The first line of our cover story says so much. Writer Richard Stockton quotes singer/songwriter Lacey J. Dalton, saying there are more musicians in Santa Cruz than people.
Yeah, it’s exaggerated, but it rings true for many area music makers.
Check out our club listings and calendar and see the wealth of local talent available every night of the week. In my travels, I’ve never seen so many choices and so much diversity.
We have world music, jazz, rock, Americana, folk, salsa, cover bands, original bands, a seemingly endless group of possibilities with no slow night of the week.
Sadly, the paydays for local musicians, with so much competition, aren’t great.
So, how is a performer or band supposed to afford to live here, especially as we all see prices skyrocketing?
A half dozen of our great performers explained how they survive and even raise families in the county. Let’s put it this way: they aren’t making the millions national acts earn on stadium tours, but they work hard to get by.
And I can assure you firsthand, those tips in the jar by the stage can make a big difference in their lives.
The biggest shock for me reading this article is that we have so many performers who are nationally known and whose music gets radio airplay, but are still striving to not be starving.
Can a river talk and does it have rights, like, say corporations do?
That’s the theme of a new novel by Nina Schuyler, who will be discussing Open the Floodgates Sunday in a free library talk. The concept, covered in Janis Hashe’s arts section story, isn’t as implausible as it sounds: countries around the world are treating forests and rivers the way the U.S. treats companies: giving them the same rights as people.
On the news front: we’re still waiting on local election results and a Santa Cruz student survived a mass shooting over the weekend in Krakow, Poland. Read both of Todd Guild’s articles in the news section.
Our Wellness column by Elizabeth Borelli has some very good news about schools: Pajaro Valley Unified School District is sponsoring nutrition classes for kids. That’s such a great step in the right direction. The nonprofit behind it is also putting on healthy eating classes for adults.
Have a great weekend and don’t forget the tip jar. They deserve it.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
All SMILES This photo titled “Fast Friends” of smiling Clara the beagle and curious Luna the whippet was taken in Seacliff in front of the P&D Botanicals store. Photograph by True Hatch.
GOOD IDEA
With winter approaching and forecasts raising concerns about a potentially strong El Niño season, Santa Cruz County Second District Supervisor Kimberly De Serpa is inviting residents to attend one of two community winter preparedness events in Aptos and Corralitos.
The events will bring together representatives from Santa Cruz County’s Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience (OR3), Sheriff’s Office, Public Works Department, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and local fire agencies to share important information about storm preparedness, emergency response, flooding, road closures, and neighborhood safety. PG&E representatives will also participate in the Aptos event to discuss power reliability and outage preparedness.
They are Thursday Nov. 12, 5–7 p.m. at the Aptos Branch Library (7695 Soquel Drive) and Monday Nov. 16, 5–7 p.m. at the Corralitos Community Center (38 Browns Valley Rd., Corralitos)
GOOD WORK
Boulder Creek has received a federal Opportunity Zone designation, opening new opportunities to attract private investment, support local businesses and strengthen the community’s long-term economic future.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury confirmed state recommendations to include census tracts covering downtown Boulder Creek, as well as parts of downtown Watsonville and Santa Cruz, in the next generation of Qualified Opportunity Zones.
The Opportunity Zone program encourages private investment in economically distressed communities by providing federal tax incentives for qualifying investments. The new designations take effect January 1, 2027, and will remain in place for 10 years.
