This Week on the Central Coast
Filipino Race Riots remembered, new golf resort planned, Monterey's alternative education program received a grant, and Everyone's Harvest has a new director.
Watsonville Filipino Race Riots will be commemorated in a short film
“A Dollar a Day, Ten Cents a Dance” was made in 1984 and was screened on the anniversary of the 1930 anti-Filipino race riots in Watsonville. The film is about Filipino immigrants who came to the U.S. in search of a better future and focuses specifically on those who came to Watsonville and Monterey County. The story is told through interviews with first-generation immigrants who offer insight into what lead to the killing of Fermin Tobera, which was a catalyst for many of the riots.
The screening is part of the Tobera Project’s “Talk Story” series, which is an extension of a project called Watsonville is in the Heart. One of the project coordinators said “The film is a real preservation of history. Speaking to the families … Many people have family members or friends who are in the film, or were part of it in some way. They can go back and watch it to see them. It’s something they can treasure.”
The film screened on Sunday over Zoom and was followed with a discussion by Dr. Steve McKay, who is involved in several projects in Santa Cruz County, and the director and producer of the film.
New golf resort planned for Seaside
After the Bayonet and Black Horse golf courses recently sold, a new golf resort project was approved by the city of Seaside. The buyer is a physician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist from Florida. The city will still own the land get about $200,000 in lease revenue from the new resort. It is projected to be good business competition for the Pebble Beach Resorts and drive more outdoor recreation tourism to the area.
Both courses were built by the U.S. Army at Fort Ord. Bayonet was constructed in 1954 and named for the Army’s 7th Infantry Division. Black Horse was built in 1964 and named for the 11th Cavalry Regiment. Bayonet has hosted the PGA Tour Qualifying School for several years and was also the site of the 2012 and 2018 PGA Professional National Championships as well as the Senior PGA Professional National Championship in 2015.
Monterey County Alternative Education Program receives a grant
Monterey’s alternative education program just received the Pathway Improvement Grant, worth around $500,000. The program plans to use the funds to boost their Career Technical Education, which provides specific training and lessons that help students find work after graduation.
The alternative education program has grown into a valuable resource for students who were unsuccessful in traditional schooling. The program has grown from simply providing another schooling option to now offering hands-on practice in career fields. The funding will help the program expand its course options to include business, construction, and film production. Teaching is a prospective new course option as well. The teaching course would allow students to become teachers in less than four years and would be mutually beneficial to the area: graduates need jobs and schools need teachers.
The new director of Everyone’s Harvest wants to expand helpful services
Everyone’s Harvest has a new director, named Hester Parker. She was originally interested in Everyone’s Harvest because of its role in supporting small farmers while also providing access to fruits and vegetables to people who have limited access. She would like to expand the nonprofit’s role in the “food as medicine” trend. Everyone’s Harvest already collaborated with health care providers to have two hospital-run farmer’s markets and an additional market at the WIC office.
The nonprofit launched its “Fresh Rx” program in 2014. In this program, doctors “prescribe” fruits and vegetables to patients in need of them as a form of preventative medicine. Participants receive a $25 voucher to use on fresh produce. In addition to this benefit, Everyone’s Harvest is the only organization in the county to offer “Market Match” for people using CalFresh benefits, which matches $15 for the first $15 spent at the market. Parker would like to expand this offering to more of the County.
Another area Parker would like to improve is its partnerships and programs. She wants to bring Everyone’s Harvest to more locations, like South County, by partnering with existing markets. Some programs she envisions include more bilingual cooking demos and the use of social media, such as TikTok.
To anyone who missed the zoom screening of “A Dollar a Day, Ten Cents a Dance”, I found this version online:
https://vimeo.com/45513418