Admit it. We were there to watch a distinguished actor power his way through ultimate Shakespeare. Yet one of the most exciting things about the SCS production of King Lear, featuring Paul Whitworth as Lear, is that the veteran Royal Shakespeare Company actor has as goldmine of good company on the stage, and and under Paul Mullins‘ direction an exceptional cast brings this masterpiece to full life.
So many pungent lines, so many of which are now part of our everyday lexicon, so here’s an emblematic line to start off an exploration of Lear and his plunge into madness. “He hath ever but slenderly known himself,” observes one of his daughters.
Indeed Britain’s mythic King Lear is a vain, entitled, foolish old man. When the play opens he begins an ill-advised quest for filial flattery that will doom everyone it touches—Shakespeare at his most potent. Destroyed by their ambitions, their quest for power and their blindness to the feelings and true motives of those around them, Lear’s characters specialize in a broad bandwidth of duplicity.
Before there was Succession, there was Shakespeare’s Lear, a double helix of family dysfunction, potent as a shot of gin. Planning to retire, the king asks each of his three daughters to profess their love for him. Whoever flatters him most will receive the greater portion of his kingdom.
The two eldest, Goneril (Paige Lindsey White) and Regan (Kelly Rogers) are happy to spout elaborate praise, while the youngest, Cordelia (Yael Jeshion-Nelson), apple of her father’s eye, declines to offer anything other than what duty requires of her. “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!”
Well this doesn’t sit well with Lear, who disowns his youngest on the spot, complaining that he is “a man more sinned against than sinning.” Without lands or dowry, Cordelia is nonetheless claimed by her loving suitor, the King of France (Jono Eiland), and leaves the country. Lear’s tragic flaw is his lack of self-knowledge.
Shaking off his shock, Lear proclaims his intent to spend his retirement between the home of Goneril and her husband Albany (Rex Young), and Regan and her lord Cornwall (Charles Pasternak). Lack of self-knowledge is his fatal flaw. As the loyal Earl of Gloucester, Derrick Lee Weeden is riveting. A loving father to Edgar (Junior Nyong’o), and the illegitimate Edmund (M.L. Roberts), Gloucester is blind to the rivalry broiling between his two sons. The uneasy dynamic between the sons and their father is deftly played by all three actors.
“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods/They kill us for their sport,” Gloucester observes, as he begins his own decline. There are no winners in Shakespeare’s tale of gullible royals and greedy offspring, but there are astonishingly pungent lines, pliant verse, and in the center of it all is Paul Whitworth as Lear, curling his voice around the poetry and unleashing miracles.
“Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise,” the truth-telling Fool (Sophia K. Metcalf) warns the King, who grows older (but not wiser) by the minute. Embraced by a remarkable cast, Whitworth proceeds to unleash his character’s physical decline and emotional chaos to a thundering conclusion.
If there is a metaphor threading through this remarkable play, is it vision. Lear is blind to the indifference of his eldest daughters, just as he is blind to the unsullied love of his youngest. Gloucester is blind to the lethal jealousy of his bastard son Edmund, and by mid-play he is literally blind.
Lear is arguably Shakespeare’s masterwork and this production is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear and see its unforgettable power.
We know the story. We can read the words. So why go see the play? Because with each live performance the tale is reborn. The complexity of relationships, of psychological underpinnings, of political implications comes to life. The live setting allows actors to reveal new shades and colors of meaning, and each actor on the stage influences the unfolding characters of the others. The words speak to our imaginations as the playwright intended. In Whitworth, the King lives, and dies again, for a few brief hours. All before your very eyes.
No one seems more at ease than Whitworth, whose wailing high notes send shivers down the spine. Mid-way through, as Lear begins to totter on the edge of his madness, Whitworth invents yet more facets of his character. Practically dancing the torrents of verse, he unleashes an arsenal of vocal colors. Whitworth is a prankster Lear, all silly charm and mercurial mood swings, as storms approach and darkness descends.
The storm craft of sound designer Barry Funderburg is genuinely thrilling. The scenes with his Fool are delicious. Kudos to the spunky and resourceful Metcalf, every bit up to the task as the one character allowed to tell the truth to the fallen monarch.
Weeden’s Gloucester is another revelation. Exuding presence and gravitas, this robust actor unveils the confusion and sorrow of a father who has failed both of his sons. Matched in physical stature and crisp portrayal, Rogers/Regan and White/Goneril are also matched in cunning as Lear’s elder daughters. What fun to watch the sisters each try to seduce the neferious Edmund, who’ll stop at nothing to become heir to Gloucester’s title.
M.L. Roberts makes a swaggering, upwardly-mobile Edmund. Junior Nyong’o delivers a nuanced Edgar, especially—in the disguise of a wandering beggar Poor Tom (by way of Bob Marley)—leading his broken father to safety. During the crucial storm, the ensemble of Lear, the Fool, Edgar/Poor Tom, and banished courtier Kent (the always resourceful Patty Gallagher) gives us the heart of the play in every dimension.
I could be wrong, but I’d swear that B. Modern has outdone herself in costuming this amazing stageful of actors. Everyone looks appropriately elegant, wicked and/or innocent, in a crisp array of fashions located somewhere near the end of the 19th century.
The evil sisters in gowns of a jarring palette. Poor Tom in ashes and rags. Whitworth in his greatcoat and Russian hat; in his hunting outfit; in his tatters and crown of herbs. A feast for all the senses, especially the imagination. Great lighting by Marcella Barbeau and scenic design from Michael Schweikardt keep us glued to heart of the moonlit Grove.
Congratulations to Paul Mullins and a remarkable company, who’ve created an electrifying showcase for Whitworth’s brilliance. Living up to all the advance hype, this is a show for the ages.
Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s King Lear, by William Shakespeare, directed by Paul Mullins. Shows in repertory with Taming of the Shrew and The Book of Will through August 27. santacruzshakespeare.org
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk plans on bringing back an iconic attraction, but it first must seek approval from the city’s planning commission.
Five years after the park removed its Ferris wheel due to age, plans are in the works to construct a new, 68-foot version of the ride.
Manufactured by Kansas-based Chance Rides, the new Ferris wheel will feature 15 gondolas, with each able to seat up to four adults or six children at a time, according to a city planning staff report. It will be located across from the Giant Dipper and replace Rock & Roll, a spinning ride consisting of swinging cars that travel forward and backward which has operated in the spot since 2002.
The Boardwalk’s previous Ferris wheel, which opened in 1959, last operated in 2017 near the back of the park. In early 2018, as the ride was undergoing its annual winter maintenance, Boardwalk officials determined that the attraction had reached the end of its useful life, and began dismantling it soon after.
The 67-foot-tall ride, manufactured by Jacksonville, Ill.-based Eli Bridge Company, had spun around four million riders since 1986, the first year the Boardwalk began tracking ridership. It was originally located near the Cocoanut Grove, where the Pirate Ship thrills riders today, before it was moved to its final location at the opposite end of the Boardwalk in the 1980s.
The Boardwalk’s permit for the new ride was scheduled for consideration by the planning commission on Aug. 3. However, only four of the seven commissioners were present, and Commissioner Timerie Gordon excused herself as her design firm works for the park’s owner, Santa Cruz Seaside Company. Four votes are needed to pass items.
The ride is expected to be considered at the commission’s Aug. 17 meeting.
Santa Cruz Police released security camera footage on Wednesday of a man wanted for vandalizing the Downtown Black Lives Matter street-mural last Saturday.
The suspect was revealed to be a white male riding a distinctive red motor scooter with chrome trim and a plexiglass windscreen. He wore a light blue shirt, white shorts, and white casual footwear. The man’s face is obscured by a helmet and mask, but video clearly shows the man approaching the mural with a can of blue paint and leaving the scene
The SCPD has requested that persons with any knowledge of the incident call 831-420-5995 to share their information.
At a Wednesday press conference, Police Chief Bernie Escalante said the man responsible “committed a cowardly act of hatred and needs to be held responsible.”
Members of the Santa Cruz community of Black activists also spoke at the press conference.
“What happened on Saturday instills fear in some people,” said Elaine Johnson, Santa Cruz NAACP president. “It’s a time for change.”
“We are hurt, and we are angry,” Santa Cruz Councilwoman Sonja Brunner read from a response written by SC Equity Collab, the activist group who saw the mural project to completion in September 2020. The group says that resistance to their cause shows that they are “making waves,”
“We know we are on the right track toward obtaining equity, justice, and healing, and we will not be stopped,” the Collab said in their statement.
The block-long mural, on Center Street between City Hall and the Downtown Library, was damaged some time before 6 p.m. last Saturday. Blue paint was poured across the letters A and C. Passing cars driving through the pools subsequently left painted tracks from end to end.
The Department of Public Works was immediately sent to the scene with high pressure water hoses, removing much of the paint, but considerable restoration work remains.
This is the second time the mural has been vandalized. In 2021, Hagan Warner and Brandon Bochat defaced the mural with tire marks. The two pleaded guilty and were sentenced to probation, $19,623 in restitution and 144 hours each of community service.
Just one month ago, professional artists, community organizers and city officials gathered at an emotional community to repaint the mural. Bochat and Warner attended to assist with the repair and read statements of apology.
SC Equity Collab is considering options for repainting the mural. They say they will press for hate crime charges when the current suspect is identified and arrested.
Santa Cruz Supervisor and current Board Chair Zach Friend announced Friday that he will not seek a fourth term on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Friend was first elected in 2012, and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2016 and 2020. His current term ends in January of 2025.
“Representing this County has been the nonpareil opportunity of a lifetime.” Supervisor Friend stated in a press release. “We are a region blessed with the most caring people, unrivaled natural gifts and unmatched innovation. The privilege of representing our area has been remarkable.”
Friend serves on a number of state and national commissions, including chairing the California State Association of Counties Health and Human Services Committee, with responsibility for advocating on behalf of California’s 58 counties on issues related to behavioral health services, public health and homelessness.
He also serves on the National Association of Counties Executive Committee, where he advocates in Washington, D.C. for transportation, rural broadband and flood-protection issues.
Friend’s District 2 seat goes up for reelection in March.
While filing for the election has not yet officially opened, Doug Dietch, Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Kim De Serpa and Capitola City Council woman Kristen Brown have so far filed papers that they intend to run.
District 2 includes Aptos, La Selva Beach, Seacliff and Rio Del Mar, along with some of the most productive agricultural land in the country in the communities of Corralitos, Freedom and the Pajaro River basin. Portions of the cities of Capitola and Watsonville are also included.
Locally, Friend chairs the Monterey Bay Air Resources Board, the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency, Santa Cruz County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 7. He co-chairs the Oral Health Access Santa Cruz County board.
In addition, Friend serves on the Criminal Justice Council, Library Financing Authority, Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC), Santa Cruz County Sanitation District, Santa Cruz Mid-County Water Agency and Santa Cruz-Monterey-Merced Managed Medical Care Commission.
He was also involved in the transformation of the Aptos, La Selva and Capitola Libraries to the creation of Seacliff Village Park and Willowbrook Park in honor of Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller.
“We were proud to spearhead efforts resulting in the greatest investments in parks and youth activities in decades and to improve public spaces from libraries to coastal access in ways that make our community even more special” Friend said.
Friend led efforts to remodel Seascape Park and Hidden Beach Park, construct and provide bike and skate opportunities at Seacliff Village Park and Pinto Lake Park and add new fully-accessible park features to multiple parks throughout the district.
He also led efforts to secure more than $400 million for the Pajaro River Levee Project.
“We have a lot of great things left to accomplish in the next 17 months.” Supervisor Friend noted. “I am excited to stay actively engaged locally and keep contributing to our community in any way possible well beyond my term. We are fortunate to live in a community where the seeds fell on good soil and I truly believe in an extraordinary future for our county.”
Host of Please Stand By will helm last KPIG show this Sunday
Longtime KPIG 107.5 DJ “Sleepy” John Sandidge will host the final installment of his Sunday morning show, “Please Stand By,” on Aug, 6. The 83-year-old local radio mainstay is signing off commercial radio after a storied broadcasting career that has made him a legend in the Americana scene.
“I had a nice 35 year run with KPIG and, uh, just the best life I could have possibly dreamed of,” Sandidge said.
Times are changing and as the old guard of live radio broadcasters like Sandidge go off air for good, a dying art form goes with them.
“There’s no school out there to say ‘Ok, I want to take a class on being a radio host and bringing in music and booking shows,’” Sandidge said.
Sandidge’s passion for the sound and culture of Americana and roots music helped create a thriving scene at KPIG that became a template for radio stations across the country.
“I’m leaving KPIG and it will all collapse and there will be no more Americana music!” said Sandidge with a laugh.”You can quote me.”
Please Stand By began at the now-defunct radio station KFAT, when the late Laura Ellen Hopper tapped Sandidge to bring his show onto the KPIG. Prior to that, the show had broadcast about 200 episodes on KHIP, had a stint on KUSP and even broadcast from General Feed and Seed on Commercial Way. But it was at KPIG, right before the first show, that Hopper came up with the name and Please Stand By was born.
Arden Eaton, a local radio legend in her own right, worked with Sandidge for over 20 years at KPIG and remembers meeting him in the early 1980s when he was trying to get into radio.
“He was a fun-loving guy who wanted to be part of the music scene,” Eaton remembers. “He loved to banter, tease and harass.”
Sandidge’s affable demeanor and ear for finding the next big thing in the Americana scene has gotten him fans not only among the listening audience, but from the artists themselves. Robert Earl Keen, who Sandidge was an early supporter of, even name-dropped him in his track “I’m Coming Home.”
“They threw a party there from dusk ’till dawn/Seems like everybody knows old Sleepy John/He said next time I better bring you along/I’m comin’ home to you/They had fresh caught salmon on the barbeques/There were people jammin’ all night to the blues/Life is good out in Santa Cruz/But I’m comin’ home to you”
Over the years, PSB had many famous guests, including Michael Nesmith of The Monkees, Norton Buffalo and Garth Hudson. Sandidge says he even tried to get Bob Dylan on a few times, but it never panned out. Of all the guests he’s had on, his favorite was Tazmanian singer-songwriter Audrey Auld-Mezera. The least favorite? Jessica Jones, who brought in her CDs in lieu of a live set and had little to say.
In 2018, Sandidge was invited to guest host the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. The prestigious honor is bestowed on distinguished performers and entertainment personalities tied to the country music industry.
“I would like to be thought of as one of the people who made a contribution to this area by bringing in wonderful music and being able to present it to them both on the air and in person,” Sandidge said. “Our job in radio is to entertain you, and not just by playing records.”
Sandidge’s deep dives into the history and cultural significance of the records he spun connected with listeners. Being intentional with the record selection was something that he got drilled into him by Laura Ellen Hopper over the years of working together. When asked what Hopper would say to him when the On Air light goes off on Sunday, he knew exactly what it would be.
“She would say: ‘Why did you play that song after this one?’’
Please Stand By’s final show will have live performances by Keith Greeninger, Sherry Austin and Tammy Brown, among others at 9am Sunday on KPIG 107.5 FM.
How the Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building continues to serve the community
HEALTH MATTERS—Volunteer Dixie LaFave mixes up the greens for lunch. Photo: Mat Weir
It’s 10am on a Wednesday morning and the basement of the downtown Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building (SCCVMB, or as locals know it, the Vets Hall) is teeming with energy. Roughly a dozen people are moving about, wiping down tables, mopping the floor, making coffee and prepping food for the unknown number of veterans about to arrive.
Lined against the right wall are multiple large boxes and crates filled with onions, potatoes, lettuce, bananas, cauliflower and other fresh produce, including dragon fruit. On one side of the produce table is a pantry fully stocked with bread, condiments and cans of beans, tomatoes and soup. On the other side is a full working kitchen with volunteer Dixie LaFave eagerly dressing a large pan of salad.
Hanging on the walls circling the room hangs the state flag along with other colors representing different branches of the military and Santa Cruz units that have served in wars dating back a century.
Volunteer and de facto kitchen manager, Mark Gagne, puts the finishing touches on tables and answers volunteer questions. For the last six months he’s volunteered weekly at the kitchen, with a history of past volunteer service and 23 years in the Bay Area restaurant industry.
“It’s the team,” he says. “If we didn’t have a team of great people volunteering we couldn’t do this.”
In a few minutes, the Vets Hall’s free lunch and pantry service will begin and 79 vets, young and old, will pass through the doors for a hot meal and two bags of groceries. On any given week, everything from pizza and lasagna to tri-tip with sides might be served. The food is donated by Second Harvest Food Bank, Costco and Oroweat Bread. It’s a service held every Wednesday, even during the days of the 2020 lockdowns.
Building Manager David Pedley sits at his office desk inside the SCCVMB
“Even though there were only 20 vets that were showing up, these were people who needed that pantry,” remembers Building Manager, David Pedley.
“So we did to-go meals the whole time.”
Pedley has been the building’s manager for the past two years, previously supervising the COVID emergency shelter for a year and a half. He’s one of the Vets Hall’s many success stories in recent years because prior to COVID, he was one of the 40,401 homeless veterans nationwide. Now he’s part of the driving force for the Vets Hall’s renaissance moment.
“I just came in and started asking questions, then did the whole program,” Pedley says. “Now I run the place and have a second baby on the way.”
For half a century, the downtown Vets Hall has played an important role in the lives of those who have served. A gathering place for veterans to get back on their feet, utilize resources or just have a good laugh with friends.
Veterans like Joe Biondo, who served in the Navy in the 1970s.
“The economy has become so top heavy that we need things like food stamps and services,” he says.
“This luncheon probably saves me $40 a month and the pantry at least another $50.”
Santiago Calderon, a Vietnam veteran who also served in the Navy, says he wasn’t aware of how many services were open to vets before coming to the SCCVMB.
“I came here and went, ‘Wow! This is great,’” remembers Calderon. “It’s helped me help others.”
Each week he volunteers his time cleaning up the basement hall after the food service has ended.
“I tell everybody this is a great place,” he says. “There are a lot of services here.”
Along with the hot meal and food pantry, each Wednesday, veterans can utilize services from doctors and counselors, the Rotary Club of Santa Cruz, American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the United Veterans Council, the United States Department of Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) and more. It’s an easy one-stop for veterans to get back on their feet or continue down a prosperous path.
They even host holistic and mindfulness classes for the vets along with computer skill classes to keep them competitive in the job market.
Yet throughout its history, the SCCVMB has also been a cornerstone in the Santa Cruz community. A dance hall that opened to big bands and jazz, it now hosts punk, metal and hip hop concerts with national—and international—acts. A community center that hosts classes from dance and yoga to fencing, meditation and recovery meetings.
“We have the most amount of NAs (Narcotics Anonymous) and AAs (Alcoholics Anonymous) in one place in the tri-county area,” Pedley says.
Rent paid by the classes, meetings, concerts and concessions all go back to the Vets Hall so it can continue to grow its mission helping one veteran at a time.
“The whole model of our nonprofit is using the Veterans Memorial Building to generate revenue and then turning around and using that profit to provide services for veterans in the area,” explains Executive Director Chris Cottingham.
As the Executive Director for the past three years and the Director of Service and Operations a year before that, Cottingham is one of the main people leading the Veterans Memorial building into a new era.
“The model of using it as a community space, then having that continue to give back to the community, is very sustainable,” he explains.
“Because the bigger we get means we’re doing more for our community.”
REMEMBERING THE PAST
The Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building was built in 1932 at the behest of the public, the American Legion, the Civil War veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the veterans of the Spanish American War.
Completed in September of that year, it was originally slated to be built where it stands today—next to the downtown Post Office. However it was almost built “on wide grounds” at Laurel Street and Pacific Avenue to “be used in part if not mainly as a civic auditorium,” according to a May 8, 1930 issue of the defunct Santa Cruz News. The veterans fought against this idea and eventually won to keep the original location.
The purchase cost $2,000 less than estimated and the remainder of the money was used to build the World War I memorial statue that stands at the head of Pacific Ave., across from the SCCVMB.
According to the National Register of Historic Places its “heyday” was primarily in the 1930s and 1940s “when local peace-time efforts were geared toward recovery from the Depression, creation of a strong community solidarity and building a sound economic base.” But throughout its 91 years the Vets Hall’s primary purpose is to serve as a central meeting place for veterans, their groups and service providers.
“Anytime you have something that’s been around for that many generations, you get all these different stories,” Cottingham says. “It’s like the original social network.”
During the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, SCCVMB served as an emergency shelter but closed in 2010 due to much needed renovations and mismanagement. Four years later it reopened but this time a strict, “no live concerts” rule was placed on the building. It wouldn’t be lifted until Cottingham was hired in 2019.
With a quarter of a century of experience in the music industry under his belt, Cottingham saw the building’s potential when he was doing a photoshoot with Salinas reggae band The Rudians. When he was hired, one of his first acts was to bring back the music scene. However, the SCCVMB only hosted a couple of concerts before the 2020 COVID pandemic lockdowns went into full effect.
However, that was just the beginning of the Vets Hall’s next transformation.
“During the pandemic, we were the first emergency shelter to open in the community,” Cottingham remembers. “The word came out on a Tuesday or Wednesday that everything was shut down and by that Friday we were open.
Over a 16 month course, the Vets Hall was home to 45 at-risk individuals who were elderly, houseless, veterans or all three. It also housed families and evacuees of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
During that time, staff grew to 40 employees to accommodate social distancing while providing shelter, food and activities to residents. Some local restaurants and organizations would contribute groceries or cooked meals so the shelter could continue providing for emergency residents and veterans in need.
The SCCVMB also provided a “Zoom room” for anyone at the shelter to use for recovery programs, counseling and keeping in touch with the outside world. The Vets Hall took the pandemic as an opportunity to renovate their outdoor courtyard for meetings and activities as well.
“It used to look like this god-awful Zen garden that wasn’t taken care of,” laughs Pedley.
Now it’s a memorial courtyard with curated flowerbeds and paved in bricks with the names of veterans deceased and alive, including Pedley.
Yet, one of the biggest ways the SCCVMB pivoted during those 16 months is how it connected with veterans and civilians living in tents along the levee, in parks or under bridges. Staff saw how, by providing individuals with shelter, food and a place to receive mail, they were often able to save up some money to a point where they would be back on their feet. The Vets Hall would then step in and help connect them to different housing organizations, banks and employment opportunities.
“We had an option,” says Cottingham. “We could either be dark or run at the problem and be a part of the solution.”
Staff also asked around about what are the top ten items people experiencing homelessness needed. They were shocked to find out the number one requested item was a first aid kit.
“Everyone seems to think that socks are the most important thing,” Cottingham says. “What an ‘aha’ moment!”
That data led to the SCCVMB’s Community Aid Resource Effort—or CARE—Package Program in which Cottingham says they passed out over 300 packages to people on the streets that included first aid kits, solar chargers, hygiene bags and other essentials. As people transitioned into housing, the SCCVMB raised money for what Cottingham calls “move-in kits” with household items like curtains, dining ware, mattresses, cleaning products and more. They even helped ship and move new furniture for the newly housed.
“That experience of running the shelter is ultimately what inspired us to move onto the Village,” he admits.
Ronald Carillo, SCCVMB caseworker Tamiko Collins, and SCCVMB Director of Property Management Richard Zigrang at the Veterans Village
Housing First
It’s a beautifully warm Tuesday morning in the redwoods of Ben Lomond. Besides the passing traffic, the air is peaceful and serene among the ten red cabins dotted along the hillside. Each one contains a living room, television, separate kitchen, refrigerator, light fixtures, bathroom and separate bedroom with a mattress.
“We are a housing first program,” explains Keith Collins. He’s the SCCVMB’s Program Director for their Veterans Village of Santa Cruz County, a housing community exclusively for veterans.
Opened in February of last year, the land for the Vets Village was purchased using independently raised funds, not government money. A few months later they were awarded an additional $6.4 million from the state’s Project Homekey grant funding to expand and renovate the campus. They are projected to have an additional 11 units added to the property equaling 21 units with 25 bedrooms and 23 bathrooms for a total of 24 individuals onsite.
All of the furniture and appliances, including office furniture at the Village and at the SCCVMB, is donated by Grey Bears Thrift Store.
“The biggest challenge has been getting the construction approved and completed,” Collins says. “There was a delay because of the floods and rains that really set us back.”
“In fact, the road in front [of the property] is still being repaired because of the floods,” says SCCVMB caseworker, Tamiko Collins.
Currently the property is housing six groups of vets and families for a total of 13 people. With a $100,000 grant for transportation awarded by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation—which holds the yearly Pebble Beach Pro-Am—the Village bought a van for transporting the residents for grocery shopping, events and to utilize the weekly services at the SCCVMB.
Of the six acres that the property sits on, only three of them are actually buildable. This allows the Village to utilize its unique forest setting and keep to their—and the veterans’—mission statement to serve.
“We’re currently raising funds to build a serenity trail,” Keith says. “That would be not only for our Village but the entire surrounding community as well.”
As with the SCCVMB’s courtyard, the trail will contain landmarks and memorial bricks to recognize all in Santa Cruz County who have served.
“And a community garden,” smiles Tamiko. “People like hiking up there already so we want to build the trails and make it a fun place to bring your kids and learn.”
The Collins’, who are married, say the Village couldn’t have survived as well as it has without the neighboring Ben Lomond mountain community. They thank their neighbors for embracing the Veterans Village and helping anyway they could.
“Particularly during the storms,” states Keith. “They were feeding the guys and helping clear the property when trees fell down. They were out here with tractors, saws, everything. We really thank the community of Ben Lomond.”
It’s a phrase heard a lot when speaking with veterans and staff at the Village and downtown Vets Hall. The tight relationship the nonprofits have with the community is a sustainable way to continue giving back to one another.
Fliers for upcoming concerts and classes adorn the SCCVMB door
Let The Good Times Roll
“Before I got here there were very few community events,” Pedley says of the SCCVMB’s weekly calendar.
“Now the calendar is packed every day, barring Monday nights because nobody wants to do anything on Monday nights, which is fair.”
On any given day at the downtown building the community is open to check out the various classes offered: fencing, yoga, dance, meditation, guitar lessons and the list goes on.
“A lot of my clients now are the lost children of abandoned buildings,” explains Pedley, saying that many of the classes arrived when other places were closed after the pandemic. Others because of being pushed out after their buildings were sold to make way for the current downtown construction.
“Two years on, their businesses are thriving because we gave them a space to do that.”
In addition to community courses, the hall is also rented out for birthday parties, quinceañeras, baby showers and sometimes all three.
“Earlier in the year we had a 30th birthday party and baby shower for a woman,” says SCCVMB Events Coordinator, Joel Haston.
“That same woman said she had her quinceañara at the Vets Hall 15 years prior. Like, that’s cool. It’s a story she can tell forever.”
Haston is also the founder of Pin-Up Productions and one of the main reasons the hall has returned to hosting all-ages music events of all genres. Throughout the decades, the building has been the host to many international acts like punk bands Rancid and AFI, hardrockers Avenged Sevenfold and locals turned big like Good Riddance and Drain. More recently, in 2021, the Vets Hall hosted shows by hip-hop group CZARFACE—featuring Wu-Tang member, Inspectah Deck—and internationally known hardcore group Turnstile. It also hosted singer/songwriters such as Jonathan Richman and Linda Tillery, jazzman John Santos and a legendary 1966 concert by the Grateful Dead.
Along with modernizing its programs, the SCCVMB has also slowly modernized its equipment and building through self-fundraising and grants. So far they’ve repaired the amps and replaced some of the lighting, but Haston says they still have a long way to go.
“I’d love to purchase a new, state of the art sound system,” he admits. “That’s hopefully a fundraising goal within the next year.”
Many Santa Cruzans, including Haston, have fond memories of growing up and seeing their favorite bands in the main room, or in the upstairs room and basement. All three of which are once again currently open to rent for shows.
“I’m able to be competitive [with room rental prices] because everything we do here goes back to the veterans,” he says. “We don’t get government funding so everything we make goes to staying open and providing services for the veterans.”
“It might be silly,” says Cottingham. “But I see it as every bottle of water we sell is feeding a veteran.”
As the SCCVMB continues to grow and evolve they are hoping to continue to come up with new and creative ways to fundraise. They are currently fixing up an espresso cart and have plans to open up a cafe in the building sometime in the very near future.
Cottingham also tells GT that the Watsonville Veterans Memorials Building recently held its first veterans services day and it was met with “an overwhelming response.”
However, at the end of the day, the nonprofit not only relies on money to fund these programs but also the charity of the greater community they want to continue serving for years to come.
“Everyone always asks what we want when we come back from the service,” says Pedley. “Honestly, all we want is to be a part of the community again.
The Santa Cruz area is experiencing Detroit pizza nirvana
Suddenly Surf City’s more Motor City. A mountain bike town’s tracking more Motown. Greater Santa Cruz is transforming into Detroit West.
It’s not the most predictable of outcomes, but it’s as real as Detroit pizza is square: Three pizza joints—all (relatively) new and (arguably) the best in the area—are rocking Detroit-style pie.
For the uninitiated, the genre denotes a rectangular pan pizza with a crust that’s simultaneously crisp, chewy and thick, usually loaded with brick cheese that caramelizes against the deep baking tray—which, by legend, was originally a steel pan intended to be used to catch automotive drip or hold small parts.
The new members of that pie tribe in Santa Cruz County, in order from north to south—and youngest to oldest—each enjoy local family owner-operators, and goes like this:
The Pizza Series
TPS debuted this year in the one-time Tony & Alba’s Pizza & Pasta, which was jarring for fans of the former, until they got a run at the new occupant’s goods.
Matt Driscoll has earned a spot on the national World Pizza Championships team for his dough spinning, but what qualifies him most here is his Detroit heritage.
At Pizza Series’ remodeled headquarters next to CineLux—complete with split levels, beer taps and a substantial patio—his pizzas have been selling out nightly.
He also does New York style whole pies and slices, but smart money says go for a Detroit pizza like The Pep & More with “cup n char” pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage, caramelized onions, whipped ricotta and fresh basil.
Inauthentic never tasted so good. Chef Todd Parker proudly touts his product as exactly that, at least in part because his toppings might get you slugged in Hitsville.
He tempts insane alliances like olive, balsamic vinegar, roasted strawberry and micro greens on a fluffy crust—which he’s also made his own with smart tweaks on the classic recipe—that proves airy in the middle and fried-cheese-crunchy on the perimeter.
Another recent WTF-that’s-insane-and-amazing taste: ’nduja North African spreadable sausage, pineapple and anchovy.
He’s got a knack for touching all the flavor bases, from sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. Everyone I’ve taken here can’t believe their taste buds.
Plus he has an unfair advantage because it’s housed in Sante Adairius Rustic Ales Portal on Water Street in Midtown Santa Cruz, which means a sublime pizza comes with nationally ranked local craft beer.
This pizza drips flavor like the former downtown Watsonville Fox Theater drips style.
On the walls appear stylized skateboard decks and original art, behind the counter appears a robust rundown of area craft beers and on their Instagram feed appears seductive pizza porn.
Like The Pizza Series, they do quality New York pizza too—note the popular White Bugatti with white sauce, mozzarella and lemon zest—but trust Watsonville natives and brothers Brando and Kristian Sencion to overachieve with their square affairs.
Go for the “313,” the flagship thickie with tiny cupping pepperoni. And see if you can guess what city that area code corresponds to.
How far do we want to support freedom of expression? As the editor who reads all the letters sent to us, I have to decide, when is hate appropriate? Do we print hateful letters to show people what’s out there, while giving the writers a chance to voice their opinions, or do we ignore them and let them send their views to Fox “News”?
I’ve got one sitting here that turns my stomach, but at least the writer put his name and address on it, so he’s willing to stand up for his opinions. This is from Thomas Hammer, of West Cliff Drive.
“I just read an article about the damage to the Black Lives Matter street art in front of the city building.
This really bothers me, not because someone defaced a sign of a debunked useless bankrupt organization but the fact that this is such an important issue when a block away on Pacific Ave we can’t even walk down the street without walking over filthy unruly homeless people, random people playing music so loud you can’t hear yourself think, filthy disgusting sidewalks and NEVER a cop in sight. I think the Mayor and the City of Santa Cruz needs to get its priorities straight.
The true victims are the locals and the business owners, not the proponents of Black Lives Matter!
Bernie Escalante, the police chief, says Santa Cruz should be a safe place for all individuals. Obviously he NEVER goes down Pacific Ave!”
There. I printed it. But should I have? I totally disagree with the sentiments. I love downtown and feel safe there. I’ve brought my kids there and they’ve seen it all. But there’s no city that doesn’t have problems. Of course the part that bothers me most is his false criticism of Black Lives Matter, an organization with the intention of bringing unity to all of us. Letters like this only bring division.
Your thoughts, please?
Good Idea
County Parks Friends has launched a public-private campaign to raise $1 million for a universally accessible playground at Jade Street Park in partnership with the City of Capitola. Universally accessible playgrounds are designed so children of all abilities can play with their friends and families without encountering barriers to play found at other, typical playgrounds. The city has plans to fund the balance of the estimated $1.79 million project. The community is invited to submit name ideas for the playground by August 31.
Good Work
Summer traffic has slowed down drivers around the county, but for those heading from 41st through Soquel Drive, prepare for more stops. Commuters already know this stretch has been stop-and-go lately, but prepare for more congested lanes as construction continues this week. The project is to construct north and southbound auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder improvements on Highway 1 between the 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive interchanges and to construct a new bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing at Chanticleer Avenue.
Photo Contest
LANDING ON WATER An unusual watercraft on June 11, 2023. Photograph by CJ Hertzer.
Quote of the Week
“War is created by those too old to fight for those too young to die” —African Proverb
Letters
PREPARING FOR SCHOOL SHOOTINGS ISN’T THE ANSWER
I am a local educator with 30+ years of experience in public schools K-graduate school. My career has seen the rise of school shootings in the USA from 63 total school shooting incidents in the decade of the 80s to 261 incidents in the 2010s. The 2020s are poised to outstrip the previous decade with 141 school shooting incidents so far since 2020. (source: Wikipedia)
I respect and appreciate our local law enforcement and public safety agencies working together to try to “prepare for the worst” at our schools. My response is in no way meant as a criticism of these agencies. I know that they are doing their best to address a violent and dangerous social and cultural phenomenon and to try to protect our communities .
At the same time, as a parent and an educator I find the very fact that this type of drill is necessary to be the problem. Over the past decade or so I have been in many real “code red” lockdown situations at various school sites in PVUSD. I have been through several different versions of teacher training to prepare for a school shooting. If you have ever been locked alone in a room for an hour with 26 terrified 6 year olds, or in a room with 50 terrified middle schoolers lying on the floor in the dark, you would know that drills arenot the answer.
Our school sites are not equipped with some of the basic facilities needed to provide real protection. A few examples: Lack of perimeter fencing OR lack of ability for staff to open that fencing if they needed to flee. Inoperable windows that cannot be opened or broken if an escape is needed, or that are too high or too small to use as escape routes. Poor cell service hindering communication. The list goes on. Add to this the fact that most school staff are NOT first responders, not physically or psychologically inclined, or capable, of suddenly possessing the skills and knowledge of trained military or police. Nor should we be. Finally, the drills and photos/news like the one in your story, only serve to traumatize students, while doing little to nothing to truly keep them safe.
The ONLY sensible and effective way to reduce school shootings is to eliminate the need to “prepare for the worst.” How? Enact reasonable gun control laws. Reinstate or grow, comprehensive, affordable public health/mental health programs and place school counselors and nurses full time at every school site. Focus on preventing the incidents in the first place.
The reality is this: There is no way to “prepare for the worst,” as incidents have shown us again and again. We are deluding ourselves, and normalizing school shootings to boot, if we think otherwise.
—Caitlin Johnston
KEEP THE X-WORD
1) Please keep running the NYT crossword!!!! It is a primary reason that I pick up the Good Times every week, but your content keeps me reading. There is nothing like solving the puzzle in print, rather than online.
2) I like the Street Talk column. I hope readers keep in mind that the views expressed are not necessarily representative of the public as a whole, but are merely thought-provoking. You’ve probably asked this before, but questions that solicit praise about our area are always uplifting, such as “What’s your favorite thing about living in Santa Cruz County?”
3) I enjoy both the wine column and the cannabis column. I’d like to see the wine column expanded to something like “Libations,” and include interesting drinks offered in the area (maybe even highlight specific restaurants), and include special mixed alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (such as those offered by Makai), juices, bobas, etc. I’d also enjoy more coverage of “south county” (e.g, Aptos and Watsonville) establishments.
Thanks so much for involving us, and cheers to more success for you and Good Times.
—Brian Laschkewitsch
La Selva Beach
MORE SUGGESTIONS
~ As you said, there is great music nightly. Short show reviews? Maybe short snippets from audience members. Rock, Jazz, Country, Classical, etc. That was Brad’s wheelhouse before.
~ Restaurant reviews: Want to know best/worst deals on menu. Best dishes and those that need improvement. Rate prices by 1 to 4 $ signs.
~ Winery reviews. Review sit down tastings. How much? What tasted? A little back history or owners. Case deals or other specials. Dog quotient.
~ Beach and park reviews. Deep dive what each locale has to offer.
—Johnny Sorensen
Corralitos
Honor the Otter
I think we should change the name of Cabrillo College to Otter 841 College. No one would object to that.
Trivia with a local celebrity. Michael Gaither is all over the Santa Cruz area, playing his distinct style of Americana with a strong emphasis on storytelling. He plays shows as a solo performer or as a duo, trio or an entire band. You never know what you’re going to get! It’s always a treat to hear him sprinkle in covers to his set as well. He can even be heard on legendary local radio station KPIG. Their website refers to him as a “music nerd,” which is a good thing for a radio DJ. It also supports his other big gig around town: he hosts trivia nights at Cruz Kitchen & Taps every Wednesday. The topics range from pop culture to science to geography and more. The winning team can expect glorious prizes every round! The fun starts at 6:30pm Wednesday at Cruz Kitchen and Taps, 145 Laurel St. Santa Cruz. Free admission.
Lady Wray has been promoting her excellent, soulful third solo record, Piece of Me. She sounds as confident as ever. The single “Under The Sun” is a little psychedelic, full of life and grooves really hard. It also feels like Wray is fully embracing her unique self in a totally new way. She first got signed in the ’90s under the name Nicole Wray by none other than Missy Elliott. Wray’s 1998 R&B single “Make it Hot” is a banger and was certified gold. But Wray always felt like she was following someone else’s script. Lady Wray emerged in 2016 with her sophomore solo release, Queen Alone, a great record that hinted at the magnificent beauty that would appear on 2022’s Piece of Me. The show begins at 8pm Thursday at Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
Chicano Batman’s “Color of My Life” has the unbothered coolness of Gorillaz. Laid-back funky grooves that beckon people to dance but not show too much excitement. And the vocals have enough detached restraint to keep everyone in the club feeling cool as dried ice. But this is just one song of many from the ultrahip L.A. group. They toss around genres—soul, tropical, psych, prog rock—with the easy-going grace of someone dropping change in the tip jar. And they are masterful at whatever they play. If it takes them any effort to perform, you’d never know by looking at them. The music begins at 9pm Friday at the Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door.
Musical theater is cool again now that the Hulu show Schmigadoon! has given the genre a loving wink and tongue-in-cheek homage. The second season of the show pays tribute to musical theater from the ’60s and ’70s. It’s not hard to see references to Sweeney Todd, the macabre play composed by Stephen Sondheim, who is now viewed as one of the most important Broadway lyricists and composers of the past 50 years. CYT Santa Cruz, fully aware of how cool musical theater is now, is throwing a Sondheim Tribute Revue, highlighting a selection of Sondheim’s most beloved work. The song and dance begin at 7pm Saturday at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz. Tickets are $35 or $50 for Gold Circle.
Everyone loves live music, but listening to records with friends is a particularly special experience. S.C.U.M. x Free Skool Presents brings “record shares and listening lounge” to SubRosa. The best part of the experience is the conversation encouraged by listening to records in a group setting. Ben, Jacín and some other friends will bring records and maybe some other forms of media. It’s all about sharing and having honest and engaging conversations. A kind of fun that can also be enlightening as well, which is exactly the kind of experience you’d expect at SubRosa. It all begins at 6pm Tuesday at SubRosa Community Space, 703 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz. Free admission.
COMMUNITY
Strawberry Fields Forever. Watsonville may or may not be the official strawberry capital of the world, but there’s no denying that they produce a lot of delicious, juicy berries. In fact, strawberries are the largest crop in the Pajaro Valley. The Watsonville Strawberry Festival is a lot of great family fun. It goes back to 1994, in the wake of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, then known as the Watsonville Strawberry Dessert Festival. These days, the festival includes live music, carnival rides, a strawberry pie eating contest, arts and crafts, food vendors and tons of strawberry-based foods to enjoy. There’s even a Strawberry Jam Fun Run to help people work off all the fun festival food calories. The festival kicks off at 5pm Friday in Historic Downtown Watsonville, Main Street and E. Beach St. Watsonville. Also goes from 11am-8pm on Saturday and 11am-7pm on Sunday. Free admission.
Best selling author Susan Casey risks it all to learn about the world’s greatest enigma: its oceans
The preeminent chronicler of our oceans, author Susan Casey has put herself in danger a few times while researching her books. For 2005’s The Devil’s Teeth, she lived on a sailboat in the shark infested waters off the rugged Farallon Islands.
While working on 2010’s The Wave, she hitched a ride on the back of a jet ski with famed big wave surfer Laird Hamilton and rocketed down a 50-foot wave.
But it was on a sunny day at Killers, a famed surf spot 10 miles off Baja Mexico’s Ensenada, that Casey got momentarily rattled by the ocean’s power. While sitting on the deck of a boat observing surfers riding 20 to 30 foot waves, a rogue wave of what Casey says was 60 to 70 feet high rolled in.
“I described it as an eagle screaming in through a pack of chickens,” Casey says on a phone call from New York’s Hudson Valley.
The wave was so large that it broke in a unique way.
“When a wave gets that big, it did something that I’ve never seen a wave do before and that is it hung like a vertical wall for a second,” Casey says.
While that giant wave did create a moment of anxiety, Casey says being around the immense power of the ocean usually creates something else for her.
“First of all, I have a deep respect for the ocean, but I don’t find it scary,” she says. “I kind of find it awesome and terrifying at the same time, which is the definition of sublime. I really love being around things that are sublime in nature.”
A longtime competitive swimmer, Casey found her niche as a bestselling author detailing the marine world with The Devil’s Teeth. She says she learned about the desolate archipelago while watching a BBC documentary about great white sharks while being delirious with mononucleosis.
That led to an obsession with the rarely visited site. “I just could not believe there was this place,” she says. “It looked like the wildest place I had ever seen in my life and it was within the San Francisco area code 415 technically.”
Her latest exploration of the ocean’s unique pull is The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean, a book about the deep sea and the explorers who plunge into its depths. For the work, she joined deep sea explorer Victor Vescovo for a dive in a submersible down to 16,800 feet into the Pacific Ocean.
“That experience was the highlight of my life,” she says.
Casey has choice words about the tragic trajectory of the Titan sub that garnered extensive news coverage in June. “The Titan was an unsafe submersible from the get-go,” she says. “From concept to execution, it was unsafe every step along the way.”
As for her deep-sea journey, the author describes the eight-hour journey in the sub in the sort of language usually reserved for a religious or psychedelic experience. “It was spiritually immense because when you are down there you really get a sense of our place in the world,” Casey says. “I happen to really like the fact that nature is so much greater than we are. It’s one of the things that makes me the happiest.”
SCS's King Lear—Ultimate Drama
Admit it. We were there to watch a distinguished actor power his way through ultimate Shakespeare. Yet one of the most exciting things about the SCS production of King Lear, featuring Paul Whitworth as Lear, is that the veteran Royal Shakespeare Company actor has as goldmine of good company on the stage, and and under Paul...
Police seek help identifying suspect
Santa Cruz Police released security camera footage on Wednesday of a man wanted for vandalizing the Downtown Black Lives Matter street-mural last Saturday.
The suspect was revealed to be a white male riding a distinctive red motor scooter with chrome trim and a plexiglass windscreen. He wore a light blue shirt, white shorts, and white casual...
Santa Cruz Supervisor and current Board Chair Zach Friend announced Friday that he will not seek a fourth term on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Friend was first elected in 2012, and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2016 and 2020. His current term ends in January of 2025.
“Representing this County has been the nonpareil opportunity of a lifetime.” Supervisor...
Host of Please Stand By will helm last KPIG show this Sunday
Longtime KPIG 107.5 DJ “Sleepy” John Sandidge will host the final installment of his Sunday morning show, “Please Stand By,” on Aug, 6. The 83-year-old local radio mainstay is signing off commercial radio after a storied broadcasting career that has made him a legend in the Americana scene.
“I...
How the Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building continues to serve the community
It’s 10am on a Wednesday morning and the basement of the downtown Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building (SCCVMB, or as locals know it, the Vets Hall) is teeming with energy. Roughly a dozen people are moving about, wiping down tables, mopping the floor, making coffee and...
The Santa Cruz area is experiencing Detroit pizza nirvana
Suddenly Surf City’s more Motor City. A mountain bike town’s tracking more Motown. Greater Santa Cruz is transforming into Detroit West.
It’s not the most predictable of outcomes, but it’s as real as Detroit pizza is square: Three pizza joints—all (relatively) new and (arguably) the best in the area—are rocking Detroit-style pie.
For...
Editorial Note
How far do we want to support freedom of expression? As the editor who reads all the letters sent to us, I have to decide, when is hate appropriate? Do we print hateful letters to show people what’s out there, while giving the writers a chance to voice their opinions, or do we ignore them and let them...
ARTS & MUSIC
Trivia with a local celebrity. Michael Gaither is all over the Santa Cruz area, playing his distinct style of Americana with a strong emphasis on storytelling. He plays shows as a solo performer or as a duo, trio or an entire band. You never know what you’re going to get! It’s always a treat to hear him...
Best selling author Susan Casey risks it all to learn about the world’s greatest enigma: its oceans
The preeminent chronicler of our oceans, author Susan Casey has put herself in danger a few times while researching her books. For 2005’s The Devil’s Teeth, she lived on a sailboat in the shark infested waters off the rugged Farallon Islands.
While working on...
