As Downtown Santa Cruz continues its skyward housing boom, there’s a big question planners must ponder: what are all those thousands of new residents going to do at night?

The answer would naturally be go to clubs and find entertainment, which has hit some big bumps in the road. First off, the Catalyst is up for sale and the building hasn’t been maintained in a way that shouts long-term entity. That building holds 800 in the main room and 350 in the atrium.

And just as disturbing, the Civic Auditorium has taken a big slide, as you’ll see in our cover story by Joshua Logan. This was a place that brought in Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Zakir Hussain and Shakti, to name a few. The 2,000- to 2,400-capacity room’s schedule has dwindled to the point where it’s now losing half a million dollars a year.

That building once housed the now-defunct Miss California Pageant and in 1956 it drew national attention when a concert was stopped by police because of what they characterized as the dancers’ “suggestive, stimulating and tantalizing motions.”

There aren’t enough tantalizing motions there now…why? Check out the cover story. This is a problem that needs to be solved.

Speaking of entertainment, hometown hero Lacy J. Dalton is returning for an intimate gig at El Vaquero Winery near Corralitos. I love this quote from her in Richard Stockton’s piece: “Santa Cruz has more musicians than people.” It sure feels that way sometimes. The most confounding thing, if you are a musician, and the most wonderful thing, if you are a fan, is that so many of them are major-league talents, truly outsized for a city and county of our size.

There are dozens of great choices every week for performers to see in intimate clubs.

We’ve also got a good variety of theater performed and written by national and local artists, such as what’s playing at the Mountain Community Theater this weekend. Mathew Chipman writes about the annual New Works Weekend which returns to Park Hall Aug. 15–17, offering three nights of script-in-hand staged readings spotlighting local playwrights. Next week Christina Waters’ thoughtful review of Shakespeare Santa Cruz’s production of Pericles will appear in print, but you don’t have to wait that long: read it now on goodtimes.sc.

Some years back, I’d heard complaints from people who had invested in a local online music company called BlueBeat, which had an office downtown. Now, it looks like the feds are on the case, indicting owner Hank Risan on fraud charges. Are you an investor? Do you have a story to tell about it? Drop us a line at ed****@we*****.com. I think some people must be relieved that someone has taken action.

Thanks for reading and have some good times as summer is heading to a close.

Brad Kava | Editor

PHOTO CONTEST

KICKIN’ IT Hula (13-year-old Yellow Lab) and her Humans decided they needed to get away from the warm weather in Brentwood, where they live, and enjoy some R & R at the Beach. We enjoyed the cooler weather and our morning and evening walks along West Cliff Drive, but Hula’s favorite thing was relaxing at the Santa Cruz Harbor Beach. PHOTO: Bob Damico

GOOD IDEA

Congressman Jimmy Panetta presented the city of Scotts Valley with a ceremonial check for $1 million of federal funds to help complete the planned Town Center project. The money will be used to buy the remaining parcels for the project. For more than 15 years, Scotts Valley leaders have envisioned a large development with shops and affordable housing on a vacant lot between Kings Village Road, Mount Hermon Road and Skypark.

GOOD WORK

Celebrate the reopening of West Cliff Drive
Friday 5-8pm at Lighthouse Point with food trucks from S.C. Eatery, Rollin Snack Shack, and Taquizas Gabriel Taco Truck, music from SambaDá and remarks from city officials and the project team that fixed up the flooded roadway. For those who need directions, it’s at 701 West Cliff Drive. You’ll know it by the big lighthouse!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

‘Santa Cruz has more musicians than people.’
—Lacy J. Dalton