The Loma Prieta community in the Santa Cruz Mountains is home to a special group of people, mostly due to the inconveniences that nature throws at them. These include seasonal rain — four to 10 times what falls in the valley — and the resultant downed trees and mudslides, power outages, the miseries of driving Highway 17, and of course, the earthquake that put the name Loma Prieta on the map.
It is not easy living there, but the area is home to a group of people who take all these inconveniences in stride and call the area home.
At the heart of this community, both figuratively and physically, is the small but mighty Loma Prieta Joint Union School District, made up of two schools that are separated by a parking lot. The school is the center of the community, in more ways than people realize. While dropping off and picking up kids, volunteering in the classroom or taking their kids to art or sports practice, parents form everlasting bonds with other parents — bonds that are hard to make in such a rural community. Kids make lifelong friends and grow up to be resilient adults, able to take whatever Mother Nature throws their way. Teachers and others, mostly local residents, contribute to the vibrant community.
The school is also where residents would gather in the event of a major disaster. It is where the Red Cross equipment is stored, where the ham radio group would set up and keep contact with the rest of the world.
In the past few years, external human forces have come together, looking for ways to disrupt this community. The community continues to be resilient, which is a testament to the type of people who live there.
On Nov. 8, voters will decide the fate of Measure M, a parcel tax measure. Funding supports high-quality K-8 educational programs, attracts and retains qualified and experienced teachers, and supports current curriculum and educational materials. And, most importantly, the funding will support the vibrant Loma Prieta community in the mountains.
Community is important. It takes a lot of work to build a community and perhaps, even more, to sustain a community. A loss on Measure M would do clear harm. The Loma Prieta community is special and deserves to live long and prosper.
Sanjay Khandelwal is a member of Loma Prieta Community Foundation.
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