This month, in honor of August as National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, WIC hosts its 17th Annual Breastfeeding Health Fair and Walk on Aug. 9 at Watsonville Plaza. The event is sponsored by WIC (Women Infants and Children), a federally funded nutrition program locally operated by nonprofit Community Bridges that provides healthy foods, nutrition and breastfeeding support for community members in need.
Breastfeeding is one of the best preventative health measures for both babies and mothers. Yet the lack of access to information, lactation consultants and postpartum care can make it difficult. Meanwhile, the aggressive marketing of infant formula in low-income areas also influences perceptions and choices.
Yet here’s where subsidizing health and nutrition for low-income families differs from the (far greater) taxpayer support allocated to corporate benefactors.
Programs like WIC do more than help people buy groceries. Progressive organizations like Community Bridges are dedicated to empowering people to make better choices by offering free nutrition training as well.
How is this different?
WIC uses funds to distribute EBT cards for use in local grocery stores, where community members spend around $450,000 each year. They also dedicate an average of $45,000, or about 10% of the funds, to buy fresh foods and produce at our local farmer’s markets. It’s a win-win for people and the economy. And the cost of the humanitarian work of Community Bridges? Priceless.
Today Community Bridges is celebrating 50 years of service, and according to Program Director Dana Wagner, the organization plans to keep evolving. Because of its size and scope, extensive research has been conducted on the success of WIC’s nutrition education strategies.
“This is largely based on its ability to continuously upgrade and improve its nutrition messaging,” says Wagner. “Over the years, WIC has adopted motivational interviewing and education based on adult learning theories to involve participants in their own learning and goal setting.”
In its 50-year tenure, numerous studies have proven WIC’s effectiveness. These outcomes include reduced premature births and infant deaths, increased access to prenatal care, immunization rates and overall health.
Wagner, who has been with the organization for 25 years, has been highly instrumental in this evolution. She explains, “The best part of my day is seeing families walk out with smiles on their faces. When I get bogged down with the minutiae of my job, I like to walk out of my office and say hello to an infant or child. It reminds me of why I do what I do.”
Since the COVID pandemic, WIC has embraced learning technologies that appeal to millennial families—online classes, two-way texting to communicate with families, remote education. They’ve added apps that help identify WIC foods in the stores, video classes and curbside pickup.
Wagner states, “We provide a variety of learning environments and options to appeal to different families … we have classes at our offices to offer cooking demos and group learning, and we also offer online classes that working families can take when it is convenient for them. The key is to be flexible and adaptable, and WIC has always done a good job of that.”
The free event happening this Friday includes activities for the whole family, a live DJ, community resource booths, healthy snacks, free T-shirts, raffles, a milk donation site, and more. Breastfeeding Awareness is celebrated throughout California during the month of August, as part of a statewide effort to highlight the benefits and show support to breastfeeding mothers in our community.
The event will be held on Aug. 9 from 3 to 5:30pm in Watsonville Plaza. The rally-type walk down Main Street to celebrate breastfeeding begins at 5pm.
America, historically a destination for those seeking freedom from persecution and a better life, is closing its doors. This summer, the Biden administration issued an executive order heavily restricting the entry of asylum seekers at the southern border. Thousands fleeing dangerous or unstable situations in their home country are in limbo, stuck at the border indefinitely.
But one local organization that has been helping refugees and asylum seekers for years is intent on keeping the welcome mat out.
It’s called the Welcoming Network and it was founded in Santa Cruz in 2019 by a group of retired educators, lawyers and other professionals.The organization has close to 80 volunteers spread out across the county and families get referred by word of mouth. They “accompany” the families, helping them obtain basic needs like food and housing, get rides to court hearings and connect with an attorney. Teams of up to 10 people come together to help just one family.
In the past year, the organization has raised its profile through fundraising drives such as Santa Cruz Gives (which was started by Good Times). However, they say that the need is even greater now and are looking for more community support from donors and volunteers.
Jawid (an assumed name to protect his identity) arrived with his family from Afghanistan and is seeking political asylum. The network quickly stepped in to help.
“I can say [the] Welcoming Network is very supportive, they help us a lot. I can say about the people of Santa Cruz [that] I like the people, they are nice and friendly,” Jawid, 42, says.
In August 2021, the longest war and occupation by the U.S. military ended in Afghanistan after 20 years. Images flooded screens across the world of the chaos that ensued during the hasty retreat of U.S. and NATO forces.
Thousands fled before the Taliban overtook the capital, Kabul, and ended the rule of the U.S.-allied government. After initially invading in order to capture Osama Bin Laden—the man behind 9/11—the military coalition remained, fighting the Taliban resistance well after the killing of Bin Laden in 2011.
On the morning of Aug. 15, 2021, Jawid was at work in the city center at the office of the High Council for National Reconciliation. Caught by surprise by the impending takeover of the capital, Jawid and his colleagues fled from the office—they knew they would be targeted.
“I was really scared and looking for a place to hide myself, [but] there was no place to hide, everyone was running in the city, here and there, when I got out of the office,” Jawid recounts.
The High Council for National Reconciliation, a body created in 2020 to negotiate peace between the government and the Taliban, was staffed by others like Jawid, who had collaborated with the U.S. military during the occupation. He previously worked at a U.S. military base and within the administration of former President Ashraf Ghani.
“I used to receive threats from the Taliban from 2010 to 2014, while I was in my hometown, and then I had to move to Kabul, to the capital, which was more safe than the place I used to live,” Jawid says.
During the Kabul airlift, an estimated 122,000 were evacuated. However, only about 3 percent of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government were taken, leaving behind 78,000 people, according to a 2022 report. Jawid and his family were among those left behind.
After finally making it home that morning in 2021, Jawid went into hiding and then fled the country, traveling to Pakistan and then Iran after securing a visa. For months he was separated from his family, but in November 2022 he reunited with them and they flew to Mexico. After a four-month wait at the border, they arrived in the United States.
Today he’s 7,500 miles away from Afghanistan on the Central Coast of California. His family was let into the U.S., and they can remain here provisionally until his case for political asylum is heard by a federal immigration judge. But unlike many asylum seekers who find themselves alone to navigate the system, Jawid has an entire network of people to support his family.
While looking to settle somewhere with a large Afghan population, Jawid says that the support he found here made him stay in the area. He recently found housing for his family of 13 and is getting assistance as he goes through the asylum process.
“They’re, by definition, fleeing because of fear-based persecution, and failing to make their case here means being deported back to the very situation they fled,” says Miram Stombler, one of the network’s founders.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as of 2022 there were 1,798,792 asylum seekers from around the world in the U.S. The same report estimated that 363,059 refugees were living in the country.
In addition to basic necessities like food and shelter, Stombler says that legal representation is crucial.
Paul Johnston, a retired sociology professor and co-founder of the network, says that the core of what they do is to help asylum seekers obtain effective legal representation as they navigate the U.S. immigration court system.
“If people don’t have access to good representation, nothing else matters because they’ll be driven out of the country or driven underground. I think the first thing we did was try to pass the hat around to help support that kind of work. I think we raised 700 or 800 bucks, maybe. But we’ve come a long way since then,” Johnston says on a Zoom call with Stombler.
“We work so beautifully together, it’s almost a little shocking, and I think it’s because we’re driven by the same passion,” Stombler adds.
To date, the Welcoming Network has accompanied 41 families and individuals, which amounts to over 100 people since 2019. The diversity of their circumstances paints a nuanced picture of who asylum seekers and refugees are. The organization also wants people to know the important difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee. Many of the families they help are seeking asylum but have yet to get a final decision from the courts. But the network also helps war refugees fleeing conflict zones such as Ukraine.
HIGH HOPES
SAFE HARBOR Anna Minakova and Dmytro Cherniavskyi were granted refugee status by the U.S. government. As of 2022, there were 363,000 refugees living in the country. Photo: Tarmo Hannula
Anna Minakova’s life was blown up one morning in February 2022. She and her family were rattled awake by the shockwaves from bombs landing near their home in Kharkiv, Ukraine, shaking it to its foundation. The explosions announced the opening strikes of the Russo-Ukrainian War, as Russian troops attacked Ukraine from the eastern Donbas region.
Minakova’s family fled for their lives.
“We just drove west, we didn’t even get any clothes or anything. We just woke up, put on the first clothes that we saw, and just left without anything,” recounts the 27-year-old.
For months, they were on the run, making their way west. The influx of refugees from eastern Ukraine drove up food and hotel prices, draining the family’s savings. That’s when they decided to leave Ukraine for the European Union, which in 2022 opened its borders to refugees.
Once in the EU, the family separated; her parents went to Budapest; her grandmother and younger brother left for the US after obtaining visas; and Minakova and her boyfriend went to Germany.
Before the war, Minakova worked as a language interpreter in Ukraine, while also working abroad as an aerial gymnast. After the conflict erupted, that life ended.
In April 2022 the Biden administration announced the Uniting for Ukraine initiative, which provides Ukrainian refugees a fast track into the U.S. The program allows refugees and their immediate family to reside in the country for a parole period of two years as long as they have a financial sponsor.
Through the program, Minakova’s uncle, who lives in the Santa Cruz area, sponsored the rest of her family and they arrived in mid-2022. After a year of living with relatives, in May of 2023 Minakova was referred to the Welcoming Network when her family was urgently looking for a new home.
“We were waiting for work permits for about six months. We couldn’t work for six months, and of course we couldn’t find jobs and save money for [a] house; we didn’t have a credit score or anything. And it was almost [impossible] to find a place to live,” Minakova says.
After connecting with the Welcoming Network, they were able to secure housing.
Ellen Murtha, one of the volunteers accompanying Minakova’s family, is struck by what they had to endure.
“When we found them a place to live […] we were looking at the place and Anna said, ‘Oh, we stayed in a place like this in Poland,’” Murtha says. But what Minakova was pointing to was a hallway. The six of them were forced to sleep in one when they ran out of money after leaving Ukraine.
“The resilience and […] cheerfulness, and just the determination to work and to make a living, to take care of themselves and to be independent, is really stunning for me,” Murtha says.
Minakova now works at a gym in Capitola and has even been able to do aerial gymnastics again as a guest performer for the Flynn Creek Circus.
“I was happy to be back on stage because I missed the stage so much,” she says of the experience. “I was finally feeling that I was doing something that I can really do.”
When asked what her plans for the future are, Minakova tries not to think too far ahead.
“I wish no one can know what war is, because it’s the most horrible thing ever. And when your house is destroyed by someone, you don’t have any choice, and you need to leave […]. I’m very grateful that I can be in this country right now.”
Like Minakova, many asylum seekers and refugees forced to leave their lives behind are seeking to rebuild a semblance of what they lost. For one family, their goal is to build themselves back, share their culture and help others.
‘WE WANT TO HAVE A LIFE HERE’
ALWAYS STRIVING Cristian Diaz and Sthefania Matias owned a successful restaurant in Colombia and want to launch a food truck business here. Photo: Josué Monroy
On a rainy Saturday afternoon, a small apartment off Laurel Street in Santa Cruz becomes a clandestine eatery for Colombian immigrants in the area. A knock on the door announces the next lunch patron and once he settles in, he’s brought a heaping plate of arroz con pollo, a side salad and tostones.
The homemade meals are sold by Sthefania Matias and Cristian Diaz, a young Colombian couple who were restaurateurs back home. They fled Colombia in 2022 after Diaz’s brother was murdered. The killer uploaded a video of his torture and death to social media, threatening to come after Diaz and his family.
The 33-year-old Matias was seven months pregnant with her second child when they escaped with their 3-year-old son, flying into Mexico hoping to be granted entry at the U.S. border. They were eventually let into the U.S. on a provisional parole and headed to California. A brief stay with friends in the South Bay fell apart and they were soon forced to live in their car with two young children in tow.
“The baby was just five days old and we had to sleep in the car,” Diaz, 33, says in Spanish. “Imagine, as a man, what it feels like to have your wife and children sleeping in a car. It was tough.”
“We didn’t know anyone else in this country. The U.S. is a complete shock physically, mentally,” Matias adds.
Arriving in Santa Cruz in February 2023, the small family was taken in by Housing Matters’ emergency shelter. Thanks to the Welcoming Network, they were able to find an apartment and leave the shelter. Now, they are making ends meet by selling Colombian food staples. Diaz and Matias want to show the community that, despite the violence that they experienced first-hand, Colombia is more than that.
“When people think of Colombia they think cocaine and Pablo Escobar,” Diaz says. “What about our gastronomy? On the news they always talk about the bad but never about the good of a country.”
Now they want to make the U.S. their home and work hard for a new life.
“We can’t just let ourselves live off of what the government can give us. We want the government to give us the opportunity to work,” Diaz says.
“We were doing that in our country,” Matias explains. “But now that we’re here—if we’re given the opportunity to stay—it’s our duty to contribute to this country because our family is here and we want to have a life here.”
Paula Leroy is one of the network volunteers on their accompanying team. On this day, she is visiting the couple at their new apartment.
“These guys are amazing because they’re making rent and everything because they’re working so hard,” says Leroy. “I just adore this family.”
Diaz and Matias have begun the Family Reunification Parole process through the Department of Homeland Security in order to retrieve their three teenage children who are in hiding back in Colombia. Diaz hopes that the parole is granted and that his kids can travel safely to the U.S.
OUR NEIGHBORS
When Heather Rogers became Santa Cruz County’s first Public Defender in 2021, she made immigration defense a priority for her office. As part of a “holistic” approach to legal representation, Roger says deportation removal defense is key for keeping families together.
“These are people who are already a part of our community. And are friends, neighbors, brothers, sisters, the fathers and mothers of the children that our kids play with. This isn’t an ‘Us or Them’ situation. We’re talking about people who are already a part of us, they are already us,” she says. “There’s an ocean of need and what we’re able to do right now is really a drop in the bucket of that need.”
For many refugees and asylum seekers, Rogers says, a deportation order can mean a death sentence. In our current political climate—especially during an election year—the lives of immigrants get reduced to talking points. What is often left out of the conversation is the role belligerent U.S. foreign policy has played in destabilizing Afghanistan, Colombia and even Ukraine.
“Our ability to understand and respond to big policy issues is hampered by these biases that are based in misinformation, racism and stereotypes—things that we really have to work to break down and understand so that we can become more responsible global citizens. And the Welcoming Network is leading that charge here in Santa Cruz County,” Rogers says.
The organization also enjoys support from California 17th District State Senator John Laird, who has deep ties to the Santa Cruz community.
“As a state senator, I hear stories of immigrants fleeing from violence,” he says. “I know that it is not just having resources, it is the ability to connect refugees in an unfamiliar land to those resources.
“Decades ago, when tens of thousands of Cubans came to the US in boats, I sponsored one. He lived with me until he learned English and made his way. I recall those first days, when a supermarket was a foreign experience, where language was a barrier, where the opportunities for help could not have been known to him on his own.
“For these reasons, I support the efforts of Santa Cruz Welcoming Network. I hope you will find a way that you can support the volunteers who give their time and resources—to make Santa Cruz a welcoming environment.”
WELCOMING TIDE
California politics reached a pitch of anti-immigrant sentiment in the 1990s under Gov. Pete Wilson, who sought to cut off immigrants from essential services and criminalize them with Propositions 187 and 227.
Back then a local artist—an immigrant himself—sought to battle harmful stereotypes about immigrants and used his art to give the Santa Cruz community a monument honoring all refugees.
At the entrance to Cowell’s Beach next to the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, three Kilkenny limestone pillars form a portal to Monterey Bay. The pillars are part of a work titled “In the Tides of Time,” installed nearly 30 years ago by Irish stone sculptor Alan Counihan. Counihan dedicated the work to those seeking refuge and prosperity in America—much like the Statue of Liberty does—and the henge-like pillars represent a gateway welcoming them. He worked alongside Mexican immigrant laborers when he first arrived in the U.S. and understood their struggle.
BUILDING A BEACON The City of Santa Cruz commissioned the monument from Counihan
“I have always hoped that the work would be experienced as more than a mere spatial ornament. The poem inscribed on the inside surface of the portal is as relevant today as in 1995, when it was composed in response to Proposition 187 and its exclusionary motives. Indeed, it may well be more so, for the animosity towards those who seek shelter on our shores grows ever more vicious and inflamed,” Counihan says in an email.
On the inside of each of the monument’s two upright pillars, a poem is inscribed, one in English and on the other a Spanish translation.
“In the tides of time/ we have sought/ safe harbor/ here/ on the western shore/ where the waves ebb and flow restlessly/ and the seasons/ in their old harvesting hulls/ have borne us/ ripe cargoes of plenty/ with enough fruit for all.” —Alan Counihan
Editor’s note: Sthefania Matias was previously referred to as Sthefanny Pardo. That has been corrected.
For more information on how to help go to santacruzwelcomingnetwork.com
The award-winning comedian, actor, filmmaker and How Did This Get Made podcast host Paul Scheer was apparently unsatisfied with his long list of honorifics and has now added author to his many credits. He’s coming to town to read from, discuss and sign copies of his new book, a touching and funny memoir-in-essays collection titled Joyful Recollections of Trauma. Anyone into that whole ‘excelling-in-many-different-mediums’ kind of thing can register for this free event to meet the author (filmmaker, comedian, actor, podcast host, ad infinitum) and buy a copy for him to scribble his name on. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
FOLK
‘ RUPERT WAITES | PHOTO: JOHN MAZLISH
RUPERT WATES & PATTI MAXINE
Rupert Wates is an English songwriter with an Americana sound, but that’s not such a juxtaposition; plenty of folk classics come from the troubadour ballads of the old country. Wates specializes in fluid fingerpicking and writing songs influenced by Knights of the Round Table stories. He shares the bill with Patti Maxine, a Santa Cruz favorite known as “the Queen of Steel” for her prowess with the lap steel. All flavors of folk and Americana will be on display with these two headlining; both familiar favorites and a little something new. JESSICA IRISH
Adding another compelling chapter to the tradition of family musical groups (the Roches, the Everly Brothers, the Cowsills), Oakland’s own T Sisters use the folk idiom as a jumping-off point and expand from there in myriad directions. All three siblings (Chloe on percussion, Erika on guitar and Rachel on banjo and guitar) write and sing original material. In 2019, the trio participated in the State Department-sponsored American Music Abroad program. T Sisters released their debut EP in 2011; they’ve since released a second EP and two albums, and between live dates, are hard at work on a third album. BILL KOPP
If the term Latin psychedelic isn’t enough to sell Valley Wolf as a rollicking good time, nothing will be. Valley Wolf’s music blends soul, psych-rock, cumbia and beyond. The Modesto-based band has gained a following due to their live shows, which bring energy and joy right onto the dance floor. The classic “chu-chucu-chu” rhythm of cumbia is the foundation upon which many of their songs build—a rhythm that must’ve been handcrafted in a lab to get people’s hips swaying. Fans of Chicano Batman will love Valley Wolf; in fact, Batman’s own É Arenas is featured on Wolf’s self-titled EP. JI
With summer halfway over, now is the time to pack in as many good times as possible. Thankfully, Rize The People is here to help. Hand curated by reggae artist Nattali Rize, Rize The People is the perfect way to celebrate Santa Cruz’s favorite season. Local irie legends Ancestree and Geoff Weers (from a little group known around here as the Expendables) will represent Santa Cruz, while the Dukes of Roots, an intergenerational band who has backed names like Damian Marley, will make their Santa Cruz debut. Grabbing some tacos outside while DJs King I-Vier and Ay Que Linda hold it down will keep the love going. MAT WEIR
The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music concludes with Passage-Grand Finale, a symphonic journey featuring works celebrating global sounds from four modern composers: Clarice Assad, Errollyn Wallen, Juan Pablo Contreras and Pierre Jalbert (whose composition Passage, making its West Coast premiere, gives the evening its title). A special drum and dance performance by Dandha Da Hora kicks off the program, with the master dancer and percussionist joined by local dancers and the Cabrillo Festival percussion section. Celebrated violinist Philippe Quint will play Wallen’s Violin Concerto, also making its West Coast premiere, lending still more star power to the evening. KLJ
INFO: 7pm, Civic Auditorium, 147 South River St., Suite 232, Santa Cruz. $20-$82. 426-6966.
MONDAY
JAZZ
JOHN PIZZARELLI TRIO
Jazz/swing guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli is deeply rooted in American musical traditions. One of his earliest breaks was a starring role in Dream, a Broadway show honoring the music of Johnny Mercer. He opened for Frank Sinatra on one of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ last concert tours and cohosts Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli with his wife, Jessica Molaskey. An ardent champion of the Great American Songbook, Pizzarelli has released nearly 50 albums as a solo or collaborative artist. His trio (with bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson) is touring to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pizzarelli’s debut album, I’m Hip (Please Don’t Tell My Father). BK
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $58.28/adv, $57.75/door. 427-2227.
TUESDAY
COUNTRY
PAUL CAUTHEN
Tonight is a night to rip each other down, searching for love and forgiveness, a night of intense spiritual expression. Paul Cauthen showcases the power and joy behind truth and love—the gospel he preaches. The smooth baritone and thunderous moments of his songs remind listeners to be thankful to be alive. His religious and, at times, somber rockabilly is a reminder to be humble before God and show compassion for fellow brothers and sisters. Featuring songs from the Have Mercy EP, the crowd can expect to be shaken by the raw emotion and religious discussion Paul Cauthen brings forth. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
Smooth, easy and carefree—what other way is there to be in the summer? Then again, for LA-based band Drugdealer, that’s the only way to be all year long. Their blend of smooth jazz and ’70s yacht rock is the perfect wave to ride out the day with. Surprisingly, their third album almost didn’t happen when singer and ring leader Michael Collins lost faith in his singing pre-pandemic. Thankfully, some good advice from fellow singer/composer Annette Peacock changed his perspective, and Collins began singing in a higher tone. The result is Drugdealer’s trouble-free sound, perfect for cracking open a cold wine spritzer and letting the good times roll on and on. MW
How many times have you passed by the monument on the way to the Santa Cruz Wharf without realizing what it was? I sure have, too many times.
It’s our version of the Statue of Liberty and it’s so important to who we are as Santa Cruzans. You’ll realize that when you read Josué Monroy’s cover story about what our community does to welcome and not shun immigrants, particularly refugees who have risked their lives in other countries to help us.
There are horror stories across the country of foreigners who worked to help Americans in dangerous political situations, in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Vietnam and the Middle East, who get here and are treated badly. Even now there are popular political movements condemning them as outsiders, thieves, rapists and drug dealers. You’ve heard the speeches.
But Santa Cruz County proudly helps and pays tribute to those who struggle to get here with its Welcoming Network, an organization of volunteers who should be celebrated for their work helping those who need it most.
“I wish no one can know what war is, because it’s the most horrible thing ever,” says one of the refugees in Monroy’s story. “And when your house is destroyed by someone, you don’t have any choice, and you need to leave […]. I’m very grateful that I can be in this country right now.”
We should all be grateful to the locals who have pitched in to make her and others feel welcome. Read his story to see how you can join and help.
On other fronts, the news isn’t good for homeless people who have set up camps here, as the Supreme Court and local officials have made it tougher for them to seek sanctuary. There are two sides to Todd Guild’s story about the sweeps on the Pogonip. Is it a threat to their rights, or is the government trying to help them?
In our good news file, we show you a new place to get sourdough bagels; a theatrical horror show to get you pumped for Halloween; a surprising doom metal band; and an angelic hardcore punk band…talk about variety.
Finally, we have to celebrate some statewide awards to Good Times and its staff. Reporter Todd Guild won two first place awards from the California News Publishers Association, for public service journalism and coverage of youth and education for his investigative work. The whole staff won an award for general excellence and for public service with its Santa Cruz Gives charity issue.
Thanks for reading.
Brad Kava, Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
WHERE’S WALDO? Can you spot the camouflaged Monarch in this photo from Prunedale? Photograph by Jesus Ibarra
A major breakthrough for what was one of the dirtiest beaches came in 2017 when the source of the pollution—primarily birds roosting on and near the Wharf—was identified. The city installed bird screening under the Wharf; deployed sliding gates at Neary Lagoon to control the flow of bacteria-laden water from a storm drain outlet; and installed a steel plate to divert high-bacteria water to the wastewater treatment facility.
The FireSafe Council of Santa Cruz County has 25 trained volunteer home assessors to give free, confidential consultations for home hardening and defensible space information and have broadened their reach south to meet the greater needs and range of Santa Cruz County from Boulder Creek/Summit areas down through Aptos and Corralitos. The purpose of the FireSafe Council of Santa Cruz County is to educate and mobilize the people of Santa Cruz County to protect their lives, homes, community, and environment from wildfire.
I appreciate J Hansen bringing forward Kamala Harris’s California history as a prosecutor. If we’re going to make someone president it behooves us to unwrap the offering before a nation state life-changing choicepoint.
Problematic “powers that be” arise in every generation and, in Frank Herbert’s words, “power corrupts the corruptible.”
Kamala Harris’s track record as California Attorney General / prosecutor makes her downright scary as potential Commander in Chief. Convicting people to long prison sentences when there is strong evidence asserting their innocence should be bone-chilling to anyone.
As Madhava Setty, MD, said last week: “I wrote about Kamala Harris’s record as the CA Attorney General to remind never-Trumpers that their preferred Veep has a record of withholding of exculpatory evidence (emphasis mine) and evidence tampering to obtain wrongful convictions which she used to embellish her bonafides as the state’s top prosecutor.”
Corrina McFarlane
ONLINE COMMENTS
RE: Pedro the Lion
This is a wonderfully written piece. It’s refreshing in this new AI era.
Jess | GOODTIMES.SC
Now this is some top notch writing. I’m off to listen to the album, I think I’ll enjoy it more after reading this!
Haely | GOODTIMES.SC
I really enjoyed the article–maybe more than the music….will try to attend!
Janet Perry | GOODTIMES.SC
Re: Surf’s Still Up: How the Beach Boys Drew Us to California
I live in the South Bay and am a Beach Boys fan. I often listen to their Lost Concert on Youtube. This was such an enjoyable read. And very informative.
Emerly Gueron | GOODTIMES.SC
This is a great article, and I am honored to have been able to share my “Beach Boy” memories. Let me add one thing: what attracted Mike Love and I to Transcendental Meditation practice is that it is very similar to the effect of Surfing, that the BB’s expressed in their music—the experience of the deepest nature of one’s own inner Consciousness during TM is holistically relaxing and rejuvenating, and it spontaneously removes the stress of material concerns. It is spiritual, and so is surfing, and that is why surfers are so nature-oriented.
For someone who knows nothing about Seattle sludgy doom metal band Year of the Cobra except for their recordings, it’s easy—and understandable—to assume they are a full quartet. Their songs are built with different tones, heavy riffs, solid rhythms and haunting melodies to create music that creeps into space and fills the silence.
However, when it comes to YOTC–who play a very special matinee show at Moe’s Alley on Aug. 11–it’s important to remember the old saying about what it means to assume.
Not only is Year of the Cobra not a quartet, they aren’t even a power trio. Incredibly, their dynamic sound is created only using drums by Johanes “Jon” Barrysmith and a bass guitar and vocals by Amy Tung Barrysmith.
The couple married in 2010 and formed the band five years later. However, they never thought Year of the Cobra would be only them.
“We moved to Seattle and didn’t know anybody so we started jamming together,” Amy remembers.
“We had every intention of adding a guitar player. But after playing together and writing songs, the challenge of creating a full sound with only two people was really fun so we decided to go with that.”
Metalheads everywhere are thankful, too, because while Year of the Cobra is assuredly doom metal, they bring in elements of sludge and psychedelic stoner metal as well. It culminates in a refreshing sound with Amy’s empyrean vocals soaring over the heavy riffs. Somehow, someway, they create a full, rich, layered sound that rivals some groups with twice the members.
“It was all very organic,” Barrysmith says of the band. “There was no intention of it turning into a touring thing.”
Which is ironic because the duo has become known not only for their sound but also their constant touring. No strangers to Santa Cruz, YOTC has a history of playing here, performing at the Catalyst last year almost to the date of their upcoming Moe’s Alley appearance.
Despite being a Seattle band, Year of the Cobra’s roots are deeply planted in Surf City.
“I grew up in Santa Cruz,” Jon says. “So when we first started it was easy to book there. I love coming back home.”
Santa Cruzans might remember Jon from his former punk band, Lonely Kings. This Sunday’s show also features local post-punk rockers Hot Lung, who shared the bill with YOTC at the Catalyst last year.
“I’ve known [Hot Lung guitarist] Joe [Clements] since I was 15,” Jon says. “I played in punk rock bands from high school through my late 20s. There’s a natural progression for older hardcore and punk rock dudes to listen to harder music, play slower, and here we are.”
Shortly after they formed in 2015, Year of the Cobra released their debut EP, The Black Sun, with their debut full-length, …In the Shadows Below, arriving the following year. Three years later—in 2019—they released their follow-up album, Ash and Dust.
While their debut is an introduction to their sound, tinkering with the configuration of songs to cover the high and low ends, the sophomore album found the band coming into their own.
From the opening track, “Battle of White Mountain”—about the real-life battle of the same name that on Nov. 8, 1620, turned the tides in the Thirty Years War, solidifying Habsburg reign of Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic) for another 300 years—the album flows organically. The third and title track delivers a punk rock mentality, faster than the others on the album with a chorus chanted rather than sung, harking back to Amy and Jon’s separate hardcore beginnings.
That said, one of the things that makes YOTC so striking is Amy’s singing. With so many modern metal acts using guttural, death growls (which originated with death metal, hence the name) that many non-metalheads find confusing or disagreeable, Tung keeps the tones clean. She utilizes the gamut of her abilities, sometimes singing so softly it barely creeps above a whisper, as on tracks like “Demons,” “Dark Swan” and “In Despair.”
“The singing took a little while because I never really sang before this band,” she admits. “So it took a minute to figure out because Jon didn’t want to sing.”
Johanes laughs.
“The way I play drums it’s like running a half marathon, so I’m trying to catch my breath and not whack the microphone,” he says. “But speaking of Amy’s singing, our new record isn’t out yet but I’m very proud of Amy for how far and confident she’s become fronting this band.”
While there’s no release date for the new album–aptly self-titled as YOTC–the duo says it has been finished for months. Fans can expect a series of singles to be released before the final product drops–which will most likely be sometime at the beginning of next year.
“I write about things that I personally find interesting,” Tung says. “I love stories, I love history, I love Greek mythology, and you can hear that in a lot of the songs. I think they are things people can truly relate to deeply in their soul.”
Some of the most interesting things come from the unlikeliest places. While Santa Cruz’s Broadway Playhouse isn’t where you might ordinarily think to go for your slice of summer horror, this August the Midsummer Ensemble—a local independent theater company—is closing its summer season with Trap, an immersive one-act play by Stephen Gregg.
Produced by Molly Meyers and Isaac Ludington and directed by a dynamic duo of creatives—Lu Ludington and Yarrow Sifry—Trap is an unnerving and interactive horror play that follows a mysterious event where everybody except one audience member falls unconscious during a theater production.
“We wanted to show that theater can be just as scary if not more scary than the movies,” Yarrow says.
The ensemble came into being in 2022, when two recent high school graduates—Isaac Ludington and Molly Meyers—decided that they wanted to get their friends together to start performing again outside of school.
“My friend Molly was like, ‘Hey, I miss doing theater, would you like to put together a show with me?’ We’d done theater stuff in the past so the idea of collaborating again was fun. That summer we threw together a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that we performed at UCSC, and it was a BLAST, pure serendipity,” Isaac says.
It wasn’t until their second season in the summer of 2023—in a production of Macbeth with a queer twist—that they felt they’d really come into their own as an ensemble.
“The next year, Lu and Yarrow wanted to do a lesbian Macbeth, so we were like, ‘Okay, great—let’s do it.’ So by year two it was really like, ‘Great, we’re an ensemble now, and this is our group, and no matter what gonna keep making stuff together.’” Isaac says.
Independent theater isn’t without its challenges, and the Midsummer Ensemble is no stranger to the greatest menace faced by any organization: the need for funding.
“Our biggest challenge is definitely funding. How do we put together plays at a professional level? With this rag-tag group of weird young people? So we got a lot of help from Terri Steinmann. West Performing Arts has a grant for youth theater which helps us access the Broadway playhouse and covers some of the production costs. There have been challenges, but as a whole it’s been a lot easier than we originally expected,” Yarrow says.
Some of the most gratifying parts of producing independent live theater for this “ragtag group of weird young people” have been the self-discovery it prompted for them, and the power they’ve learned they can tap into as creators.
“Especially with Macbeth, that is one of the most gratifying projects I’ve ever worked on. Everyone poured their heart and soul into it and it showed. It’s so cool to get together with your friends and make something that”s just so cool,” Lu says.
“One important thing to note, especially about being independent, has been that we have control over our creative vision as a group, and that has really helped us come together as an ensemble,” Yarrow says.
While they currently only perform in the summer, their future vision is a hopeful one and the creative team has its eyes on the sky.
“We are kind of working toward figuring out how to establish ourselves as a business or nonprofit to make us legit, and here to stay. Hopefully we can build it out so we have a full season where we’re doing a show in the summer but we’re also performing in the fall and spring,” Lu says. “We wanna find ways to be doing more shows.”
To the Midsummer Ensemble, Trap is not only an enormous opportunity to terrify the audience but also an opportunity for people from throughout the community to share a love for the arts in an inviting and fun space full of passionate individuals.
“What we’d like the community to take away from Trap is less about the show itself and more about theater and sharing our passion for theater. Trap is an experience, and we’re excited for the community to experience that experience,” Yarrow says.
“I hope that they all scream—loudly. With terror,” Isaac says.
Trap opens Aug. 9 and runs weekends through Aug. 18 at the Broadway Playhouse, 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz. Tickets: $15. midsummerensemble.com
While the hardcore punk counter-culture movement has been around for decades with bands like Black Flag and Suicidal Tendencies leading the scene in California, the genre has taken on a new swagger.
Whether it is for the trend or real passion, the rapid growth of hardcore bands like Sunami, Drain and Scowl—which have their roots in San Jose and Santa Cruz—is undeniable.
ANGEL, a “straight-edge” hardcore band, born out of Westside Santa Cruz by 19-year-old Marco Chavez, is proof of that. Chavez and bandmates Mateo Garcia (21), Joaquin Cruz (20) and Justin Vela (17) are some of the local hardcore scene’s most active members.
The band has played shows at the Catalyst, the Vets Hall and Subrosa, as well as in the Bay Area. They also regularly practice in Santa Cruz at the Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studio, thanks to Paul Gallacher.
Virtually a year after releasing their first EP, “Savior,” the band is set to record and then release their second EP, “Time to Expire,” with Marc Estabillo on Aug. 11. The EP focuses on themes of self-reflection, self-criticism and helplessness.
After opening for Crime in Stereo last week at the Santa Cruz Vets Hall, the musicians plans to go on their first mini tour, starting in Berkeley and heading down to San Diego.
Chavez, who sings and writes songs, says there are many misconceptions about the hardcore scene and the people in it.
“Hardcore in general is not about hating on everybody and beating everybody up. It’s about caring for one another. … It’s all just a way of expressing yourself in another form,” he explained, “Dancing is self-expression. The music is self-expression. It’s all just about getting your emotions out and being there for each other and having a good time.”
He understands how it can seem gnarly to many folks but though “it looks scary on the outside,” he says, “everybody is really nice.”
ANGEL considers themselves to be a “straight edge” band, part of a subculture that promotes abstinence from all drugs and substances.
Being straight-edge is “about trying to live a positive life and feeling everything, meaning not having a clouded mind in any way, shape or form so that you are fully present throughout your life, even when times are hard,” Chavez said, “Whether it be drinking, smoking, taking pills … [the message] is that you don’t need these things in your life to be happy.”
Chavez went on to explain how comradery plays a big role in the scene, “When somebody gets hit and falls down, they get picked up.” The same principles apply within straight-edge culture, “If somebody is using, you know that you are sober and able to help them if something goes wrong.”
Being an authentic part of the community is important to keep it alive. “Hardcore and punk in general aren’t about being cooler, better than everybody; it’s about showing up and showing out for your scene, showing out for the people there, and in total, being a real person, not trying to be a someone just to get somewhere.”
The authenticity that is valued in the hardcore scene becomes prevalent when musicians in bands that have “made it big” still show up to local shows and are an active part of keeping the scene going.
One of Chavez’s biggest supporters is the lead vocalist of Drain, Sammy Ciaramitaro, who regularly attends local shows. Another one of Chavez’s mentors, Condition One vocalist Danny Coggins, is a member of Crossthread, a San Jose collective that hopes to obtain an all-ages venue for art and music.
Chavez explains why all-ages music should be promoted: “It supports the idea that you don’t have to go to a bar or somewhere where people are getting drunk and sloppy to enjoy music. For a while, that’s where a lot of shows were happening; you couldn’t go to a show without being exposed to that.”
Along with that, all-ages music helps build community and ultimately keeps the scene going. “When more kids come out and start bands, then younger kids come out and want to start bands … It’s a beautiful cycle of everyone building each other up,” Chavez says.
Angel’s new EP, “Time to Expire,” will be out Aug. 11. Find them on Bandcamp.
Legend tells us that the first person to drink tea was Chinese Emperor Shennong in 2737 BCE. As he lounged outdoors, tree leaves fell into his cup of water and accidentally created an infusion. Good for him that he was willing to sample that accidental offering. It took many centuries, but eventually tea drinking spread throughout the world. And yet the first tea bag, an icon of convenience, didn’t become available until 1904. I don’t expect you will have to wait anywhere near that long to move from your promising new discoveries to the highly practical use of those discoveries. In fact, it could happen quickly. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to ripen your novel ideas, stellar insights and breakthrough innovations.
TAURUS April 20-May 20
I hope that in the coming months, Taurus, you will be refining your skills with joy and vigor. I hope you will devote yourself to becoming even more masterful at activities you already do well. I hope you will attend lovingly to details and regard discipline as a high art—as if doing so is the most important gift you can give to life. To inspire you in these noble quests, I offer you a quote by stage magician Harry Blackstone Jr.: “Practice until it becomes boring, then practice until it becomes beautiful.”
GEMINI May 21-June 20
Wohlweh is a German word that means “good pain” or “pleasurable pain.” It might refer to the feeling you have while scratching a mosquito bite or rubbing your eyes when they’re itchy from allergies. But my favorite use of the word occurs when describing a deep-tissue massage that may be a bit harrowing even as it soothes you and provides healing. That’s a great metaphor for the kind of wohlweh I expect for you in the coming days. Here’s a tip: The less you resist the strenuous “therapy,” the better you will feel.
CANCER June 21-July 22
I earn my living as a writer now, but for many years I had to work at odd jobs to keep from starving. One of the most challenging was tapping the sap of Vermont maple trees during the frigid weather of February. Few trees produce more than three gallons of sap per day, and it takes 40 to 50 gallons to create a single gallon of maple syrup. It was hard work that required a great deal of patience. According to my analysis, you Cancerians are in a metaphorically comparable situation these days. To get the good results you want, you may have to generate a lot of raw material—and that could take a while. Still, I believe that in the end, you will think the strenuous effort has been well worth it.
LEO July 23-Aug. 22
I love the fact that Antarctica doesn’t belong to anyone. Thirty nations have research stations there, but none of them control what happens. Antarctica has no government! It has a few laws that almost everyone obeys, like a ban on the introduction of non-indigenous plants and animals. But mostly, it’s untouched and untamed. Much of its geology is uncharted. Inspired by this singular land, I’d love for you to enjoy a phase of wild sovereignty and autonomy in the coming weeks. What can you do to express yourself with maximum freedom, answering primarily to the sacred laws of your own ardent nature?
VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Babylonia was an ancient empire located in what’s now Syria, Iraq and Iran. Among its citizens, there was a common belief that insomnia was the result of intrusive visitations by ancestral spirits. Their urge to communicate made it hard for their descendants to sleep. One supposed cure was to take dead relatives’ skulls into bed, lick them and hold them close. I don’t recommend this practice to you, Virgo. But I do advise you to consult with the spirits of deceased family members in the coming weeks. I suspect they have a lot to tell you. At the very least, I hope you will explore how you might benefit from studying and pondering your ancestors’ lives.
LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Libran tennis player Naomi Osaka is one of the highest-paid women athletes ever. She is also a staunch political activist. That blend of qualities is uncommon. Why do I bring this to your attention? Because now is an excellent time to synergize your pragmatic devotion to financial success with idealistic work on behalf of noble causes. Doing both of these activities with extra intensity will place you in alignment with cosmic rhythms—even more so if you can manage to coordinate them.
SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Scorpio actor Sally Field told a story about an agent who worked for her early in her career. In those formative years, all her roles were on TV. But she aspired to expand her repertoire. “You aren’t good enough for movies,” the agent told her. She fired him, and soon she was starring in films. Let’s make this a teaching story for you, Scorpio. In the coming months, you will be wise to surround yourself with influences that support and encourage you. If anyone persistently underestimates you, they should not play a prominent role in your life’s beautiful drama.
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21
One Sagittarius I know is building a giant sculpture of a humpback whale. Another Sagittarius is adding a woodshop studio onto her house so she can fulfill her dream of crafting and selling fine furniture. Of my other Sagittarius acquaintances, one is writing an epic narrative poem in Greek, another is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Northern California to the Columbia River in northern Oregon, and another has embarked on a long-postponed pilgrimage to Nigeria, the place of her ancestors’ origin. Yes, many Sagittarians I know are thinking expansively, daring spicy challenges and attempting fun feats. Are you contemplating comparable adventures? Now is an excellent time for them.
CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19
When I opened my fortune cookie, I found a message that read, “If you would just shut up, you could hear God’s voice.” In response, I laughed, then got very quiet. I ruminated on how, yes, I express myself a lot. I’m constantly and enthusiastically riffing on ideas that are exciting to me. So I took the fortune cookie oracle to heart. I stopped talking and writing for two days. I retreated into a quiescent stillness and listened to other humans, animals and the natural world. Forty-five hours into the experiment, I did indeed hear God’s voice. She said, “Thanks for making space to hear me. I love you and want you to thrive.” She expounded further, providing me with three interesting clues that have proved to be helpful in practical ways. In accordance with your astrological omens, Capricorn, I invite you to do what I did.
AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18
Scientists at the University of California devised a cheap and fast method for unboiling an egg. Their effort wasn’t frivolous. They were working with principles that could be valuable in treating certain cancers. Now I’m inviting you to experiment with metaphorical equivalents of unboiling eggs, Aquarius. You are in a phase when you will have extra power to undo results you’re bored with or unsatisfied with. Your key words of power will be reversal, unfastening, unlocking and disentangling.
PISCES Feb. 19-March 20
Every week, I imbibe all the honey from an eight-ounce jar, mostly in my cups of hot tea. To create that treat for me, bees made a million visits to flowers, collecting nectar. I am very grateful. The work that I do has similarities to what the bees do. I’m constantly gathering oracular ideas, meditating on the astrological signs and contemplating what inspirational messages my readers need to hear. This horoscope may not be the result of a million thoughts, but the number is large. What’s the equivalent in your life, Pisces? What creative gathering and processing do you do? Now is a good time to revise, refine and deepen your relationship with it. Homework: Can you boost your willpower just by deciding you want to? Try it. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
The courtroom was packed as Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Denine Guy read her ruling concerning convicted murder Adrian Gonzalez. Silence filled the air as she declared the prosecution—Santa Cruz County Chief Deputy District Attorney Tara George—had proved reasonable doubt that Gonzalez should be released from custody on his 25th birthday in October.
She went on to say there was “probable cause to warrant a trial” within the next 30 days, leaving Gonzalez’s fate in the hands of 12 jurors. The jury process begins Aug. 14.
In 2021 Gonzalez was convicted of the 2015 kidnapping, rape and murder of his 8-year-old neighbor, Madyson “Maddy” Middleton, in a case that rocked the county. Gonzalez—who was 15 at the time—was a babysitter to Middleton and her friends where they lived at the Tannery Arts Center. He lured Middleton into his home with the promise of ice cream and disposed of the body in a nearby trash can. He later joined the search for the child until being arrested for the crime.
At the time of his conviction, prosecutors wanted to try Gonzalez as an adult. However, Senate Bill 1391—passed in 2019—made 16 the minimum age for someone to be tried as an adult in California. Since 2021 Gonzalez has been incarcerated in the juvenile detention system, most recently to the Sonoma County Juvenile Hall.
According to state law, the juvenile system only keeps individuals until they are 25 years old. After that it is up to the courts to decide if they should be released or not, which was the reason for Gonzalez’s latest hearing.
The hearing lasted four days over three weeks, during which time witnesses who have worked with Gonzalez in the penitentiary system gave testimony on his mental health, treatment and current rehabilitation process.
As Judge Guy made her ruling, Gonzalez—who appeared via Zoom from Sonoma—seemed calm and attentive. Guy declined to expound on her reasoning for the ruling, saying she wanted to give future jurors an “independent decision-making process.”
Middleton’s mother, Laura Jordan, as well as her grandmother, Judy Middleton, were also in attendance via Zoom. Gonzalez’s mother attended the ruling in person but declined to speak with reporters after.
Outside the courtroom four teenagers sat on the steps with homemade cardboard signs with slogans “Justice For Maddy!” and “Madyson Middleton Never Forget”.
One teen, who declined to give her name but said Middleton was “my best friend” and still lives at the Tannery. She said she believed the court made the correct decision in not allowing Gonzalez immediate freedom.
“He can do whatever he wants as long as he stays in prison. If he wants to get a communications degree he can do it behind bars,” she said. “But it’s a threat to everyone if he’s released.”
However, she also admitted she was frustrated with the process saying it was “exhausting” for everyone, including Laura Jordan, who she still keeps contact with.
“I’m unhappy with this law,” she said, speaking of SB 1391. “I think people didn’t realize what it really meant when they passed it.”
She went on to say she thinks the judicial system is “too black and white but this is not a black and white issue.”
She told reporters Gonzalez also used to watch her as a child and nobody at the time, neither the children he supervised nor their parents, ever suspected he was capable of something like this. She said he was “always very nice” and “all the kids loved him.”
“He [seemed] super trustworthy,” she recalls. “My mom would see him around us and think it was so nice of him to be looking out for us and making sure nothing happened. But in reality he was figuring out what he was going to do and who he was going to do it to.”
The now 17 year old and her friends also called for more community involvement and pointed to an online petition against Gonzalez’s release that individuals can sign.
One woman, Kim Salisbury, a retired Santa Cruz County employee said she has followed the case closely. She told reporters she only knew the Middleton family “in passing,” and once met Gonzalez and his mother at a trash clean up around the San Lorenzo Levee.
“The mom made all this food, which I thought was very sweet,” Salisbury said. “He was stand-offish but that’s not unusual for 15 year olds so there were no red flags.”
Salisbury said she is hopeful once prospective jurors hear the specifics of the case and Gonzalez’s crime, they will decide he should remain incarcerated.
“Other states with similar cases and don’t have the rules we have [in California], have tried them as adults and kept them in custody. Some even get a life sentence. That’s my hope.”
If a jury decides against Gonzalez’s release he will be held in prison for another two years. After that the District Attorney can petition to block his release again.
