Residents invited to help clean up sloughs, streets
WATSONVILLE — The City of Watsonville is hosting cleanup locations for the 33rd Annual Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers will remove litter at four sites within city limits including Watsonville Slough at the Watsonville Nature Center in Ramsay Park, West Struve Slough at Pajaro Valley High School, the Pajaro River at River Park, and, new this year, a special cigarette butt cleanup effort at the Watsonville City Plaza at Union Street.
Coastal Cleanup Day, hailed as the largest environmental volunteer event on the planet, comes a month before the first flush rainfalls. After last year’s banner precipitation levels, swollen creeks and rivers weren’t only full of water, but also several years’ worth of trash. Debris flushed off parking lots and streets, down storm drains and into wetlands and rivers, ultimately out to sea.
In partnership with Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance, the Santa Cruz County Tobacco Education Coalition, and the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, Watsonville is adding a cigarette butt-focused cleanup to the list. Beginning at the Watsonville City Plaza and extending to surrounding streets and neighborhoods, volunteers will target cigarette butts.
“We’re really hoping that people start making these connections more often,” said Gina Cole of Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance. “The way we treat our bodies is reflected in the way we treat our planet, and our young leaders want to live in a Watsonville community that opposes tobacco addiction as well as cigarette butt pollution. Human health and environmental quality are inseparable, and should be treated as such.”
Volunteers should dress in layers, wear sunscreen, and bring a filled, reusable water bottle. The city will provide all necessary cleanup materials and snacks.
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Free DACA renewal clinics scheduled
WATSONVILLE — A number of free Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewal clinics will be held throughout the Santa Cruz and Monterey counties over the next couple of weeks.
Cabrillo College’s Office of Student Equity has partnered with Hartnell College, Immigration Law Office of Magnolia Zarraga, Monterey Peninsula College, UC Santa Cruz, Monterey College of Law, and Santa Cruz County Immigration Project to offer the following clinics:
• Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Hartnell College, Steinbeck Hall, 411 Central Ave. in Salinas
• Friday, 5-8 p.m.: Cabrillo Watsonville Center, Room A160, 318 Union St.
• Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Hartnell College, Steinbeck Hall
• Sept. 20, 4:30-7 p.m.: Santa Cruz County Immigration Project, 406 Main St., Watsonville
• Sept. 22, 5-8 p.m.: Cabrillo College, Room 317, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos
• Sept. 30, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Cabrillo Watsonville Center, Room A160
For information, email eq****@ca******.edu or call 477-3548.
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Outdoor music festival benefits Smart Solutions To Homelessness
LA SELVA BEACH — On Sunday, La Selva Beach Community Church will host the first-ever Selvastock, featuring live music on two stages with proceeds going to Smart Solutions To Homelessness, an initiative of the United Way of Santa Cruz County.
Family and friends can enjoy music outdoors in the church courtyard and library patio located at 26 Florido Ave. in La Selva Beach. The musicians have donated their time and talent to support Smart Solutions.
The afternoon will feature Harpin Jonny and the Unpaid Bill, 10 O’Clock Lunch Band, Honeytone, The Keepers, Swamp Dogs, Girls and Co., Brad Darbro and David Larstein.
The event runs from 1-5 p.m. A donation of $10 is suggested.
For information, call 461-5165 or email Kelli Sebastian at ke*************@hu******.com.
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Boardwalk receives international award
SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has once again been named the world’s Best Seaside Park by the amusement industry.
The award was announced during the 2017 Golden Ticket Awards at Lake Compounce amusement park in Connecticut on Saturday. The two-day gathering included exclusive events and an award dinner for amusement park owners, operators and managers.
“Receiving a 10th Golden Ticket Award is a tremendous honor,” said Karl Rice, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk president. “The industry continues to recognize our accomplishments as well as our passion for our business. I’m very proud of our world-famous seaside amusement park.”
The Golden Ticket Awards are presented annually to honor the “Best of the Best” in the amusement industry and are calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today. The survey asks amusement park voters around the country and world to rate the “bests” in 23 categories.
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk won Golden Tickets for Best Seaside Park from 2007-2014 and again in 2016.
