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*Growth Problems Not All University’s Doing*I commend the City On A Hill Press for its excellent Issue on the LRDP. But I do have reservations about the long-term vs. short-term issues of growth represented by Measures I and J on Tuesday’s ballot. Where the Regents are planning for system-wide needs over the coming decades, the City of Santa Cruz is looking at the current infrastructure deficiencies. Neither the City Council nor the current student body look much beyond today and the anti-growth policies of our elected officials. The infrastructure deficiencies cited in Measure I; water supply, (rental) housing, and traffic congestion, have one thing in common. The University has no authority or power to alter the city’s land use policies that led to the deficiencies, nor the ability to mitigate the impacts on the campus. The water supply has not been expanded since the Felton Diversion Dam of 1975. Despite near doubling of population of its service area (the City, Live Oak, and Capitola to 41st Ave) and two consecutive drought years in the late 1970’s, every proposed expansion of water supply/storage has been rejected. An expensive desalination plant is the most recent proposal. Traffic congestion relief by the Eastern Access has been rejected by the City and County despite its inclusion in the original LRDP and the promise to build it as part of the agreement with the Regents for the location of a UC campus in Santa Cruz. The EIR, on p. 4.14-50, indicates the Eastern Access would accommodate all the traffic impacts from the 6000 student growth while relieving current delays at the 11 off-campus intersections. Tens of millions of dollars for the "Rail-Trail" will provide neither transit nor bicycle relief to the campus. The rental housing deficiencies are not the result of the growth control measures of the late 1970’s (County Merasure J and City Measure O.) During the ’80’s and ’90’s, we have carried over the permits allowed to equal the State’s growth rate. Now at half the State’s rate, Santa Cruz County is the slowest growing county in the state (excepting tiny Alpine and Sierra Cos.) The rental housing crisis is more the result of park and open space acquisitions which increased the price of land for multi-family developments. The result has been nearly exclusive ownership of (condo) developments in multi-family zones.Knowing a 5000 rental unit housing unit shortage in the post-earthquake studies and with student population growth, nearly all renters, private sector development of ownership units unaffordable to 90 percent of residents is an unacceptable housing policy. Rather than mitigating the infrastructure deficiencies, The City clings to its anti-growth policies. Its motto, in the words of Pogo Possum is "We have met the enemy, and he is us." Ed Davidson*Remebering Jay Johnson*I would like to The phone message was hushed. One of my best friends Jimmie had left a cryptic message for me to call him immediately. It made me feel very uneasy. It was like the dread I always felt when my mother’s voice awakens me with daybreak phone calls. It always seemed to be fatal notifications.I was in the middle of several things but I decided to stop and return the call. Jay answered and told me to sit down. He then delivered a soul wrenching message. Jay Johnson, a friend and workmate of ours had died at College 9 and 10 on duty the night before. He had been pronounced dead at about 3 a.m. I remember Jimmie pausing and his voice starting to waver and get quiet. He said Jay had a massive heart attack and had went down and out with staff present.That answered my first question. Had Jay fallen and had been discovered by students and/or staff? I had often worried about getting seriously injured and then forgotten while working at night. Campus is a big, beautiful place but it’s a different animal at night. Most paths have dips. Many steps are hidden and there aren’t many places you can simply get hurt and seem to vanish. I didn’t want Jay there alone. Proctors are the guards of the night. We shouldn’t become the victims in the night. It is ironic that Jay passed late at night. He lived much of his life at that hour and passed at that hour.Jay and I worked for over a year in ’99 when the Village was at the current College 9 and 10 site. He was a staff person there before me but was hired to work full time and he became my main relief. That could have made for a bit of tension but Jay wasn’t havin any of that negativity. He playfully gave me a hard time because I worked 5 nights a week instead of 4 so he didn’t get as many shifts but we enjoyed each other’s company. We always had a bit of friendly competition since we were both T-shirt vendors. He worked days and nights and spoke of ridiculous sacrifices he made for his family. He was everything a Proctor and brother should be. Professional and culturally sensitive.When I left the university to teach Diversity we kind of lost contact but I called him and found out he had become the lead proctor at 9 and 10. He seemed the same and he was a very positive person. He was a great choice amid some who are a bit power mad.There is a strong brotherhood between many of the ‘Nightflys’ as we sometimes are called. Working at night always turns your world around and we all understand how it keeps us all at odds with the rest of the worlds’ schedules. Jay always seemed to have time for his pursuits and never seemed to complain about the upside down nature of his existence. His style was laid back but very focused. He was way cool about his position.We had also shared another terrible night. That was when a student had killed themselves at Porter College years before we were both on duty. We had talked about the incident and wondered how we should react as first responders. It was something you never forget and his kindness and calmness helped me to come to grips with things a little better.Jay was a young black man. There is a large group of Proctors who are Black and many more past Proctors who are Black and many more past Proctors who are Black. It seems to be a job brothers are able to get and many to keep. I think Jay was one of the best brothers I met and I am proud to have known him for way too short a time. May his family find peace and may his spirit inspire him to higher levels of humility and kindness. R.I.P. Jay. You are a good brother.Thank you Wayne for being at the hospital to be with our brother. Thank you Jimmie for passing this sad message before it came out publically.
