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In Colombia, young people are killed for their ideals, but their dreams don't die

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.15

In Colombia, young people are killed for their ideals, but their dreams don't die

In Colombia, young people are killed for their ideals — "Yor PL", a 27-year-old member of the "Front Line".

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360]

Almost three months since the protests and the national strike in Colombia began due to a protest against a tax reform bill, hundreds of young protesters have been killed allegedly by the police and the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad (Esmad), however, their dreams and ideals are still there, alive and united with those of thousands who seek a better country.

This is how "Yor PL" narrated it, a young man of 27 years old, part of the "First Line" made up of young people who are at the front lines ready to fight repression, with the hope that things will improve for all of Colombia.

In an interview with Peninsula 360 Press, Yor PL said that in the marches there are different lines ready to combat repression.

"In a few words, the first line are the young people or people who are there to defend the protest. Because whenever there is a social protest and the masses advance, there are the Esmad forces, which are the riot police. These people are there to, according to them, prevent disturbances from forming, but without the need for that, they enter to repress in order to prevent the marches from advancing, as was seen on April 28 in Cali," Yor said.

In the second line, there are young people who return gas and carry stones in a defensive way, not as an attack but as a method of defense. Third line, they are with lasers and other forms of harassment so as not to be attacked, in addition to carrying dairy products - milk - to avoid the burning sensation generated by tear gas.

Recalling the first attacks by the authorities on the demonstrators, he stressed that there was a lot of damage to public property, caused by the indignation of a people.

"I'm not saying that we are to blame for everything, but when the masses rise up many who come out with the desire to leave their message, many come out with aerosols to write signs like "narco-state", "killer police", "Esmad murderer", "Duque murderer", and the cause of everything is the bad government that we have lived for many years."

Throughout these months, Yor assures that Colombia is going through a period of social repression where the police are hated by many in the community.

"I am a young man who, personally, does not feel like attacking the police, does not feel like attacking the Esmad. When I go out to the front line I don't go out to fight, I go out to resist, to resist that repression. I am the bearer of a voice that fights for love.

Yor made it clear that the struggle will not become an armed struggle "for anything in the world," since the young people are only looking for opportunities to fulfill their dreams and become entrepreneurs, students, workers, parents and children who can give something to their parents.

"They repress us because we are standing up against processes such as the tax reform, because we are fighting against rights violations such as the beatings of young people when they are captured, beatings that are not only carried out during protests, but during all these years, the police abuse their power. They repress us because we stood up against the health care reform, against the labor and pension reform," he said.

Love is the strength of our struggle

"I am not here out of hatred. I am here for love, for love of justice, for love of prosperity, for love of children, for love of our dreams: to be able to buy a house, to be able to live with dignity, to be able to die and know that we left something to the generations that come after us.

However, things have not looked good in several ways, young people that Yor knew on the front line have been disappeared or killed. The authorities label them as guerrillas, vandals, destroyers, a situation that has divided society and turned many against them.

If only we could all die of old age and not from a bullet.

"I am preparing for death," Yor replies. "If I am alive it is by the grace of God, but many comrades have fallen in combat, and how sad to know that at 27 years of age or younger young people are prepared to die, and not even by a natural death, but by one provoked by the public forces".

"If I'm afraid of dying, I can't describe it, I can't answer that question as such, but my answer is: I'm preparing for when it's my turn. We all go out not knowing if we are going to return to our homes. Death is inevitable, but I wish we could all die of old age and not be killed by a bullet.

Resisting for change. The outpost.

For Yor PL everyone is waiting for a change, the fight is for it. The resistance is for it. Even though their spirits have often fallen, the thought of real change fills them with energy and motivation to not give up and to leave a better country for future generations.

Faced with the situation, all the front lines of Colombia are preparing an advance guard that will leave from the extremes of the country, and that will seek to travel through every town and city along its main roads in order to gather the demands of each place and take them to the capital, Bogota, where the political powers are gathered.

Without guarantees of security or that things will go as they plan, they do not intend to advance the idea or their ideals of changing the country.

"We have no guarantors. Nothing guarantees that they are going to let us get to Bogotá alive because the government here is genocidal and oppressive, the truth is that they are murderers first hand and it doesn't hurt them to kill people after they are given an order. So we have no guarantees to make this advance because we could be massacred on the road because they label us as guerrillas.

Yor is well aware of what it takes to fight for these ideals. The situation and the dozens of disappeared people have forced them to cover their faces so as not to be one more of those who are detained and never heard from again, or who wake up in bags on the side of the road. They try not to be a "military target.

The front lines expect around 5,000 people to participate in the advance, but at this point and with the imminent dangers, nothing is certain.

"We know that if we don't finish this struggle and we don't achieve justice, all of us who are part of the protests will be killed and persecuted, they will want to raid us and they will want to disappear us. We are young people with dreams," Yor said in tears.

The advance party intends to deliver three petitions upon arrival in Bogotá:

The first is to be able to open dialogue tables with the national government to reach an agreement where all the territories and localities of Colombia are attended to through demands.

The second is to request the resignation of the president, Ivan Duque, and that the elections be brought forward by 3 months.

And the third, to reach zero impunity and demand justice for the murdered, where the full weight of the law falls on those who gave the order to execute the hundreds of young people who demonstrated.

Yor, with a firm voice, asks international organizations and the international community not to abandon them and to accompany the peaceful protests.

To the international media "that they dare to continue interviewing the people who are in the middle of the framework, that they can cover the national advance because it is really something that we want to do, and we are going to do it, with or without guarantors: we are going to take the risk because we have nothing to lose here.

Yor does not say goodbye without first reminding the people of Colombia that "do not give up, do not stop dreaming of a just country, with a social change that is necessary, with a dignified life. Don't stop uniting, don't be afraid because we are on the right side.

This July 28th will mark 3 months since the movement began, and for Yor the end is uncertain and undated.

"I follow my struggle, but if you talk to me about a socio-political struggle, I don't see myself as a politician. I have dreams, I want to be an artist and I'm always going to defend the issue of the community through art and culture. I'm willing to keep fighting on the front line until the end. Until when? Until victory, until where? Until death if necessary.

"I am one of those who think that by changing a mind and a heart, I have made a revolution".

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Stanford engineers develop autofocus lenses

Josué Karim Moreno

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2021.07.15

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Stanford engineers develop autofocus lenses

By JOsué Karim. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Using eye-tracking technology to automatically control focus, Stanford University engineers created a prototype of "autofocal" lenses for people who would normally need progressive lenses.

Presbyopia, the gradual age-related loss of the ability to focus on near objects, is a vision defect that affects most people over the age of 45.

For some people, reading glasses are enough to overcome this difficulty, but for many people the only solution, short of surgery, is to wear progressive lenses.

So the engineers at Stanford are testing a pair of smart glasses that can automatically focus on whatever the eyes are looking at.

"More than a billion people have presbyopia, and we've created a pair of autofocal lenses that could someday correct their vision much more effectively than traditional glasses," said Stanford electrical engineer Gordon Wetzstein.

For now, the prototype looks like a virtual reality glasses, but the engineering team hopes to optimize later versions.

Autofocus lenses can prevent accidents

Wetzstein's prototype glasses, called autofocal, are intended to solve the main problem with traditional progressive lenses, which require the wearer to move his or her head to focus properly.

Likewise, with progressive lenses there is little or no peripheral focus, making it impractical to drive a car and have to look at the side mirror to change lanes.

Progressive lenses can also make it difficult to navigate the world: "People who wear progressive lenses have an increased risk of falling and injuring themselves," said Robert Konrad, co-author of a paper describing autofocal lenses, published June 28 in the journal Science Advances.

So "this technology could impact the lives of billions of people in a significant way that most technological devices never will," he said.

How do they work?

The Stanford prototype works much like the human eye, with fluid-filled lenses that thicken and thin as the field of view changes.

It also includes eye-tracking sensors that triangulate where a person is looking and determine the precise distance to the object of interest.

Although the team did not invent these lenses or eye trackers, they developed the software system that leverages the eye-tracking data to keep the liquid-filled lenses in constant, perfect focus.

Nitish Padmanaban, a graduate student and first author of the paper, said other teams had previously tried to apply autofocus lenses to presbyopia, but without the guidance of eye-tracking hardware and system software, those efforts were no better than using traditional progressive lenses.

The next step will be to reduce the size of the technology, and while Wetzstein believes it may take a few years to develop glasses that are lightweight, energy efficient and stylish, he is convinced that autofocals are the future of vision correction.

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San Mateo's Financial Stability Endangered by Flooding: Experts

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.14

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San Mateo, at risk for flooding — Credit: San Mateo County

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Several coastal communities in San Mateo County, California, including half of the homes in East Palo Alto, are at risk of financial instability due to social factors or anticipated flooding through 2060, according to research from Stanford.

Using a methodology that incorporates socioeconomic data on neighborhood clusters of approximately 1,500 people, the scientists found that even with flood insurance coverage, these residents would be unable to pay for damages, which could lead to homelessness or bankruptcy.

"These are workers who make a city work, they are the heart and soul of an urban operation. If you displace a significant majority too far from the urban area, the functionality of that city falls apart," said the study's co-lead author, Jenny Suckale.

Also an assistant professor of geophysics at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, she asked, "How can we make sure we provide a future for these communities that doesn't involve their disintegration?"

Flood damage estimates are usually calculated by civil engineers in terms of monetary damage to physical structures.

The paper recently published in the journal Earth's Future notes that with the new model, called the Stanford Urban Risk Framework -SURF-, the researchers bring a human-centered approach to risk assessment, specifically to residents most likely to lose their livelihoods when water floods their homes.

It also determines that while all households within the projected flood plain will be affected by flood damage, the socioeconomic context determines how damaging the costs will be.

Over 50 percent of San Mateo Coast households will face financial instability

"If you just look at the dollar amount, you're missing a major component of the problem," Suckale said. "What might be a nuisance in some communities is life-changing in other communities; it's really about proximity to a tipping point."

Despite uncertainty about the magnitude of future climate change, researchers agree that rising sea levels will increase coastal flooding, a danger that residents from Foster City to East Palo Alto have already experienced in recent decades.

Many of the most at-risk neighborhoods comprise single-parent households and are more racially diverse than the San Mateo County average, according to the research.

"Climate change isn't just about it getting hotter or sea levels rising, it's literally going to change the entire fabric of society, especially if we continue to ignore it," said another lead author of the study, Avery Bick.

Because San Mateo County includes both very wealthy and low-income residents, averaging the costs of flooding compared to the incomes of its residents on a countywide scale "makes it look like you don't have much of a problem," Suckale said.

However, he noted that by assessing impacts on a smaller scale, researchers were able to highlight areas of concern in a way that is more directly useful to policymakers.

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? When love is greater than fear

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.14

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To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? When love is greater than fear

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360] .

Many might think that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is for the weak or those who have no faith, however, far from doing it for yourself, making the decision to roll up your sleeve and accept a jab is an act of compassion, empathy, and yes...love.

Elvira Colín, a Mexican immigrant, lives in Chicago. As soon as the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines began to be introduced in the country, she knew she had a chance to move away from being one more of the thousands of deaths that were being counted daily at the beginning of the year.

The need for immunization was mentioned all the time on television. Mass vaccination centers provided inoculation 24 hours a day. Everything was going well, however, negative rumors began to spread "like wildfire", yes, just like the explosive material that causes deaths.

The rumors ranged from the most absurd to the most scandalous. "It's not a vaccine, it's a chip with which they want to control us", "It's a poison, the richest want to keep the few resources that are left and want to get rid of the poorest", Elvira read on Facebook and messaging platforms like Whatsapp.

At 68 years old, Elvira didn't know what to believe, the messages were forwarded by her friends, family and acquaintances, people she trusted. Facebook was full of "horror" stories about how people were dying because of vaccines, and these accounts were backed up by "scientists. The hesitation to get vaccinated grew for Elvira.

The vaccination was progressing. Elvira decided not to get vaccinated, but a phone call made her hesitate.

Her only daughter and grandson live in Mexico, usually visiting her once or twice a year, as the economy allows. However, for two years, due to the pandemic, they were unable to see her, which filled her with sadness.

"I had already told my daughter that I did not want to get vaccinated because I had many doubts and feared that something would happen to me with the vaccine, I read and heard so many things that I decided not to do it. I told my daughter in a phone call my decision and she told me emphatically that I would not come, because I would not have it on my conscience that she could infect me and, in one of those, kill me," she told P360P.

My love was greater than my fear

"I felt so bad. We cried and he explained all his reasons. I hesitated again and I spent the whole night thinking about what I could do and the truth is, I didn't think about it anymore, I said: I'm getting vaccinated. I love them so much that I couldn't do that to them and do that to me, my love was bigger than my fears and the next day I made my appointment. A week later I had my first vaccination and 15 days later the next one. I didn't have a single symptom, no pain or anything.

For Elvira, the decision was worth it. For one thing, she was relieved that she was protected against a virus that is killing millions around the world, but the main reason is that her daughter and grandson visited her at two months old. They, too, were vaccinated.

Vaccination is for chingones

"No one should doubt. The vaccine is useful, it helps and allows you to move forward. Getting vaccinated is for chingones. That's all there is. There is everything to do it, they even give it to you at the pharmacy, they gave it to my daughter and my grandson there. They don't even ask you where you're from. You tell them you want the vaccine, you fill out a form and that's it, they don't charge you or anything," Elvira said.

As Elvira told us her story and sipped her coffee, she sighed and said, "It's going to be okay if we all do our part.

Currently, the U.S. has administered 334 million 942,236 doses of one of the vaccines used in this country - Pfzier-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson. 184 million 543,821 people have at least one dose, while 159 million 675,163 are fully vaccinated.

However, there are millions who are still unwilling or unwilling to be vaccinated, which has led to a possible herd immunity is increasingly distant and the different variants of the virus advance, such is the case of Delta, a strain that seems to spread more easily and quickly than others, which can lead to more cases of COVID-19.

An increase in the number of cases will put more pressure on healthcare resources, lead to more hospitalisations and potentially more deaths.

Protect yourself from COVID-19

COVID-19 continues to spread in the U.S. and variants are circulating. In response, take steps to protect yourself from the virus.

Get a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to you.
Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth to help protect yourself and others.
Stay 6 feet away from other people who do not live with you.
Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer.

Gun crime on the rise in San Francisco

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.13

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By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Mid-year crime statistics showed that during the first six months of 2021, gun violence and homicides have increased in San Francisco, going from 22 in the same period in 2020 to 26 in this first half of the year.

And is that, the number of victims by firearm, both fatal and non-fatal, doubled. They reached 119. which meant more than double those recorded in mid-2019 and 2020, when there were 58.

This was announced by San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Police Chief Bill Scott, who also noted that auto thefts increased from 7,853 in mid-2020 to 8,524 during the first six months of this year.

In the case of robberies with violence, the figures also showed that there were 207 more reports than in the same period last year, going from 3,510 in 2020 to 3,717, while the number of stolen vehicles rose from 2,728 to 2,864.

In terms of aggravated assaults, the situation has not been different, since from January to June 2021, 1,092 cases were reported, 43 more than in 2020.

On the contrary, rape cases decreased, with 88 reported so far this year compared to 111 in 2020; robberies with 1,123 this year, compared to 1,269 in 2020; and theft cases with 12,738 reported so far this year, compared to 14,001 cases in 2020.

In response, Mayor Breed hopes that the $65 million that has been invested in this year's budget for public safety, as well as a network of strategies, including street crime prevention, victim services, wellness teams and street crisis response teams, will help reduce crime rates in San Francisco.

"All of these measures are part of our network to try to address public safety. It's not just about funding or not funding the police. It's not just about funding one program over another, it's about a comprehensive strategy to make sure that the right investments are being made," he said.

On that note, Breed said there is a lot of misinformation out there about what is happening in San Francisco. "We know that numbers don't matter when you're a victim of crime, any crime at any level, but at the end of the day we have to use this data to make a decision about our policies and our investments."

For his part, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott stressed that his department is working with organizations such as the California Partnership for Safe Communities to address the root causes of violence within communities.

However, he explained that the proliferation of phantom weapons and those that can be ordered online and easily assembled without a serial number continue to be key factors in the rise in gun violence.

"We have to get a handle on this," he said. "The number of illegal ghost guns we've confiscated over the last four years has increased exponentially."

In this regard, he pointed out that the Police Department continues to face staffing problems, with only 400 officers. However, recruitment efforts have been intensified to increase security support to residents.

"It's going to take time and we have to be patient, but we can't let that be the excuse for not doing what we need to do," he said.

With information from Bay City News.

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Man arrested after trying to take minor out of the country

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.13

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Man arrested after trying to take minor out of the country

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

A 36-year-old man suspected of having sex with an underage girl was arrested last week after he tried to take her out of the country to Amsterdam at San Francisco International Airport, according to the Redwood City Police Department.

The situation began when Redwood City police received a call on June 1 from a concerned citizen who said a couple had set up camp in a nearby park and were having sex in public view.

After officers found Raymos, the suspect's name, and the victim, an investigation led to the man's arrest June 15 in Menlo Park, authorities said Monday.

The court ordered the suspect to have no contact with the victim, and after posting bail he was released on June 19.

However, on July 7, Raymos attempted to take the child out of the country to Amsterdam, but was questioned by security at San Francisco International Airport and was found to be in violation of a restraining order.

Further investigation resulted in the individual being re-arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail on $5 million bail.

Authorities have requested that anyone with information about the incident should contact Detective De La Cerda at (650) 780-7697 or the Redwood City Police Department tip line at (650) 780-7110.

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Podcast: Repression of young people in Colombia

Peninsula 360 Press

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2021.07.13

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Podcast: Repression of young people in Colombia

Editorial office. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].

The demonstrations in Colombia that began on April 28th -now known as the National Strike-, have their origins in fiscal proposals stemming from the effects on the economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Colombian President Iván Duque insisted that the reform "is a necessity" and not "a whim" which led to the resignation of the head of Colombia's Finance Ministry and, subsequently, to the proposal being dismissed altogether.

Through the signal of KiQi 1010 AM, in San Francisco, sociologist Manuel Ortiz, traveled to Colombia to meet, first hand, the victims of forced disappearances, repression of demonstrators -resulting in facial injuries- and above all, to meet the parents who have suffered the loss of their children by execution at the hands of the public forces -National Police and the Esmad- by orders of the government of Colombia, headed by Ivan Duque.

"What we observe is a systematic practice of disappearance of young people from low social strata, many of them children of displaced people," Ortiz said. He warned that, from the U.S., it is important not to lose sight of the sister nation and the rest of Latin America in the context of the demands for a new immigration reform.

In addition, testimonies of victims who have suffered aggressions to their faces intentionally directed at their eyes are presented.

In the same vein, the lawyer and coordinator of Primera Línea Jurídica, Rubén Darío, pointed out that the constant state of war in which the Colombian government is involved, gives way to the justification of arbitrary acts against their society and, therefore, their economic situation whose real cause continues to be corruption. Rubén Darío explains that the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the famine and precarious situation of access to food and health.

Newsom approves state budget with historic surplus

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.13

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By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday signed SB 129 into law the 2021-22 state budget agreement, which includes the $100 billion California Recovery Plan.

The California Recovery Plan seeks to provide immediate cash support to middle-class families and businesses hardest hit by the pandemic, as well as the state tax rebate and small business assistance package.

"Leveraging the largest surplus in state history, we are making transformative investments across the board that will help all of our communities recover from the pandemic and pay dividends for generations to come," the governor said.

Newsom said that through this comprehensive plan, the state is addressing the inequities exposed by the pandemic. It will expand support for Californians facing the greatest hardship, with more opportunities for children, more ways to address homelessness, and more work to build resilience against the impacts of climate change that threaten California's future.

After the economy has revived, coupled with increased state revenues and additional federal recovery funds, the $75.7 billion surplus reflected in California's Recovery Plan contrasts sharply with the $54.3 billion budget deficit estimated just over a year ago.

According to the governorCalifornia can now seize this once-in-a-lifetime moment to address the challenges that threaten the state's future and ensure that all California families, regardless of race or zip code, can thrive," she said.

The state budget and related budget-implementing legislation signed Monday by the governor include:

AB 141 by Budget Committee - Budget Act of 2021: Department of Cannabis Control: licensure: safety and quality assurance.
SB 129 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) - Budget Act of 2021. You can find a line-item veto order here.
SB 139 of the Fiscal and Budget Review Committee - Golden State Stimulus II: Golden State Stimulus.
SB 146 of the Fiscal and Budget Review Committee - Correctional Facilities.
SB 151 of the Fiscal and Budget Review Committee - Economic Development.
SB 158 of the Fiscal and Budget Review Committee - Hazardous Waste.

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Our vaccines are very effective against Delta variant: Joe Biden

Josué Karim Moreno

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2021.07.12

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By Josué Karim Moreno. Peninsula 360 Press [P360].

"We have good news: our vaccines are very effective. Fully vaccinated Americans have a high degree of protection, even against the Delta variant," said President Joe Biden.

According to one study, it has been shown that, since the beginning of May, virtually all hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 in the United States have occurred among the unvaccinated.

In addition, research shows that receiving two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provides 96 percent protection against hospitalizations due to the Delta variant, while Oxford-AstraZeneca's efficacy is 92 percent.

"Get vaccinated now. It works. It's free. It's never been easier and it's never been more important. Do it now, for yourself and the people you care about; for your neighborhood; for the country. It sounds corny, but it's patriotic," Biden said.

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Alaska earthquakes could generate tsunamis that could "swallow" part of Bay Area

Pamela Cruz

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2021.07.10

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By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Earthquakes in Alaska could be a threat to much of the Bay Area in California, as they could generate tsunamis that would "swallow" much of the coastline causing severe economic, property and human damage.

According to specialists from the California Geological Survey (USGSAn earthquake in the Aleutian Islands, a sparsely populated but seismically active area, poses the greatest threat to California's coastline.

"While damaging tsunamis are rare in the state, if you are on the coast you should be aware of this potential hazard," said Dr. Steve Bohlen, acting state geologist who heads the California USGS, in an interview with CBSN Bay Area.

About 150 tsunamis have hit the California coast since 1800, according to state officials, and while some were barely noticeable, others have caused significant damage.

For example, the 2011 tsunami that devastated Japan also caused $100 million in damage to California's harbors and coastlines.

While the most destructive tsunami on record occurred on March 28, 1964, with waves reaching 21 feet high, following a magnitude 9.2 earthquake in Alaska.

And that's not all, because due to the heat wave currently sweeping the Pacific Northwest, a 2.7 magnitude ice quake was recorded in Alaska at the end of June, the result of melting glaciers.

Thus, the USG released a series of interactive maps for several counties in the state as part of its project to determine the tsunami hazard area for the entire coast.

For the Bay Area, maps were deployed in San Mateo, Alameda and Monterey counties, which allow users to insert an address to determine if the property is subject to potential tsunami inundation.

This project updates maps produced in 2009 with new data from improved computer models that show how far inland a surge of water could reach in the event of a tsunami.

Maps indicate that along the outer coast of San Mateo County, the biggest change is in Half Moon Bay, where seawater could cross State Highway 1 through much of the northern community of Arroyo Leon.

According to map updates, in a worst-case tsunami scenario, major areas of Alameda, Oakland and Berkeley could also be inundated to an elevation of nearly 20 feet.

"After 10 years of research in the wake of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake and tsunami in Japan, we are releasing maps with many improvements to keep Californians safe," said Dr. Steve Bohlen.

Maps, available at https://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/tsunami/, are also being updated for Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma counties.

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