The politics of cannabis sometimes seem complicated because, almost uniquely in this sad political era, both support for and opposition to laws reforming cannabis laws can be found on both sides of the aisle.
This has led to some unfortunate rhetoric from reform advocates in support of ghouls like Matt Gaetz just because those ghouls favor liberalizing pot laws. For such single-issue proponents (most of them, to be fair, just individual social-media randos, though there are a lot of them), Gaetz’s overall vileness doesn’t matter a bit; he’s pro-weed, so they support him.
From many of the same people, we get statements of opposition to Democratic politicians, and not just the ones, like Joe Manchin, who oppose liberalization, but even the ones like Chuck Schumer, who favor it but are perceived to be moving too slowly or getting too cozy with big, corporate weed companies (not that they are above criticism for those things, of course).
But the situation isn’t really as complicated as it might seem. It’s not really necessary to get into a moral debate over whether it’s OK to vote for people who want to deport millions or who are fine with women dying from ectopic pregnancies as long as those people are pro-cannabis.
The best course for reformers is to support Democratic politicians, period. Support for reform comes overwhelmingly from Democrats; opposition comes overwhelmingly from Republicans. If the Democrats had control of the Senate over the past several years, weed would almost certainly have been legalized at the federal level by now.
But we don’t even need to examine Congress. Look at what’s happening at the state level.
In 2022, voters in five Texas cities approved ballot measures to decriminalize weed. Or, more accurately, not even to decriminalize, but simply to ratchet down enforcement by local cops of laws prohibiting the possession of small amounts of pot.
The ballot measures—in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen and San Marcos—were passed overwhelmingly. In Austin, probably the most progressive of those cities, 85% of voters approved the measure. In Killeen, a military town and not exactly a hippie haven, the initiative won 69% of the vote.
In January, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the five towns, seeking to block implementation of the voter initiatives. Paxton proudly issued a press release declaring that he filed the lawsuit “to protect the public from crime, drugs and violence.”
Paxton of course knows that problems stemming from “crime, drugs and violence” aren’t impacted at all by people possessing small amounts of pot, and that busting those people won’t help solve them. He’s doing this to appeal to his base, which skews toward the elderly and the malevolent. And he knows that the MAGA types who support him won’t change their votes even if they support pot reforms.
Republicans in Ohio are motivated by the same thing: sticking it to Democrats, whatever the will of the people might be. In November, a ballot measure to legalize adult-use weed passed with a whopping 57% of the vote. Senate Republicans, who control that chamber, immediately began attacking the measure, offering a substitute bill that would ban home growing, restrict allowed THC levels, raise the excise tax rate from 10% to 15%, and direct tax proceeds away from social-equity programs and general substance-abuse programs, and toward law-enforcement and “marijuana substance abuse” programs, as well as safe-driving initiatives. That would run directly counter to what Ohioans—including many Republicans—explicitly voted for. But screw that if you have the chance to own the libs, right?
Facing widespread criticism, the Republican senators have backed down a bit since then (conceding on the home-grow provision, for example) but they’re still trying to fiddle with the law, including by insisting that tax proceeds go to cops.
If any of these efforts are successful at all, look for Republicans in red and purple states, and those in Congress, to step up their opposition. When it comes to pot reform, only one party can be counted on to do the right thing, even if they sometimes go about it in frustrating ways.
With a stage name like Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, you’d expect that the man would be an evangelist of some kind. And you’d be right. But Wirtz—born William Wirths in Aiken, South Carolina, just up the road from where James Brown was born 19 years before him—isn’t selling old-time, fire-and-brimstone religion; no, he’s on a mission to spread the good news about American roots music. A bona fide renaissance man of song, Wirtz is a singer, songwriter, humorist, broadcaster, journalist, historian, author and filmmaker.
And he considers all of his various creative endeavors as part of one big calling. And that’s been the case ever since long before he got started as a recording artist with 1983’s Salvation Through Polyester. “I still do a comedic live presentation,” he explains. “But within the comedy, I’ll play an old classic and talk about how it evolved.”
A Rev. Billy C. Wirtz concert is a history lesson wrapped in a rollicking, laugh-riot live show. He might start out by playing one of his originals: maybe a new one like “Go Little Golf Cart,” about the alleged naughty goings-on in the Villages, Florida’s deep red, Disneyfied and 95% white community. From there, Wirtz might launch into a lively, fast-paced discussion about “Got My Mojo Workin’,” the blues classic popularized by Muddy Waters.
“But Muddy didn’t write ‘Mojo,’” Wirtz will explain. Composed by Preston Foster in 1956, the song was first cut by a woman named Ann Cole. “She and Muddy were on the same bill at the Manhattan Casino in St. Pete,” he’ll tell the audience. Waters had been looking for a blues song that combined country beats, like Chuck Berry had done with “Maybelline” in 1955.
Helping the audience to appreciate that blues, gospel, country and rock ’n’ roll are closely woven strands of the tapestry that is American music, Wirtz will then demonstrate that “Got My Mojo Workin’” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” are, in his words, “the identical song with the same beat.”
After pausing to let that fascinating fact sink in, he continues. “I put stuff like that in between ‘Mama Was a Deadhead’ and ‘Roberta’ [from 1989’s Deep Fried and Sanctified] and all the classics.”
Wirtz’s other pursuits dovetail with his own music-making. For years now he has hosted radio shows like Reverend Billy’s Rhythm Revival, broadcast in different forms on Santa Cruz’s KPIG-FM, Western North Carolina’s WNCW and Tampa’s WMNF. “I’ve been doing the show for about 15 years now,” he says.
As a music fan with a deep well of knowledge paired with insatiable curiosity, Wirtz is the ideal person to explore and document overlooked corners of musical history. One of his current projects is a documentary about 92-year-old pianist Leon Blue. A member of classic blues band the Mannish Boys, Blue’s extensive credits include work with everyone from “king of Western Swing” Bob Wills to Ike & Tina Turner to Lloyd Price to B.B. King. The documentary isn’t quite finished yet, but Wirtz has his title: The World According to Leon.
Wirtz writes often for America’s oldest blues periodical, Living Blues, and other outlets. In 2022 he won an award in Florida for Best Nonfiction Magazine Article. That history of the state’s so-called chitlin’ circuit was, according to a well-connected acquaintance of his, “a bad motherfucker for a documentary.” Work is about to commence on that project. “We begin by interviewing Alan Leeds, who was James Brown’s road manager for 15 years,” Wirtz says.
Rev. Billy C. Wirtz’s passion for music is contagious, and it knows no bounds. He loves the wild stuff, and he has dedicated life and career to spreading that love to listeners, readers and audiences. “When the segregationist preachers screamed about the devil n-word music, they said it would lead to premarital sex, and to interracial couples dancing,” he says with a smile and hearty laugh. “And they were right!”
Reverend Billy C. Wirtz with Bob Malone, April 6, Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, 7:30pm $30/$45 gold circle.snazzyproductions.com
Downtown has added a category of cuisine with new Oyuki Sushi (1010 Pacific Ave., Suite F, Santa Cruz) which would be great news on its own.
But there are more tasty subplots where that came from.
Oyuki specializes in Nikkei-style food—essentially Peruvian ingredients with Japanese technique—via items like salmon nigiri with house chimichurri or special sushi rolls finished with Peruvian sauces like acevichado, a lightly spicy ceviche marinade made from leche de tigre.
Full-on Peruvian dishes present more welcome additions, including albacore ceviche, chicken ají, causas (smashed potato-seafood towers), lomo saltado (a signature Peruvian sirloin-onion stir fry, with fries), papa a la huacaina (potato in an aji amarillo-and-cheese sauce), and choros a la chalaca (steamed mussels with corn, cilantro, onion, tomato and traditional spices), with regionally-born drinks chicha morada and Inca Kola to pair with them.
A solid roster of fusion sushi helps, with eye-catchers like the Fuji special with shrimp tempura, salmon, cucumber, avocado and the house Fuji sauce made with Andes Mountains inspiration.
Vegan sushi presents another bonus, with a dozen rolls like the Machu Picchu with carrot-based vegan “salmon,” avocado, spinach, cucumber and seasoned mushrooms.
So does the cozy and clean setting—with the alpaca wall hanging made of alpaca fur—and the approachable vibe of husband-and-wife team Carla Estrada and chef Maynor Lopez, both veterans of the hospitality industry with a range of Latin American heritage, Peruvian included. oyukisushi.com
RISING FLAVOR Gifted pastry guru—and local popup darling—Enzo Pelliccia has thrown open the doors on his own spot with Emozioni Pasticceria (2814 Porter St., Suite B) in Soquel. His major draws include Napolitano pizzas, savory flatbreads and top-shelf sweets like millefoglie
Andersonwith pistachio cream, chocolate “bombs” and authentic Italian lemon cream sponge cakes. It’s now open 9am-5pm Tuesday-Friday, and until 2pm Saturday-Sunday, instagram.com/emozionipasticceria
ON THE WATER Made my overdue maiden voyage to reader favorite Riva’s Fish House (31 Municipal Wharf) and came away pleased with the easy vibe, engaging service, worthy cioppino and quality crab cake sandwich. My eternal search for quality—and ideally oceanside—happy hours finds a home here too, 3-6pm weekdays, with $1 off draft beers, $4 domestics and $5 well drinks, rivafishhouse.com. Speaking of the Wharf, Riva’s sister spot Makai Santa Cruz (49a Municipal Wharf) does one of the best fried chicken sandwiches in town with the Hawaiian Mochiko marinated in gojuchang; and Humble Sea’s wharfside beer garden (45 Municipal Wharf) is back noon-sunset Friday-Sunday with craft drafts, BYO food, prime views and merch, humblesea.com
FLAVOR BURSTS Santa Cruz VegFest gets cruciferous 10am-6pm Saturday, April 6, with 80 vendors and thousands of attendees channeling plant-based, cruelty-free, animal friendly and environmentally-sustainable lifestyles at the Boardwalk’s Cocoanut Grove ballroom ($5, free/12 and under), vegfestsantacruz.org…Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets popular Sunday Live Oak Market (at East Cliff Village Shopping Center) was given the boot by Swenson Builders last week, who then decided they would have an additional 30 days on their lease to find a new home, santacruzfarmersmarket.org…Cruz Kitchen and Taps (145 Laurel St, Santa Cruz) does an uncommon salad worth flagging called “Da Baby,” with smoked whitefish, avocado, sweet onions, wakame, sesame seeds, lime, ginger, chili paste and soy sauce, cruzkitchenandtaps.com…
ANDY FRASCO & THE UN “Got an armful of wristbands to cover the stars,” Andy Frasco sings on his recent single. “What we used to be is not who we are.” Signed to Fun Machine Records, Frasco and his band are masters of super emotive, hard-charging, introspective rock ‘n’ roll. His 2023 record, L’Optimist, takes his lifelong battle with depression head-on, audaciously asserting optimism in the face of darkness. For those who want to feel all the feels—set to pounding drums and ample power chords, no less—and come out stronger for it, Andy Frasco & the UN provide musical catharsis. ADDIE MAHMASSANI
CAGE WORLD A collective space like SubRosa rocks because of how close to the ground they can get with the artists they book. Sometimes the musician or group is well-known, like when Kimya Dawson played to an audience so packed it spilled onto Pacific Avenue. More often, they feature the best new and unknown underground band, soon to be every attendee’s favorite. This will undoubtedly be the case with indie rockers Cage World. Cage World combines the melancholy of shoegaze, the thoughtfulness of post-hardcore and the prowess of ’90s college art rock for songs with an old soul and a new sound. This might be the last chance to see Cage World at an intimate venue. MAT WEIR
6pm, SubRosa, 703 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 426-5254.
ROCK
MEATBODIES Garage punk meets neo-psychedelia in Meatbodies, helmed by Chad Ubovich. After touring with LA rockers like Mikal Cronin and Ty Segall Ubovich formed Meatbodies in 2014. The album Alice found Ubovich exploring political questions with a loose concept he described at the time as “almost like a made-up scripture.” The band continues to evolve its sound with the triumphant Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom, which was born of a series of disasters in Ubovich’s personal life. Pitchfork writes, “If anyone’s earned the right to check out from reality and indulge in the transcendental properties of psychedelic rock, it’s this dude.” AM
8pm, The Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $18. 429-6994.
SATURDAY
BLUES ROCK
REVEREND BILLY C. WIRTZ
Self-ordained Reverend Billy C. Wirtz has pounded the 88s like a whackier version of the great Jerry Lee Lewis for over 44 years. Wirtz is an imaginative purveyor of twisted tales and off-the-wall parodies and has grown his fandom into an international cult of “Snazzyheads.” A steady stream of original albums with titles like Salvation Through Polyester and Unchained Maladies showcases the aggressive absurdity of working as a pro wrestling manager (his past profession). His album Backslider’s Tractor Pull won the American Association of Independent Music’s award for Comedy Album of the Year. Opening the show will be keyboard wizard Bob Malone, a longtime sideman for John Fogerty, Ringo Starr and Avril Lavigne, among others. DAN EMERSON
7:30pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $30. 427-2227.
COMEDY
CONNOR WOOD
Connor Wood, best known to the internet as @Fibulaa, has much to say, and people want to hear it. With over 35 million likes and 800 thousand followers, Wood has earned the attention of TikTokkers and IG Reels subscribers alike. His humor appeals to everything Gen Z, with jokes spanning from Adderall shortages to the crazy parking laws of LA and Andrew Scott’s undeniable sex appeal. Wood is tapped into the cultural zeitgeist, and he’s ready to find the humor in it. His tour lands in Santa Cruz after a slew of sold-out appearances across the country. JESSICA IRISH
8pm, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $28. 423-1854.
SUNDAY
PERCUSSION
THIRD COAST PERCUSSION
Third Coast Percussion is kicking off the annual April in Santa Cruz Creative Music & Arts Festival at UCSC. The Grammy award-winning quartet will perform the music of composer JLin (Jerrilyn Patton), who has been touted as a revolutionary contemporary composer, and a new work by ultra-modern composer Jay Afrisando. The festival’s theme this year is “A Time for Change,” and the multiday event focuses on various creative styles, including workshops developed for the ensemble’s UCSC residency by composers Rodrigo Barriga and Michael Fleming. DE
7:30pm, UCSC Recital Hall, 402 McHenry Rd., Santa Cruz. Free
TUESDAY
AUTHOR EVENT
PAM PEIRCE
For 30 years, Golden Gate Gardening has been the go-to book for urban gardeners in the Bay Area. Don’t believe us? Food journalist and author Michael Pollan once described it as “…indispensable—if you buy one gardening book, this is the one.” The newly revised and expanded edition touches on proper planting techniques, climates and soil, watering and pruning tips, how to naturally fight pests and more. Author Pam Peirce makes a special appearance at the Bookshop Santa Cruz to discuss tactics for creating an optimal small-space garden, with tips and tricks for gardeners old and young, new or experienced. MW
7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
WEDNESDAY
ROOTS
FANTASTIC NEGRITO
Prepare to groove to the unfiltered music of Fantastic Negrito. Known for displaying a rawness in his music, he meditates on the personal, from surviving a car crash to his interracial grandparents’ love story, and each song intersects themes of survival, space, love, racism, capitalism, history and freedom. Fantastic Negrito plays a form of Black roots, combining older forms of folk and funk with modern technology and sound to create something new. Not one to follow the guides of any one genre, Fantastic Negrito reminds us that we are all born free. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
THE BETHS Last year, the Beths opened for the Death Cab for Cutie/Postal Service reunion tour, earning lots of love from the crowd and the man behind the bands himself: Ben Gibbard. It’s not difficult to understand why Gibbard was drawn to the Beths; their sound captures the same energy that Cutie’s Transatlanticism album so brilliantly contained: emotive lyrics, a gritty yet poppy guitar sound and a chorus worth jumping up and down to. With a talented female vocalist lead and plenty of catchy yet moody hooks, the Beths are not to be missed. J
8pm, The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $27/adv, $32/door. 713-5492.
It’s been 10 years this week since Good Times returned to local ownership. We’d been publishing Metro Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz Weekly for 20 years when the opportunity arose to purchase Good Times from the East Coast private equity firm that owned it and merge it with our weekly.
The move made sense from an economic and editorial standpoint, but it was risky nonetheless. We made a seven-figure investment at a time when others were fleeing the industry and demonstrated that not only is print journalism appreciated and viable, but it makes a difference in communities.
Despite the economic impacts of California’s increasing business costs, our highly subsidized competition, a pandemic and natural disasters, Good Times has grown. As the four-time winner of the California Journalism Awards’ top prize for weeklies, General Excellence, we have been able to deliver a product that is second to none in the state.
The success of Good Times has enabled us to keep jobs here and reinvest locally. We bought and restored a mid-century building on the San Lorenzo Riverwalk, purchased Watsonville’s 156-yearold Pajaronian newspaper and, more recently, the Press Banner, which serves Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley.
We were very pleased when the Pajaronian was recognized with a General Excellence award in its circulation category last year, giving the county two of the state’s top newspapers. We organize a number of community events, among them Santa Cruz Restaurant Week, Santa Cruz Burger Week, Best of Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz Gives, which has raised millions for local nonprofits.
We also support the efforts of others, such as First Friday and the upcoming TEDx Santa Cruz. We are grateful to the readers, advertisers and supporters who have kept Good Times the county’s best read publication. I am particularly thankful for the early efforts by Lee May, Jeanne Howard and Steve Palopoli, who shared the vision and the heavy lifting needed for its realization. After 10 years, it feels like we are just getting started and look forward to what’s ahead. Here’s to the future.
DAN PULCRANO | CEO/EXECUTIVE EDITOR.
PHOTO CONTEST
FUNKY REST KICKER A Trestle Lounge over Antonelli Pond. Photograph by Ross Levoy
GOOD IDEA
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved a new ordinance prohibiting E-bikes from most places where pedestrians walk, with some exceptions. Under the new rules, E-bike riders in the unincorporated parts of the county cannot use them on sidewalks, unless there is no bike lane and as long as there are no pedestrians. E-bikes are prohibited from park trails, unless the parks director makes specific exceptions. Scofflaws face a $100 fine for the first violation, $200 for a second violation within one year and $500 for each additional violation in the same year.
GOOD WORK
In a little more than a year, Ramsay Park in Watsonville will boast a new dog park, a new multi-use synthetic sports field, a new state-of-the-art nature center and new lights for its pathways, parking lots and athletic fields. Plans also include an all-inclusive playground, picnic areas and the Watsonville Slough Connector Trail Project, a connector trail between Main St. and Harkins Slough Road. The project is slated to kick off in May, and is expected to take 15 months at $24.5 million,
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The greatest menace to freedom is an inert people” –JUSTICE LOUIS BRANDEIS
In the story about the band Flat Sun Society last week bassist Avery Bick was misidentified.
RAIL/TRAIL UNSAFE
I’m J. Ben Vernazza, a 90-year-old retired CPA and Certified Forensic Accountant (CrFA). As a CrFA, I pride myself on sniffing out potential problems. That’s why I’ve been closely following the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) and Board of Supervisors (SCCBOS) discussions regarding the safety of the proposed Ultimate Trail. Public agencies have a primary duty: public safety. My analysis of the SCCRTC’s plan raises serious concerns. Initially, the Ultimate Trail was advertised as a Class I trail (meeting Caltrans safety standards) but fell short. This could have been considered non-feasance (failing to fulfill a required duty). The Final EIR avoids the safety issue. Staff claims the trail is Class I “with design exceptions” and not subject to Caltrans standards. Yet, it ignores the reality of 4 of 7 miles with 15-foot concrete walls and fences. Caltrans guidelines account for these limitations, reducing the usable width to 8 ft from 12 which is below the width for low volume trails (Santa Cruz to Capitola is not low volume – 2019 estimate of 584 bikes-pedestrians at peak hours. The current plan could create a public nuisance, potentially leading to injuries and deaths. The project’s safety flaws and potential legal implications warrant further investigation. This email is a call to action for local media to exercise their constitutional right to investigate. J. BEN VERNAZZA CPA/PFS TEP(UK) CRFA EMERITUS
When you trash Congress’s lack of planning please be specific and note it’s the GOP/GQP that doesn’t know how to govern. Dems do a lot of good when they have that power, Check out the legislation passed when Pelosi ruled the House with a paper thin majority. PXL
When you trash Congress’s lack of planning please be specific and note it’s the GOP/GQP that doesn’t know how to govern. Dems do a lot of good when they have that power, Check out the legislation passed when Pelosi ruled the House with a paper thin majority. PXL
Opened a year ago Mad Yolks is the brainchild of Peter Wong and his twin brother, Henry. Peter says the restaurant was born from their collective love of breakfast. Their father opened several restaurants, which Peter says nurtured a keen sense in him for food.
Mad Yolks is a marriage between American and Japanese/Taiwanese influences. The breakfast/brunch menu includes the BAE sandwich (bacon, avocado, egg), the Mad Chick (juicy fried chicken under an over-easy egg) and the Bello (tempura portobello mushroom with an egg and Fontina cheese. The Curry Moco is a half-pound beef patty with white rice, Japanese-style curry, crispy fried egg and furikake. Open daily 8am-3pm (until 4pm Friday and Saturday).
What inspires you about eggs? PETER WONG: They are comforting to me; I’ve eaten them for breakfast since I was a small child. I’ve always liked them on their own, but I’m most inspired by how they complement other ingredients. We take a lot of pride in how we cook our eggs here, such as our soft scramble, which we take care to keep fluffy, light and creamy. It’s a very diverse ingredient and is used throughout many cultures, and really represents a common denominator. Eggs can connect people.
What isyour vision for Mad Yolks? PW: We wanted to couple our passion for food with creating an environment where people can create genuine connection and happy moments over good food and drinks. I really love seeing our guests come in and enjoy their time here and our food. We strive to continue to provide welcoming service, and our menu favorites combined with new ideas that we continue to explore and curate onto our menu. We also love our downtown location and the community we’ve become a part of.
1411 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, 831-291-3686, madyolks.com
We’re number one. The California per capita homeless population is the largest in the country and last June a grand jury report found that Santa Cruz has the most homeless people per capita in the state.
Fully employed Santa Cruzans and UCSC students live in their cars. You can’t afford to live here even if your job is being an elected member of the Santa Cruz City Council.
I’m checking out of Grocery Outlet Bargain Market on Morrissey Boulevard. I recognize the cashier.
“Hi, Asita. You used to work at Staff of Life, right?”
“I still do.”
She gestures to the other cashiers, “They all do.”
After the cashiers at Staff of Life Natural Food Market do their eight-hour shift, they cross Soquel Avenue to do a second eight-hour shift at Grocery Outlet.
Asita came from the Dominican Republic to Santa Cruz when she was 21, to learn English and get an education. She got pregnant.
I ask Asita how long she’s working today. “14 hours today. 16 tomorrow.”
“Do you live close by?”
“I cannot afford to live here. I’m raising my daughter in Seaside.”
I speak to one of the other cashiers who also works as a substitute teacher. She can’t afford to live in Santa Cruz either. After teaching all day, she goes to Grocery Outlet and works into the night. She says, “It’s hard to keep my eyes open.”
When did it become OK to ask exhausted people to count our money and teach our children? You know you’re from Santa Cruz if you have a child who built a house out of Legos and the Planning Department gave it a red tag.
To many of us, Santa Cruz is irresistible. We see the beauty of a community that takes responsibility for its own happiness, a people who believe in their own magic.
For 50 16> years the Santa Cruz housing crisis has been left to those local decision makers who are trying to protect the status quo. It worked for the few, and now it’s destroying Santa Cruz for everyone.
As housing costs rise nationwide, homes and apartments have become big tools for investors. Santa Cruz home prices have risen 4% year after year, while remaining stagnant in other parts of the country, according to the website, Fast Expert. They jumped fiercely during the pandemic when Silicon Valley workers were allowed to work from home, with the average price jumping 16 percent.
Although they dropped some, prices today are still 30 percent higher than they were in 2020, with the average single-family home price at $1,301,294, and the median is $1,175,000. How much do you have to earn to afford a house worth $1 million?
Between $269,000 and $366,000, according to the website, Pacaso. It’s an Everest of a climb for a couple with each making what Zip Recruiter lists as the county’s average annual salary of $61,894, or $29.76 an hour or $5,157 a month.
And, lest you think at least you can comfortably rent, the average rent here is $3,319 for a 717-squarefoot apartment, not much bigger than your Lego home.
A SANTA CRUZ ENTREPRENEUR TRIES A NEW IDEA
I’m talking to Sibley Simon, founder and president of New Way Homes, a nonprofit social enterprise that creates new, affordable housing while providing investors with a fair return. And create affordable housing he does, all over the Bay Area, a frontline warrior against NIMBYism.
“I grew up on the Canadian border in eastern Washington State, a very rural area, in an entrepreneurial family of apple farmers and teachers,” says Simon. “After college I got into tech, doing inventive things with software. I founded two startups, but they were value neutral, and weren’t making the world a better place.
“I just started volunteering more in my own community of Santa Cruz. At Housing Matters I worked on chronic homelessness in San Cruz County. I had conversations on a weekly basis with people who were experiencing homelessness and realized that didn’t define who they were and that their paths were as varied as everyone else’s path.
But lack of housing became the bottleneck. I knew we needed more permanent supportive housing. I want to figure out how I can help create that.”
He founded the nonprofit New Way Homes in 2015 and partnered with developer Workbench. Their goal: to build housing that’s more affordable with less or no public funding. Foundations, businesses, individuals can invest money by loaning to New Way Homes and get a modest return while funding affordable housing development.
“I wanted the money to be anchored at a nonprofit so that projects say, ‘affordability is our core mission, and the returns to investors are set,” he says. In 2019, California passed Senate Bill 330, the Housing Crisis Act SB 330 prohibits local jurisdictions from enacting new laws that would have the effect of reducing the legal limit on new housing within their borders or delay new housing via regulatory barriers.
“SB 330 really changed the speed and risk in most multi-family housing developments in California, as long as you’re following the city’s general plan,” he says. “That’s a huge game changer. It’s part of what gives us hope that we can show that our type of development has a level of risk that’s appropriate for a lower financial return.”
RIDING TO THE FUTURE Sibley Simon, who is married to author and museum director Nina Simon, is changing how we see housing. Photo: Josh Bootz
JESUS SAVES…COMMUNITIES!
Like many of my Santa Cruz heathen brethren, churches have always pissed me off for owning the best land, the biggest acreage, and somehow usurped separation of church and state to be able to pay no taxes on this incredibly valuable property.
But in the most ironic turnaround since Chinese alchemists invented gunpowder to seek an elixir of immortality, churches, with their cache of largely debt-free property, are coming to our rescue by using their land for affordable housing. It saves their struggling community and consequently saves their church. The irony is perfected to salvation.
Using their ownership of huge properties and their willingness to use it for the good of the community, churches are providing the land that is the keystone for most of Sibley Simon’s affordable housing developments.
YES IN GOD’S BACKYARD LANDS ON CALIFORNIA
Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill 4 on Oct. 11, 2023, and many call it Yes In God’s Backyard.
Officially, it’s the Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act. It says church land and nonprofit colleges don’t have to be zoned for housing to build affordable housing on their land.
Many faith-based groups and nonprofit colleges are currently located on lands where multifamily housing is expressly prohibited by local zoning rules. SB4 allows them to bypass most local permitting and environmental review standards that can take years to complete.
State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) authored the bill. Wiener says, “Neither CEQA [California Environmental Quality Act] nor local political processes can be misused to stop these affordable housing projects.”
And so, it is written… The Lord doth smite the NIMBYs! Behold, all ye who sue to delay the development of affordable housing. Jesus hath entered the temple, made a whip out of Senate Bill 4 and chased ye NIMBYs out. Our Lord Jesus hath opened a can of whoop-ass!
“Churches say, ‘We want to keep our assets. We don’t have the cash, the large amount of cash, it takes just to even design and permit housing, let alone build it. We don’t want to risk our other assets.’ And these are most churches. They don’t want to take on a lot of debt where they could lose some other asset. But they’re patient and they’re willing to make use of their land for a project that is very mission driven. They may want a long-term income stream. It could be to pay for services they want to provide, even to those living in the housing. Or all over the country, you know, there’s hundreds of thousands of churches where the buildings have a lot of deferred maintenance. It’s been estimated that in the next decade, 100,000 church buildings across the United States are going to sell. I’d like to see those properties used to help the community.”
“We need housing development that generates a modest return. Our society will not succeed if we only have a choice between charitable housing or very high investment return. We’re not going to make it that way.” –Sibley Simon
“There are billions and billions of dollars out there that want a 4% to 6% return with relatively low risk. We’ll keep growing our track record, offer investors safe investments, and if we bring down the risk and get close to market rate investment, that’s how we can scale this model.
“I started working with churches and met a pastor, Raymond Langford, who’s worked for decades trying to bring resources to church communities in Oakland. I was like, ‘I am not going to be the white guy from Santa Cruz who is a developer in East Oakland.’ That’s not a story that ends well or seems appropriate. “But Raymond, he was adamant. ‘No, you’re working with churches. We have churches who want to do this.’
He said, ‘Follow me. We’re going to do it together. We’re going to build trust.’
So, five years later, he’s still involved with connecting New Way Homes in Oakland.
“It’s not us going in, buying property and developing what we want in the neighborhood. It’s with partnerships. We’re providing a service to that neighborhood and that organization that’s embedded in that neighborhood. We have expertise about development and capital. They have expertise about their own community and neighborhood.”
NEW WAY FLIPS THE SCRIPT
New Way Homes flips the typical construction model by only taking money from investors and lenders who will take a set, capped, modest return. Putting the brakes on profits and risk creates housing that is affordable, he explains. “We did one project in partnership with Housing Matters where we did just take on that earlier role of permitting and design. That’s the big Harvey West Studios project that’s going to go into construction this year, 121 units of permanent supportive housing. Super exciting. Permanent supported housing: that’s housing for chronically homeless individuals who need supportive services. That was my motivation for starting to be a housing developer; can we in Santa Cruz create significant permanent supportive housing?” His great accomplishment has been in finding investors and lenders who are taking a below-market-rate return and believe in this mission to the point where they’re providing the capital for the mission more than for profit. They still get a return, but not the jacked-up one many for-profit developers want. A lot of churches have bought into the promise. They have land and a mission of helping.
WE NEED BOTH MARKET RATE AND AFFORDABLE HOMES
Simon doesn’t believe in mandatory percentages for affordable housing, saying it makes housing harder to build.
“What we need to do is roll up our sleeves and get more mixed-income projects actually done,” he says. “Most people, including lower-income households, are continuing to live in market-rate housing. We need enough market-rate housing to keep prices from going up, and we need to find other ways to make affordable housing using less or no public dollars.
“That’s the goal. St. Stephen’s was completed several years ago, as a publicly funded senior affordable housing, publicly funded tax credit type project. And then right downtown, the Red Church, or Calvary Episcopal Church, that’s just finishing construction now. Great projects, all affordable housing. We need more of them.”
His plans for the future include growing the project across the country. He’s launched a crowdfunding offering on the Equityvest platform where anyone can invest in an Affordable Housing Impact Investment Fund that has paid investors of all levels of wealth over the past seven years.
Talking with Sibley Simon gives me hope for Santa Cruz, hope for our youth. There’s a lot of smart people, Mayor Fred Keeley, former mayor Don Lane and many dozens more, who tirelessly work with the new mandates from the state of California to stop our NIMBY-culture ways. State legislation, like Senate Bill 4, gives churches the power to bypass local NIMBYism and provides developers like Sibley Simon new paths to affordable housing.
For a devout atheist like me, it’s awesome to have God on our side.
A large portion of the Coastal Rail Trail project is at risk after the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday failed to approve staff recommendations to move forward with the work.
While the supervisors did approve the environmental impact report after an hours-long discussion and public comment period, they balked at approving segments 10 and 11, a 4.5-mile stretch of the project that runs from 17th Avenue in Live Oak, through Capitola to State Park Drive in Aptos.
Supervisor Felipe Hernandez made a motion to approve all staff recommendations—which included the Ultimate Trail proposal—a trail running alongside the existing rail line. But that motion, which was seconded by Supervisor Justin Cummings—failed 2-2.
Supervisor Zach Friend abstained from the vote, saying his property near the project in question presented a conflict of interest.
Supervisor Bruce McPherson made a motion to pass only the environmental impact report for the project, which he said included additional direction for staff to come back with more detailed financial information, including how to reduce engineering costs.
McPherson also said he wants to have discussions with Roaring Camp Railroad about sharing the $8 million cost of moving sections of the track.
He also reckons that there will be cost overrun, which could leave the remaining portions of the overall Coastal Rail Trail project without funding for portions of the trail in South County.
“There’s an overall $68 million Measure D active transportation program, and there is a $28 million hole,” he said. “It’s a huge money question mark in how we implement this, and I think everyone would agree that this is going to cost much more than what has been put out there to date.”
County spokesman Jason Hoppin said that the vote could jeopardize a $67.6 million grant from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) awarded in 2022, which was contingent on county approval of the project.
“If we don’t have that money, we can’t move forward,” he said. “The project is dead.”
That problem comes down to a matter of timing, since the county must approve the plans and present them to the CTC this summer, or risk the agency pulling the funding.
Hoppin acknowledged that there is a funding gap in the overall project, but said that the county was planning on looking for ways to cut costs.
“But if we cut that funding off now, we’re making that decision ourselves,” he said.
Gine Johnson, an analyst in McPherson’s office, said those concerns are overblown, and said that he is doing his “due diligence” in asking for a one-to-two-month delay to get more information.
“A slight delay to get information regarding costs is not going to lose the grant,” she said.
Supervisor Manu Koenig also said his concerns centered on the cost of the project.
With about $38 million left over in the Active Transportation Trail Fund from Measure D, and with sections 10 and 11 requiring for $28 million of that, it could leave South County with no money for its portion of the project, Koenig said.
“We need to get some real answers as far as how we’re going to mitigate cost overruns, whether that’s through value engineering, or through working with Roaring Camp,” he said.
Koenig also expressed concern about the environmental impact of the plan, which calls for cutting down from 200-1,000 trees, which he called,”an alarming amount of environmental damage.”
Koenig dismissed concerns that the vote will tank the overall project, and pointed out that it is not scheduled to go to construction until 2026–2030.
“There is still enough time that we get this right,” he said. “The notion that this is the end of the rail trail project is ridiculous. This is just saying, ‘let’s try to get these costs under control, so the whole county gets a project.’”
Suspected sunglass thieves flee, cause crash that causes traffic nightmare
By TODD GUILD
Staff Report
Law enforcement officials from two counties are looking for a trio of suspected thieves who allegedly stole $30,000 worth of sunglasses from a Monterey store on Thursday, and later led police on a chase that ended in a crash on Highway 1 that snarled traffic for several hours.
According to the Monterey Police Department, officers responded to a report of an organized retail theft in progress at the Sunglass Hat at 750 Cannery Row at 3:57pm.
Employees reported three suspects entered the store wearing masks and stole dozens of pairs of sunglasses, then ran out.
Investigators viewed security footage and saw a silver Chrysler 300 sedan speeding away and driving recklessly just after the crime was committed.
After a be-on-the-lookout was broadcast, neighboring jurisdictions notified MPD that a similar vehicle was captured on an Automated License Plate Reader camera shortly after the crime.
At 4:31pm, neighboring jurisdictions again notified MPD the suspect vehicle was seen traveling on General Jim Moore Boulevard.
Officers from the CSU Monterey Bay and Marina police departments located the vehicle and performed a traffic stop in the 3000 block of Del Monte Avenue in Marina.
The vehicle stopped, and the driver, identified as 22-year-old Shawn Morita of Hayward was arrested.
When officers tried to detain the other occupants in the vehicle, one of them entered the driver’s seat and fled in the vehicle.
As officers chased the vehicle to Reservation Road and Highway 1 north, one of the occupants threw out a bag of sunglasses that was later recovered.
Morita was charged with burglary, organized retail theft and conspiracy. He was booked into Monterey County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.
At 4:53 P.M., California Highway Patrol officers responded to a multi-vehicle hit-and-run collision on Highway 1 North at State Park Drive.
Officers located the suspect vehicle, and determined it had rear-ended another vehicle, causing the car to collide with another car in front of it.
Parties in both vehicles were injured. Witnesses said that three subjects fled the suspect vehicle on foot. They were not located.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Greg Galin at 646. 3872, or anonymously at 646.3840.
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A large portion of the Coastal Rail Trail project is at risk after the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday failed to approve staff recommendations to move forward with the work.
While the supervisors did approve the environmental impact report after an hours-long discussion and public comment period, they balked at approving segments 10 and 11, a 4.5-mile...
Suspected sunglass thieves flee, cause crash that causes traffic nightmare
By TODD GUILD
Staff Report
Law enforcement officials from two counties are looking for a trio of suspected thieves who allegedly stole $30,000 worth of sunglasses from a Monterey store on Thursday, and later led police on a chase that ended in a crash on Highway 1 that snarled traffic for several...
