Community Matters
by communitymatters
Latest episode
April 24, 2026 Interview with Mr. Michael Polkabla, Senior…
April 24, 2026 Interview with Mr. Michael Polkabla, Senior…
About this podcast
Community Matters features guest interviews to discuss topics of interest to the Santa Cruz Community. We aim to help people better understand important local issues and learn how to get involved to make a positive difference. Please listen and call in to join the discussions.
Listen to Community Matters live every Friday from 2:00pm to 4:00 pm PT on https://santacruzvoice.com
Episodes
The newest 20 of 68 episodes
- April 24, 2026 Interview with Mr. Michael Polkabla, Senior Industrial Hygienist with BioMax Environmental t · 50 min · Episode 146Mr. Michael Polkabla describes the initial County of Monterey and EPA responses to the January 16, 2025 Moss 300 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Fire, how he worked with the…
- April 17, 2026 Interview with Mr. Ed Mitchell, Lead Investigator for Never Again Moss Landing · 49 min · Episode 145Mr. Ed Mitchell discusses the problems with the Vistra Moss 300 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility that contributed to the fire disaster on January 16, 2025, why it is…
- February 27, 2026 Interview with Cabrillo College President Dr. Jenn Capps & Mkting. Director Ms. Kristin Fabos; 2nd Hour: Mr. Lee Butler, Planning Director for City of Santa Cruz · 1 h 54 min · Episode 144Hour One: Meet the new President of Cabrillo College, Dr. Jenn Capps, joined by Marketing & Communications Director Ms. Kristin Fabos. Dr. Capps guided the change at Humboldt…
- February 20, 2026 Interviews Bob Broussard re: S.C.C. Civil Grand Jury; Dr. Mijin Cha re: BESS and environmental justice · 1 h 54 min · Episode 143Hour One: Mr. Bob Broussard, current Foreperson of the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury, describes the work of the Civil Grand Jury, the investigations that lead to improved…
- February 13, 2026 Interview with Dr. Xiaoliang Wang re: Moss Landing Battery Fire and Toxins; Update on Santa Cruz County Draft BESS Ordinance; A Voice for Mila B. · 1 h 55 min · Episode 142Hour One: Dr. Xiaoliang Wang, Director of Atmospheric Sciences Graduate Program at University of Nevada, Reno, is the principal investigator of projects to study lithium-ion…
- February 6, 2026 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) updates [short program due to technical difficulties]] · 39 min · Episode 141Due to technical difficulties, today's program is very short, but includes updates on February 3 Monterey County Board of Supervisor actions re: Moss Landing BESS Fire Clean Up…
- January 30, 2026 Interview with Mr. Drew Bohan, Cal. Energy Commission Executive Director: Ms. Ashley Bridges, Pajaro Loaves and Fishes Executive Director · 1 h 54 min · Episode 140Hour One: Mr. Drew Bohan, Executive Director of California Energy Commission (CEC), discusses the process for Opt-In Certification of large non-fossil fuel power facilities and…
- Janury 23, 2026 Guest Interviews with Gillian Greensite (Santa Cruz City Affordable Housing Ministerial Approval Overlay); Jim Wason (Winter Field Day); Ed Mitchell (Moss Landing Vistra BESS Fire) · 1 h 54 min · Episode 1392:06pm-3pm, Guest Gillian Greensite will discuss the impending action of Santa Cruz City Council to erase the public's involvement in large construction projects in a broad swath…
- January 16, 2026 1st Hour: Nina Audino re: Santa Cruz County BESS Ordinance; 2nd Hour: Scott Smith Blue Sjirt Justice League & EPA Whistleblowers · 1 h 54 min · Episode 138One year ago today, the Moss 300 lithium battery storage facility in Moss Landing erupted in massive toxic flames. Dedicating this program to those who have come together to seek…
- January 9, 2026 Interview Gary Patton & Measure J; Carol Bjorn, Phillip Carranco, Karell Reader re:County BESS Ordinance · 1 h 55 min · Episode 137First Hour: Gary Patton discusses the 1978 Voter Referedum Measure J's importance in continuing to preserve agricultural lands, require 15% affordable housing in new subdivision…
- December 19, 2025 Interviews [One hour only due to power outage): Friends of Santa Cruz Public Libraries; Arukah Project · 1 h 3 min · Episode 1361) Interview with Ms. Sarah Beck, Executive Director of Friends of Santa Cruz Public Libraries as a participant in the Santa Cruz Gives campaign…
- December 19, 2025 Interviews: Sara Beck & Friends of SC County Libraries; Loreal Weitzel & Arukah Project · 15 min · Episode 135Hour One: Friends of the Santa Cruz Library - Sarah Beck, Executive Director https://www.friendsofsantacruzlibraries.org/…
- December 12, 2025 Interviews with Local Non-Profits (Santa Cruz Gives) Senior Legal Services, El Pajaro CDC, Jacob's Heart Children's Cancer Support · 1 h 54 min · Episode 1342:05pm - Ms. Rosalina Nunez, Supervising Attorney for Senior Legal Services describes helping elderly navigate legal issues, including senior benefits, landlord / tenant issues…
- December 5, 2025 Interview with Mr. Amin AbuAmara about the Rail Trail; Groundwater Issues in MidCounty with Mr. Jon Kennedy · 1 h 55 min · Episode 133Hour One: Discussion of Rising Worldwide event and human trafficking in Santa Cruz County; update on Santa Cruz County BESS rules, and what the County Board of Supervisors have…
- November 28, 2025 Interviews: Hour one: Amateur Radio Operators Roberta Roberts & Pete Johnson: Last Week's Search & Rescue Comm's; Jpir Two BESS Updates; Kris Kirby Runs for Office · 1 h 54 min · Episode 132Hour One: Roberta Roberts and Pete Johnson describe how Amateur Radio helped over 100 Search & Rescue volunteers in challenging terrain, interacting with volunteers from many…
- November 21, 2025 Interview with Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, Phillip Carranco, Karell Reader re: BESS moratorium/ ordinance · 1 h 53 min · Episode 131Hour One: Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church discusses why Board's decision to reject a moratorium on large battery energy storage system (BESS) projects will help move the…
- November 14, 2025 Interview with Tom Ginsburg: 3720 Capitola Road Project; Interview with Nina Beety: MBARI's harmful sonar mapping project · 1 h 55 min · Episode 130Hour One: Interview with Capitola Resident Tom Ginsburg: how the Bulb Ave. neighborhood has come together to present reasonable, fact-based discussions to the Capitola City…
- November 7, 2025 Hour 1: Discussion of Santa Cruz County BESS; Hour 2: Vets 4 Vets Interview · 1 h 55 min · Episode 129Hour 1: News about release of Santa Cruz County's new rules for siting potentially flammable and explosive large battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in neighborhoods…
- October 31, 2025 Interviews re: BESS Issues with Supervisor Glenn Church, Nina Audino and Brian Roeder · 1 h 54 min · Episode 128Hour One: Supervisor Glenn Church discusses importance of proposed BESS moratorium in Monterey County to enable careful drafting of BESS Ordinance; Nina Audino (Stop Lithium BESS…
- October 17, 2025 Interview of Sandy Lydon on the Anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake · 1 h 53 min · Episode 125Hour One and Hour Two: Today, 36 years ago, the Loma Prieta Earthquake shook the land and souls of our area. Centered in Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos but reverberating into…
