What’s the first thing that comes to mind with the words “Painted Mandolin”?
For some, an image of an instrument with psychedelic swirls looking like the stringed version of Janis Joplin’s Porsche. Others might think of the line “Rubin was strumming his painted mandolin” from the song “Rubin and Cherise,” written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter. But for Santa Cruzans and Bay Area music fans, it’s probably both wrapped together with the four-piece acoustic act steeped in Americana goodness.
For Painted Mandolin, it’s a name left open to the listener’s interpretation.
“I’m totally into imagery in music,” says Larry Graff, band co-founder and guitar player.
The four-piece jam act kicks off 2025 with a show at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center this Saturday with American roots blues group Buffalo Blues Trio. Inspired by the Grateful Dead, Painted Mandolin plays acoustic versions of covers from a cornucopia of genres—along with plenty of originals. With an ever-evolving setlist, no two nights are ever the same.
This Saturday will be the only show in Santa Cruz for the next three months, and to honor this the band has a couple tricks up their sleeves.
“We’re going to premiere two songs we’ve never played before,” Graff says. “I won’t say what they are but one is an old, traditional gospel and the other is an Allman Brothers tune.”
And for all the dancers and twirlers out there—you know who you are—don’t worry. There will be plenty of space to feel the beat.
“The Kuumbwa is a special room and an incredible treasure we have right here in Santa Cruz,” Graff says. “We take out half the chairs so you can choose to sit or dance.”
Celebrating their 10th year as a band, Painted Mandolin originally was only supposed to be a one-time thing.
“Our first gig was the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving at the old Don Quixote’s [now Felton Music Hall],” Graff remembers. “Originally the whole thing was based on acoustic Jerry Garcia stuff.”
A Deadhead since 1977—the first song he ever learned on guitar in college was the Dead’s “Cold Rain and Snow”—Graff (who also plays in the Banana Slug String Band) recruited Matt Hartle on second guitar. A fellow Deadhead, Hartle also plays guitar in local Grateful Dead cover band the China Cats and hosts Grateful Sundays weekly at Felton Music Hall.
Joe Craven, the third original founding member, keeps the music going on mandolin, fiddle and percussion. While not a Deadhead per se, Craven has his own firsthand Grateful Dead connections, having played in the David Grisman Quintet for over a decade along with several years in the Grisman Garcia Band.
Five years ago they brought in Dan Robbins on bass, completing the current lineup.
“These guys are all virtuosos,” Graff declares.
On any given night audiences can hear Painted Mandolin elegantly flow through a setlist of Garcia and Hunter tunes, bebop their way to Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, and then kick up the dust with Billy Strings, Phish and more. However, it’s their originals that has solidified the band as more than just a novelty.
Drawing inspiration from Robert Hunter and Bob Dylan, Graff’s lyrics are packed with imagery. The 2023 album Sweet Rain sculpts scenes of nature (“Bird Dreams”), being in love and traveling the country without a care (“Love in a Rose”), and dreaming of “staccato poems dancing in the sky” (“Sweet Rain”). It’s danceable, salt-of-the-earth music with its roots planted firmly in the dirt so fans can keep their heads in the clouds.
“We’re definitely a dance band,” Graff says. “When writing music I want it to stay within the Painted Mandolin groove. How does it fit in with fiddle, stand-up bass and acoustic guitar?”
While the band currently does not have any plans to immediately go back into the studio, Graff says it’s always on the table. Like every other working musician, he admits part of the problem is the recording industry itself. It’s hard for independent artists to recoup studio expenses when music is free online and most of a band’s revenue is made on touring and merchandise.
However, Painted Mandolin won’t let something like money stop them as they keep on truckin’.
“It’s possible. We’re playing the new songs live a lot and people seem to like them. So I hope so.”
Painted Mandolin plays at 6:30pm on Jan. 18 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Center St., Santa Cruz. $28.52 adv. 831-427-2227.
It’s time for the 8 Tens @ 8! The festival breaks down like this: eight plays are presented at 8pm, running for 10 minutes each. Sixteen winning plays from around the country will be staged during the fest, helmed by 16 individual directors and an army of thespians. With so many options, everyone’s sure to find plays they love or make them laugh, cry and gasp—maybe audiences will go the whole festival without running into that one play that makes them glad it’s only ten minutes! But if not, hey, it’s only ten minutes, right? KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 8pm, Actors Theater, 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. $35. 431-8666.
FRIDAY
AMERICANA
LUCAS LAWSON
With his knack for catchy melodies and earthy lyrics, Lucas Lawson’s blend of folksy Americana is very much a product of the farm he grew up on just north of Santa Cruz. After the CZU Lightning Complex fires, Lawson embedded the ashes of his community into his music, earning local attention with his 2022 song and album by the same name, This Dirt. Now Lawson returns with his new album, Flowers on the Road, which the singer-songwriter will play tracks from at his album release party at the Kuumbwa. MAT WEIR
INFO: 7:30pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $26/adv, $32/door. 427-2227.
SATURDAY
FOLK
POST FOLK REVIVALISTS
Led by mandolinist Leland Mackessy, Boulder Creek-based Post Folk Revivalists believe all music is folk. That approach informs both their treatment of the work of other artists (from the past and present) and their development and delivery of original music. The group also features bassist Cakes Mackessy, Don Mackessy on banjo and ST Young on an assortment of instruments. The band’s deep and expansive repertoire draws from old-time bluegrass and contemporary genres, but most important is how the group connects the dots between seemingly diverse styles. BILL KOPP
For over 25 years, Atmosphere (rapper Slug and producer Ant) has been a cornerstone of underground hip hop, with the duo’s 1997 Overcast! launching their prolific career. The album blended introspective lyrics with precise delivery accentuated by original and inventive beats, a sound that dubbed them “emo rap” early on. Atmosphere’s music is wholly a team effort: Slug’s raw, narrative-driven rhymes combine with Ant’s genre-spanning production drawn from soul and funk to reggae and rock to create inimitable soundtracks that have guided generations of listeners through life’s struggles and triumphs. With honesty and vulnerability as their hallmark, Atmosphere remains a transformative force in the genre. MELISA YURIAR
INFO: 8pm, Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $35. 713-5492.
SUNDAY
FUNK
DOGS IN A PILE
Ah, New Jersey. It’s a wild sort of country, with unexpected aggression around any given corner. Thankfully, there’s also Dogs In a Pile, the 5-piece psych band from the Garden State. By combining funk, soul, jazz and psych, they produce a breadth of work that keeps audiences dancing while equally being the perfect thing to play on a long car trip with nowhere in particular to go. Fans should get there early to catch openers Blü Egyptian; the party rockers from Chico are no strangers to the Santa Cruz area and vibe. MW
San Jose native and master bluesman Tommy Castro is now in his 4th decade of recording and dazzling live crowds. He has a rich, soulful voice reminiscent of Motown-era soul, yet he’s primarily known as a guitarist, so distinctive and brilliant is his guitar playing. He’s also a hell of a songwriter. The 2023 (and 2022) “BB King Entertainer of The Year” winner hits the stage with the Painkillers, made up of players handpicked by Castro and able to keep up with the virtuoso. KLJ
West Berlin-born Ndegeocello grew up in Washington D. and paid her dues on that city’s go-go funk scene. A gifted bassist and songwriter, she made her recorded solo debut with 1993’s Plantation Lullabies. The ecstatic critical response to that album launched Ndegeocello into the limelight. She soon became a go-to collaborator for established artists like John Mellencamp (duetting on “Wild Night,” a Billboard #3 hit), Herbie Hancock, Madonna and the Rolling Stones. Beyond adorning the work of others, she has released 14 studio albums to date. Her latest, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, celebrates African American artists who came before her. BK
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $64. 427-2227.
WEDNESDAY
FOLK
OLIVE KLUG
Folk singer-songwriter Olive Klug is a star in the making. Grounded in community, the Portland-born, Nashville-based artist has carved out a unique space in the genre by blending traditional folk with modern narratives to create refreshingly honest music. After shifting from a planned social work career due to the 2020 pandemic, Olive embraced music full-time, cultivating a devoted, passionate fan base they call the “Klug Bugs.” Klug’s debut album, Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded, was positively received and explored themes including identity and self-discovery. Olive continues to center their artistry in community and connection, inspiring audiences with music that champions catharsis and change. MY
INFO: 8pm, Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $23. 713-5492.
WEDNESDAY
AUTHOR EVENT
CELEBRATION OF STEVE LAWTON & OTTER B BOOKS
For those who knew him personally or connected with him through books, the Bookshop Santa Cruz celebrates the life and legacy of Steve Lawton and Otter B Books. People are welcome to share stories and reminisce about his impact on the local community. Otter B Books was a cornerstone of Monterey Bay, publishing and distributing many books about the local history and community. Steve and Otter B Books connected with many readers, bookshops and writers to share local stories, histories and memories. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
Whether it’s his sets, color schemes, costumes, soundtracks or actors’ deadpan humor, Wes Anderson has a unique cinematic style. From comedies such as Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel to the stop-motion animated Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs, the director’s filmmaking is the basis of an entire exhibit, Accidentally Wes Anderson: Adventures in Santa Cruz, opening Jan. 24 at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.
“He has an aesthetic of his own,” says MAH exhibitions manager Natalie Jenkins. “He uses a color palette that’s often either saturated colors or pastels. He uses any kind of building or signage that is going to be centered directly in the film. There’s a kind of asymmetrical thing that he’ll do with the characters. There’s certain fonts that he uses. I would say every single one of his films becomes its own world. Everything is very bespoke for each movie.”
PRETTY IN PASTEL Capitola’s Venetian Court makes an appearance on the Accidentally Wes Anderson Instagram account. PHOTO: Eddie Lin
The collection features more than 100 photographs taken from the Accidentally Wes Anderson (AWA) Instagram account of places from around the world that look like they could’ve been used in Anderson’s movies, in addition to ones that pay tribute to the sights in Santa Cruz County.
“The color palette in Anderson’s movies have a tactile quality to them, too,” says MAH deputy director Marla Novo. “I think that’s what you’ll see in the photographs in this exhibition. It’s that juxtaposition with primary colors and pastels, like a warm orange with the blue. It brings you to a place and it kind of tingles all your senses.”
“His aesthetic is a combination of a lot of things,” adds AWA co-founder Wally Koval. “I think that’s what gives it some opportunity to be interpreted in a more widely seen way. There’s definitely some symmetry. There’s some pastels and pops of color. There’s always a touch of nostalgia. Maybe there’s a rotary phone or some sort of old-school technology. There’s a lot of different aspects to it.”
Koval started AWA in 2017 as a “travel bucket list.” The first picture he posted on Instagram was of the Hotel Belvedere, a structure and former hotel opened in 1882 on a hairpin turn in the Furka Pass in Switzerland that appeared in Goldeneye, the 1995 James Bond movie.
The account has since amassed nearly 2 million followers who’ve contributed thousands of their own photographs of Anderson-esque hotels, museums, theaters, places of worship, storefronts, markets, amusement parks and a lot of lighthouses, some that date back to the 15th century. They range from famous landmarks like Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, Chicago’s Navy Pier, Buckingham Palace and Hearst Castle—one of several California locations—to boats, bowling alleys, photo booths, hot air balloons, payphones and even a camel crossing sign in Israel.
Koval and his wife, Amanda, who live in Wilmington, Delaware, look through regular email submissions to see what qualifies as a good image.
FINE LINES The angular lines of Santa Cruz’s Calvary Episcopal Church evoke Anderson’s aesthetic. PHOTO: Anne Martinete
“There has to be a beautiful snapshot,” says Koval. “But it’s not just the photo. There has to be an interesting story, because that’s what AWA is. It’s the intersection of distinctive design and unexpected narrative. You can’t have one without one or the other. For us, the criteria continues to evolve. It changes a lot. The community continues to share photos with us that maybe we would not have shared a few years ago, but today we’re exploring those outer rings of the dartboard. The bullseye on the dartboard could be a pretty pink hotel that perfectly looks like it could be plucked from a Wes Anderson movie. But if you start to go on the outer rings of that dartboard, you start to explore other areas. When people say, ‘This doesn’t really look very Wes Anderson,’ I love to respond and say, ‘It’s not. It’s AWA.’ Maybe it doesn’t look as perfectly Wes Anderson, but it is so perfectly AWA.”
The account spawned a website, postcard set, puzzle and two books, 2020’s Accidentally Wes Anderson and 2024’s Accidentally Wes Anderson: Adventures.
“I know what it means to be accidentally myself,” Anderson himself writes in the book’s foreword.
It also inspired a string of exhibits, beginning in 2022 at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. MAH contacted Koval and his wife last year about adapting the show to Santa Cruz. So they put out a call for submissions and received 400 images.
“We voted on which ones look the most like they came from a Wes Anderson movie,” Jenkins says. “With that, we really wanted to represent different areas of the county, too. So we didn’t want to only have pictures from Santa Cruz. We wanted to make sure we were getting things from Watsonville, from Davenport. We really wanted to celebrate all of Santa Cruz County.”
NEON ACCENT Taylor Brothers Hot Dogs in Watsonville
caught the eye of an Anderson fan. Photo: Letty Flores
Sections are organized thematically according to different lands, neighborhoods, buildings and homes, old signage and pink and yellow colors. There’s photography of the redbrick Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, which holds a small surfing museum; Calvary Episcopal Church, the oldest church building in Santa Cruz still being used for its original purpose; Venetian Court, the Spanish-Mediterranean resort in Capitola; neon sign from Taylor Brothers Hot Dogs in Watsonville; and especially Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and its rides, namely the colorful Sky Glider and Giant Dipper, the historic wooden roller coaster that celebrated its centennial last year.
“Those are beautiful vacation homes,” says Novo of the Venetian Court. “They’re like the jewel of downtown Capitola. They look like ice cream to me.”
There’s even a shell of an actual roller coaster and a pop-up area where visitors can take photographs. The exhibit also highlights artwork and artifacts culled from the museum’s permanent collection.
“With this show, we’re really thinking about how Santa Cruz relates to the look and theme of his movies,” says Novo. “It’s a town that’s very much about travel and exploration. There’s beautiful things and quirky things that stand out here that are reminiscent of films.”
“I can’t tell you the number of times that the Santa Cruz Boardwalk has been shared with us,” Koval adds. “I see them and they look fake. The colors, the light. Everything about them. They’re oozing with nostalgia. They look like a fantasy to me.”
The exhibit is currently also on view in Seoul, Shanghai and Melbourne.
“I want people who come to the exhibit to realize that there’s a lot of beauty in the things that they see on a regular basis, whether they’re locals or just visiting,” says Koval. “If you allow yourself to see your surroundings from a slightly different perspective or through a slightly different lens, it opens up a completely different world that maybe you didn’t expect to see. If you dig just a little bit deeper, the stories, the community members and the things that you’ll discover are really fascinating.”
“Come to the museum, get some inspiration from the show and then go out in your community and be a part of it,” Novo adds. “You’re going to be one of the stars in your own movie. You get to see the magic that’s there.”
Accidentally Wes Anderson: Adventures in Santa Cruz runs Jan. 24-May 18 at MAH, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. Museum members can attend a preview Jan. 23 at 6pm. Hours: Thursday-Sunday; admission: $8-$10.
The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans committee just adjourned, but not without making a game-changing discovery. The real question is, will the findings make it past the executive summary and into the official federal guidelines?
Every five years, the U.S. government updates its Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a 421-page roadmap to choosing the right foods for promoting health and preventing chronic disease. For better or worse, these guidelines shape school lunch programs and food assistance policies, and are intended to serve as a barometer for the current state of nutrition science.
Dr. Christopher Gardner, a leading nutrition scientist and Stanford professor, was one of 20 experts tasked with crafting the 2025 recommendations, a process that took almost two years. His core message? Swapping red meat for legumes isn’t just about reducing saturated fat—it’s about gaining fiber, a crucial nutrient sorely missing from most American diets. Plus, prioritizing plant-based proteins has a bigger overall health impact than simply choosing leaner cuts of meat.
The committee scrutinized hundreds of studies before determining that eating patterns which include plenty of legumes, vegetables and whole grains consistently deliver the best health outcomes.
But while the science is clear, the challenge lies in implementation. Americans still overconsume refined grains and protein while falling short on fiber, fruits and veggies. Fixing this isn’t just about individual choices—it requires an overhaul of our food system, from what farmers grow to how food is processed and distributed.
I talked with the charismatic researcher about his role in this highly influential process. Gardner describes the committee selection process as very robust. Despite their efforts, industry influence was hard to escape. “The Potato Council, Coffee Association, Soy Industry—even the Bottled Water Association—all had nominees. Then there was this one reporter who went after the soy industry for nominating a ‘prominent vegan.’ I thought it was hilarious, even if it was meant as an insult,” he said, laughing.
Once the committee wrapped up its report, it went straight to the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. From there, things get murky. While the committee puts in the hard work, Gardner explained that final decisions rest with the secretaries of these departments, who can—and often do—ignore key recommendations.
Cases in point: in 2015, environmental considerations were rejected, and in 2020, efforts to tighten sugar limits didn’t make the cut. With the election adding uncertainty, Gardner admitted it’s anyone’s guess what will happen this time around.
Ultra-processed foods were another hot topic. Although they’re frequently called out in the media as health villains, Gardner explained the data doesn’t yet back up sweeping guidelines. “There’s just not enough robust research,” he said, noting that older studies didn’t account for modern ultra-processed foods and their many additives, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions.
Despite these hurdles, the committee did make some exciting headway—especially when it came to debunking long-held protein myths. For decades, dietary guidelines focused on isolated nutrients like saturated fat or fiber. This time, the committee took a broader view, examining food swaps—like replacing meat with plant-based options such as beans, peas and lentils.
“And they were trying to tie it to the question, would you still get all the vitamins and minerals you need? And so, one of the things they found was you could have less red meat, and more beans, peas and lentils, and still get all the vitamins and minerals that you need.”
In fact, swapping meat for beans, peas and lentils led to consistently better outcomes—lower saturated fat and higher fiber intake—compared to simply trading fatty meat for lean meat. The reason is simple: lean meat has no fiber, but beans, peas and lentils pack plenty. When it came to heart health, plant-based proteins outperformed red meat across the board.
Gardner shares a fun twist: much of the research uses the term “legumes,” but since that word doesn’t resonate with most Americans, the committee decided to stick with plain old “beans, peas and lentils” in its public messaging.
But the real game-changer? Gardner was visibly delighted to share what he called “the hummus on the carrot”: These findings made it into the highly influential 10-page executive summary, a first for plant-based protein sources. Historically, when listing protein-rich foods, meat and chicken were always front and center, with beans, peas and lentils tacked on at the end. This time, the committee recommended flipping that order, placing plant-based proteins first. “This would be huge,” Gardner said, visibly excited. “It’s a small but powerful step toward helping people rethink what ‘protein’ really means.”
While it may take time for such recommendations to be fully embraced, this bold inclusion marks a crucial step forward in promoting a healthier, more plant-forward way of eating.
Elizabeth Borelli is a certified plant-based nutrition expert, professional life coach, yoga teacher and author of the upcoming book Tastes Like La Dolce Vita. Learn more at ElizabethBorelli.com.
Like many people, I was curious and excited to read about how the Colligan Theatre was getting back into circulation. However, once I got to the last couple of paragraphs of “Stage of Dreams,” I was infuriated.
Lindsey Chester says, “We basically had two and a half weeks to get in to learn the whole system. Not everything (in the theatre) was labeled, not everything was wired correctly. The space was not cleaned.”
Having been on the staff of Jewel Theatre Company, prior to All About Theatre taking over, I know this to be a complete fabrication. I am sure that she did not mean for this to come out as I have taken it, but I feel that I need to set this straight. I understand embellishing things to make a more dramatic statement, but this was basically a slap in the face to the Jewel Theatre Company.
Jewel was done producing shows in June, yet the staff continued to stay in the space—organizing, painting, cleaning, and clearing things out—until October. Lindsey was invited to come in for the entirety of those five months to ask questions, check out the space, and bring in her crew to pick our brains. She showed up twice.
Our company, as well, had to learn about the system and the building on our own—nothing was labeled for us either.
And I can attest that the theatre was left in perfect condition. Julie James (artistic director of JTC) was LITERALLY on her hands and knees, with cleaning materials, late into countless evenings, scrubbing those floors. She alone would climb the 12-foot ladder to reach spots on the wall that needed touch-up paint—after taking paint chips to Sherwin-Williams to get an exact match. She didn’t want to use the original paint left to us, because she felt it might be too old to blend in after 10 years. She did not want to leave a mess or extra work for anyone.
I have worked for Julie for 20 years, and I can honestly say that she is THE best boss I have ever had. I will follow her anywhere. She is fair, caring, gracious, diplomatic, thoughtful and compassionate—to everyone.
This quote of Lindsey’s comes off as if Julie and the staff of Jewel didn’t care a bit about the theatre or the next company; as if we just walked out the door, leaving chaos behind us.
Again, I am sure this was not the intention, but the fact that it came off that way to me makes me think that there might be others who could come up with the same interpretation. I am not here to sling mud about—only to stand up against a thoughtless remark.
Shaun Carroll
IMMIGRANTS NEEDED
Landscaping would not exist as we know it, if there was a mass deportation. We’d lose most of the capable on-the-ground folks who make landscapes beautiful in this region. It is mostly Latino people who do this work, and do it beautifully, in our area. If landscaping services seem expensive now, just imagine if our fastest, most skilled, strongest and productive workers left. It would be tragic for both contractors and clients.
Another thing is that many of the Mexicans here in the U.S. are from native tribes that are on both sides of the border, or farther south. Many or most Mexicans who live in this area have significant indigenous heritage. Ergo, many or most are first peoples. Which adds another moral twist.
Less than two years after he was hired to run the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Zeke Fraser announced his resignation from the post for medical and personal reasons.
Fraser was hired as CEO/fair manager in June 2023 and will leave Feb.2.
“We are deeply grateful for Zeke’s leadership and vision, which will have a lasting impact on the Santa Cruz County Fair,” Board President Rachel Wells said. “While we are saddened by his departure, we understand and support his decision. We wish him the best and are committed to building on the momentum he has helped create.”
In a press release, the board said that the fair under Fraser’s leadership was the most successful in recent history.
“Under his leadership, the Fair saw record-breaking attendance and achieved its most profitable Fair to date,” the press release states.
The fair board of directors will initiate a search for a new CEO in the coming weeks.
“I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished in such a short time, and I want to express my gratitude to the dedicated staff, volunteers, board members, and community partners who made this success possible,” he said in a press release.
In the aftermath of 150 feet of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf falling into the ocean on Dec. 23—closing the iconic wooden structure for 10 days—questions are still swirling about whether the collapse was preventable.
And with all eyes on Santa Cruz and our unique but battered wharf—who is to blame?
In the first days city staff members blamed the jumbo swell that propelled Mavericks to record heights, litigation from a group called Don’t Morph the Wharf and even bird nests preventing repairs.
“We’ll never know for sure but we do know that the delays of our master plan, largely due to lawsuits against the city that slowed down those important investments, have left our wharf more vulnerable,” City Manager Matt Huffaker said in a press conference on Dec. 27. In an interview, Huffaker added that if the plan had gone ahead, the western walkway, a planned protective barrier dropped by the city, would have been operational in the “early 2020s.”
Gillian Greensite of Don’t Morph the Wharf, who achieved the removal of the western walkway and a 40-foot-high building at the end of the wharf through a successful California Environmental Quality Act case against the city, blamed the city for not repairing the pilings at the end of the wharf sooner and for blaming her.
And the California Coastal Commission is blamed for everything.
For Dan Buecher, who spent many years working on the wharf and then served as wharf supervisor from 1993 to 2009, all the blame was a sign of the times.
“It’s the current world we live in. That’s what it seems people think they have to do, but it’s working together that is the best way, and probably everybody got a part of the right answer. So in the end, it’ll be pulled together by whoever builds it,” he said.
Not that he’s a saint. Back in his day, they were behind on the pillings too. He had a small crew of seven to eight workers and 5% of the pilings needed repair.
Those pilings that everyone is up in arms about needing to be replaced, Buecher says, are also habitats for worms and urchins and thousands of species below the wharf, eating away at the livelihoods of the people above, while feeding the lackadaisical sea lion population and thus contributing to what everyone loves about the wharf.
Nonetheless, whether they ought to have or not, the pilings at the end of the wharf broke off and the harmony of the wharf was shattered, as all businesses closed and workers fell behind on rent.
Since at least 2013, the area that collapsed was known to have damaged pilings that had been recommended for replacement, including 14 original pilings from 1914. Some of these pilings were under the Dolphin restaurant, which was supported by “a-frames,” load-bearing wooden beams, before storm damage in late 2023 doomed the eatery.
The Reasons
Buecher was in Roseville when he saw footage of the floating bathroom.
“I didn’t believe it,” Buecher said in a phone interview. But the more he thought about it, the more he believed that the collapse had to “have been a combination of various things.”
According to Buecher, a major factor in the collapse was the wave action intensifying at the end of the wharf because the pilings there are the longest. Estimates put the waves at 20 to 30 feet high amid a record third year of storms that left piers out of service along the coast.
The beams that the sea lions sleep on further direct wave energy upward, lifting the deck from the piles.
When asked about the issue of the Coastal Commission mandating a 300-foot bird nesting buffer for major construction on the wharf like sinking new piles, Buecher remembers how they used to do it.
CEREMONIAL Mayor Fred Keeley and others celebrate the wharf opening. PHOTO Tarmo Hannula
“No, the birds were never really a concern. We would maneuver the animals away but you had to maintain it [the wharf],” he said.
This would be news to the staff of the wharf and the Coastal Commission, who strictly follow permits that dictate when and where work can get done following the Coastal Act of 1972.
Staff of the Commission were surprised that the city now seeks to revise a set of agreements they made in 2021 and in February 2024 to make it easier for wharf repairs to get done.
The city and the Coastal Commission are now in discussions to expand the amount of time the wharf staff has to do repairs each year, according to Mayor Fred Keeley. But as of last February, it was only recommended, not required, to avoid construction between March and September.
Restrictions still apply: a biologist must be present during construction and work can only occur within a 500-foot radius of an identified occupied nest for four hours a day for three consecutive days.
“The Coastal Commission wants to work with the city of Santa Cruz to make sure that this repair maintenance work gets done as we have for years now,” said Joshua Smith, spokesman for the Commission. The Commission has approved multiple emergency repairs on the wharf in past years on behalf of the city.
The Future?
After agreeing to settle the lawsuit with Don’t Morph the Wharf in 2024 without the western walkway, the city was awarded $8.9 million from the Coastal Conservancy to complete the projects such as the eastern promenade, new boat landings, entry gates and a welcome sign. The project is underway, if temporarily delayed, according to Development Manager David McCormic.
On the other hand, the work to build a protective barrier on the western side of the wharf is back to square one after its defeat, McCormic said. Meaning the wharf is vulnerable to more big waves.
In the meantime, the wharf will have to soldier on under its normal repair process. A team of 12 people is working to fix the wharf for its 20 businesses, 400 employees and 10% of the city’s restaurant workforce. Despite this the wharf is not a money maker, losing $1.7 million last year.
This explains why the piles at the end of the wharf were neglected. More valuable piles under the roadway and businesses were prioritized first as laid out in the 2014 Engineering Report, leaving the lanky end of the wharf without repairs.
“That work was really in the queue,” Parks and Recreation Director Tony Elliot said. “And then we got hit by the storms in 2023 and 2024, so that damaged the end of the wharf, which enabled us to get federal and state dollars to rebuild the end of the wharf.”
Before the wharf collapse, the repairs were expected to cost $3 million. Now costs will be significantly higher if the end of the wharf is rebuilt at all.
But Mark Gilbert, who owns Firefish Grill and Woodies Cafe on the wharf, wanted to build a new Dolphin restaurant but could never get the building off the ground despite growing the Dolphin’s sales by threefold with the city getting a percentage. He is convinced a new Dolphin with new pilings under it might have made a difference.
“I would have fought the Coastal Commission that only allowed us to do this during the winter, because it’s a bunch of crap,” Gilbert said. “And I probably would have gotten year-round construction because nobody gives a crap, because it’s not your money out there.”
The city will also look to recoup lost revenues that businesses on the wharf lost during those 10 days around the holidays by “modification of lease terms” and seeking state and federal money, according to McCormic. Businesses on the wharf have so far been offered a small business loan, owners said. Employees making less than 80% of the Average Median Income are eligible for a $500 gift card through the Community Bridges charity.
Gilbert blames Don’t Morph the Wharf for screwing everything up because his efforts to open a new restaurant at the end of the wharf were stalled while “everything was tied up in litigation.”
Gilbert proposed three restaurants on the site of the Dolphin, including a whale-shaped restaurant which never advanced. On Jan. 14 his lease agreement for a redo of the Miramar restaurant will come before the City Council in closed session.
Gilbert expects more delays because of the emergency state of the wharf but his patience is running short.
“If it gets delayed anymore, I’m just going to bow out,” Gilbert said. “I bought the Dolphin in 2008 to put a new building there. It’s 2025 now, 17 years in April. A new building would have been good. It would have shored up everything out there.”
Buecher wants people in the coming months to think about what the wharf is, and how the ocean, the sea lions, the family businesses, the city and the Coastal Commission can be greater than the sum of their pillings.
“Because if people say what holds the wharf up is in the pilings, no, it’s the love of the wharf,” Buecher said. “The community loves the wharf and wants to have it and support it. And so do new generations every 20 years. I still think it’s a big draw to the city. I love it. My family loves it. My children have moved away. They come back to go there.”
The 2004 movie called A Day Without a Mexican should have been warning enough. This state and this country can’t survive without the immigrants who have made it great throughout its history. California was not only part of Mexico, but Mexicans have always been part of California, and by extension, the entire U.S.
We are a global community and the idea that we can suddenly become isolationist should have been erased in the 1930s, when a similar cry destroyed German culture and gave way to another dictatorship.
Writer Todd Guild, who covers Watsonville, talked to people there about what a mass deportation would mean to them, and the answers are as sad as you can imagine. Can you imagine what a promised mass deportation could mean for all of us? At the very least, let’s face it: your grocery prices would skyrocket. But there are deeper implications for everyone.
Immigration has always made America great, despite the threats and fear-mongering of demagogues.
And to the argument that some immigrants are legal and others not, if you look back in our history, all immigrants were legal because no laws kept them out and the country encouraged them to come and help build a nation. (Until racist moves like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 kicked out the people who built the transcontinental railroad.)
California authorities are doing what they can to keep some dignity in the process for the workers who have done so much for this country, as the cover stories recount.
On the other news front, the Santa Cruz Wharf reopened to much self-back-patting from city officials. Whose fault the collapse was is still being debated, but at the very least one wonders who allowed thousands of dollars of construction trucks to be parked at the end of the structure, which collapsed and dumped them into the Bay. William Woodhams covers the debate in his story.
Need a good time? Check out Dr. Funk and Jet Jaguar in our entertainment section, not to mention a full calendar of local music and events.
Thanks for reading.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
SUNDOWN Jan. 5 Seacliff Sunset. Photograph by Becky Olvera Schultz
GOOD IDEA
The Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce hosts an in-depth exploration of the pivotal legal developments that will impact employers in 2025 on Jan. 8. Michael Manoukian, partner with Lathrop GPM, will lead “Overview of New Employment Laws for 2025,” an annual workshop aimed at keeping you ahead of the curve on crucial legal changes affecting your workplace, including new legislation and regulations; wage and hour developments; and issues related to discrimination, harassment and retaliation. INFO: Santacruzchamber.org/events/
GOOD WORK
Friday from 9am to 10pm you can learn about an intrepid group of artists on bicycles who followed monarch butterflies on their migration route from the Pacific Northwest to the Central Coast of California. The presentation includes original music and educational information about the trip. It will be presented at the Digital Arts Research Center, 407 McHenry Road, Santa Cruz. Reserve a spot at eventbrite.com. From 9am to 5pm, there’s a looping installation of Monarch Waystation Soundmap (film) and Spectre (electroacoustic composition). At 8pm there’s a set by Rodrigo Barriga followed by a live performance by Alejandro Botijo Madrid, Ivan Caramés and Human Hemingway.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
Your recent article about the church/coffee shops in Santa Cruz County caused me to have some concerns. They are simply serving coffee and other things that would make them seem to be a normal coffeeshop.
Except for the financial advantages given to churches, they could almost pretend to be competing on an even playing field with the other coffee shops in our area.
For example, if you look up the property tax assessment for Twin Lakes Church, they have an assessed valuation that they pay of just over $1 million.
They get the 10% use calculation from the assessor’s office, and based upon their long ownership of the land (tax-free, BTW), their costs of ownership are very low compared to any other REAL business in the area. That you neglected to include this kind of information for your readers moves me to write this for you.
Tom Winsemius | Soquel
EFFICIENT TRANSIT 101
If one strategic bus lane could be squeezed within the middle of Highway 1, it would have potential to alleviate much of the rush-hour congestion.
For starters, by assuring at least 50 MPH nonstop, it would allow means to safely travel between Watsonville and Santa Cruz in less than 20 minutes 24/7.
(By covering ~15 miles in less than 20 minutes, possibilities include only needing one string of [flexible] buses to provide round trips every hour on weekends without having to rely upon returning via the less congested direction on the nearby Highway 1.)
Most passengers riding trains throughout the effective underground transportation network in Paris, France, in 1984 did not realize that they were riding upon rubber tires. One could contemplate, “when does a train become a bus (or a bus become a train)?” Both bus and train functions could morph to where they eventually merge to provide the best of both worlds! (In 1986, I rode upon an impressive prototype of a transportation system that did not have any wheels so that could even make tires as well as rails obsolete in some distant future.)
As an engineer I had over 50 years of experience in our real world by the time I retired. I also earned a patent for an All-Express Passenger Train System conceived while riding both EXPRESS and LOCAL trains throughout Germany. I am, however, 100% certain that implementing the Santa Cruz County version of Trail PLUS Rail would be a mistake! Implementing a strategic bus system would better alleviate congestion on Highway 1 (and at far less cost) as well as free up a Peoples Corridor to FINALLY safely accommodate local traffic of families of bicyclists and those on foot.
Perhaps such real-world “interim” solutions will prove worthy until a means is found to transport people from where they are to where they want to be at the speed of light 24/7 for no cost.
If you could live in another country in 2025, which would it be?
JULIE
Ireland, I would love to go back there. It’s so green and outside of the city the only traffic is cows, it’s funny. My family is originally from a place called Dingle. It’s a silly name, but I love it there. There’s an ice cream shop, and when you walk past they keep giving you free samples. It’s a good time.
Julie Dee, 16, Student
DAWSON
Ireland for me too, my great-great grandparents were immigrants to New York when the potato famine hit, so my heritage traces back there.
Dawson David, 15, Student
RAFAEL
Mexico, so I could reconnect with some of my family’s roots down there. I’d like to find some of the family that never came to this country in the state of Nayarit, just north of Puerto Vallarta. Plus, Mexico City is a lot of fun. There’s a lot I haven’t seen there, like more of the ancient ruins. Mexico is an interesting place.
Rafael Silverman y de la Vega, 41, Interdisciplinary Scientist
NASH
Either Japan or Denmark. I love Japanese food, that appeals to me, and Japanese people are very friendly. I love the art and the history—and I love karaoke. I’ve been to Denmark and I loved it there—it’s a cool, different place from America.
Nash Karp, 28, Bartender/Gluten-free Baker
JOHANNA
The Netherlands, I was there a year ago, and I could see myself living there, biking around, eating good cheese. I love all the windmills, I love all the cows, all the farmlands. They’ve got great museums, health care, transportation, housing, all the things to live a more leisurely life and not have to grind really hard. It’s pretty awesome.
Johanna Johnson, 27, Bartender
REBECCA
Norway or Sweden. My family is from Sweden, so I have a lot of family history there and I’d like to know it better. I’ve never lived in a really cold place and I would like to experience it. It’s a very different way of life, so I don’t think I could commit to living there for my whole life, but I’d love to experience it for a year.
Swapping red meat for legumes isn’t just about reducing saturated fat—it’s about gaining fiber, a crucial nutrient sorely missing from most American diets.
