Four people have filed their papers to run for the Fifth District Supervisor seat, which covers the county’s rural inland mountainous regions including Felton, Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond and Scotts Valley.
Two headed for the March 5 election are Christopher Bradford and Monica Martinez, both of whom say they were inspired to run after seeing the difficulties rebuilding after the CZU fires of 2020.
Monica Martinez
Monica Martinez has made public service her lifelong career.
When she came out as queer in the conservative California enclave of Bakersfield, where she was born and raised, she decided to enter the public service sphere.
“I felt what it was like to not have a voice,” she said. “From that point forward I really dedicated my life to making sure that people who have been left behind and left out have a voice.”
If elected as the Fifth District supervisor, Martinez would be the first openly LGBTQ person to hold the seat and the first woman elected to serve the district.
Martinez lives in Felton, where she is raising two young children. Since 2014 she has served as CEO of Encompass Community Services—the county’s largest nonprofit—which offers a broad range of services such as housing, counseling and substance use recovery.
“I represent diverse voices who haven’t had a seat at the table for a very long time, if at all,” she said. “Not only that, I also bring deep experience in navigating the public sector, public service, public funding.”
Martinez said being displaced during the CZU fires—and seeing her neighbors struggling with rebuilding from that and the winter storms—cemented her desire to use her skills and experience to streamline county services.
“I’ve seen the challenges of the last two years first-hand, and I want to use my expertise in navigating public systems and using public funding to ensure that public funding gets in the hands of the people who need it most,” she said.
Martinez earned a B.A. in Political Science at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a Master’s in Public Administration at University of Southern California.
She began her career working with women experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles’s Skid Row, a 54-block area known for widespread poverty and homelessness.
It was there she first saw the inner workings of the public system, and learned to treat people with respect and dignity, despite often bleak conditions.
“I’ve never been one to shy away from a hard challenge,” she said.
At Encompass, Martinez co-founded the 180/180 Initiative, which housed 180 homeless people in less than two years. She also scored a $9.4 million state grant to develop a new behavioral health campus in South County.
Martinez said she would work to address the ongoing effects of climate change, an issue tied inextricably to disaster preparedness.
“We need to do our part to prepare ourselves for those types of disasters locally and become more resilient in the face of climate change, and also invest in long-term projects to prevent the impact of climate change,” she said.
This would likely involve reimagining the county’s finances, she said.
“The county budget is a reflection of its values,” she said. “So if our county truly believes in being more environmentally friendly and reducing the impact of greenhouse gasses, then where we spend our dollars needs to reflect that.”
Martinez also said that the lack of affordable housing should be a priority, particularly workforce housing for teachers, firefighters and other essential workers so they can afford to live here.
“There is a real risk that we will lose the fabric of our community if housing prices continue to rise and wages don’t keep up with them,” she said.
Christopher Bradford
Christopher Bradford, who lives in San Lorenzo Valley with his family, said his experience losing his home in the CZU fires—and the difficulties he had in rebuilding—catalyzed his decision to run for the Fifth District seat.
“I experienced what it’s like when you need county government to be there for you, and it isn’t,” he said.
Bradford also said he was beset by hard-to-find and inaccurate information from the county, and often instead relied on neighbors and nonprofits in the wake of the fires.
“It opened my eyes to how important good representation is, and how important things like socio-economic diversity is,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that the person in the seat has the perspective of what the working person experiences in the county and understands what’s important for us going forward.”
Bradford serves as treasurer for Fire Safe Santa Cruz, a nonprofit that educates and encourages wildfire safety measures.
He currently works as Senior Technical Expert at Chegg, Inc., which provides services for students.
He is also co-owner of Dream Home Images, a real estate photography company.
Knowing his children will likely be unable to navigate the county’s expensive housing market, Bradford said he would look to ease the way for tiny homes, ADUs and workforce housing.
The alternative, he said, is people either commuting long distances to live here or moving to less expensive climes.
“That’s devastating for our community,” he said. “We’re going to keep losing successive generations who move elsewhere to start their lives because folks can’t afford to buy out here.”
Part of this, he said, comes from the “no-build” culture that has dominated development over the past three decades.
The solution, then, is to remove as many barriers as possible, beginning with a cultural shift in the planning department.
“We need to get away from the default of looking for a no,” he said. “Folks need to default to finding a yes when it comes to building.”
This includes easing rules for tiny homes, such as the requirement that they be placed on a foundation and must include sprinklers.
“We should be challenging people and saying ‘hey, our neighborhoods look best with people in them,’” he said. “And if we’re innovative we can find a middle ground that satisfies the housing needs and also respects the concerns people have about preserving character.”
Bradford would also look to improve communications infrastructure in the rural parts of the county.
“What we need is a supervisor and a government in place that is ready to act and is ready to move forward and get these things going,” he said. “We don’t have time to just talk about these things any more.”
Revelers climbed down from the vintage cars and coaches, saying goodnight to each other and to Rabbi Menachem Geisinsky who carried a large tin of potato latkes, a traditional treat.
Rabbi Geisinsky summed up the spirit and intention of the night.
“It’s a beautiful celebration of the community, we get together and have a great time,” he said. “It’s a good way to add light and warmth and kindness to the world.”
Every year since, for one night of the season, the Menorah lighting, prayers, singing take place at the Boardwalk. The lighted words “Happy Chanukah” and pictures of dreidels decorate the sides of the train that rolls past the Victorian houses of Santa Cruz’s Historic Downtown.
Sam Rudolph was there with his family, who had just come from seeing daughter Dorothy’s performance as Little Red Hen in Aptos’ Orchard School play.
“This was our first year, we loved it. And free potato pancakes, I’m not saying no to that!,” he said. “We can’t wait to come back next year.”
Chabad’s Rabbi Yochanan Friedman explained why he found the event important to attend.
“Jewish people have a lot of holidays,” he said. “But Hanukkah is the time we’re encouraged to share the light, to spread the miracle. The miracle is that there’s a part of our souls, a spark inside of us that won’t go away. Everybody should celebrate that. This is a holiday that’s really for everyone.”
ARIESMarch 21-April 19 Aries educator Booker T. Washington advised us, “Do the common thing in an uncommon way.” That’s a useful motto for you in the coming months. If you carry out ordinary activities with flair, you will generate good fortune and attract excellent help. As you attend to details with conscientious enthusiasm, you will access your finest inner resources and exert constructive influences on the world around you. Be thorough and unique, persistent and imaginative, attentive and innovative. Adore your chores in 2024!
TAURUSApril 20-May 20 Taurus philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) was among the smartest people who ever lived. As is often the case with geniuses, he believed in the supreme value of liberty for all. He was a feminist long before that word existed. Like another genius, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, he thought that “individuality realized is the supreme attainment of the human soul, the master-master’s work of art. Individuality is sacred.” I nominate Mill to be a role model for you in 2024, Taurus. This could be a time when you reach unprecedented new heights and depths of unique self-expression and liberation. PS: Here’s a quote from Mill: “Eccentricity has always abounded where strength of character has abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and moral courage which it contained.”
GEMINIMay 21-June 20 Emotionally and spiritually, you will ripen at a robust rate in 2024. Your intelligence will mature into wisdom in surprising and gratifying ways. Harvesting rich lessons from long-smoldering confusions and long-simmering mysteries will be your specialty. PS: Some of you Geminis joke around and say you never want to grow up. But I hope you minimize that attitude in the coming months.
CANCERJune 21-July 22 Indigenous people study the intelligence of animals and incorporate it into their own lives. If you’re game to do that in 2024, I suggest you choose elephants as a source of teaching and inspiration. Have fun studying and meditating on their ways! Here are a few facts to get you started. Problem-solving is one of their stengths. They are experts at learning how to get what they need and passing that knowledge on to their offspring. They seldom suffer from sickness, but if they do, they often self-medicate with plants in their environment. Elder females are the knowledge keepers, retaining inner maps of where food, drink, and other resources are located.
LEOJuly 23-Aug. 22 Writer Janet Champ speaks about the joy of locating “the big wow, the big yesyesyes.” It happens when you find something or someone you regard as “better, greater, cuter, wiser, more wonderful than anything you have ever known.” I’ll be lavish and predict you will encounter a big wow and yesyesyes like this in 2024. Will you know what to do with it? Will you be able to keep it? Those possibilities are less certain, but I have high hopes for you. For best results, cultivate a vivid vision of how the big wow and big yesyesyes will benefit others as well as you.
VIRGOAug. 23-Sept. 22 In 1916, most women in the world could not vote. Many men considered women to be inferior—lacking in courage and initiative. It was the Dark Ages! That summer, two sisters named Augusta and Adeline Van Buren rebelled against the stereotypes by riding their motorcycles across America. Roads were poor, rains were frequent, and police arrested them frequently for wearing men’s clothes. Male-dominated media derided them, with one newspaper criticizing their escape from “their proper roles as housewives.” I nominate them to be your role models in 2024, no matter what gender you are. It will be a favorable time to transcend conventional wisdom, override decaying traditions, and be a cheerful rebel.
LIBRASept. 23-Oct. 22 For hundreds of years, European nations stole land and resources from Indigenous people all over the world. Among the thefts were art, ritual objects, cultural treasures, and human skeletons. Museums in the West are still full of such plunder. But in recent years, some museums have begun to return the loot. Germany sent back hundreds of artifacts to Nigerian museums. France restored many objects to the African country of Benin. Let’s apply this scenario as a useful metaphor for you in 2024, Libra. Is there a part of your past that was hijacked? Your memories appropriated or denied? Your rightful belongings poached, or your authentic feelings infringed upon? It’s time for corrections and healing.
SCORPIOOct. 23-Nov. 21 I suggest we choose the brilliant Scorpio physicist and chemist Marie Curie (1867–1934) as your role model in 2024. She is the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different fields. She managed to pursue a rigorous scientific career while raising two children and having a fulfilling marriage. Being of service to humanity was a central life goal. She grew up in poverty and sometimes suffered from depression, but worked hard to become the genius she aspired to be. May the spirit of Marie Curie inspire you, dear Scorpio, as you make dramatic progress in expressing your unique soul’s code.
SAGITTARIUSNov. 22-Dec. 21 In my fairy tale about your year ahead, I see you searching for treasure. It’s not a wild and wandering exploration, but a diligent, disciplined quest. You are well-organized about it, carefully gathering research and asking incisive questions. You ruminate on the possibilities with both your logical and intuitive faculties. You meditate on how you might make adjustments in yourself so as to become fully available for the riches you seek. Your gradual, incremental approach gives you strength. You draw inspiration from your sheer persistence and relentless inquiry. And it all pays off by the second half of 2024.
CAPRICORNDec. 22-Jan. 19 “All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening,” quipped Capricorn author Alexander Woollcott (1887–1943). Since he was never arrested, I conclude he didn’t get to enjoy some of the activities he relished. Was he immoral? Not exactly, though he could be caustic. Offering his opinion about a famous pianist, he said, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with Oscar Levant that a miracle couldn’t fix.” The good news for you, Capricorn, is that 2024 will be mostly free of the problems Woollcott experienced. You will be offered an abundance of perfectly legal and moral enjoyments. They may sometimes be fattening, but so what?
AQUARIUSJan. 20-Feb. 18 Author Augusten Burroughs is a devoted urban dweller. He says, “When I get a craving for nature, I turn on TV’s Discovery Channel and watch bear-attack survivors recount their horror.” Martial arts master Morihei Ueshiba had a different perspective. “Mountains, rivers, plants, and trees should be your teachers,” he advised. “Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks.” I recommend Ueshiba’s approach to you in 2024, Aquarius—not Burroughs’. Here are my predictions: 1. You will have no dangerous encounters with nature. 2. You will learn more than ever from the wild world. 3. To the degree that you wander in the outdoors, your spiritual life will thrive.
PISCESFeb. 19-March 20 A study done at Union College in New York found that being fraternity members raised students’ future income by 36 percent, but lowered their grade point average by 0.25 points. Would you make a similar trade-off, Pisces? Would you pursue a path that made you more successful in one way but less successful in another? I suspect you will encounter unusual decisions like this in 2024. My job is not to advise you what to do, but to make you alert for the provocative riddles.
Homework: What activity do you enjoy but rarely engage in? Resolve to do it more in 2024. Newsletter: FreeWillAstrology.com
The 42nd Street Golden Age of musicals infuses this ambitious world premiere, Who’s Got Me? by Jeffrey Scharf, about a family cabaret troupe from Peoria who want to take Broadway by storm.
There’s even a break-a-leg moment, backstage rivalry, and battling leading players who eventually become….well, you can guess.
And through it all—over a dozen crisp, clever song and dance numbers—you’ll find yourself falling in love with this rousing, feel-good production.
Yes, it’s got every time-honored cliché and showbiz complication known to Broadway thrown into its can-do spirit, smartly powered by ensemble tap dancing that would make Ruby Keeler (Google her if you’re under 45) smile.
Tap dancing! The audience was treated to an overture at the start that ran through a brisk medley of what were about to enjoy, terrifically performed by the trio led by music director Luke Shepherd on piano, Matt Bohn on bass and Zack Olsen drums.
The show’s creator, Santa Cruzan Jeffrey Scharf leaves no cabaret stereotype unturned in his almost predictable show within a show plotline. Soft-hearted producers, dueling divas, heart-broken understudies, all of these get their own turn in the spotlight, along with the age-old conflict between the slow pace of small-town life and the breakneck speed of the Big City.
Peoria vs. Broadway. Can they coexist? You’ll see.
The actual star of this polished production is multi-talented Scharf himself who provides the show with an endless parade of catchy tunes with catchy lyrics to match. Think A Chorus Line. With only a few moments of soft focus, this alternating fiction/reality plot keeps us engaged and entranced throughout the 1 hour 45 minutes show.
Every performer is excellent.The impressive Cody Cooley as leading man Joe Alexander, creator of the Alexander family’s musical comedy, is up to his energetic central role from start to finish. As his loyal siblings, Jimmy and John Alexander, Zach Padlo and Ryan Sammonds are spot on.
I was won over by the polish of singer/dancer/actor Adria Swan who plays the fourth member of the Peoria cabaret troupe. As casting agent Lindsey Walden, Sarah Hadassah Negrón is brilliant. Choreographer Elle May Patterson inspired her players to Broadway-quality heights and Scenic Designer Skip Epperson outdid himself with the production’s versatile set.
A picky critic might wish for a more emotional shift at the story’s 11th hour to lead into the ensemble toe-tapper at the end. I also wondered what happened to the concept of spotlights, especially during the flatly lit first Act. But there is a rousing “hell, yes!” moment, when our frustrated hero Joe realizes that he might just have a professional second chance, and he’s not going to miss it.
Does Who’s Got Me? have the white-knuckle political backdrop of Cabaret or The Sound of Music? No. Or a soul-baring solo, such as Phantom’s The Music of the Night? Not really. But it does showcase with remarkable vivacity how a writer/composer with enough talent and tenacity can whip up something as impressive as Who’s Got Me? And director/producer Julie James was smart enough to recognize Scharf’s creativity and program this show for the holiday season.
Only an anti-musical Scrooge would fail to get caught up in the infectious spirit of this charmer. Absolutely this show is for everyone of every age—bring your family! Only a few days left to enjoy the sight of a dozen professionals singing, cavorting, scheming, and tap dancing like it’s 1938. So let’s go on with the show! Rowland Rebele would have loved it.
Who’s Got Me? Book, lyrics and music by Jeffrey Scharf. Directed by Julie James. Performed by Jewel Theatre Company.
If you go: When: Runs through Dec. 23 Where: COLLIGAN THEATER at the Tannery Arts Center 1010 River Street, Santa Cruz Tickets.
The tip from a colleague had me hopeful at first whiff: There’s a liquor store in Boulder Creek, he messaged, and it’s quietly doing loudly good Korean food.
A visit told me that we have a funky foodie revelation on our hands and our plates.
Actually, make that two visits.
My first foray came on a Sunday, and the deli in the back converts into a Korean fever dream Fridays and Saturdays only, 11am-8pm.
Seven days a week, Redwood Keg proves to be the kind of old-school liquor store that any self-respecting mountain hamlet deserves.
Note the deep roster of reasonably priced spirits, local wines, craft beer and household basics, and the approachable vibe of owners Eunhee Lee and Doug Woolard, who bought the place in spring 2022.
Plus the daily deli action looks legit on its own. The “famous” Belly Buster tri-tip sandwich leads a lineup of build-your-own options centered around things like brisket, pastrami, tuna salad, five breads and eight cheeses. The “Tri Tippen” jar next to the happy face bell, next to the selection of full-sized packaged dill pickles, are nice touches.
While Woolard tends the smoker and Santa Maria grill, Lee whips up the South Asian action, with all the Korean pickles, marinades and fermentations done by hand. Those find expression via dishes like the kimchi, four different bibimbap bowls, chicken teriyaki rice dishes and Korean beef potstickers. (Everything falls between $5 and $13.50.)
She reports the classic beef bulgogi is the most popular, but she prefers the pork bulgogi. So the latter was an easy call, plus a big steamed bun and bibimbap bowl.
Both bowls impressed, the pork for its lean heat and tasty teriyaki tone, the bibimbap bowl for the abundance of vegetables and accompanying sauce. They both come on a big foundation of rice, but it’s a good value, sturdy enough for more than a meal.
It all awaits at 12980 Highway 9, right as you enter downtown B Creek from the south. Mas-issge deuseyo.
TASTE SENSATION
Bad idea alert: PepsiCo is teaming with Empirical to release a Doritos-flavored spirit for $65 a bottle. Good idea counterpoint, on time for gift-giving season: Scotts Valley’s UBlendIt has a bunch of breakthrough celebrity spirits coming that attach themselves to smarter (and less cheesy) flavors than nacho chips. UBlendIt’s Judge’s Water—from Cheech and Chong—just started shipping this week. Behind that come yet-to-publish deals with (watching out for what I’m allowed to disclose): 1) a name-check MMA fighter; 2) an international family of good-looking and well-kept reality stars; and 3) one of the more famous actors of the last 50 years (and his now reality-famous fam too). ublendit.com/
SPEED HARVEST
Commercial crab season was delayed (again) late last month, but it will be reconsidered Dec. 21…Birthday girls and boys get free dessert at Persephone Restaurant in Aptos…A senior discount drops prices 10% at Seascape Foods and Aptos Foods on Mondays…Thursday nights at The Grove translate to popups like Dec. 21’s collaboration with Emily Beggs of Kin & Kitchen winter- and mountain-appropriate forage-style stuff like chanterelle ravioli and mugwort soup….
Burger Week cometh Feb 21! Please send any ideas around your faves to @MontereyMCA on Instagram…Over and out.
After being raised in San Lorenzo Valley, Justin Acton got a business degree from Chico State before working at a pizzeria chain. Boulder Creek Pizza & Pub was born when the previous owners offered Acton ownership. It’s a gathering spot with sports-laden TVs, large tables, comfy booths and historic local photos. The pizzas are California-style with fresh handmade dough, large and abundantly topped.
Their best-seller is the Creek Combo, with salami, pepperoni, sausage, linguica, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and olives. They also have the Mediterranean, Kung Pao Chicken and hangover-busting Buffalo Blue Cheese pizzas.
There are salads made from freshly delivered and hand-chopped produce, pastas, crispy chicken wings, hot sandwiches and bread twists. Their house made ranch dressing is wildly popular, and for dessert, there are cinnamon twists with lemon vanilla cream cheese icing.
Hours are 11am-9pm every day.
Give me the deets on your dough?
JUSTIN ACTON: It is made using our own proprietary housemade method that involves a multi-day process. We layer it with fresh handmade doughs, combining regular and sourdough in order to create the perfect texture that’s not too fluffy and not too chewy. This also gives our dough a complex flavor without overwhelming our toppings. Without a doubt, this is a really challenging aspect of our business because it requires highly trained, prideful and passionate dough artists that really know what they are doing.
What are you most proud of about your business?
JA: That over the past twelve years, Boulder Creek Pizza & Pub has really supported and become part of the local community through good times and bad. We’ve been a part of celebrations like weddings, graduations, birthdays and sports team functions. On the other hand, we have also dealt with a lot of adverse situations like the pandemic, wildfires, debris slides and windstorms. Going through so many ups and downs has really solidified our place in the community and it’s an honor to be a part of it. 13200-B Central Avenue, Boulder Creek, 831-338-2141; bcpizzapub.com
One of the things I most miss living by the ocean and city lights in Santa Cruz is a dark and holy star scape. I first saw what was really out there when I went to summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains and had an expansive 180 degree view of the night sky, with stars magically starting from the ground.
I was entranced nightly by the view I didn’t even know existed as a child of the suburbs. When I headed West I saw skies like that in Missouri, Montana and Colorado and finally in a cabin near the Mystery Spot which had a skylight. I went to bed nightly watching shooting stars and satellites pass over my bed.
But then I moved closer to the beach and the magic was erased by night fog and city lights.
So when Richard Stockton proposed an article on bringing back the night sky, I was all in. I worry that future kids will never know the magic I used to see and was happy to read about others with my obsession.
We so often overlook natural beauty in favor of progress, paving paradise and putting up a parking lot, as Joni Mitchell wrote. Can we do something about it now? The people Richard talks to have some answers.
Where do you go to see a great night sky? Is it something you think about? I plan trips to places where I can still see the sky, but they are becoming fewer as the mallization of America continues its march.
I’m so obsessed I bought one of those fake planetarium things that beams stars on my bedroom walls and ceilings. It’s not really a solution, but it reminds me of what I’m missing and hope to preserve for future generations.
In other news this issue: the Coastal Commission came down hard on the Rio del Mar homeowners who shut down access to a beach pathway. That’s been a long fight with a surprise twist. You also should check out the review of a surprising place to find Korean food in Boulder Creek, a town that still has starlight.
Thanks for reading,
Brad Kava
Photo Contest
SWIRLING DERVISH I caught this wonderful sight at the Lighthouse in August. PHOTO: Ross Levoy
Good Idea
Fourth grade students in Santa Cruz County will soon receive a free pass to visit national parks with their families as part of a new partnership to improve accessibility for students on the Central Coast.
Distribution of 3,000 passes is expected to take place from now through the end of January. The passes are valid to access national parks, lands, and waters, through August 31, 2024.
“Few experiences are as powerful and transformative as visiting our nation’s National Parks and Monuments,” said Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Faris Sabbah.
Research shows that without free access, 73% would never have visited a national park and students are more likely to visit parks for life if they experience them young. Families can find out more, and apply for a printable pass online, at everykidoutdoors.gov.
Good Works
Dominican Hospital has provided a $750,000 grant to support the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency (HSA) Youth Crisis Diversion Project. These funds will support HSA to establish a temporary diversion of youth experiencing a behavioral health crisis to a preferred Emergency Department with trained behavioral health staff. It is anticipated that 150 youth under the age of 18 and their families will be served as part of the grant, regardless of ability to pay.
“Currently, Santa Cruz County has limited options for crisis support services for our youth. We recognize that our community is in need of these services and we are proud to step up and make this contribution,” said Dominican Hospital President Nanette Mickiewicz, MD.
The County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency is working on a long-term solution to establish a permanent youth clinic and residential facility, expected to open in 2025.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground. —Theodore Roosevelt
Some people are expressing concern about mobile home park residents whose homes may be affected by the construction of the rail trail (segment 10). I too have compassion for the problems these residents face. In fact, approximately 11 living structures may be impacted because they sit partially on publicly owned land.
However, criticism has been misdirected at the Regional Transportation Commission, owner of the rail and trail corridor… land which our tax money bought for public use. The appropriate target for expression of anger is the private companies who own the mobile home parks and have allowed encroachment on public land. They have been collecting rent illegally for decades on land they do not own! These park owners should absorb all the costs associated with adjusting the position of the homes or relocating the residents. They should also have to repay the taxpayers for their fraud.
Dianne Dryer | Live Oak
ADU Parking Problems
As much as I agree with you that vehicle shelter is a path to low cost affordable housing for all right now, I wish you spent some time discussing the barriers to this lifestyle that the city of Santa Cruz has artificially crafted, namely the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.
Right now the OVO, which started enforcement 12/4/23, criminalizes public parking of detached trailers like Airstreams 24/7 365 days a year, with no permitting available. If you attach your airstream to your car, now it’s an oversized vehicle, criminalized for overnight parking. At best a homeowner can get a residential permit for 12 days/mo. But the point of this way of living is that you are NOT a homeowner and can’t afford property.
As for parking an airstream in a trailer park? Most trailer parks are full, have incredibly restrictive gentrification rules (can’t be too old, can’t be too ugly, etc) and have exorbitant monthly land rental costs similar to renting a room in a house.
The delicate, snowy wonder of Christmastime fills the stage in Agape Dance Academy’s annual production of The Nutcracker. The beloved ballet follows Clara into her dreams, where the Nutcracker, Sugar Plum Fairy, Rat King and many more whimsical characters dance through a snowy world. Agape dance instructor (and former Sugar Plum Fairy) Lana La Framboise says, “Agape Dance Academy’s Nutcracker is a beautiful display of artistry and excellence and a joyous tradition for the whole family.” ADDIE MAHMASSANI
Mesmerizing Meagerie Winter Hafla PHOTO: David Shamshoian
ANNUAL WINTER SOLSTICE HAFLA
Estrella Collective presents its annual Winter Solstice Hafla, a formal event with one-of-a-kind vendors, thrilling dance performances and a booty bouncin’ DJ who promises to get the party started. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted in one place to celebrate the Winter Solstice: belly dance, breakdance, samba and bachata. There will also be a best-dressed contest, jewelry for sale, a henna painter, a Tarot card reader and a steampunk ambiance. There might be a Ouija board, too. DAN EMERSON
Since the dark days of the lockdown, the parking lot at 1111 Soquel Avenue has become a thriving hub for the Midtown area (yes, we said it: Midtown). The good people at Tasty Mob maker community hold weekly night markets every Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 9pm. Join artisan chefs and local makers as they celebrate the holiday season with a special “World Peace Night” theme. This week’s local food truck lineup is Mattia Pizza, Tacos El Jesse, Epic Eats and more. Vendors range from Sarah Joh Pottery, Milo Halperin Art, Soy Tank Candle Company and everything in between. Perfect for those last-minute shoppers. MAT WEIR
INFO: 5pm, 1111 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.
SATURDAY
JAZZ
HAGEMANN JAZZ TRIO
Nobody in the Hagemann Jazz Trio bears the name Hagemann. So, what’s the origin story behind the band’s name? Tenor saxophonist John Bouwsma formed the trio in 2021 when he moved back to his native Santa Cruz after ten years in New Orleans. Bouwsma grew up on Hagemann Avenue, where the new band practiced. Drummer Shawn Medeiros also happened to live on Hagemann. So, the trio, which also includes double bassist Jamie Brudnick, didn’t have to struggle to come up with a name for the group, which reworks jazz classics and songs from the American Songbook. DAN EMERSON
INFO: 3pm, Discretion Brewing, 2703 41st Ave., Suite A, Soquel. Free. 831-316-0662
THEATER
WHO’S GOT ME
Drama is full of grand traditions, and none is more wonderful than the play-within-a-play scenario. Shakespeare pulled it off in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and three hundred years later, Shakespeare in Love did it, too. It’s a trope that allows for the best in dramatic irony, zany hilarity and utter confusion. Add Who’s Got Me to the list of meta dramas about folks putting on a play where there’s singing, there’s dancing, there’s a Broadway producer . . . speaking of which, The Producers is another excellent example of a play-within-a-play, eh? The play (and the play-within-the-play) wraps on Saturday. Parting is such sweet sorrow. JESSICA IRISH
INFO: 7:30pm, Colligan Theater, 1010 River St, Santa Cruz. $53. 425-7506.
ROCK
HOLY WATER
As the new year approaches, it’s best to leave behind the old with a bang. And what better way than with one of the wildest lineups downtown Santa Cruz has seen in a while? Anyone with eclectic musical tastes can see local country-folk favorites Diggin Trails with alt-rock newcomers Hot Lung for a mere ten dollars. Then, out of left field, the bass will drop with the sounds of Holy Water, a self-proclaimed “grime wave” act that mixes trance, house, bass and synth-trap—the perfect soundtrack to an all-night, Saturday-before-Christmas party. MW
INFO: 9pm, Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $10 door. 423-7117.
MONDAY
BUFFET
CHRISTMAS DAY BUFFET AT CHAMINADE RESORT
Some years are just overwhelming. There’s no judgment or shame in that sentence. So, when the holidays creep up, it’s hard to get into the season, let alone prepare a holiday meal for the family. Why not bypass the stress and let the luxurious Chaminade Resort and Spa take care of Christmas? From 10am to 7pm on Christmas Day, the hotel in the hills will host a Christmas buffet—and not only for guests with rooms. For $85 per person ($35 for children 3 to 12), there will be no dishes to clean and no need to come up with an excuse to kick everyone out of the house. MW
In some places, knowing what to do with the week between Christmas and New Year’s can be hard, but not in this town. The Holiday Lights New Year’s Train starts its party on December 26, taking passengers on a festive ride to ring in 2024. The folks of Roaring Camp break out all the bells and whistles for this one, decorating the historic vehicles with thousands of lights and stuffing them with bedazzled hula hoopers and a live DJ. The New Year’s train leaves from the Boardwalk and goes on a loop to the forest’s edge at Highway 9 and back. AM
INFO: 5pm & 6:30pm, Departs from Neptune’s Kingdom, 400 Beach St, Santa Cruz. $32.95/child, $44.95/adult. 335-4484.
WEDNESDAY
INDIE
Pearl and the Oysters PHOTO: Sandy Honig
PEARL & THE OYSTERS
The musical duo comprising Pearl & the Oysters might have formed in Paris, but their song “Pacific Ave” tells a very Santa-Cruzian tale. Why can’t I see the ocean when the sign says Oceanview? they muse (and come to think of it, yeah, what’s up with that?). Their album Coast 2 Coast chronicles their journey traveling across the USA in upbeat songs that invoke the melodies of Architecture in Helsinki and Of Montreal: twinkling and heartfelt, embodying the sensations of crossing the country with nothing but a white noise machine, catchy lyrics, and a dream. JI
When was the last time you saw the Milky Way? The last time I saw the constellation Orion, he looked like someone had stolen his sword.
The most famous Dylan Thomas poem ends with the exhortation to “rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Desmond Tutu said, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” From Prometheus defying the gods to give us the power to light up the night, to the light in your lover’s eyes, from shedding light on a problem, to having a light bulb appear over our heads when we find a solution, we have metaphorically baked into our language the idea that light is good, darkness is bad.
Darkness is the bad guy. I’ll leave a light on for you.
But there is a growing Dark Sky movement that contends excessive light is dangerous to our ecosystem and to our own safety and health. That a group of passionate eco-nerds should coalesce here on Planet Cruz is hardly a surprise, but these scientists, environmentalists and night sky photographers are making headway with the daunting task of waking the rest of us up to our need for darkness.
Now the Dark Sky Association Santa Cruz Chapter has been tasked with coming up with light pollution guidelines for the Santa Cruz City Council to create an ordinance that will help give us our sky back and protect creatures, from zooplankton to zoo-people.
I asked Good Times Weekly editor Brad Kava why he was interested in a story about the Dark Sky movement. Brad said, “I grew up in New York. It was not until I attended a summer camp up in the Adirondack Mountains that I got to see the Milky Way. It changed my life. I was stunned that there is a universe beyond the streetlights of New York. I had never seen stars before.”
Science.org says, “Due to light pollution, the Milky Way is not visible to more than one-third of humanity, including nearly 80% of North Americans.”
I’m inclined to hear these Dark Sky people out. I feel the rhythm of day and night, sometimes daylight is so loud I need the quiet of night, but I had not even heard of these Dark Sky people one month ago.
Last week I went to the Dark Sky Santa Cruz monthly meeting on West Cliff Drive where you could actually see stars and hear waves crash on the rocks. I’m thinking when West Cliff-Dwellers invite riff-raff like me into their houses, you know there must be something afoot.
They are gentle people, the vibe around the big tables reminds me of an anti-war Quaker meeting I went to 50 years ago. Dark Sky Santa Cruz has environmental activists, lighthouse managers, astronomers, writers, scientists, philosophers; they are the nicest bunch of super-nerds I’ve ever met.
They talk to each other like scientists, they make sure every word is precisely understood. They are deep into the science and engineering of it, but before we go into the swamp to find out how our circadian rhythm evolved, here is what these Dark Sky folks want.
Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting:
Useful. Use light only if it is needed. All light should have a clear purpose. Consider how the use of light will impact the area, including wildlife and their habitats.
Targeted. Direct light so it falls only where it is needed. Use shielding and careful aiming to target the direction of the light beams so that it points downward and does not spill beyond where it is needed.
Low level. Light should be no brighter than necessary. Use the lowest light level required. Be mindful of surface conditions, as some surfaces may reflect more light into the night sky than intended.
Controlled. Use light only when it is needed. Use controls such as timers or motion detectors to ensure that light is available when it is needed, dimmed when possible, and turned off when not needed.
Warm-colored. Use warmer color lights where possible. Limit the amount of shorter wavelength (blue-violet) light to the least amount needed.
But what about crime?
Santa Cruz Dark Sky activist Jeff Parry said, “Hey Richard, we are not the Dark Ground movement. We understand we need light to safely get around at night. We are advocates of intelligent lighting, lighting that illuminates what is necessary, and no more. This can be accomplished through correct shielding, lowering total lumens, and using warmer-spectrum lighting. Our goal is to help establish a new Lighting Ordinance for Santa Cruz City and Santa Cruz County.”
I’m standing in the backyard of my pal’s house in Santa Cruz. Three hundred yards behind his house there is a brilliant light towering over a shopping center that lights up the night with a halogen light, covering hundreds of houses, backyards, and streaming into bedroom windows like alien tractor beams. If I sit on his couch, the bulb shines in my face like a spotlight.
I agree with my new Dark Sky buddies, this is light trespass. It is a term to describe a form of light pollution where illumination, from a neighbor or a business or street lighting, spills onto one’s property in a way that creates a disturbance.
Just like the notion that someone’s right to swing their arms stops at your nose, their right to illuminate their property should stop at your property line.
Dark Sky Jeff Parry tells me, “All it would take to give our backyards back their darkness would be to put shields around the towering light so all its light would be directed at the shopping center parking lots and buildings. It would keep that shopping center just as safe.”
Well-lit areas can make it harder for criminals to conceal their activities, and potentially deters some types of crime like burglary or vandalism. But in some cases, increased light can aid criminals by improving their visibility. Chicago lit up their most dangerous alleyways, homicides there went up. They could see their target easier.
A 2015 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that streetlights don’t prevent accidents or crime but do cost a lot of money. The researchers looked at data on road traffic collisions and crime in 62 local authorities in England and Wales and found that lighting had no effect, whether authorities had turned them off completely, dimmed them, turned them off at certain hours, or substituted low-power LED lamps.
For me, when lights are glaring bright, the glare destroys my perception of contrast, and I can’t see. I’m nearsighted and wear thick glasses, and whether I’m driving or walking, glare turns me into Mr. Magoo.
Andy Kreyche of Dark Sky Santa Cruz says, “Light seems to be the solution to anything; you got homeless people hanging around? OK, put up a light. Need safety, security? Put up a light. It’s a knee-jerk reaction, that more light is safer. Well, that’s not always the case.
If you have a bright light that causes glare and you blind people, it can make them unaware of their surroundings beyond that light. It’s the whole issue of light trespass. That’s part of the proposed ordinance, “If you have a light, keep it on your property.”
GORILLA HELP In response to NOAA’s request, Santa Cruz Public Works put Gorilla tape on the inside of the globes facing the San Lorenzo River. PHOTO: Andy Kreyche
A Dark Sky Santa Cruz Win
In early 2021 a Dark Sky Santa Cruz member and customer of the US Bank on Morrissey Boulevard notified the branch manager that lighting along one side of the building could be improved. Three wall pack fixtures meant to illuminate the parking lot were so bright that their light trespassed far beyond bank property. The resulting glare was blinding to bank patrons approaching the ATM at night and distracting to drivers and shoppers of the adjacent grocery store.
The matter was referred to the property manager and replacement fixtures were selected from ones certified by IDA (International Dark Sky Association) as dark sky friendly. The photos show the reduction in glare due by use of replacement fixtures that point down and have front side glare shield. The amber color of the new fixtures minimizes the amount of blue light.
Our DNA Clocks
The first stanza of the Bible concludes, “And God said, let there be light: and there was light.” It turns out that this is just half the story, the only pictures I’ve seen of the guys who wrote that book, they were drinking and thought the world was flat.
Chinese cosmology might get us closer to the truth with the concept of Yin-Yang; describing opposite but interconnected, mutually perpetuating forces.
Vice-President of Dark Sky Santa Cruz scientist Andy Kreyche says, “The Yin-Yang dynamic of light and dark is fundamental to the creation of life, to the point that detection of light-dark-light-dark is genetically coded into every form of life from the beginning formation of blue-green algae to diurnal animals like us. Every species on this planet evolved because of these natural cycles. Interrupt them at your peril.”
Lisa Heschong is a Fellow of the Illuminating Engineering Society. Heschong’s 2022 Keynote Address for the International Dark Sky Association convention was “How Has Life On Earth Adapted to Patterns of Light?” She points out that life evolved by our planet’s given circumstances, the earth spins every 24 hours, revolves around the sun once every year with a little tilt that creates the seasons. The moon travels around the earth every 29 and 1/2 days or so, also with a slight tilt, that creates the monthly lunar rhythms, the tides and moons.
When Algae Got Smart
Lisa likens the sun’s circadian signal (recurring naturally on a 24-hour cycle) to a two-stroke engine, dark-bright-dark-bright, “It was like a big push on a swing, to keep the movement going. But now there is barely a push at all.”
Heschong explains our light-dark clocks started evolving with algae. “Algae evolved one of the earliest forms of photosynthesis, the magical process that uses the energy of sunlight to make sugar, simply out of water and carbon dioxide. At night it reverses this, gaining energy from its sugar and exhaling oxygen.
To keep track of daytime versus nighttime, the algae evolved a gene clock protein that could keep precise time inside of its cytoplasm. These tiny organisms have a visual sensor modifying their behavior by the light-dark cycle, which is really the beginning of vision. It’s in our genes.”
Research scientist Christopher Kyba says, “For nocturnal animals, the introduction of artificial light represents the most drastic change human beings have made to their environment. Predators use light to hunt, and prey species use darkness as cover. We are only beginning to learn what a drastic effect this has had on nocturnal ecology. Glare from artificial lights can impact wetland habitats, such as frogs and toads, whose nighttime croaking is part of the breeding ritual. Artificial lights disrupt this nocturnal activity, interfering with reproduction and reducing populations.”
LIGHTED BRIDGE The bridge over the San Lorenzo with street lights flooding the river,
before Public Works used the Gorilla tape. PHOTO: Andy Kreyche
A Dawning of Awareness
In 2022 Dark Sky Santa Cruz tried to get Public Works to cut unnecessary light hitting the San Lorenzo River from the bridges. Because of Dark Sky Santa Cruz advocacy, Santa Cruz City Public Works installed light-blocking tape on the sides of the hundred plus bridge lights that face the river. This significantly reduced the extra light intruding into the river, at the same time not diminishing public safety. Andy Kreyche explained what Dark Sky Santa Cruz did.
“In the San Lorenzo, you’ve got two endangered species that are hardly there anymore, Coho Salmon and Steelhead Trout. Salmonids are attracted to light at night. If you have these lights going into the river, like the acorn street lights did, the juvenile fish fall prey to predators and we don’t have fish in the river.
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), which is responsible for the endangered species in the river, sent an email to Public Works that said, ‘You gotta do something about this light on the river.’ Their solution was to take Gorilla tape and put it on the inside of those lights. Walking downtown at night, you can see that the lights are shielded internally on the river side.”
In response to NOAA’s request, Santa Cruz Public Works put Gorilla tape on the inside of the globes facing the San Lorenzo River.
The Milky Way Needs A Dark Sky
The Santa Cruz Chapter of the Dark Sky Association celebrates the successful dimming of unnecessarily bright and glaring external lighting from a factory on the far west side of Santa Cruz. At first, the owner of the factory ignored their pleas, but Andy Kreyche tells me, “He had put the lights up without a permit and a former member of Dark Sky Santa Cruz sent a letter to Santa Cruz City Code Compliance, and the lights were turned off and removed.”
Factory lights in west Santa Cruz before Santa Cruz City Code Enforcement got involved.
Andy says, “Too bright light wastes energy and pollutes the environment. These lights, installed in violation of city code, could be seen well over a mile away from Wilder Ranch State Park.”
So, who needs to see all of Orion’s constellation? He is the Greek legend of a great hunter, who threatened to kill every beast on earth, but a scorpion killed him, and Zeus put him and the scorpion in the sky as constellations. Are we on the same path?
If we could see Orion and Scorpio in the night sky, it might remind us that we follow that path, as Andy Kreyche says, “…at our own peril.” Dark Sky Santa Cruz, working in tandem with the International Dark Sky Association, now wrestles with its pending recommendations to the Santa Cruz City Council.
I admit that rethinking our use of artificial light has taken me awhile, but every time I have trouble driving because of glare, or sleep is interrupted because of prison-break light intensity blasting into my house, or I think about all the nocturnal critters trying to hide, or I miss seeing all of Orion, valuing darkness makes more sense to me.
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