There’s nothing quite like a near-death experience to focus one’s attention. Alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin’s rapid ascent into jazz’s most visible orbit almost stopped when she lost control of her car driving home to New York City following a 2021 gig in Cleveland.
Her vehicle overturned after pinballing through a clearing of trees, and—had a passing truck driver not pulled her from the wreckage—Benjamin would have been stuck there, unconscious.
Despite a concussion, several broken ribs, a perforated eardrum and a broken jaw, Benjamin was back on the road performing in Europe within three weeks, and she’s been on the move ever since, notwithstanding the lingering aftereffects of the trauma.
“Sometimes my jaw acts up, but I play pretty hard,” Benjamin tells me during a recent phone call. “I wasn’t able to move my right arm for eight months, and it still doesn’t have full range of motion. There’s some neurological damage, but people say I’m already that level of crazy.”
Rather than slowing down, the 40-year-old has sped up over the past year, solidifying her status as a dynamic saxophonist, savvy bandleader, thoughtful recording artist and ambitious curator. Last month, Benjamin scored the German Jazz Prize for “best international wind artist.”
Her embrace of leadership roles manifested locally last summer when Monterey Jazz Festival’s Tim Jackson tapped her as a featured soloist with the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour. This year, Benjamin’s MJF’s artist-in-residence includes coaching and performing with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra’s high school players.
Benjamin will introduce her new quartet—featuring drummer EJ Strickland, bassist Ivan Taylor and pianist/keyboardist Zaccai Curtis—to the area with a string of performances that includes Kuumbwa Jazz Center. The fiercely swinging group, aptly named Phoenix, will showcase their reimagining of tunes from their new album.
Already deeply engaged in composing material inspired by the experience of being in New York City during the pandemic, she completed composing the tunes in the weeks following the car crash. Produced by drum legend and NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington, Phoenix is more than a rebirth. The project captures Benjamin in full flight, surrounded by illustrious guests, including vocalists Dianne Reeves and Georgia Anne Muldrow, poet Sonia Sanchez and activist Angela Davis.
“To almost die in a car crash and come back was just part of it,” Benjamin says. “Everyone had a story, trying to rise during the pandemic. Musicians were talking to each other just for inspiration to go on even when there was no work.”
Benjamin credits Carrington for actively shaping the Phoenix and “collaborating the way I like to collaborate, understanding me and pushing me. It felt like we were able to partner well. I was dragged out of the box of what I thought I should be doing. With all of my guests contributing, it was like, you need to step it up a little.”
In many ways, the musician seized high ground with her 2020 breakthrough, Pursuance: The Coltranes, which celebrates the music and legacy of saxophonist John Coltrane and his wife, pianist/harpist Alice. Already a standout player, Benjamin was voted the 2020 Downbeat Critics Poll’s “Rising Star Alto Saxophonist” and the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Up and Coming Artist of the Year.” And it’s not just jazz fans who’ve been taking note. Benjamin has performed with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, the Roots and Macy Gray.
Her new quartet encompasses a large expanse of the Black music continuum, starting with Zaccai Curtis, who’s been slinging grooves at the highest level since he broke in with New Orleans sax master Donald Harrison Jr. two decades ago (Curtis’ label, Truth Revolution Records, recently released Harrison’s latest record, Congo Square Suite). Curtis built his keyboard chops by playing funk and fusion with drummer Cindy Blackman. With Benjamin, he’s been calibrating the blend between acoustic post-bop searching and soaring new jack soul.
“Her music represents both sides of her talent. It’s her own vision, and having EJ Strickland on drums is perfect because he understands both sides of things,” Curtis explains.
Benjamin isn’t just taking charge of the bandstand. Next month, a year’s worth of work comes together at the 40th Burlington Jazz Festival. It’s her debut as an artistic director, and she threw herself into the work with typical abandon. Much like her own music, the roster reflects a wide array of kindred idioms, from vocalists Sarama Joy, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dee Dee Bridgewater to pianist/activist Samora Pinderhughes and Afro-futurist pioneers Sun Ra Arkestra.
“The storyline I want, the message, is that this music is broad,” Benjamin tells me. “We’ve got multi-generational musicians from several branches, including musicians from Burlington [Vermont]. I wanted people to see there are talented people here. It’s this really weird moment where festivals are all purist or straight pop and hip-hop. I should be able to have the Sun Ra Arkestra and Samara.”
Lakecia Benjamin & Phoenix perform Monday, June 5, at 7pm at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $36.75/$42; $21/students. kuumbwajazz.org
The atmosphere was electric. One hundred fifty people crowded Streetlight Records on Pacific Avenue in Downtown Santa Cruz. From teens to middle-aged fans, some still in work clothes, others in shorts and face tattoos, took up every inch of every aisle of CDs and records, buzzing with anticipation. Some were local. Others came from the Bay Area and beyond—one person drove 360 miles to be there.
“I’m from Wilmington, California,” Giovanna Martinez tells me. “That’s like six hours away from here.”
Months of planning, back-and-forth emails, texts and calls led to this moment that can be summed up in a word: Drain.
And I’m not talking about plumbing.
Dad jokes aside, Drain is one of the fastest-rising bands in the world of hardcore punk music, and they’re based right here in sunny surf city, Santa Cruz. A group that started in small rooms like SubRosa Community Space and Cafe Pergolesi (R.I.P.) has now played large, sold-out venues and received top billing at festivals like Sound and Fury and is about to go out on their first headlining tour sponsored by Monster Energy Drink.
“Everything we do now is surreal,” says drummer Tim Flegal. “We just wanted to start a band, play music and hopefully tour.”
In January, they played Australia for the first time with Comeback Kid, and in March, they did a 12-day European tour with hardcore heavyweights Madball and H2O. It was their first tour by bus instead of out of their van and certainly won’t be their last.
“It was really fun,” guitarist Cody Chavez tells me. “We’d all get into our own routines waking up, stepping off the bus to get breakfast, and we’re in a new place.”
This summer, they’ll tour Europe again and play Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival, the world’s largest heavy metal and hard rock festival. The 32-year-old fest attracts 85,000-plus attendees, and past bills feature legends like Motörhead, Slayer, Dio, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Megadeth and Saxon.
“As a kid, I remember watching videos on YouTube of Cannibal Corpse at Wacken,” Chavez says. “It’s crazy. I never thought we’d play it, so I’m pretty stoked.”
On May 4, the scene mentioned earlier at Streetlight Records—Drain’s exclusive listening party for their sophomore album, Living Proof—was the night before the worldwide album release. Attendees had the first listen and were the first to buy it, as an homage to their hometown and the 40831 scenes (a combination of San Jose’s and Santa Cruz’s area codes.)
“We didn’t get to celebrate with our first album,” singer Sammy Ciaramitaro says. “We had a record release show planned, and it all got robbed by the pandemic. So, we wanted this to give back to the community we love.”
So how did a band that began as a fun project for a couple of UC Santa Cruz students become one of the biggest names in the hardcore scene?
Streetlight Records listening party. From left: Sammy Ciaramitaro, Cody Chavez and Tim Flegal pose with Drain album promo art. PHOTO: Mat Weir
“We’re all putting in work,” Ciaramitaro says. “We’re just doing it.”
It might be a little more complicated than that, but it’s the core truth. Drain is constantly putting in the hard work all day, every day. Just as the new album’s name implies, dedication pays off.
British music publication Kerrang! recently called the California hardcore scene a “global phenomenon,” with Drain “elevated to one of the scene’s leaders.” They chalk this up to two things: “Sammy Ciaramitaro being one of the nicest guys in hardcore” [a sentiment shared by many in the scene and immortalized in print in a Stereogum feature] and 2021’s all-day RBS (Real Bay Shit) renegade show “that set things in motion, and the world saw first-hand just how alive and spin-kicking the scene had become.”
RBS has become a legend in the scene, and yes, it’s all true. The first Bay Area hardcore show after a year and a half of lockdowns location wasn’t announced until a mere two hours before doors. People only knew it was somewhere in San Jose on June 19, 2021. It was featured on various music and non-music media outlets, including BrooklynVegan and Stereogum, and is preserved on YouTube.
A merch pop-up was scheduled for earlier in the day at Printhead screen printing shop (which makes many of the 40831 merch, is owned by Cole Kakimoto of the now defunct Gulch and employed Ciaramitaro), also located in San Jose. Eager fans waited hours in the 100-degree sun just for a chance to buy goods from Scowl, Sunami, Gulch and Drain. It looked like a line outside the Apple store the day before a new iPhone release.
After being cooped up inside with no live music for so long, fans were anxious to rage out their frustrations. They came from all over the country, with some flying out from as far as Florida. By the end of the day, over 2,000 tickets were sold for an event held in a parking lot. Food, stage and sound were all provided by friends of the bands and all without the property owner’s knowledge. Fans climbed garbage enclosures, trees and van roofs just to glimpse the performers as a swirling vortex of a mosh pit only settled between set-ups.
“That whole thing was so surreal,” Flegal recalls.
“People thought we were industry plants; that was a real conversation,” Ciaramitaro laughs. “But no, this is what happens when you’re involved in what you do. You don’t need a promoter to do this stuff.”
ON THE RISING
Back home, Drain’s celebrity has exploded. A cornucopia of underground music publications has featured them, like New Noise Magazine, No Echo and The Fader. They recently were interviewed on an episode of Alternative Press’ “Artist Friendly” podcast by Joel Madden, co-founder of the publication’s parent company, MDDN.
“We make it pretty well known that there’s no distinction between the audience and the band, in my opinion,” Flegal told Madden. “Get up here, take the mic, jump on the drums. That’s the way it should be. That’s why we do it.”
“There’s no audience/artist separation, the audience is part of it,” explains Joe Clements. Along with being the singer for the ’90s Santa Cruz hardcore band Fury 66, he played an early Pergolesi show with Drain in his Buddhist hardcore group, the Deathless.
“That’s what I loved about [the past] hardcore scene, especially in Santa Cruz. They’re bringing it back. Not to mention they’re a fucking amazing band.”
Drain shows summon something primal in listeners; a sense of wanting to break out and do something in a world that seems to be flushing down the drain, which is why people fly out to see the band all over.
“I’ve seen Drain three times now,” says Rene Ayala, one of the fans who drove three hours from Modesto to attend the listening party at Streetlight Records.
When asked what he loves about them, the answer was simple.
“Their energy,” he exclaimed. “They bleed California.”
For Clements, he sees them as the next generation in the Santa Cruz hardcore family lineage, stemming back to Bl’ast! in the 1980s through the 1990s with Fury 66, Good Riddance and Vicious Midgets, but with Drain’s original twist.
“I feel like they have more of a New York hardcore sound like Cro-Mags meets Gorilla Biscuits; it’s so cool,” he says. “But their vibe is totally Santa Cruz.”
Living Proof marks their first on one of the largest–if not the largest–independent punk labels, Epitaph Records. Founded in 1981 by Brett Gurewitz, guitar player for the infamous Los Angeles-based punk band Bad Religion, it released the best-selling independent album of all time—Offspring’s 1995 opus, Smash. Punks in the 1990s and early 2000s dreamed about being on the same label as L7, NoFX (before Fat Mike started his own label, Fat Wreck Chords), Rancid, Pennywise and many, many more.
“Epitaph and Fat specifically were labels I grew up listening to,” Flegal says, adding that Bad Religion was also one of his favorite bands. “It doesn’t even feel real sometimes.”
Chavez laughs, “I was living in L.A. on a futon in my homie’s living room. Then I got an early phone call from [Ciaramitaro], so I woke up all groggy, and he said, ‘You want an espresso shot for the face?’”
Epitaph signed Drain in September 2021, allowing them to take their time with new material and promote their full-length debut, California Cursed, since they didn’t get a chance in 2020. Like all their releases, Living Proof was recorded and mixed by Taylor Young, a massive musician in the heavy music scene, having played for bands like Nails, God’s Hate, Twitching Tongues and others.
Young is also one of the top producers in the underground scene. His credits read like a patchworked battle vest in a mosh pit: Xibalba, Suicide Silence, Cannabis Corpse, ACXDC, Terror and more, including another Santa Cruz-based metal group, Arsonists Get All The Girls. Regarding contemporary hardcore, he’s worked with acts like Militarie Gunn, MSPAINT and Year of the Knife, and he’s currently working on a new record for Sunami.
“There wasn’t pressure because of the new label, but there was definitely a feeling that [Living Proof] had to be a little crazier and a little cleaner,” Young says. “They made the songs a little shorter and to the point. Everything was more focused.”
While the tracks might be shorter, the recording process wasn’t. According to Young, California Cursed only took about a week from start to finish but for Living Proof, they spent a full nine days tracking the record and another four months for mixing. That gave Living Proof a crisper sound despite having the same flow as California Cursed.
“I’m a metal and hardcore person; that’s what I work on,” Young explains. “People come to me to make the most aggressive things. Jon [Markson, who mixed Living Proof] has a pop brain, so there was a blend of me looking for the guitars and drums to hit while he was looking for where the vocals and bass needed to sit for a regular person to enjoy.”
The result is the fastest, most professional sound Drain has delivered.
“They’ve become mature musicians and know what they want now,” Young says. “They know what Drain is; they have a vision.”
For decades hardcore has grown out of a “tough guy” cliche. Part of that vision is tearing down the hardcore world’s gatekeeping: shaved heads, camouflage shorts, black and white Xeroxed images and a dose of entitlement about what is or isn’t hardcore.
Instead, Drain’s album art is colorful and cartoonish. Their mascot is a cherub-faced kid in a shark costume, the Kewpie, drawn by local tattoo artist Derek Pratt. Their popular, frequently sold-out merchandise is everything from stuffies of their mascot to bathroom slippers, tank tops and, recently, a one-piece bathing suit. Their motto, “Drain is Your Friend,” is welcoming, like the members themselves.
Living Proof is only 25 minutes long but it’s a deluge of aggressive inspiration. Drain pushes themselves outside of their comfort zones. They branch away from the traditional hardcore formula on track six, “Intermission,” which opens with a piano and then bursts into a hip-hop beat with San Fernando Valley rapper Shakewell spitting bars over it.
The second to last song, “Good Good Things,” is a cover from the fathers of pop punk, the Descendents (who recently played the Catalyst and gave a shout-out to Drain before breaking into the song for an encore.) It’s the first track the band has done without screaming vocals.
“It was surprisingly more difficult to play than one would think,” Flegal says. “But I have it so fucking easy. I feel bad for these dudes because I couldn’t do what they’re doing and sing it.”
For Young, it was a huge risk with an equally huge payoff.
“Sammy was nervous about singing it, but he was also pushing for the cover,” he says. “It was a little bit more challenging. We could’ve done any cover, but we wanted to do [‘Good Good Things’], and didn’t want to make it a hardcore cover.”
IN THE BEGINNING …
Drain’s story began with Flegal, who started the band with college friends at UC Santa Cruz in 2014. As he told GT in 2022, “It was a completely different band—our sound was all over the place.”
The following year, Ciaramitaro and Chavez joined the group, and they started distilling the sound into the hardcore realm. Chavez initially started on bass but soon picked up the guitar (his instrument of choice) and began writing riffs inspired by 1980s thrash metal. They cut their teeth all over town with shows at The Crepe Place, The Blue Lagoon, The Red Room and punk houses. They would play any spot that would have them.
“‘Oh, there’s a show? Will these people let us play? Okay!’” Ciaramitaro recalls. “One day we’d play with stoner rock bands, the next with technical death metal bands, it didn’t matter.”
Then there was Cafe Pergolesi. The beloved, defunct coffee shop was a central hangout for the band and others in the scene and hosted some of Drain’s legendary early shows. The side room was always packed shoulder to shoulder with everyone moshing, haphazardly running into the speakers and watching the heavy equipment teeter, but never topple over. Ciaramitaro would throw a boogie board into the pit; sometimes he’d crowd surf on it; other times he’d let sweaty fans take the honor—a trick he continues to this day. Malachi Greene, the guitar player for 40831 band Scowl, often threw those shows.
Drain shows summon something primal in listeners; a sense of wanting to break out and do something in the world. PHOTO: Ben Hudson
Drain credits the scene’s growth to the camaraderie contemporary fans share. Instead of fighting each other, like they did in the past with slogans like “Valley go home,” these fans would see one another at shows and become friends. Drain also credits the support of local venues and practice spaces.
“Every single band wouldn’t have a place to practice if it wasn’t for Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios,” Ciaramitaro says. “You have to give respect to this town for what it’s provided.”
ONWARD, UPWARD
In 2019, Drain’s mercury-quick 12-minute set at the Los Angeles Sound and Fury Fest was all the representative for Revelation Records in attendance needed to sign the band on the spot. They quickly wrote and recorded their first full-length, California Cursed, for the label, which brings us to 2020, RBS in 2021 and back to the present.
As Drain’s popularity grew, they’ve never forgotten where they came from. From the very beginning, they’ve repped everything Santa Cruz and 40831. They make it clear that, first and foremost, Drain is a Santa Cruz band.
“When people ask, ‘Where’s Drain from?’ I don’t say ‘the Bay,’ I say ‘Santa Cruz,’” Flegal explains. “We write everything in-house in this town. Everything we’ve ever done has been in a fucking room. Sometimes it comes easy. Sometimes it doesn’t. But I like that. It keeps it punk in that way.”
For example, they joined Scowl last September to play an insane show at the Church House on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was the final show for the iconic arthouse. After decades, the landlord shut it down, so the kids went wild. Hundreds scattered into the street hoping to get in somehow while there was barely any room inside. The thick air was rife with sweat.
“That was probably the hottest show I’ve ever played. I thought I was going to pass out,” Flegal says.
Those in the back could barely see, but it didn’t matter. The crowd was there to say goodbye to a favorite house venue, to represent the underdogs of Santa Cruz and celebrate two bands whose energy voices frustration. Living Proof is about that overwhelming sense of helplessness and how we can do something, even if it’s screaming into a void. All it takes is the tenacity to keep going.
“This band is living proof that you can do these things and do it your way,” Ciaramitaro tells me. “You can do it if you work at it, look inward and keep it true to yourself.”
The Big Basin Woods Subdivision residents have been living without proper drinking water and sanitation for almost three years. The small unincorporated enclave north of Boulder Creek has been battling with Big Basin Water Company, the area’s private utility provider, to get basic service.
California’s State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has stepped in to refer the Big Basin Water Company (BBWC) into a public receivership to help bring its facilities into compliance and provide adequate services to a community in dire need.
Despite ongoing efforts to bring BBWC into compliance, residents are being held hostage by the bureaucratic process and left with unsafe water access. The potentially lengthy process may take months or even years to resolve this complicated matter. Residents here, however, need immediate solutions to an issue they say is a matter of “basic human rights.”
HISTORY OF TURMOIL
In August 2020, the CZU Complex Lightning fire tore through the Santa Cruz Mountains, scorching over 86,000 acres and costing North County an estimated $2.6 billion in damages. BBWC’s facilities were severely damaged as a result. Its wastewater treatment plant became inoperable while losing 100% of its water distribution capacity.
Since then, the hundreds of customers relying on BBWC for clean drinking water and the dozens connected to their sewer service have been struggling to get reliable, safe drinking water and sanitation.
Residents have complained about frequent drinking water outages, some lasting up to two weeks. Loss of water pressure, discolored water and boil notices without adequate and timely communication on the part of BBWC have also been recurring problems.
State officials have warned BBWC for years about non-compliance with drinking water standards.
A letter from the SWRCB to BBWC owner Thomas J. Moore dated Feb. 28, 2023, detailed the company’s ongoing violations of the California Safe Drinking Water Act.
“BBWC is not currently satisfying that obligation as it does not have the technical, managerial and financial capacity to operate a public water system, and it is unresponsive to the rules and orders of the Division [Of Drinking Water],” stated the letter.
Similarly, the sanitation side of Moore’s company is falling short of state standards.
BBWC’s wastewater treatment plant on Jamison Creek Road has been without power since being damaged during the CZU fires in 2020. In Aug. 2022, state officials learned that “raw sewage was overflowing the wastewater basins and spilling onto the ground,” according to a letter sent by the SWRCB to residents.
An April 2023 report by the SWRCB notes that at least six homes have had raw sewage backing up into their toilets and bathtubs since August 2022. There are also allegations from residents that the raw sewage has made its way into local waterways, including Boulder Creek.
Due to the severe violations by BBWC’s wastewater treatment facilities, the SWRCB called on Santa Cruz County’s Department of Community Development and Infrastructure to enact a moratorium on building permits within BBWC’s sewer service area.
In a letter dated April 23, 2023, the county notified residents that it “will cease issuing pre-clearance approvals, building permits and certificates of occupancy for projects within the Big Basin sewer service area. “
Homeowners are now caught in the middle. Some residents here are in the final stretch of rebuilding homes after the devastation of the CZU fire. Others have bought property in the area since the fires and are just now being made aware of the convoluted mess involving BBWC.
Samuel Singer and his wife, Rebecca McKay, purchased a home in the Big Basin Subdivision in July 2022. Singer contacted the owner, who reassured them that the company could service their property. As part of moving in, they were required to obtain a will-serve letter from BBWC.
“The county told us that all we needed to get was a will-serve letter from the company, and we did,” Singer says. “We reached out to the owners [of BBWC] and said we were interested in buying this property for which you provide utilities. They said, ‘No problem.’”
Singer says they were granted building permits to remodel in January of 2023 and had plans to move into their dwelling by early summer. They were unaware of any issues with BBWC until they received the April 23 letter from the county. Now they are in limbo, paying a mortgage on their property and renting a place in Palo Alto.
Singer and Mckay hope that the public receivership the SWRCB is pushing for will hold BBWC to account.
“They haven’t been held accountable until now that the Water Board is stepping in and passing the matter onto the Attorney General. It probably should have happened years ago, but the fires are really what did this utility company in,” Singer says.
OPTIONS
Big Basin Water Company has been operating without adequate permits or insurance for a decade, and state regulators have attempted to bring the company into compliance since 2018. Despite these efforts, BBWC’s owner Thomas J. Moore has been unable to get the company into compliance and to adequately operate as a public utilities provider.
Moore contends that a major issue precluding BBWC from complying with state regulations is the huge costs that upgrading the outdated system would incur. Fixing problems with their drinking water distribution system alone would cost an estimated $2,877,900.00, according to BBWC. In December of 2022, BBWC requested a 55.59% water rate increase to customers to offset their lack of profit.
The SWRCB is now referring the matter to the California Attorney General so that a court-appointed receiver can run BBWC until it complies with water quality rules.
Another possible solution is selling BBWC to a private buyer with the capital to make the necessary improvements to provide adequate service to residents. However, homeowners feel this would let Moore off the hook and not be held accountable for years of mismanagement.
“[BBWC] would get to walk away with whatever they get from the sale, and they get to wash their hands of it. And really, that means they’re not held accountable at all. So we don’t want that to happen,” Singer says.
Residents here are frustrated with Moore and BBWC and feel neglected by county officials. They perceive a lack of urgency for a temporary solution to get people into their homes or provide safe water and sanitation. Some have decided to take matters into their own hands.
RESIDENTS TRY SOLUTIONS
Christopher Bradford has been a resident of the Big Basin Subdivision for eight years. He has been outspoken about what he considers disastrous for the entire neighborhood.
Bradford claims that local government officials have neglected their constituents in this part of the county and that it has failed to hold BBWC accountable. “We’re being taxed but not represented,” he says.
The area is represented in local government by 5th District Supervisor Bruce McPherson. Now a vocal supporter of receivership for BBWC, Mcpherson has in the past supported a possible merger between BBWC and the San Lorenzo Valley Water District.
Bradford, who feels that his community needs better advocacy, threw his hat in the ring for the upcoming district elections. “It has to change at the ground level,” he says.
The most pressing concern for residents is to find an immediate solution to the predicament caused by BBWC’s compromised operations. Samuel Singer claims that he has proposed solutions, such as procuring incinerating toilets for homeowners, but has been shot down by the SWRCB.
Supervisor Mcpherson has stated that he supports an interim solution, including involving the county in a possible BBWC takeover. However, because the state regulates an operation of that size, it would also take some time to move through the bureaucratic process.
“I welcome this enforcement process by the state with the hopes that it will lead to a better future for the customers of Big Basin Water. My hope, with both the wastewater division and the overall drinking water portion of the company, is to transition Big Basin to local, public ownership and establish reliable, safe service for its customers,” McPherson says.
Residents in this community feel they are paying the price for BBWC’s mismanagement and the lack of urgency by local and state officials.
Their only choice is to watch the clock and wait.“We cannot punish these [residents] for Big Basin Water Company’s failures,” Bradford says.
By a layperson’s account, it might seem early in the game to think about the March primary election, let alone the November general election.
But for people in politics, where timing can make or break what qualifies for the ballot, the window of opportunity is rapidly closing, says Casey Beyer, CEO of Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce.
Beyer estimates that voters this year will see a slate of measures on the March primary that touch on all the hot-button issues: housing, education, affordable rents. That’s partly because this year is the presidential primary, an election year that historically predicts high voter turnout.
Still, there are many unknowns: the mood of the electorate in coming months, the state of the economy, those elements that politicians try so hard to nail down to make a sure-ish bet on what measures will win the vote. There’s also the question of if students will turn out to vote in the March primary, as the election will take place when some 19,000 UC Santa Cruz students are on campus.
Santa Cruz is also in the unique position of having just moved to district elections, with three seats up. That might play into which council members push for what kind of measures.
“Politics is a gamble,” Beyer says. “It’s like playing poker, but you’re unsure what you’ve got.”
SANTA CRUZ EYES AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOND
Last Thursday evening, around 30 people gathered at the Santa Cruz Police Department’s community meeting room to discuss an affordable housing measure that voters might see on the March primary ballot.
As Santa Cruz looks ahead at building nearly 4,000 more affordable housing units in the next eight years, the city is looking for ways to generate money to fund affordable housing projects. One way that’s being considered is through a bond measure on the March primary.
Over three community workshops, city officials and residents will help create ballot language for the measure.
“The question I always have when you do community meetings for measures is, is it the same people in the room who will be affected by a measure?” Beyer says. “And is it a broad enough spectrum of community to say, ‘Hey, this is what the community wants?’”
It’s a point that Diana Alfaro, Project Manager at MidPen Housing, also raised during the community meeting.
“I’m looking around the room, and I can’t help but notice the demographics of the room,” Afaro said to a room of mostly middle-aged, white attendees.
Ultimately, the city plans to pass the measure over to the community to be a citizen-sponsored measure, meaning the measure would only need 50% plus one vote to pass. To qualify for the March election, the petition must collect around 5,000 signatures by October.
Currently, polling is being conducted on residents across the city to gauge what type of language will resonate with voters and what kind of appetite voters have for a potential bond or tax that raises money for affordable housing.
“After polling, a determination will need to be made: Is there enough support to pass a bond measure, or will it be a sales tax measure or some revenue stream?” Beyer says.
Again, he says, polling is a tricky business because what people are thinking in June of this year can shift significantly over the next nine months.
There might be another factor that the city is using to inform its decision: Measure H, the county’s 2018 attempt at a housing bond. The measure failed to garner the two-thirds vote necessary to pass. But it was popular with voters in Santa Cruz, where the measure had an approval rate of 70% according to Beyer.
As for the county, Beyer says all eyes will be on what local city measures are being considered for the March primary before the county makes any significant moves to put a measure on the primary or general ballot.
“The real issue in the county is revenue streams,” Beyer says. “The county is always looking for the means to improve our roads and infrastructure. I think that the county is biding their time because when the county puts a measure on the ballot, they have to weigh in on whether or not a measure in Santa Cruz or any other city will impact anything that they do. There are all these moving parts, and no one has a clear view.”
PVUSD CONSIDERS BOND MEASURE
Just over ten years ago, Pajaro Valley Unified School District voters approved Measure L. Over the intervening years, this $150 million bond funded hundreds of construction, maintenance and modernization projects at every school site and building.
This included Pajaro Valley High School’s long-awaited athletic field and a new parking lot at Bradley Elementary.
But the district still has more than $300 million in projects districtwide, says PVUSD Chief Business Officer Clint Rucker.
On May 10, the district’s Board of Trustees took the first step toward bringing a new general obligation bond to voters with a report by financial advisor Dale Scott, who says the best chance of success will come in the next major election.
“It is without any doubt that the greatest probability of success for a general obligation bond occurs in a presidential election,” he says. “So, I strongly recommend that if you go down this road, you look towards this 2024 date.”
Later in the meeting, however, the trustees approved a $15,000 contract with Scott to gauge public interest in supporting a bond.
If the district decides to move forward with a bond, it will pay an additional $75,000 to help it move forward, which would be paid for with bond money.
General obligation bonds are used to raise money for high-value projects that cannot generate money on their own. They are typically paid back through voter-approved tax increases.
For example, Measure L added about $38 per $100,000 of assessed value to property tax bills.
Rucker says that the limited state funding for school repair projects leaves districts with few options.
“The only way districts really see a big influx of funding for facilities is by going out for a bond,” he says.
The issue would require a two-thirds majority vote from the board—five votes—and a simple majority from the public to pass.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): My reading of the astrological omens inspires me to make a series of paradoxical predictions for you. Here are five scenarios I foresee as being quite possible in the coming weeks. 1. An epic journey to a sanctuary close to home. 2. A boundary that doesn’t keep people apart but brings them closer. 3. A rambunctious intervention that calms you down and helps you feel more at peace. 4. A complex process that leads to simple clarity. 5. A visit to the past that empowers you to redesign the future.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do you want a seed to fulfill its destiny? You must bury it in the ground. There, if it’s able to draw on water and the proper nutrients, it will break open and sprout. Its life as a seed will be over. The plant it eventually grows into will look nothing like its source. We take this process for granted, but it’s always a miracle. Now let’s invoke this story as a metaphor for what you are hopefully on the verge of, Taurus. I invite you to do all that’s helpful and necessary to ensure your seed germinates!
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your meandering trek through the Unpromised Land wasn’t as demoralizing as you feared. The skirmish with the metaphorical dragon was a bit disruptive, but hey, you are still breathing and walking around—and even seem to have been energized by the weird thrill of the adventure. The only other possible downside was the new dent in your sweet dream. But I suspect that in the long run, that imperfection will inspire you to work even harder on behalf of your sweet dream—and this will be a blessing. Here’s another perk: The ordeal you endured effectively cleaned out stale old karma, freeing up space for a slew of fresh help and resources.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Testing time is ahead, but don’t get your nerves in an uproar with fantasy-spawned stress. For the most part, your challenges and trials will be interesting, not unsettling. There will be few if any trick questions. There will be straightforward prods to stretch your capacities and expand your understanding. Bonus! I bet you’ll get the brilliant impulse to shed the ball and chain you’ve been absent-mindedly carrying around with you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Biologist Edward O. Wilson said that the most social animals are ants, termites and honeybees. He used the following criteria to define that description: “altruism, instincts devoted to social life and the tightness of the bonds that turn colonies into virtual superorganisms.” I’m going to advocate that you regard ants, termites and honeybees as teachers and role models for you. The coming weeks will be a great time to boost your skill at socializing and networking. You will be wise to ruminate about how you could improve your life by enhancing your ability to cooperate with others. And remember to boost your altruism!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Jack Sarfatti is an authentic but maverick physicist born under the sign of Virgo. He suggests that if we make ourselves receptive and alert, we may get help from our future selves. They are trying to communicate good ideas to us back through time. Alas, most of us don’t believe such a thing is feasible, so we aren’t attuned to the potential help. I will encourage you to transcend any natural skepticism you might have about Sarfatti’s theory. As a fun experiment, imagine that the Future You has an important transmission for you—maybe several transmissions. For best results, formulate three specific questions to pose to the Future You.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I have five points for your consideration. 1. You are alive in your mysterious, endlessly interesting life, and you are imbued with the fantastically potent power of awareness. How could you not feel thrilled? 2. You’re on a planet that’s always surprising, and you’re in an era when so many things are changing that you can’t help being fascinated. How could you not feel thrilled? 3. You have some intriguing project to look forward to, or some challenging but engaging work you’re doing, or some mind-bending riddle you’re trying to solve. How could you not feel thrilled? 4. You’re playing the most enigmatic game in the universe, also known as your destiny on Earth, and you love ruminating on questions about what it all means. How could you not feel thrilled? 5. You never know what’s going to happen next. You’re like a hero in an epic movie that is endlessly entertaining. How could you not feel thrilled?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Trust those that you have helped to help you in their turn,” advises Scorpio author Neil Gaiman. Let’s make that one of your mantras for the coming weeks. In my astrological understanding, you are due to cash in on favors you have bestowed on others. The generosity you have expressed should be streaming back your way in abundance. Be bold about welcoming the bounty. In fact, I hope you will nudge and prompt people, if necessary, to reward you for your past support and blessings.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): So many of us are starved to be listened to with full attention. So many of us yearn to be seen and heard and felt by people who are skilled at receptive empathy. How many of us? I’d say the figure is about 99.9 percent. That’s the bad news, Sagittarius. The good news is that in the coming weeks, you will have an exceptional ability to win the attention of good listeners. To boost the potential healing effects of this opportunity, here’s what I recommend: Refine and deepen your own listening skills. Express them with panache.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Because you’re a Capricorn, earthiness is probably one of your strengths. It’s your birthright to be practical and sensible and well-grounded. Now and then, however, your earthiness devolves into muddiness. You get too sober and earnest. You’re bogged down in excess pragmatism. I suspect you may be susceptible to such a state these days. What to do? It may help if you add elements of air and fire to your constitution, just to balance things out. Give yourself a secret nickname with a fiery feel, like Blaze, or a crispy briskness, like Breezy. What else could you do to rouse fresh, glowing vigor, Breezy Blaze—even a touch of wildness?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I love to use metaphors in my writing, but I hate to mix unrelated metaphors. I thrive on referring to poetry, sometimes even surrealistic poetry, but I try to avoid sounding like a lunatic. However, at this juncture in your hero’s journey, Aquarius, I frankly feel that the most effective way to communicate with you is to offer you mixed metaphors and surrealist poetry that border on sounding lunatic. Why? Because you seem primed to wander around on the edges of reality. I’m guessing you’ll respond best to a message that’s aligned with your unruly mood. So here goes: Get ready to surf the spiritual undertow all the way to the teeming wilderness on the other side of the cracked mirror. Ignore the provocative wasteland on your left and the intriguing chaos on your right. Stay focused on the stars in your eyes and devote yourself to wild joy.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “The gift of patience opens when our body, heart and mind slow enough to move in unison.” So says Piscean poet Mark Nepo. I feel confident you are about to glide into such a grand harmony, dear Pisces. Through a blend of grace and your relaxed efforts to be true to your deepest desires, your body, heart and mind will synchronize and synergize. Patience will be just one of the gifts you will receive. Others include: a clear vision of your most beautiful future; a lucid understanding of what will be most meaningful to you in the next three years; and a profound sense of feeling at home in the world wherever you go.
I hope you’re sitting down, preferably on a beach chair, because I have a stunning announcement: Summer has begun.
Yes, we are a week-plus from June and a ways from summer solstice, but there is cause for my command decision.
It involves arguably the most creative, popular and collaborative craft beer brand by the bay, Humble Sea, and their most recent—and summerish—situation yet.
They’ve hatched a beer garden on the end of Municipal Wharf in Santa Cruz, happening Monday-Wednesday 4-9pm, Thursday-Saturday noon-9pm and Sunday, 10am-9pm.
Ten craft draft options, four-pack cans to go and some to sip on site (pending availability) all figure in.
So do food trucks, with standout sustainable seafood saints Scrumptious Fish & Chips serving Thursdays and Cococ Oaxacan doing delish duty Friday through Sunday. (Ordering food from wharf eateries like Makai Island Kitchen & Groggery and Stagnaro Brothers Seafood is also kosher.)
I await most Humble e-blasts with baited beer breath as they reliably deliver saliva-inducing release updates. [I see you Cloudbreak Deca Dry Hopped and Hop-Fused Quadruple IPA (!!!!) with Mosaic Incognito, Nelson Hop Kief, Riwaka and Motueka hops.]
A pair of my favorite installments came in recent weeks with 1) news of a Humble Sea team rider, Jon Reed, winning the downhill race in the men’s 40s expert division and taking home second in the Enduro Race at Sea Otter Classic; and 2) word on the peerless pier scene, including some typically zingy thoughts.
“Why did the seagull steal a sandwich? It was feeling a little peckish!” it read. “Ya, the seagulls have been stealing some things, mostly fries, and the occasional patron gets pooped on. But we will soon have more shade structures that will help prevent that kinda silliness.”
Humble Sea’s area GM Danielle Byers confirmed the scene is vibing nicely.
“The fun thing about the wharf is that it’s a completely outdoor beer garden with views of Steamer [Lane] on one side and the Boardwalk on the other,” she says. “Quintessential Santa Cruz.”
STAFF FUN
Staff of Life Natural Foods knows how to party. Through Saturday, May 27, SoL on Soquel in Santa Cruz celebrates its 54th anniversary with specials, free samples and wine and beer tastings daily. facebook.com/staffoflife
COLD COMPETITOR
Bear Nataraj Champlain of Davenport has a surreal and sudsy claim to fame. He’s one of 12 semi-finalists to be the mascot for one of my favorite sassy beer brands, Montucky Cold Snacks, a self-described “beer-flavored beer for everyone.” Until Friday, May 26, votes give Champlain a shot to appear on Montucky cans, a NASCAR truck, billboards and more. montuckycoldsnacks.com/montucky-mascot-competition
TOPICAL TROPICAL
The first ever Fruit-A-Palooza 2023, with the theme of “Growing tropical and subtropical fruit on the California Central Coast,” stokes attendees with the how-tos of growing fruit they might not have considered. The Monterey Bay chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers event benefits gardening education at Pajaro Valley Schools. The deets: 9am-5pm, June 10 at the Santa Cruz Grange Hall. mbcrfg.org
In California, we tend to take our wines for granted. Grapevines spring up all over the Golden State, and some of the best wines on the planet are produced here. But wait! There are other places in the world making good wines. New York state’s Hillick & Hobbs sits on Seneca Lake and has turned out an excellent Riesling from their estate vineyard.
Aged in stainless steel, the 2021 Hillick & Hobbs Estate Dry Riesling ($35) has aromas of gardenia followed by layers of pear, citrus and crushed rock. The long finish is extended by crisp acidity and lingering minerality. The wine is not too sweet, as Riesling can be. It’s balanced and has high acidity—making it a good pairing with spicy foods.
Although it’s said that the best Rieslings come from Germany, I think New York has done a pretty good job here.
Hillick & Hobbs Estate, 3539 State Route 79, Burdett, New York. 607-703-5999. te**@hi***********.com
Adorable French Bakery
Are you looking for very French pastries and cuisine? Adorable French Bakery is now based in Santa Cruz, so scrumptious croissants and delicious coq au vin are just a phone call away. The bakery/bistro prepares sweet and savory food available for pick-up or delivery through DoorDash.
Breakfast and brunch menus are offered on weekends. Chef Muriel D’Agostino and her team’s gastronomical delights are also offered online and at farmers markets. Chef D’Agostino hails from Paris—you can’t get more French than that! adorablefrenchbakery.com
From serving to bartending to managing, Andrew Pederson is a Swiss army knife of the restaurant industry, which made him the ideal choice for assistant general manager at Faultline Brewing Company when it opened less than a year ago in Scotts Valley. Pederson takes pride in the bar program that he built from the ground up. FBC’s menu has a couple of can’t-miss apps: the honey Sriracha roasted brussels sprouts with bacon and the housemade German-style soft pretzels with Hefeweizen beer cheese.
The upscale pub food (there are gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options) also includes a burger with bourbon caramelized onion bacon jam and aged Gouda cheese and a Cajun chicken pasta dish. The fries with a signature house seasoning blend are also a favorite. The bourbon caramel apple cheesecake is the go-to for dessert. Faultline is open daily from 11:30am-9pm (till 10pm Fridays and Saturdays). GT asked Pederson if the drinks and community outreach have helped Faultline connect with Scotts Valley.
How would you describe the bar program?
ANDREW PEDERSON: I designed it to bring in local cideries, distilleries and wineries and to showcase local ingredients in our delicious cocktails. The bar is a big part of our business, and the community has been very passionate and receptive toward our cocktails and beer. We also have one of the best happy hours in town.
What does community mean to you?
Since opening, we have put on multiple give-back nights to fundraise for local schools. We constantly strive to help the community in other ways, like disaster relief and just being a fun place to relax after a long day. We plan to host patio events with live music every week.
Faultline Brewing Company, 262 Mount Hermon Road, Unit 103, Scotts Valley, 831-226-2870; faultlinebrewing.com
Los Angeles seems like a dreamland for film industry hopefuls, but it’s not all roses. Film graduates are looking at high college fees, rents and bills to make ends meet. However, one particular film graduate says she has found a way around it.
Holly is a 22-year-old film graduate living in Los Angeles. She says she has turned her life around from barely making a living to enjoying a life of luxury—all thanks to Sugarbook, a sugar daddy dating app.
Holly was introduced to and downloaded the app last year, and she says immediately her profile got a lot of hits. Through her arrangements, she says she has earned up to $10,000 within the first two months from sugar daddies when her sugar-dating journey began.
She says her sugar relationships have alleviated her financial woes, and she can now comfortably pay her rent and bills. To date, she says she has earned up to $50,000 in total, including her allowances, rent, a professional film course, various designer items, outings with her friends, luxury nightlife events and trips.
The film industry professional has been sugar-dating for about a year. She first heard about the sugar baby lifestyle while filming at a beautiful apartment. Intrigued by how a girl could afford to live in the apartment, Holly says she was told that the girl had a sugar daddy. She shared with Holly her story and the site where she found her sugar daddy.
Holly’s search for the perfect sugar relationship led her to several dating sites before she discovered Sugarbook, which she found easy to use.
Livestreaming on Sugarbook
One of the features of the Sugarbook app is live streaming, which allows streamers to interact with their followers. On her initial attempt at live streaming, Holly says she received generous gifts from a particular sugar daddy from Switzerland.
The relationship, she said, led them to engage in Sugarbook’s new feature, the Private Room video call, and they have since established a virtual sugaring arrangement. They plan to meet in the United States once his schedule permits, with him footing the bill for her transportation, of course.
Previously, Holly had a sugar daddy that she says earned her $5,000 a month. Her ongoing relationship with the Swiss sugar daddy marks her fifth arrangement, with pay-per-meet rates set at $300 to $500.
“I’ve used the money mostly for rent. Because LA is very expensive, that’s why I became a sugar baby,” Holly shared.
“I get to see and meet new people and get gifts from them through the site. With my $5,000 monthly allowance, $2,000 is rent, with the rest on bills, utilities, insurance and fun,” she added.
Sugaring Lifestyle
Holly has had her fair share of challenges in her sugaring journey. Due to her young outlook, most men aren’t mature enough to be established. “I know my worth, and I deserve the best. I only date men who know how valuable I am and can keep up with my lifestyle,” she asserted.
“I work in the film industry. I basically work 24/7, but I’m not always on set. When I’m not working, I spend my time with people who know how valuable my time is. Why have to pay for things when someone else would be happy to, in exchange for my company?”
Holly states that on most dates with guys her age, she finds they aren’t old enough to have established themselves financially unless they come from money.
When asked about the type of sugar daddy she prefers dating, she comments:
“I don’t have a specific type. I’ve always been told I’m mature for my age, so dating more mature men has always been appealing to me. Even before I got into sugaring, I was dating men five to 10 years older than me”.
While some might say that profiting from one’s looks is unfair, to her, she says sugaring is less about looks and more about attitude. She believes anyone can be a sugar baby with confidence, independence and a proper makeover.
However, she admits that most people don’t have the right mindset, which is only being unfair to themselves.
While sugaring is often misjudged as prostitution, Holly says she is aware of herself and what she does. Standing by her principles, she said, “People are just projecting their insecurities onto me and are trying to hurt me because they don’t have the confidence to be a sugar baby.”
When asked about the difference between a sugar baby and a prostitute, Holly summarizes it in a single word—RESPECT. To her, a sugar baby can establish an arrangement involving being a companion and financially benefiting from it, whereas a prostitute’s objective is to sell one’s body for money.
“Prostitution is illegal in California; everything I’m doing is completely legal. I am simply dating, no different from regular dating, but financially benefiting from it. It’s the same idea as being a housewife—your husband works, pays for everything, takes care of you financially, and you take care of his needs”.
She added that a sugar baby could reject any request she’s uncomfortable with while earning money by spending time with sugar daddies.
“The critical distinction between a sugar baby and a prostitute is respect and the freedom to choose. As a sugar baby, I can decide the type of relationship I want and what kind of men I want to be involved with.”
The Pajaronian was named the state’s best small weekly newspaper in its division Friday, earning top marks in the 2022 California Journalism Awards.
The Watsonville newspaper placed first in the General Excellence category, beating out other publications of similar size throughout California.
The award, handed out by the California News Publishers Association, is based on every aspect of the paper, from news coverage, to photography, layout design and writing.
“A complete local report, from news to sports to features to opinion,” a judge wrote about the Pajaronian in the competition notes. “I commend the variety of content that shows a community connection. The strong A1 presence, aided especially by photos and headline writing, plus the teasers, are the difference between first and second place. Strong, sharp local advertising, as well. The local readers are getting their money’s worth here.”
“The winner of this contest, ‘Planes Collide’ hits all of the markers,” a judge wrote. “The story was well-written, attention-grabbing, had headlines that aligned with the contents of the story and pictures that grabbed our attention. Congratulations.”
The newspaper also earned first place for Front Page Layout & Design, and photographer Tarmo Hannula was recognized with a third place award for Photojournalism among all weekly publications.
Pajaronian sister publications also grabbed awards.
For the fourth year in a row, Good Times earned the state’s top award, General Excellence, in its division. The weekly won a total of five awards, including three first place awards: Front Page Layout & Design, Feature Story and Youth and Education Coverage. Good Times also captured a second place award for health coverage.
The Gilroy Dispatch earned first place for editorial comment and third for local government reporting.
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Los Angeles seems like a dreamland for film industry hopefuls, but it’s not all roses. Film graduates are looking at high college fees, rents and bills to make ends meet. However, one particular film graduate says she has found a way around it.
Holly is a 22-year-old film graduate living in Los Angeles. She says she has...
