C2 SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS
Some area offices will be closed Monday for Cesar Chavez Day.
COUNTY: County offices are closed.
SANTA CRUZ: City offices are open.
SCOTTS VALLEY: City offices are open.
WATSONVILLE: Most city offices are open.
LIBRARIES: All branches of the Santa Cruz library system are
open. Watsonville Public Library is open.
SCHOOLS: Santa Cruz City Schools are closed for spring break.
Scotts Valley Schools are closed for spring break. Pajaro Valley
schools are closed for spring break. Soquel Union schools are
closed for spring break.
POST OFFICE: Post offices are open.
SENTINEL: Office open. Paper will publish.
COAST LINES
SANTA CRUZ
Law mandates additional
mammogram information
About 40 percent of women have dense breast tissue, and a new law taking effect Monday will require
they get more information after a mammogram.
Senate Bill 1538, by former State Sen. Joe Simitian, will require women with dense breast tissue be
informed that:
■ They have dense breast tissue.
■ Dense breast tissue can make it harder to evaluate a mammogram and is associated with a higher
risk of breast cancer.
■ Information is given to discuss with their doctor
and screening options are available.
The law was suggested by Amy Colton of Santa
Cruz, a registered nurse. She was shocked when told
she had breast cancer after years of normal mammograms. She learned she had dense breast tissue only
after cancer treatment.
For information about dense breast tissue, go to
www.areyoudense.org.
UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF BABA’S KITCHEN
Church seeks funds to buy land
By KIMBERLY WHITE
kwhite@santacruzsentinel.com
BOULDER CREEK —
Tables covered with offerings are set up every week
inside St. Michael’s Catholic Church, bowls filled with
a quinoa vegetable medley, macaroni and cheese,
steamed and leafy greens,
garlic bread and apple
crisp.
“This is a banquet to me,”
said Gary Riich, a 62-yearold Watsonville handyman
who took a more than twohour bus ride Friday for the
free meal. As much of the
food as possible is organic,
drawing Riich and others
to enjoy an hour of companionship while dining
on the food prepared and
served by members of the
Universal Church of Baba’s
Kitchen.
The church trains healers,
shares ancient teachings and
helps the homeless and resi-
Easter egg hunt Saturday on
beach in front of Venetian
Capitola Village will host the annual Easter Egg
Hunt at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Children 12 and younger can search for prize-filled
eggs hidden in the sand on the beach in front of the
Capitola Venetian Hotel.
The Easter Bunny will be on hand along with
healthy snacks from Whole Foods Market Capitola.
The event is free, hosted by the Capitola-Soquel
Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Capitola
Village and Wharf businesses. For information, go to
http://www.capitolachamber.com/events/calendar/.
SCOTTS VALLEY
Rummage sale, car wash set
Youth from GateWay Bible Church are having a
rummage sale and car wash 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20
to raise money for the World Vision 30 Hour Famine.
The church is at 5000 Granite Creek Road, Scotts
Valley. For information, email gary@gatewaybible.
org or go to www.gatewaybible.org.
APTOS
AAUW to hold April 13 meeting
American Association of University Women, Santa
Cruz Branch, will hold a general meeting at 11:30 a.m.
April 13 at the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz,
7807 Soquel Drive.
The group will discuss the 40th anniversary of the
passage of Title IX, a law that requires gender equity
for boys and girls in every educational program that
receives federal funding.
Also the group will vote on the slate of officers for
the year 2013-2014 as well as a budget. A box lunch
will be served for $12. The public is invited. For reservations and information, call 722-7473.
SANTA CRUZ — The
Affordable Care Act, the
bulk of which goes into
effect in January, is expected
to have more of an impact on
people’s lives than any other
federal legislation.
Yet many of the people it
will help know little or nothing about it. A panel discussion featuring Rep. Sam
Farr, state Sen. Bill Monning
and Alan McKay, executive
director of Central California Alliance for Health,
which serves 200,000 lowincome members in Santa
Cruz, Monterey and Merced
counties, was held Thursday
to fill that information gap.
“Seventy-eight percent
of the uninsured don’t even
know about this health care
plan that’s being offered,”
Farr said. “We’ll need to
have more meetings like
this to reach out and educate
people.”
“Obamacare comes to
Town: Implementation of the
Affordable Care Act” was
held at the Santa Cruz Police
Department’s Community
Room. The event was sponsored by three Democratic
organizations: the Central
Committee, the Women’s
Club of Santa Cruz County,
and Santa Cruz Organizing
for America. About 40 people
came armed with questions
about the act, which requires
everyone older than the age
of 18 to have health insurance
beginning in 2014.
The federal law requires
each state to implement programs or health exchanges
to help get people health
insurance.
Some of the details of California’s plan are still being
worked out, and the cost
of premiums has not been
established as insurance
companies are still putting
together bids to compete
Beginner computer class offered
The Santa Cruz Adult School is offering its Beginners Computer Class Friday mornings from 10 a.m.
to noon starting April 12 at 319 La Fonda Ave. The
price is $50 for eight classes.
To register, go to www.adultedreg.com/santacruz.
For details, call the Santa Cruz Adult School at 831-4293966, or teacher Mary Caravalho at 831-332-2361.
SANTA CRUZ
Genealogical group to meet
The Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County will
meet at 12:45 p.m. Thursday at the Central Branch
Library Meeting Room, 224 Church St.
Certified genealogist Christine Rose will present
methods and tips to avoid jumping to erroneous conclusions when looking at family history and genealogical records. The lecture is free and appropriate
for all skill levels.
For information, call 831-419-7244, or email gensocblog@me.com.
UNIVERSAL
CHURCH OF
BABA’S KITCHEN
FOUNDED: Co-founded in
2007 by Alx Uttermann and
Jonathan Rosen
NEEDS: Seeking $250,000
in donations so members
can purchase a 1.6-acre
plot on Empire Grade
DETAILS: 831-425-3234 or
babaskitchen@123mail.org
or www.karmatalk.com
Kitchen’s Friday afternoon
meals at the Presbyterian
church in Felton, which
offers its own free meals on
Tuesdays.
If the church is able to buy
the land, Rosen said, “we can
continue serving the healing
needs of our members and
local community uninterrupted.”
with each other to participate in the California marketplace. The expectation is
that competition will keep
premium costs down, as will
the addition of 47 million
uninsured Americans.
Prices are expected to be
established by October, when
people can begin signing up
for policies.
“It’s new, and there will be
a lot of confusion and doubt
initially,” Farr said.
Four different insurance
plans will be offered, with
different rates of premiums
and coverage. All plans will
include coverage for mental
health and substance abuse,
prescription medications,
and oral and vision care.
Insurance companies will
no longer be allowed to turn
customers away because of
pre-existing medical conditions, and annual and lifetime
limits on how much a policy
will pay for medical expenses
will not be permitted.
To help alleviate some
of that confusion, the state
has established a website
for information and eventually shop for coverage. The
site, www.coveredca.com,
also includes a simple way
for people to calculate their
potential insurance costs. In
addition, navigators will be
hired to help people figure
out the best insurance plan
for themselves and their
families, and help will be
available locally.
“The goal is to get everyone in a plan and covered by
2014,” Monning said. “Nonprofit groups, like Enroll
America, will be participating
with local community groups
to help people get covered.”
Those who don’t are subject to a penalty fee. Insurance costs will vary, depending on income levels, and
how many people in a family
that will be covered, as well
as which plan they select.
Individuals earning less than
MATTHEW HINTZ/SENTINEL
Community members listen as Rep. Sam Farr speaks Thursday
night about the Affordable Care Act and how it will affect Santa
Cruz residents.
$29,000 a year will be eligible
for federal subsidies or tax
credits to buy insurance, as
will families of four earning
less than $80,000. Individuals who earn less than $15,415
or families earning less than
$31,810 will be eligible to
enroll in Medicare.
McKay estimates 11,000
Santa Cruz County residents
will be added to the medical
program in 2014, and another 11,000 who are currently
uninsured with get subsidized coverage.
“I think the (act) is fantastic and is moving so many
Americans into coverage,”
McKay said. He added that
Santa Cruz County, which
has a number of well-organized clinics, has enough doctors to handle newly insured
patients. It is important for
people to get signed up for
insurance.
“It’s not automatic,” he
added. “We’ve all got to get
ourselves in the pipeline and
get covered.”
The enrollment process
will be streamlined and
involve a single application
for all four different plans,
McKay noted. People will be
able to apply for insurance
via the internet, phone, fax
or face-to-face with agents.
Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are not
required to provide health
insurance for their workers,
although they may be eligible
for tax credits if they do so.
Businesses with 50 to 100
employes can either provide
their workers with health
insurance or be taxed. A different set of rules applies to
businesses with more than
100 employees.
People who already have
health insurance do not have
to do anything else to comply. They can continue their
existing coverage or shop for
a different plan.
Questions still remain,
details need to be worked
out and loopholes closed.
Although the plan is not perfect, the speakers agreed, it is
a step in the right direction.
The panel received a round
of applause at the conclusion
of the evening.
“It’s been an excellent
start to all our educations,”
said Ellie Littmann, executive director for the Health
Improvement Partnership
of Santa Cruz County. “I’ve
learned a lot tonight.”
For information, go to
www.coveredca.com; www.
healthcare.gov; www.sba.
gov/healthcare.
Follow Sentinel correspondent
Terri Morgan on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/soquelterri
LAW ENFORCEMENT
New lieutenant, sergeant in Sheriff ’s Office
By STEPHEN BAXTER
SANTA CRUZ
AT A GLANCE
Bulk of law takes effect in 2014
SANTA CRUZ
CAPITOLA
ing the meals, and four years
after receiving nonprofit status. In addition to the free
lunches, the church offers
life-counseling sessions, distance “healing sessions,” and
healings and hospice trainings to veterans suffering
from PTSD, all provided on
a sliding-fee scale.
“They’ve sacrificed so
much for this country and
they’ve gotten not nearly
enough support to date,”
Rosen said. “It’s too hard
for them, and the Veterans
Administration is too difficult to negotiate for many
of them ... so if we can provide some relief, some healing help to them, we feel like
we’re doing a service to the
whole country.”
The church is open to all
religions and beliefs, even
to people such as Riich, who
called himself “neutral” and
has a list of churches that
offer free lunches. In fact,
he found out about Baba’s
Residents learn about health care changes
By TERRI MORGAN
The $21 million project to expand Highway 1
between Soquel Drive and Morrissey Boulevard is
moving smoothly as construction crews have finished
the base layers and the lean concrete base is curing.
Paving is scheduled to begin Wednesday and take
about four days, according to the Santa Cruz County
Regional Transportation Commission.
After paving, the barriers will be moved and lanes
re-striped during the night, which will involve lane
closures. Traffic will then be switched to the new
lanes. The last remnant of the La Fonda Avenue
bridge will be demolished after the traffic has shifted
to the new lanes. The majority of work is scheduled
to be complete in the fall.
dents in need, with a particular focus on veterans.
Four members live on
a rented, 1.6-acre plot on
Empire Grade in Bonny
Doon, north of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
But the landlord plans to
sell the land, and members are trying to raise the
roughly $250,000 required
for a down payment. A page
set up on the online fundraising site Razoo.com has
so far netted $17,000 in the
last month, said church cofounder Jonathan Rosen.
Baba’s Kitchen is more a
way of thinking than a religion, “of understanding how
the laws of nature operate,”
and members consider Jesus
Christ “the top-most example of the divine energy in a
human form,” he said.
The organization won Valley Churches United Mission’s “Angel Of The Year”
Award in 2011, two years
after members began serv-
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
newsroom@santacruzsentinel.com
Highway 1 expansion
project picking up speed
SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL
EXTRA
sbaxter@santacruzsentinel.com
SANTA CRUZ — Two
Santa Cruz County natives
have been promoted to lieutenant and sergeant positions in the Santa Cruz
County Sheriff’s Office.
Lt. Paul Ramos, 43, has
been with the Sheriff’s Office
since 1999. After he became
a detective in the investigations division, Ramos
worked as a patrol sergeant,
sergeant at Cabrillo College
and sergeant in charge of
the sheriff’s service center
in Aptos.
Ramos, who lives in Aptos,
Jacob Ainsworth also was and persons crimes.
promoted to sergeant on FriAinsworth graduated
day.
from Soquel High School,
Ainsworth, a 38-year-old attended Cabrillo College
native of Soquel, came to the and graduated first in his
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s class at basic police academy
Office in 2001 and has been at Gavilan College in Gilroy.
assigned to various positions
He will work as a sergeant
in the organization, said dep- in the patrol division.
AINSWORTH
RAMOS
uty April Skalland.
attended Cabrillo College
He worked as a correction- Follow Sentinel reporter
and UC Santa Barbara and al officer, field training offi- Stephen Baxter on Twitter
graduated with a degree in cer, and in property crimes at Twitter.com/sbaxter_sc
geography. He is now the
lieutenant in charge of corrections.
A lieutenant position
opened in the Sheriff’s Office
DRE#00546439
after Bob Pursley retired this
36 Years Helping
month.
Mike Schweyer
Buyers and Sellers
C USTOMER
SERVICE
www.santacr uzsentinel.com
831-706-3201
365 Things to do in Santa Cruz California
Search Homes or your Homes
Value On Facebook
Secure • No signing in • Just do it
mike_schweyer@hotmail.com • 831-419-6004
C2 SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS
Some area offices will be closed Monday for Cesar Chavez Day.
COUNTY: County offices are closed.
SANTA CRUZ: City offices are open.
SCOTTS VALLEY: City offices are open.
WATSONVILLE: Most city offices are open.
LIBRARIES: All branches of the Santa Cruz library system are
open. Watsonville Public Library is open.
SCHOOLS: Santa Cruz City Schools are closed for spring break.
Scotts Valley Schools are closed for spring break. Pajaro Valley
schools are closed for spring break. Soquel Union schools are
closed for spring break.
POST OFFICE: Post offices are open.
SENTINEL: Office open. Paper will publish.
COAST LINES
SANTA CRUZ
Law mandates additional
mammogram information
About 40 percent of women have dense breast tissue, and a new law taking effect Monday will require
they get more information after a mammogram.
Senate Bill 1538, by former State Sen. Joe Simitian, will require women with dense breast tissue be
informed that:
■ They have dense breast tissue.
■ Dense breast tissue can make it harder to evaluate a mammogram and is associated with a higher
risk of breast cancer.
■ Information is given to discuss with their doctor
and screening options are available.
The law was suggested by Amy Colton of Santa
Cruz, a registered nurse. She was shocked when told
she had breast cancer after years of normal mammograms. She learned she had dense breast tissue only
after cancer treatment.
For information about dense breast tissue, go to
www.areyoudense.org.
UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF BABA’S KITCHEN
Church seeks funds to buy land
By KIMBERLY WHITE
kwhite@santacruzsentinel.com
BOULDER CREEK —
Tables covered with offerings are set up every week
inside St. Michael’s Catholic Church, bowls filled with
a quinoa vegetable medley, macaroni and cheese,
steamed and leafy greens,
garlic bread and apple
crisp.
“This is a banquet to me,”
said Gary Riich, a 62-yearold Watsonville handyman
who took a more than twohour bus ride Friday for the
free meal. As much of the
food as possible is organic,
drawing Riich and others
to enjoy an hour of companionship while dining
on the food prepared and
served by members of the
Universal Church of Baba’s
Kitchen.
The church trains healers,
shares ancient teachings and
helps the homeless and resi-
Easter egg hunt Saturday on
beach in front of Venetian
Capitola Village will host the annual Easter Egg
Hunt at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Children 12 and younger can search for prize-filled
eggs hidden in the sand on the beach in front of the
Capitola Venetian Hotel.
The Easter Bunny will be on hand along with
healthy snacks from Whole Foods Market Capitola.
The event is free, hosted by the Capitola-Soquel
Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Capitola
Village and Wharf businesses. For information, go to
http://www.capitolachamber.com/events/calendar/.
SCOTTS VALLEY
Rummage sale, car wash set
Youth from GateWay Bible Church are having a
rummage sale and car wash 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20
to raise money for the World Vision 30 Hour Famine.
The church is at 5000 Granite Creek Road, Scotts
Valley. For information, email gary@gatewaybible.
org or go to www.gatewaybible.org.
APTOS
AAUW to hold April 13 meeting
American Association of University Women, Santa
Cruz Branch, will hold a general meeting at 11:30 a.m.
April 13 at the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz,
7807 Soquel Drive.
The group will discuss the 40th anniversary of the
passage of Title IX, a law that requires gender equity
for boys and girls in every educational program that
receives federal funding.
Also the group will vote on the slate of officers for
the year 2013-2014 as well as a budget. A box lunch
will be served for $12. The public is invited. For reservations and information, call 722-7473.
SANTA CRUZ — The
Affordable Care Act, the
bulk of which goes into
effect in January, is expected
to have more of an impact on
people’s lives than any other
federal legislation.
Yet many of the people it
will help know little or nothing about it. A panel discussion featuring Rep. Sam
Farr, state Sen. Bill Monning
and Alan McKay, executive
director of Central California Alliance for Health,
which serves 200,000 lowincome members in Santa
Cruz, Monterey and Merced
counties, was held Thursday
to fill that information gap.
“Seventy-eight percent
of the uninsured don’t even
know about this health care
plan that’s being offered,”
Farr said. “We’ll need to
have more meetings like
this to reach out and educate
people.”
“Obamacare comes to
Town: Implementation of the
Affordable Care Act” was
held at the Santa Cruz Police
Department’s Community
Room. The event was sponsored by three Democratic
organizations: the Central
Committee, the Women’s
Club of Santa Cruz County,
and Santa Cruz Organizing
for America. About 40 people
came armed with questions
about the act, which requires
everyone older than the age
of 18 to have health insurance
beginning in 2014.
The federal law requires
each state to implement programs or health exchanges
to help get people health
insurance.
Some of the details of California’s plan are still being
worked out, and the cost
of premiums has not been
established as insurance
companies are still putting
together bids to compete
Beginner computer class offered
The Santa Cruz Adult School is offering its Beginners Computer Class Friday mornings from 10 a.m.
to noon starting April 12 at 319 La Fonda Ave. The
price is $50 for eight classes.
To register, go to www.adultedreg.com/santacruz.
For details, call the Santa Cruz Adult School at 831-4293966, or teacher Mary Caravalho at 831-332-2361.
SANTA CRUZ
Genealogical group to meet
The Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County will
meet at 12:45 p.m. Thursday at the Central Branch
Library Meeting Room, 224 Church St.
Certified genealogist Christine Rose will present
methods and tips to avoid jumping to erroneous conclusions when looking at family history and genealogical records. The lecture is free and appropriate
for all skill levels.
For information, call 831-419-7244, or email gensocblog@me.com.
UNIVERSAL
CHURCH OF
BABA’S KITCHEN
FOUNDED: Co-founded in
2007 by Alx Uttermann and
Jonathan Rosen
NEEDS: Seeking $250,000
in donations so members
can purchase a 1.6-acre
plot on Empire Grade
DETAILS: 831-425-3234 or
babaskitchen@123mail.org
or www.karmatalk.com
Kitchen’s Friday afternoon
meals at the Presbyterian
church in Felton, which
offers its own free meals on
Tuesdays.
If the church is able to buy
the land, Rosen said, “we can
continue serving the healing
needs of our members and
local community uninterrupted.”
with each other to participate in the California marketplace. The expectation is
that competition will keep
premium costs down, as will
the addition of 47 million
uninsured Americans.
Prices are expected to be
established by October, when
people can begin signing up
for policies.
“It’s new, and there will be
a lot of confusion and doubt
initially,” Farr said.
Four different insurance
plans will be offered, with
different rates of premiums
and coverage. All plans will
include coverage for mental
health and substance abuse,
prescription medications,
and oral and vision care.
Insurance companies will
no longer be allowed to turn
customers away because of
pre-existing medical conditions, and annual and lifetime
limits on how much a policy
will pay for medical expenses
will not be permitted.
To help alleviate some
of that confusion, the state
has established a website
for information and eventually shop for coverage. The
site, www.coveredca.com,
also includes a simple way
for people to calculate their
potential insurance costs. In
addition, navigators will be
hired to help people figure
out the best insurance plan
for themselves and their
families, and help will be
available locally.
“The goal is to get everyone in a plan and covered by
2014,” Monning said. “Nonprofit groups, like Enroll
America, will be participating
with local community groups
to help people get covered.”
Those who don’t are subject to a penalty fee. Insurance costs will vary, depending on income levels, and
how many people in a family
that will be covered, as well
as which plan they select.
Individuals earning less than
MATTHEW HINTZ/SENTINEL
Community members listen as Rep. Sam Farr speaks Thursday
night about the Affordable Care Act and how it will affect Santa
Cruz residents.
$29,000 a year will be eligible
for federal subsidies or tax
credits to buy insurance, as
will families of four earning
less than $80,000. Individuals who earn less than $15,415
or families earning less than
$31,810 will be eligible to
enroll in Medicare.
McKay estimates 11,000
Santa Cruz County residents
will be added to the medical
program in 2014, and another 11,000 who are currently
uninsured with get subsidized coverage.
“I think the (act) is fantastic and is moving so many
Americans into coverage,”
McKay said. He added that
Santa Cruz County, which
has a number of well-organized clinics, has enough doctors to handle newly insured
patients. It is important for
people to get signed up for
insurance.
“It’s not automatic,” he
added. “We’ve all got to get
ourselves in the pipeline and
get covered.”
The enrollment process
will be streamlined and
involve a single application
for all four different plans,
McKay noted. People will be
able to apply for insurance
via the internet, phone, fax
or face-to-face with agents.
Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are not
required to provide health
insurance for their workers,
although they may be eligible
for tax credits if they do so.
Businesses with 50 to 100
employes can either provide
their workers with health
insurance or be taxed. A different set of rules applies to
businesses with more than
100 employees.
People who already have
health insurance do not have
to do anything else to comply. They can continue their
existing coverage or shop for
a different plan.
Questions still remain,
details need to be worked
out and loopholes closed.
Although the plan is not perfect, the speakers agreed, it is
a step in the right direction.
The panel received a round
of applause at the conclusion
of the evening.
“It’s been an excellent
start to all our educations,”
said Ellie Littmann, executive director for the Health
Improvement Partnership
of Santa Cruz County. “I’ve
learned a lot tonight.”
For information, go to
www.coveredca.com; www.
healthcare.gov; www.sba.
gov/healthcare.
Follow Sentinel correspondent
Terri Morgan on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/soquelterri
LAW ENFORCEMENT
New lieutenant, sergeant in Sheriff ’s Office
By STEPHEN BAXTER
SANTA CRUZ
AT A GLANCE
Bulk of law takes effect in 2014
SANTA CRUZ
CAPITOLA
ing the meals, and four years
after receiving nonprofit status. In addition to the free
lunches, the church offers
life-counseling sessions, distance “healing sessions,” and
healings and hospice trainings to veterans suffering
from PTSD, all provided on
a sliding-fee scale.
“They’ve sacrificed so
much for this country and
they’ve gotten not nearly
enough support to date,”
Rosen said. “It’s too hard
for them, and the Veterans
Administration is too difficult to negotiate for many
of them ... so if we can provide some relief, some healing help to them, we feel like
we’re doing a service to the
whole country.”
The church is open to all
religions and beliefs, even
to people such as Riich, who
called himself “neutral” and
has a list of churches that
offer free lunches. In fact,
he found out about Baba’s
Residents learn about health care changes
By TERRI MORGAN
The $21 million project to expand Highway 1
between Soquel Drive and Morrissey Boulevard is
moving smoothly as construction crews have finished
the base layers and the lean concrete base is curing.
Paving is scheduled to begin Wednesday and take
about four days, according to the Santa Cruz County
Regional Transportation Commission.
After paving, the barriers will be moved and lanes
re-striped during the night, which will involve lane
closures. Traffic will then be switched to the new
lanes. The last remnant of the La Fonda Avenue
bridge will be demolished after the traffic has shifted
to the new lanes. The majority of work is scheduled
to be complete in the fall.
dents in need, with a particular focus on veterans.
Four members live on
a rented, 1.6-acre plot on
Empire Grade in Bonny
Doon, north of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
But the landlord plans to
sell the land, and members are trying to raise the
roughly $250,000 required
for a down payment. A page
set up on the online fundraising site Razoo.com has
so far netted $17,000 in the
last month, said church cofounder Jonathan Rosen.
Baba’s Kitchen is more a
way of thinking than a religion, “of understanding how
the laws of nature operate,”
and members consider Jesus
Christ “the top-most example of the divine energy in a
human form,” he said.
The organization won Valley Churches United Mission’s “Angel Of The Year”
Award in 2011, two years
after members began serv-
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
newsroom@santacruzsentinel.com
Highway 1 expansion
project picking up speed
SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL
EXTRA
sbaxter@santacruzsentinel.com
SANTA CRUZ — Two
Santa Cruz County natives
have been promoted to lieutenant and sergeant positions in the Santa Cruz
County Sheriff’s Office.
Lt. Paul Ramos, 43, has
been with the Sheriff’s Office
since 1999. After he became
a detective in the investigations division, Ramos
worked as a patrol sergeant,
sergeant at Cabrillo College
and sergeant in charge of
the sheriff’s service center
in Aptos.
Ramos, who lives in Aptos,
Jacob Ainsworth also was and persons crimes.
promoted to sergeant on FriAinsworth graduated
day.
from Soquel High School,
Ainsworth, a 38-year-old attended Cabrillo College
native of Soquel, came to the and graduated first in his
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s class at basic police academy
Office in 2001 and has been at Gavilan College in Gilroy.
assigned to various positions
He will work as a sergeant
in the organization, said dep- in the patrol division.
AINSWORTH
RAMOS
uty April Skalland.
attended Cabrillo College
He worked as a correction- Follow Sentinel reporter
and UC Santa Barbara and al officer, field training offi- Stephen Baxter on Twitter
graduated with a degree in cer, and in property crimes at Twitter.com/sbaxter_sc
geography. He is now the
lieutenant in charge of corrections.
A lieutenant position
opened in the Sheriff’s Office
DRE#00546439
after Bob Pursley retired this
36 Years Helping
month.
Mike Schweyer
Buyers and Sellers
C USTOMER
SERVICE
www.santacr uzsentinel.com
831-706-3201
365 Things to do in Santa Cruz California
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C2 SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS
Some area offices will be closed Monday for Cesar Chavez Day.
COUNTY: County offices are closed.
SANTA CRUZ: City offices are open.
SCOTTS VALLEY: City offices are open.
WATSONVILLE: Most city offices are open.
LIBRARIES: All branches of the Santa Cruz library system are
open. Watsonville Public Library is open.
SCHOOLS: Santa Cruz City Schools are closed for spring break.
Scotts Valley Schools are closed for spring break. Pajaro Valley
schools are closed for spring break. Soquel Union schools are
closed for spring break.
POST OFFICE: Post offices are open.
SENTINEL: Office open. Paper will publish.
COAST LINES
SANTA CRUZ
Law mandates additional
mammogram information
About 40 percent of women have dense breast tissue, and a new law taking effect Monday will require
they get more information after a mammogram.
Senate Bill 1538, by former State Sen. Joe Simitian, will require women with dense breast tissue be
informed that:
■ They have dense breast tissue.
■ Dense breast tissue can make it harder to evaluate a mammogram and is associated with a higher
risk of breast cancer.
■ Information is given to discuss with their doctor
and screening options are available.
The law was suggested by Amy Colton of Santa
Cruz, a registered nurse. She was shocked when told
she had breast cancer after years of normal mammograms. She learned she had dense breast tissue only
after cancer treatment.
For information about dense breast tissue, go to
www.areyoudense.org.
UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF BABA’S KITCHEN
Church seeks funds to buy land
By KIMBERLY WHITE
kwhite@santacruzsentinel.com
BOULDER CREEK —
Tables covered with offerings are set up every week
inside St. Michael’s Catholic Church, bowls filled with
a quinoa vegetable medley, macaroni and cheese,
steamed and leafy greens,
garlic bread and apple
crisp.
“This is a banquet to me,”
said Gary Riich, a 62-yearold Watsonville handyman
who took a more than twohour bus ride Friday for the
free meal. As much of the
food as possible is organic,
drawing Riich and others
to enjoy an hour of companionship while dining
on the food prepared and
served by members of the
Universal Church of Baba’s
Kitchen.
The church trains healers,
shares ancient teachings and
helps the homeless and resi-
Easter egg hunt Saturday on
beach in front of Venetian
Capitola Village will host the annual Easter Egg
Hunt at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Children 12 and younger can search for prize-filled
eggs hidden in the sand on the beach in front of the
Capitola Venetian Hotel.
The Easter Bunny will be on hand along with
healthy snacks from Whole Foods Market Capitola.
The event is free, hosted by the Capitola-Soquel
Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Capitola
Village and Wharf businesses. For information, go to
http://www.capitolachamber.com/events/calendar/.
SCOTTS VALLEY
Rummage sale, car wash set
Youth from GateWay Bible Church are having a
rummage sale and car wash 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20
to raise money for the World Vision 30 Hour Famine.
The church is at 5000 Granite Creek Road, Scotts
Valley. For information, email gary@gatewaybible.
org or go to www.gatewaybible.org.
APTOS
AAUW to hold April 13 meeting
American Association of University Women, Santa
Cruz Branch, will hold a general meeting at 11:30 a.m.
April 13 at the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz,
7807 Soquel Drive.
The group will discuss the 40th anniversary of the
passage of Title IX, a law that requires gender equity
for boys and girls in every educational program that
receives federal funding.
Also the group will vote on the slate of officers for
the year 2013-2014 as well as a budget. A box lunch
will be served for $12. The public is invited. For reservations and information, call 722-7473.
SANTA CRUZ — The
Affordable Care Act, the
bulk of which goes into
effect in January, is expected
to have more of an impact on
people’s lives than any other
federal legislation.
Yet many of the people it
will help know little or nothing about it. A panel discussion featuring Rep. Sam
Farr, state Sen. Bill Monning
and Alan McKay, executive
director of Central California Alliance for Health,
which serves 200,000 lowincome members in Santa
Cruz, Monterey and Merced
counties, was held Thursday
to fill that information gap.
“Seventy-eight percent
of the uninsured don’t even
know about this health care
plan that’s being offered,”
Farr said. “We’ll need to
have more meetings like
this to reach out and educate
people.”
“Obamacare comes to
Town: Implementation of the
Affordable Care Act” was
held at the Santa Cruz Police
Department’s Community
Room. The event was sponsored by three Democratic
organizations: the Central
Committee, the Women’s
Club of Santa Cruz County,
and Santa Cruz Organizing
for America. About 40 people
came armed with questions
about the act, which requires
everyone older than the age
of 18 to have health insurance
beginning in 2014.
The federal law requires
each state to implement programs or health exchanges
to help get people health
insurance.
Some of the details of California’s plan are still being
worked out, and the cost
of premiums has not been
established as insurance
companies are still putting
together bids to compete
Beginner computer class offered
The Santa Cruz Adult School is offering its Beginners Computer Class Friday mornings from 10 a.m.
to noon starting April 12 at 319 La Fonda Ave. The
price is $50 for eight classes.
To register, go to www.adultedreg.com/santacruz.
For details, call the Santa Cruz Adult School at 831-4293966, or teacher Mary Caravalho at 831-332-2361.
SANTA CRUZ
Genealogical group to meet
The Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County will
meet at 12:45 p.m. Thursday at the Central Branch
Library Meeting Room, 224 Church St.
Certified genealogist Christine Rose will present
methods and tips to avoid jumping to erroneous conclusions when looking at family history and genealogical records. The lecture is free and appropriate
for all skill levels.
For information, call 831-419-7244, or email gensocblog@me.com.
UNIVERSAL
CHURCH OF
BABA’S KITCHEN
FOUNDED: Co-founded in
2007 by Alx Uttermann and
Jonathan Rosen
NEEDS: Seeking $250,000
in donations so members
can purchase a 1.6-acre
plot on Empire Grade
DETAILS: 831-425-3234 or
babaskitchen@123mail.org
or www.karmatalk.com
Kitchen’s Friday afternoon
meals at the Presbyterian
church in Felton, which
offers its own free meals on
Tuesdays.
If the church is able to buy
the land, Rosen said, “we can
continue serving the healing
needs of our members and
local community uninterrupted.”
with each other to participate in the California marketplace. The expectation is
that competition will keep
premium costs down, as will
the addition of 47 million
uninsured Americans.
Prices are expected to be
established by October, when
people can begin signing up
for policies.
“It’s new, and there will be
a lot of confusion and doubt
initially,” Farr said.
Four different insurance
plans will be offered, with
different rates of premiums
and coverage. All plans will
include coverage for mental
health and substance abuse,
prescription medications,
and oral and vision care.
Insurance companies will
no longer be allowed to turn
customers away because of
pre-existing medical conditions, and annual and lifetime
limits on how much a policy
will pay for medical expenses
will not be permitted.
To help alleviate some
of that confusion, the state
has established a website
for information and eventually shop for coverage. The
site, www.coveredca.com,
also includes a simple way
for people to calculate their
potential insurance costs. In
addition, navigators will be
hired to help people figure
out the best insurance plan
for themselves and their
families, and help will be
available locally.
“The goal is to get everyone in a plan and covered by
2014,” Monning said. “Nonprofit groups, like Enroll
America, will be participating
with local community groups
to help people get covered.”
Those who don’t are subject to a penalty fee. Insurance costs will vary, depending on income levels, and
how many people in a family
that will be covered, as well
as which plan they select.
Individuals earning less than
MATTHEW HINTZ/SENTINEL
Community members listen as Rep. Sam Farr speaks Thursday
night about the Affordable Care Act and how it will affect Santa
Cruz residents.
$29,000 a year will be eligible
for federal subsidies or tax
credits to buy insurance, as
will families of four earning
less than $80,000. Individuals who earn less than $15,415
or families earning less than
$31,810 will be eligible to
enroll in Medicare.
McKay estimates 11,000
Santa Cruz County residents
will be added to the medical
program in 2014, and another 11,000 who are currently
uninsured with get subsidized coverage.
“I think the (act) is fantastic and is moving so many
Americans into coverage,”
McKay said. He added that
Santa Cruz County, which
has a number of well-organized clinics, has enough doctors to handle newly insured
patients. It is important for
people to get signed up for
insurance.
“It’s not automatic,” he
added. “We’ve all got to get
ourselves in the pipeline and
get covered.”
The enrollment process
will be streamlined and
involve a single application
for all four different plans,
McKay noted. People will be
able to apply for insurance
via the internet, phone, fax
or face-to-face with agents.
Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are not
required to provide health
insurance for their workers,
although they may be eligible
for tax credits if they do so.
Businesses with 50 to 100
employes can either provide
their workers with health
insurance or be taxed. A different set of rules applies to
businesses with more than
100 employees.
People who already have
health insurance do not have
to do anything else to comply. They can continue their
existing coverage or shop for
a different plan.
Questions still remain,
details need to be worked
out and loopholes closed.
Although the plan is not perfect, the speakers agreed, it is
a step in the right direction.
The panel received a round
of applause at the conclusion
of the evening.
“It’s been an excellent
start to all our educations,”
said Ellie Littmann, executive director for the Health
Improvement Partnership
of Santa Cruz County. “I’ve
learned a lot tonight.”
For information, go to
www.coveredca.com; www.
healthcare.gov; www.sba.
gov/healthcare.
Follow Sentinel correspondent
Terri Morgan on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/soquelterri
LAW ENFORCEMENT
New lieutenant, sergeant in Sheriff ’s Office
By STEPHEN BAXTER
SANTA CRUZ
AT A GLANCE
Bulk of law takes effect in 2014
SANTA CRUZ
CAPITOLA
ing the meals, and four years
after receiving nonprofit status. In addition to the free
lunches, the church offers
life-counseling sessions, distance “healing sessions,” and
healings and hospice trainings to veterans suffering
from PTSD, all provided on
a sliding-fee scale.
“They’ve sacrificed so
much for this country and
they’ve gotten not nearly
enough support to date,”
Rosen said. “It’s too hard
for them, and the Veterans
Administration is too difficult to negotiate for many
of them ... so if we can provide some relief, some healing help to them, we feel like
we’re doing a service to the
whole country.”
The church is open to all
religions and beliefs, even
to people such as Riich, who
called himself “neutral” and
has a list of churches that
offer free lunches. In fact,
he found out about Baba’s
Residents learn about health care changes
By TERRI MORGAN
The $21 million project to expand Highway 1
between Soquel Drive and Morrissey Boulevard is
moving smoothly as construction crews have finished
the base layers and the lean concrete base is curing.
Paving is scheduled to begin Wednesday and take
about four days, according to the Santa Cruz County
Regional Transportation Commission.
After paving, the barriers will be moved and lanes
re-striped during the night, which will involve lane
closures. Traffic will then be switched to the new
lanes. The last remnant of the La Fonda Avenue
bridge will be demolished after the traffic has shifted
to the new lanes. The majority of work is scheduled
to be complete in the fall.
dents in need, with a particular focus on veterans.
Four members live on
a rented, 1.6-acre plot on
Empire Grade in Bonny
Doon, north of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
But the landlord plans to
sell the land, and members are trying to raise the
roughly $250,000 required
for a down payment. A page
set up on the online fundraising site Razoo.com has
so far netted $17,000 in the
last month, said church cofounder Jonathan Rosen.
Baba’s Kitchen is more a
way of thinking than a religion, “of understanding how
the laws of nature operate,”
and members consider Jesus
Christ “the top-most example of the divine energy in a
human form,” he said.
The organization won Valley Churches United Mission’s “Angel Of The Year”
Award in 2011, two years
after members began serv-
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
newsroom@santacruzsentinel.com
Highway 1 expansion
project picking up speed
SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL
EXTRA
sbaxter@santacruzsentinel.com
SANTA CRUZ — Two
Santa Cruz County natives
have been promoted to lieutenant and sergeant positions in the Santa Cruz
County Sheriff’s Office.
Lt. Paul Ramos, 43, has
been with the Sheriff’s Office
since 1999. After he became
a detective in the investigations division, Ramos
worked as a patrol sergeant,
sergeant at Cabrillo College
and sergeant in charge of
the sheriff’s service center
in Aptos.
Ramos, who lives in Aptos,
Jacob Ainsworth also was and persons crimes.
promoted to sergeant on FriAinsworth graduated
day.
from Soquel High School,
Ainsworth, a 38-year-old attended Cabrillo College
native of Soquel, came to the and graduated first in his
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s class at basic police academy
Office in 2001 and has been at Gavilan College in Gilroy.
assigned to various positions
He will work as a sergeant
in the organization, said dep- in the patrol division.
AINSWORTH
RAMOS
uty April Skalland.
attended Cabrillo College
He worked as a correction- Follow Sentinel reporter
and UC Santa Barbara and al officer, field training offi- Stephen Baxter on Twitter
graduated with a degree in cer, and in property crimes at Twitter.com/sbaxter_sc
geography. He is now the
lieutenant in charge of corrections.
A lieutenant position
opened in the Sheriff’s Office
DRE#00546439
after Bob Pursley retired this
36 Years Helping
month.
Mike Schweyer
Buyers and Sellers
C USTOMER
SERVICE
www.santacr uzsentinel.com
831-706-3201
365 Things to do in Santa Cruz California
Search Homes or your Homes
Value On Facebook
Secure • No signing in • Just do it
mike_schweyer@hotmail.com • 831-419-6004