Illustration by Christine Hipp

When 52-year-old Karen Jones* walked into the Walnut Avenue Women’s Center (WAWC) nine months ago, it was an act of desperation.

“I had left Arizona from a situation of domestic violence and I was really looking forward to my new life in California. I was going to be home free,” Jones said. “I got here and it took about nine months before I had collapsed into myself and had thoughts of suicide at a time when I should have been starting a new life. It was in that moment when I reached out to the Walnut Avenue Women’s Center.”

Jones told the receptionist she had hit her “complete bottom,” and within 30 minutes they provided her with an advocate, who comforted her and assured her it was going to be OK.

When she left, the center provided Jones with a small gift bag of toiletries — “such a special little thing of personal care,” Jones said.

She started her path of healing.

But since Jones first came to the WAWC, funding has been cut, the resource has been threatened, and even fundraising has been unable to provide significant help.

In an effort to remedy an estimated $25.4 billion deficit, Gov. Jerry Brown slashed through state funding for state social service programs in January 2011. The new budget takes steps toward “dismantling much of California’s once vaulted social safety net,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

A sleepy wooden building at the end of a stretch of colorful gabled houses and arches of mature tree cover, the WAWC commands no attention from the rest of the avenue. The antiquated Young Women’s Christian Organization (YWCA) sign that hangs from the side of the building is the only hint pointing to what goes on behind those doors.

Aside from Defensa de Mujeres, a Santa Cruz domestic violence service center for women and their families in Santa Cruz, WAWC is one of the city’s only resources designed to help those who have been in an abusive relationship or struggled with poverty.
Over $200,000 in grant money has been eliminated by the state for domestic violence services, family literacy services and youth development services. Seven workers at WAWC have been laid off so far, and the remaining 27 have been furloughed.

“My advocate is no longer here on Friday,” said Sarah Walker*, domestic violence survivor and friend of Jones. “You are used to [being able to] fall apart [any time], but now I have to watch my days when I need help.”

Since 1933, when the center was first created under the name Young Women’s Christian Association, the programs provided have grown beyond women’s issues to support the development of the entire family.

The center’s mission statement pledges to “encourage women and their families through personal action and leadership” and aspires to reach this objective through their three umbrella programs: Family Literacy Services, Domestic Violence Services and Youth Development Services. Unlike other centers in Santa Cruz County, the services are designed to “serve the whole lifespan” of their members.

“Our teen moms who have babies, we get them as early as two weeks [for childcare],” said Jennifer O’Brien-Rojo, director of WAWC. “As soon as [the babies go] to school, they come into our [youth development] program. Then, all the way through the end of life, [we have] our breast cancer programs. So it really is the whole spectrum.”

O’Brien-Rojo started at the WAWC as a volunteer when she was 15 in 1985. After college, she came back to become a board member for the center before eventually becoming the director. Now 42 years old, 27 years later, O’Brien-Rojo sat on the edge of her chair as she spoke about the WAWC in its prime.

“In ’99, when I went on staff we just went crazy writing grants for all the things we wanted to do,” O’Brien-Rojo said. “We just saw so much need in our community.”

From 1996 to 2001, the budget of the WAWC exploded from $300,000 to $1.5 million thanks to funding from state grants. The center was able to develop their three main programs during this time.

Two of the three large programs, Family Literacy Services and Youth Development Services, had their state funding eliminated this year. Yet the WAWC has been able to keep the programs afloat by cutting staff to the bare minimum, requiring staff to take alternating furlough days to ensure the center is always open, and cutting what O’Brien-Rojo calls “the gravy” of the Youth Development and Family Literacy services, leaving only the necessities.

It costs $200 per day to fund the Family Literacy program, and the same amount to fund the Youth Development programs.

The Youth Development Services program, which is funded 90 percent by a state grant, started out small but over time created one-on-one mentoring services, youth support groups, a comprehensive sex education program and youth empowerment programs.

The Mom and Kids Club, a 10-week program that supports families who have survived domestic violence, helped facilitate the expansion of the Youth Development program.

“We got to the end [of the program] and we had this group of teen girls that said, ‘That’s great that you finished your program, but we’ll be back here next week,’” said O’Brien-Rojo, chuckling. “They owned the center now. It was their space.”

The kids kept showing up and WAWC staff kept coming up with more programs to provide for them.

Eunie Del Rosario — or “Ms. Eunie,” as her eighth-grade science class calls her — was so affected by the “family life” class the WAWC provided for the local Shoreline Middle School as part of their Youth Development Services that she joined the board of directors at WAWC.

“I call [the program] ‘family life’ versus ‘sex ed,’” Del Rosario said. “When I hear about [sex ed], it sounds like [it’s only about] an act and the relationship is not even considered. [We] give them the opportunity to look at what the facts are and they make the choices from within.”

The program was popular with the eighth graders, who on the first day were allowed to “get their giggles out” by saying out loud every sexual slang word they could recall. UC Santa Cruz-trained volunteers from the WAWC helped to teach the program. Del Rosario said the eighth graders responded well to the volunteers.

“These young [volunteers] are so passionate and [it’s] contagious to have that energy in my classroom,” Del Rosario said. “They’re a gift to come into my room with all the up-to-date information and give these kids tools to make good choices.”

Originally, WAWC provided additional programs for sixth and seventh grade classes that taught students how to have healthy relationships and friendships with their peers; however, those services were cut due to lack of funding.
Since the cuts, the WAWC have had to replace their full-time director of Youth Development Services with a half-time staff position.

Recently, the Youth Development director was eliminated completely. Volunteers, primarily from UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College, have picked up the slack — but their time is hindered by their school schedules, which include breaks.

In 2006, the center received an award for the highest teen mom graduation rate in California, and in 2008, the center received a second award for highest rate of teen moms continuing on to higher education.

“When we started, Santa Cruz was a hot spot for teen pregnancy, and in our 10-plus years of having the funding and doing the work, it is no longer a hot spot,” O’Brien-Rojo said. “But we really need to continue that work, because if we stop, then it’s going to climb right back up again.”

Two years later, $70,000 was cut due to a state decision to allow school districts to use California School Age Families Education Program (Cal-SAFE) money that was intended to support programs for pregnant and parenting teens on general expenses.

A state Community Challenge Grant, which finances teen pregnancy prevention organizations, had helped finance the program. However, in 2011, the state ruled to eliminate the grant funding.

Due to the budget crisis, WAWC is now unable to provide childcare for the teen moms, or home visits, which the center provided to make sure the parents attended school.

The Even Start Family Literacy Program, which provides resources for the preschool-aged children at WAWC to begin a steady academic career despite instances of abuse in their past, was unable to survive the elimination of its $140,000 grant.

The program worked with many English as a Second Language (ESL) children and was so successful that many of the children tested out of ESL classes — and some students were even recruited by local private schools.

“If we weren’t here, the worst-case scenario [is that] people die,” O’Brien-Rojo said. “On the other end of the spectrum — but to me, just as grave — is people never reach their potential. They never get to be who they were put on this planet to be.”

Rhonda Rhodes, a current employee with Human Resources at UCSC, was a domestic violence survivor and a member of the WAWC in the early 1990s. After completing her own healing process, she stayed at the center and supported other women by facilitating the same support groups she joined when she first came to the center.

“It’s kind of like we always know there’s a home to go to,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes has two adult sons who were part of the WAWC childcare programs, and now has a 10-year-old daughter. Rhodes said it was “unfortunate” that the Youth Development Services and Family Literacy Services funding was cut, especially since she plans on sending her daughter to GirlZpace, a WAWC youth empowerment program.

“I always knew that the [WAWC] would be a place [my children and I] could go to for support,” Rhodes said. “It’s really sad that there’s no funding for that youth program. Sometimes you need [a] resource other than your school.”

Fundraising for the WAWC has been a difficult process. O’Brien Rojo said the center is currently trying to generate more money from the community so they will not be as vulnerable to the “whims” of the state in the future.

However, throughout the turmoil, WAWC still succeeds in keeping the meat of their programs alive by using innovative methods to fill the financial gaps left by the state.

“You’re either going to sink, float or evolve,” Del Rosario said. “[WAWC] has evolved with their ingenious ways of making ends meet.”

On March 3, WAWC hosted their third annual unique tequila tasting fundraiser, called Agave Agape, at the Museum of Art and History in Santa Cruz. The event has grown from 45 guests at the first event to 150 guests this year.

Former member of the WAWC Laiaa Johnson* attended the event with her son, now a UCSC student. Johnson had used the free childcare services the center provided while working as a family law attorney in Santa Cruz County.

“[Working with the WAWC] was the best experience of my life,” she said. “It is totally a group worth supporting, because they do so much for families in our community. We are so lucky to have them.”

Members of the WAWC and domestic violence survivors from other organizations attended the event.

Nine months after she sought help, Jones sits with her friend after a support group for domestic violence survivors as they reminisce on the WAWC’s effect on their lives.

It took two years for Jones’ friend, Sarah Walker*, to admit that she needed help healing from her past of domestic abuse.

“You are so isolated that you can’t believe [it — you wonder,] ‘How did I get into this situation?’” Walker said. “And then you come here and it’s just … big hugs.”

“My life turned around for me,” Jones said, wiping tears from her eyes. “[The WAWC] started a path of healing, recovery, education, information and support in a place where I didn’t think I would be able to make it, honestly.”

The two women hugged outside the center before parting ways.

“I’m a possibilities broker,” O’Brien Rojo said. “Being the bridge, as the executive director, I give people that opportunity to be part of someone else’s possibilities by being donors. By financially supporting us, you get to be part of that person thriving. The returns on that investment are never-ending. There is never going to be a recession on human potential.”

*Names have been changed

Illustration by Bela Messex

Local non-profit organization Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International received a $90,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation.

Based in Santa Cruz, Kidpower serves thousands of children internationally by teaching what it calls “people safety.” On the Kidpower website, executive director Irene van der Zande explains that the goal of the workshops is to relay “what individuals can do to keep themselves and others emotionally and physically safe.”

Since receiving the grant, Kidpower has been conducting a thorough needs assessment project to determine where the funds would be best used. Van der Zande said the money is beginning to have an effect on the organization’s programming, both in the community and online.

“We received the grant a couple of months ago, but we’re just starting to implement it,” she said. “We serve hundreds of people every year in the city of Santa Cruz. We provide a lot of online services for people all over the world.”

General funding for the organization is collected from a combination of class fees, personal donations and gifts from businesses and companies.

Van der Zande said no one is turned down for a lack of funds. Families are expected to give what they can and Kidpower secures grants and donations to supplement the costs.

In an economy where potential donors are facing financial turmoil, the grant will provide vital support to domestic violence prevention programming and for outreach materials.

While money is a serious need for outreach organizations like Kidpower, it is also important to have a passionate team to create change through programming.

“I want the UCSC community to know we are always looking for people to work with as volunteers and instructors,” van der Zande said.

Watsonville chief of police Manny Solano has been on the Kidpower advisory board for 15 years. He said the department’s partnership with the organization has had a positive effect on the community he serves.

Solano “was instrumental in receiving the grant,” van der Zande said.

The Watsonville Police Department is routinely called upon to give a number of presentations in the community, many of which have to do with child safety or how to prevent abduction or sexual assault.

The crime rate in Watsonville has been on the decline. However, violence between partners and family members in the city is a growing problem, Solano said.

“Even though we had the lowest crime rate in Watsonville in 30 years last year, what still seems to be a serious issue is the rise in domestic violence cases,” he said.

Solano said collaboration with Kidpower has improved the effectiveness of the department’s outreach materials.

“A Kidpower trainer brought to my attention that the information that we were not giving out was not the most up-to-date and relevant information,” Solano said. “They wanted to help us. That’s how I became involved — because I wanted to make sure the information we were giving out was good, modern and tested information.”

Illustration by Rachel Edelstein.

Illustration by Rachel Edelstein.

Illustration by Rachel Edelstein.

He didn’t mean to hurt him.

“Soccer is a contact sport — you are going to get hit in ways that aren’t allowed,” I overhear José’s* mentor Colin Mark-Griffin tell him as he dribbles a ball in the afternoon sun. Brushing his shaggy black hair out of his eyes, he continues. “But you can’t just hit them back, or you will get penalized. Instead, next time you get the ball, get real close to them, and kick it at them as hard as possible.”

I watch as Colin demonstrates by getting up after pretending to be knocked down, dribbling the ball close to his mentee and aiming a soft kick at the middle school boy with short brown hair.

It’s not easy to watch the shot that collides with José. With a groan he falls to his knees clutching at his pants. Mortified, Colin runs over to him, apologizing and checking to see if he is all right.

“Yes, I’m fine,” José chuckles between deep breaths. “I get it.”

José is one of 20 youth involved in the Walnut Avenue Women’s Center’s mentoring program. Ninety percent of the youth involved in the program come from families that have a history of domestic violence, according to data collected by the WAWC. These same youth are at a greater risk of developing issues like depression, substance abuse and, in some cases, learning to copy the violence that they witness at home. Sixty-percent percent of teens who witness domestic violence in their parents’ relationship experience abuse in their own relationships, according to a 2009 research study conducted by the Liz Claiborne Foundation.

The program matches youth up with an adult mentor for a six-month relationship, and the pairs meet once a week to do something together. For José and his mentor Colin, this often means playing a sport. But no matter what the activity, the mentoring program aims to model healthy relationships between youth and adults.

It might be hard to see how accidentally hitting a middle school boy in the crotch with a soccer ball could be considered positive male role modeling, but Aleen Raybin — a youth advocate at the WAWC — said the mentoring program provides a safe place for youth where they can learn healthy relationship skills.

“It’s hard for them to trust relationships when they grow up in violent homes, and we create a safe place for them to express themselves,” Raybin said. “They can come to this safe space and get their needs met. It’s not about what’s going on at home — it’s about whatever they want to do in that moment.”

Colin, like most of the mentors, is a student at UC Santa Cruz. The WAWC does significant outreach to students whose majors offer field study, such as community studies and sociology. However, mentors are a diverse group, said youth advocate Adam Harrison, who helped coordinate the program.

“We get a lot of psychology and sociology majors, as well as community studies,” Harrison said. “But we also get people who find out about us while waiting at a bus stop.”

Harrison stressed that interested students do not need to have prior experience working with youth, as long as they are willing to donate their time. Prior to working with any youth at the WAWC, mentors are required to complete a seven-week training process.

“One of the most important things for people to know is, regardless of your background, all you really need to do is show up,” Harrison said. “We provide all the training you will need.”

The sea breeze is blowing hard as I arrive at the bonfire, and many of the mentors and mentees are wearing sweatshirts. I am introduced to the 15 or so people hanging out on towels surrounding the fire pit, and I take a spot next to one of them.

Off to the side, a group of young teens and their mentors are playing catch with a football. Colin’s mentee José is among them. He passes the football to his sister Marta* and when she flinches and drops it, he encourages her to not be afraid of getting hit. The tone of his voice is tired but calm, the way a parent speaks to a child learning to ride a bike. Walking over to join them, I strike up a conversation with José.

Without missing a beat in his game of catch, José tells me that he is excited for his soccer team’s first real match the next day. Speaking of his two favorite positions, goalie and defenseman, José is relaxed and talkative.

However, his expression changes when I ask him about the mentoring program and how he and his sister Marta came to be involved in it. Now, he resembles a student who doesn’t know the answer to the teacher’s question. He glances at his younger sister before he responds. A few seconds pass before he says anything.

“We have family problems,” he says.

Esmeralda Rizas, crisis intervention advocate and community educator at the Women’s Crisis Center in Watsonville, explained why having an adult outside the family to talk to can help children who have experienced domestic violence.

“The child or teen has the opportunity to speak with someone who is there to listen and provide support,” Rizas said. “Unfortunately, they don’t always have that kind of relationship with their parents.”

She said that a mentoring program allows for a safe space to talk.

“They know that they can talk to someone, and they won’t be screamed at, or punished for saying things that might not be OK with their parents,” Rizas said.

The Liz Claiborne Foundation also found a correlation between the worsening economy and increasing rates of both violence in teen relationships and domestic violence. Seventy-four percent of teens surveyed for the study said that their families experienced some form of economic hardship in the past year, and of those, 44 percent reported witnessing some form of violence or other abusive behavior in their parents.

Maisy*, a seventh grader involved in the WAWC mentoring program, echoed Rizas’ words when she talked about her relationship with her mentor, Megan Ludwig, a UCSC fourth-year.

“It’s kinda like having another older sister who I can talk to,” Maisy said. “I feel comfortable talking to her about anything.”

Sitting comfortably at a table outside one of their favorite hangouts on Pacific Avenue, Ludwig and her middle-school mentee Maisy laugh as they share memories from their experience as a mentoring pair.

“Do you remember that one time we were walking along the beach and there were all these dead sand crabs, and every time we saw one you had to stop and look at them?” Maisy teased.

“I had to stop and look,” Ludwig said. “It was fascinating, there were like thousands of them — how could you not?”

This playful back-and-forth sounds more like old friends catching up over a cup of coffee than the everyday conversation of a college student and her middle-school mentee. But the structure of the program makes it easy for students like Ludwig to learn skills necessary for connecting with youth.

Over the course of the seven-week training process, mentors develop skills in active listening, harm reduction and understanding how domestic violence affects children. A major component of the training process is that mentors take an active role. When discussing the issue of domestic violence, for instance, mentors engage in brainstorming sessions to define what constitutes abuse, break down myths about domestic violence, and understand potential barriers to the victim of domestic violence against leaving their spouse.

One of the lessons stressed in the training program is that mentors are there for the youth, not the other way around. While the WAWC wants mentors to develop a close relationship with their mentee, mentors should not unload personal issues on their youth.

“The No. 1 priority in our program is the youth,” Raybin said. “We make sure that the people we bring into their lives are prepared to support them in that capacity, and it includes not using the space for themselves.”

By providing mentors with the tools they will need to work with the kids, the WAWC encourages people to get involved. Being willing to show up is all that is needed to make a difference in the life of a child, Harrison said.

“People who come into our programs feel comfortable and ready to jump in after our training,” Harrison said. “Who you are is perfectly good enough to work with a young person.”

Back on Seabright Beach, it is almost time to go. But before everyone can go home, Harrison and a young mentee have organized a makeshift obstacle course and the WAWC has provided a brand new boogie board as the prize. Mentors and mentees alike compete, and eventually one of the boys is declared the winner.

Although it may not have been the point, the competition provides a metaphor for the obstacles youth who have witnessed domestic violence face and the help that mentors can provide. Just as Harrison worked with a mentee to construct the course, mentors help youth redefine the obstacles in their own lives, whether this means making decisions about substance use, safety planning for when a parent turns violent, or practicing healthy relationship behaviors. By establishing a fun, safe space for youth to deal with serious issues, mentors help them develop into healthy adults capable of avoiding harmful relationships later in life. Since many abusers learn to use violence in the home from their parents, preventing a child from growing up to do the same has the potential to break the cycle and positively impact generations.

Ludwig said she has discovered a passion, and is planning to work with youth when she moves home to Los Angeles. Maisy, whom she mentors, has plans of her own. Inspired by her experience with Ludwig, Maisy wants to give to back to the program.

“I have Megan, and it’s nice to have her,” Maisy said. “So it would be nice for another kid somewhere to have a mentor too. I would love to be someone’s mentor.”

*Names have been changed to protect the identities of children 18 and under.

Illustration by Rachel Edelstein.

Police investigate the scene of a homicide-suicide at a Santa Cruz 7-Eleven store on Jan. 1. The incident was just one example of increased city crime this year. Photo by Jacob Pierce.

On Jan. 1, 2010, the first day of a new year, 24-year-old 7-Eleven salesclerk Nichole Schrock was found dead in the bathroom of her workplace along with her 42-year-old ex-boyfriend Illya Cavlan.

According to police spokesperson Zach Friend, both suffered from an undetermined number of gunshot wounds and their bodies were found around 9:45 a.m., after a customer — who found the store open and unattended — contacted authorities.

“It appears to be a domestic violence case,” Friend said.

A police inspection found that Cavlan shot Schrock in the bathroom and subsequently shot himself. Police found a revolver near Cavlan’s body. Although evidence suggests that the couple was once in a relationship, the motive for the crime has yet to be determined.

An employee from a local business across the street from the 7-Eleven described the aftermath of the situation.

“I thought it was just a robbery at first, with all of the cop cars and the caution tape,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified. “I’ve been living here for 25 years and I have never seen anything like this.”

The representative also described her personal discomfort with the situation.

“I know [Schrock] because I get coffee there all the time in the mornings,” she said. “It’s not a small town anymore and the crime rate is getting up there now.”

The year 2009 proved to be a rocky one for the college beach town as Santa Cruz racked up four homicides, various assaults, and countless auto thefts.

“The years 2005 to 2008 had a marked decline in city crime,” Friend said. “But in 2009 there was an increase in a number of crime categories, including theft, assault and burglary.”

The homicides of 2009 included an Eastside stabbing; the stabbing of Santa Cruz High junior Tyler Tenorio; the murder of L.A. resident Elias Sorokin; and a shooting at the San Lorenzo River levee during Thanksgiving.

Friend pointed out that all of the documented homicides were gang-related, and that some of the other crimes, but not all, were attributed to gangs.

Santa Cruz residents took note of the exponential growth in community violence and its effect on UC Santa Cruz students.

Maren Preston, a second-year art major at UCSC, lives up the street from the 7-Eleven where the crime took place.

“I feel like I’ve seen a lot more cops lately,” Preston said. “And that’s good that they’re trying to get more safety in the community.”

However, the anonymous local employee shaken by Schrock’s death expressed concern that without citizen cooperation, no positive change can be made in terms of improving public safety, even with the help of added security.

“We don’t want to start off the year that way,” the woman said. “People need to get involved and write to their city council if they want to see change.”

Friend commented on the importance of community participation in preventing local violence or crime from spreading.

“There are 94 police officers and about 56,000 people living in Santa Cruz,” Friend said. “When we have our greatest success is when people take an ownership to their neighborhood.”

Preston also pointed out that although residents in the area and throughout the town may feel like the quality of safety has plummeted over the past 12 months, precautions must be taken to help keep the community as peaceful as possible.

“I don’t think you should be afraid to live your life, but you should still be aware of your surroundings,” she said. “I hope that people can look at the tragedies in our community and make more of an effort to be safe.”

Purple ribbons adorn the Walnut Avenue Women’s Center in commemoration of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Center is happy to have its state funding restored, but still has difficult decisions ahead. Photo by Kathryn Power.

Kristie Clemens (center) and administrative staff of the Walnut Avenue Women’s Center are responsible for making sure the money that has been restored goes to those who need it. Photo by Kathryn Power.

Throughout the month of October, domestic violence centers in Santa Cruz County have been celebrating Domestic Violence Awareness Month. But the celebration has been, at best, bittersweet.

Just over the course of this past month, domestic violence centers have seen a drastic change in scenario. Over the summer, Schwarzenegger cut all of the $16 million funding to California’s domestic violence centers.

Since then, centers like Santa Cruz’s Walnut Avenue Women’s Center (WAWC)and Watsonville’s Women’s Crisis Support (WCS) have made a case for why they need state support. The original cut meant a 50 percent reduction to the budget of WAWC’s Domestic Violence Department and a 33 percent cut at the WCS.

“We all came together in response to what happened and called on our allies in our community,” said Kristie Clemens, director of the domestic violence department at the WAWC. “Fortunately, we were received by the press and were able to have a voice and be heard and made a lot of phone calls.”

On October 15 the centers saw their efforts come to fruition when $16.3 million, was restored to the centers.

The allocation represents only a temporary solution, however. The money came on loan from the state of California due to cuts the made to its Vehicle Technology Fund, and the allocation will last for one year.

“It’s a Band-Aid solution,” Clemens said. “It will give us a year of funding, and we’ll hopefully be able to secure more money.”

In the meantime, while the centers wait and fight to secure money beyond the first year, either from governmental or private sources, the county’s two women’s centers are making difficult decisions.

While both centers have maintained many core programs including legal advocacy, counseling, education outreach and providing safe homes to those who need them, cuts have had to be made elsewhere.

WCS has opted to close its doors on Fridays. WAWC is now closed on Wednesdays and has had to let go of two staff members. Additionally, WAWC is considering a reduction in hours for its advice hotline, which currently operates 24 hours a day.

The reduction in hours and services has caused longer lines and delays on the days when WAWC is still open. It has also made work more difficult for volunteers and staff members, who are now doing more work than ever for significantly less money.

Emily Steiner, a third-year UC Santa Cruz feminist studies major, interns with WAWC. She said she is worried about the cuts being discussed to the 24-hour hotline, which she works regularly.

“I’ve had participants call and say it’s very helpful that they can call at any time,” Steiner said. “If they’re not able to call, they’ll lose that support.”

According to the Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office, on Oct. 20 there were 21 domestic violence complaints called in to emergency dispatchers in Santa Cruz County, which brought the complaint total from Oct. 1 thorugh Oct. 26 to 423.

UCSC feminist studies professor Bettina Aptheker said that university students are not immune to the threat of domestic violence, noting that students and faculty alike have reported violence problems both on campus as well as in town.

“Santa Cruz has this reputation: we’re supposed to be laid back; a really cool place; everybody’s sort of an ex-hippie,” Aptheker said. “You could have an aging hippie who could be a very sweet guy in certain circumstances and could still be a batterer. It’s two different worlds.”

Dee O’Brien, a full time staff member at WAWC, agreed.

“I think we have to pay attention to [the fact] that it’s an illusion that Santa Cruz is so unique,” O’Brien said, “because it’s not.”

As domestic violence centers continue their search for funding, Steiner believes fighting, preventing and dealing with domestic violence need to be higher priorities for Santa Cruz County.

“I think this is something that needs to be addressed in this community,” Steiner said. “It’s something that’s overlooked.”

Additional reporting by CHP City Reporter Mikaela Todd