Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 2

LOCAL NEWS A2 ten La Barth, city editor, 429-2411 Uabarthsan tacruzseminel. com Mental health funds demand patience XOMING tomorrow THE GUIDE Hot week for music Local clubs are bursting with great musical acts this week, including Flogging Molly at the Catalyst, Dave Alvin at Moe's Alley and Tim Griesgrabber at Brookdale Lodge. Check out The Guide on Thursday. A treatment plan should be finalized by May, which will be reviewed in public hearings by the county's Mental Health Board and the Board of Supervisors before it is sent to the state. "More people will get mental health services and people will get better mental health services," Wyman said.

While $2 million per year would go to direct treatment, another $2 million would come to the county for things such as education, technology and innovative programs. Money earmarked for education could go to community colleges for work-force development, for example. For information or to participate, call 454-4519. but the funds aren't expected to arrive until late summer. People who work with the mentally ill are excited despite the wait.

"I think the discouragement is overridden by the excitement that there will be more funding to come to the county," said Rita Flores of Family Service Advocates of the Central Coast, which offers counseling services. In typical state bureaucracy fashion, counties must submit a plan to the state that will describe the process by which they will formulate a plan to actually treat people. The initial process will begin with rounds of meetings in February and March. Patients, family members, treatment providers and others will be able to offer their views on the plans, said Norm Wyman, director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. the revenue going to mental health treatment.

For Santa Cruz County, the measure should garner about $4 million for 2005-06 and the following two fiscal years, with about $2 million of that earmarked for direct treatment. The county has a total mental health budget of about $35 million. About 4,000 people are treated through the county system. The new funding could more than double that number. A UC Berkeley report released this week showed that Santa Cruz County spends more per capita for mental health treatment than any other county in California.

Santa Cruz spent about $140 per resident, compared with $55 per resident in nearby Monterey and San Benito Counties, the report stated. The additional $4 million is promising, By BRIAN SEALS SENTINEL STAFF WRITER Mental health treatment in Santa Cruz County will expand thanks to a ballot measure passed in November, but the money won't arrive SANTA CRUZ any time soon. Patience will be the watchword for patients and advocates as the county goes through the laborious process it takes to get the cash. "We're still debating with the state the timelines on when we will actually get the money," Health Services Agency Director Rama Khalsa told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. Proposition 63 established the Mental Health Services Act.

It will tax incomes greater than $1 million by 1 percent with coast LINES Contact Brian Seals at bsealssantacruzsentinel.com. RAINY DAY COLLECTION I i rm 4 ik Si -T v'Vt ''in ret, 1 II lnANfc J-VI I KlUT I M1 IW -J Bill LovejoySentinel SANTA CRUZ Little Hawk will need to unpack his foul weather gear today while on his rounds collecting cans and bottles for recycling. Showers predicted earlier this week were postponed for a little while, but rain and clouds are expected today, Thursday and early Friday, said Steve Anderson, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey. After breaking for most of Friday, more rain is predicted over the weekend, Anderson said. No big storms should roll in, just light showers for the rest of the week.

Highs should be in the 60s, lows in the 40s. SCOTTS VALLEY New face to appear on planning commission A longtime city resident is the newest member of the Scotts Valley Planning Commission. Todd Ritchie, 47, manager of Scarborough Lumber, will take his seat Thursday at 6 p.m. in City Hall. He replaces Mark Newton.

Ritchie, who served on the creek habi-. tat advisory committee last year, was appointed by newly seated Councilman Dene Bustichi. Ritchie, who has three grown sons, considers himself a lifelong Scotts Valley resident. He has lived here since he was 6 and has worked at Scarborough for 28 years. At Thursday'smeeting, San Agustin Church on Glenwood Drive will propose a clerestory addition to accommodate the choir, a cry room and storage.

Planning staff recommends approval. The commission also will choose officers and take public comment on a request for a year's extension for a 247-self-storage facility on Green Hills Road. SANTA CRUZ City cracking down on fake parking passes Getting caught with a counterfeit parking permit will now bring a $150 citation. The City Council decided Tuesday to implement the fine after parking program manager Matt Farrell said a forged pass had been discovered in -a residential neighborhood. A residential parking permit issued by the city is $20.

SANTA CRUZ UCSC to hold memorial today for tsunami victims A memorial today at noon will mark the one-month anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated South Asia. Students, faculty and staff can contribute written messages to the memorial, which will be displayed in the Quarry Plaza near Bay Tree Bookstore. The informal memorial will be available through the afternoon. The event is sponsored by the Chancellor's Office and Division of Student Affairs to show support for people in the countries where so many died. For information on tsunami relief efforts, check http:www.ucsc.edunewseventstsuna mi STATE UC center offering window on state policy UC students can learn about public policy at the UC Center Sacramento, which opened one year ago.

Students spend one quarter in the state's capital, participating in internship and research opportunities in the offices of elected officials, state agencies and policy-making organizations. The center has hosted more than 30 seminars for more than 40 undergraduates on topics such as how UC medical students are helping solve the healfh-care challenges in California. The 18 students in the spring class represent all eight undergraduate campuses, including Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, UCLA, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. The center is on the Web at: http:uccs.universityofcalifornia.edu SETTING IT STRAIGHT It is the policy of the Sentinel to correct factual errors. We encourage readers to call our City Desk If they are aware of such errors.

Please phone 423-4242. County supervisor Jan Beautz's name was misspelled in a story on Page A2 Tuesday. Zayante man enters guilty plea in rock beating death of friend Development head leaving Capitola post Molloytotake similar position in Morgan Hill By RAMONA TURNER SENTINEL STAFF WRITER Witnesses said Gilbert held Hughes in a headlock and punched him repeatedly in the face before throwing a large rock on him as he lay in the road. Gilbert recited religious sayings such as, "Thy kingdom come" and "May you rest in peace" during the beating, while Hughes yelled for help, according to witness statements. Gilbert was arrested about two hours later, after running naked through the woods from Zayante to Lompico, Rizzieri said.

He appeared to be under the influence of metham- By GENEVIEVE BOO KW ALTER SENTINEL STAFF WRITER A man accused of bludgeoning a friend to death with a rock while uttering Biblical phrases pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple charges, including voluntary manslaughter. Donald James Gilbert, 42, of Zayante, was charged with SANTA k'Uing Jerry Hughes on June 7, 2003. Gilbert will 7 De sentenced to 14 years in state prison on Feb. 8. "It's the maximum charge he can face," said Barbara Rizzieri, assistant district attorney.

The plea comes less than two weeks before Gilbert was scheduled to stand trial in Santa Cruz County Superior Court, Rizzieri said. He will be eligible for parole in a little less than 12 years, said Santa Cruz County District Attorney officials. The two men were friends leaving on a fishing trip when the fight happened, authorities say. GILBERT phetamme. Gilbert had been arrested on narcotics charges several times before, according to court records.

Contact Genevieve Bookwalter at Church shies away from industrial zone location The city is losing part of its institutional memory, for a second time in four years. Kathleen Molloy, the city's ty development director, is CAPITOLA heading to Morgan Hill next month to manage its planning office. The Aptos resident plans to continue to live on this side of the hill, while commuting to her new job. Molloy, 45, and a mother of two, has a long history in city government. She spent four years as a planner In Sacramento and six years with the city of Santa Cruz working her way up to principal planner.

She came to Capitola in June 1994 as the city's chief planner. After working her way up to interim city manager, she left in 2001 to be a consultant. Molloy returned to Capitola as its community development director in 2003. Mayor Bruce Arthur said he's sad to see her go. "She's been a real asset to the city," he said.

"She has always conducted herself very professionally but also with a lot of compassion. She's going to be missed." Molloy's last day with Capitola is Feb. 4. Without mentioning an exact figure, she said, the Morgan Hill position pays more than her Capitola Job. Her Job in Capitola has a pay range of $80,000 a year to $109,000 annually, according to the city's Web site.

In Morgan Hill, it's $114,000 yearly to $138,000 annually, said an official In that city's Human Resources Department. They are out beating the bushes for a new site. So any help they can get would be greatly Betty Cost, planning consultant Mission Street in Santa Cruz but has been unable to find a larger location. Two years ago, the church made a $4.7 million offer for a office and warehouse owned by the Santa Cruz City Schools district, but school officials made a deal with the county Housing Authority instead. Many "for lease" signs are posted on Scotts Valley Drive, but it remains to be seen whether those properties are suitable for the church, which had proposed a gym for youth activities in addition to a worship area.

Turner said he is willing to help the church find another location. "They are out beating the bushes for a new site," said Cost, the church's consultant. "So any help they can get would be greatly appreciated." By JONDI GUMZ SENTINEL STAFF WRITER The Christian Life Center has backed off plans to move into the city's industrial zone on El Pueblo Road, much to the relief of Bill Turner, who hopes to expand his Lintelle Engineering business into the same location. The property at 360 El Pueblo Road had been in escrow to the Santa Cruz-based church with the condition that the city SCOTTS a use permit The church VALLEY withdrew its application for LzlhUil the permit last week. City planner Michelle Fodge said she got the call as she was making final editing changes on a "negative declaration," a planning document indicating the project would not have a significant Impact on the environment.

The church's request had already been slated for discussion by the planning commission Feb. 24. Fodge said the church's planning consultant, Betty Cost, Informed her the property owners wanted an industrial user for the building. Turner, who leases space next door, said he hoped the owners are referring to his plans to build vending machines that serve up hot french fries. The owners, Dennis McFarlane and Doug Usher of IDEVCO, did not return calls for comment.

The church, which Fodge said has 130 members, has outgrown its property on Contact Ramona Turner at rturnersantactvzsentinel.com. Contact Jondi Gumz at Jgumzsantacivzsentinel.com..