions of dollars over the next 20 years for other needed projects and services,” Supervisor Ryan Coonerty said. “I couldn’t be happier to see this day arrive.”
With one exception, all projects should be completed by May.
Parking at county facilities will be minimally impacted during construction, but the projects will result in no loss of public parking.
The type and location of projects are as follows:
• County Governmental Building (rooftop arrays)
• 1080 and 1400 Emeline (rooftop and carport arrays)
• Center for Public Safety (rooftop and carport arrays)
• Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (rooftop arrays)
• Simpkins Family Swim Center (carport arrays)
• Public Works Brommer Yard (carport arrays)
• Rountree Detention Facility (ground mount, construction begins 2018)
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County requiring commercial project plans in digital format
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — The County of Santa Cruz Planning Department will require all commercial project plans to be submitted electronically beginning Jan. 2.
The county already accepts electronic plans on a voluntary basis. Using the ePlan process allows applicants to submit plans remotely without having to visit the Planning Department. It can also speed up plan review by allowing multiple agencies to review plans at once.
ePlans must be submitted in PDF form. PDFs can be readily produced by nearly all computer-assisted design programs and scanning software.
Non-commercial projects may be submitted in either electronic or paper format.
For information, visit www.sccoplanning.com/PlanningHome/BuildingSafety/ePlanReview.aspx.
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Applications open for government fellowship programs
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel) announced that applications for the 2018-19 California Senate, Assembly, Executive and Judicial Fellowship programs are available.
The programs provide college graduates with an opportunity to become full-time staff members in Sacramento for 11 months beginning in October 2018. Fellowships are jointly operated by the three branches of state government and the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS).
Fellows are paid a stipend of $2,627 per month plus health, vision and dental benefits. They also earn six units of graduate credit from CSUS for the academic portion of the program.
“Being a Fellow provides individuals with an excellent opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge about how California’s state government operates,” Monning said. “Whether your career goals are in the public or private sector, the Fellowship programs provide a valuable view into the democratic process.”
For those selected, an intensive orientation is provided at the beginning of the program to provide background on state government, the legislative process, and major policy issues, after which candidates will be interviewed by various offices before being placed. Former Fellows include current members of Congress, the California Legislature, judges, and numerous other elected officials and community leaders.
Anyone who will be at least 20 years of age and a graduate of a four-year college or university by Sept. 1, 2018 is eligible to apply. There is no preferred major. Individuals with advanced degrees and those in mid-career are encouraged to apply.
Interested individuals can obtain additional information and applications on the CSUS Center for California Studies website at www.csus.edu/calst/programs; emailing [email protected]; or by calling the Center’s office at (916) 278-6906.
Brochures and applications may also be requested by calling Monning’s Santa Cruz District Office at 425-1503.
The deadline for submitting applications is Feb. 12. Fellows will be selected in the spring after an initial screening of applications and a subsequent panel interview of the finalists.
