The Santa Clara County planning department has yet again delayed the publication of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Sargent Quarry project that threatens Juristac. The release date had been April 14, and now is delayed “3 or 4 more weeks,” which would place the new date in mid to late May, or June.
A 60-day public comment period will begin upon the release of the EIR. Let’s continue to get ready for two months of community action!
In the meantime, here’s a few Juristac-related updates:
- Juristac EIR Comment Workshop Rescheduled: Due to the delay in the release of the Draft EIR, the public comment writing workshop will be rescheduled. We won’t set the new date until the EIR is released or we have a clear indication of the release timing from the county. Meanwhile, you can still register in advance for this free Zoom-based workshop and you’ll then receive a notification when the new date is set. This free event will focused on writing effective EIR comment letters to challenge the Sargent Quarry project and will feature representatives from the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger.
- Watsonville Artists and Youth Engage with Juristac: The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band has collaborated with the Pajaro Valley Arts Council on their upcoming art show “Alma Sagrada: Cultivando Ritmos Naturales” (Sacred Soul: Cultivating Natural Rhythms). The show opens on April 6 in Watsonville and aims to honor and teach Indigenous stewardship and environmental justice through art and community. Amah Mutsun Native Stewards served as judges to review artwork submitted by over 100 Watsonville youth as part of the “Protect the Sacred” poster contest. Contest winners were honored at the Community Opening Reception April 10th. Teachers have been encouraged to connect with the Protect Juristac Curriculum and bring their students to the exhibit where photographs of Juristac will be on display. To read more about the collaboration see the recent article in the Pajaronian and exhibit website.
- New Protect Juristac yard signs, stickers and business signs!— Request stickers and signs today for yourself or your organization or business on this page. Materials are free with an option to donate to the Amah Mutsun Land Trust to offset production costs. We are especially interested in getting yard signs up in highly visible places along corridors of Santa Clara County. If you would like to volunteer to help with materials distribution and outreach please email us at [ protectjuristac at gmail.com ]
- Juristac in the news— Juristac was recently featured on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle! You can read a PDF copy of the story here. In addition, Juristac and the Amah Mutsun Land Trust are featured on a new 30-minute podcast, “Indigenous Resistance and Regeneration” distributed by Making Contact. And lastly, the Pajaronian and Santa Cruz Goodtimes ran a story about the aforementioned Alma Sagrada art show, highlighting Juristac.
