Laura Hecox spent 50 years as Point Santa Cruz’s lighthouse keeper but did much more than ensure ships found their way through the nighttime fog; she amassed and appreciated the natural world around her. Hecox donated 2,000 items from her vast collection of artifacts and specimens—from ancient nautical fossils to original scientific sketches—to the then-new Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History in 1905.
For Lynn Guenther’s Light of the Bay, a 2022 work of historical fiction based on Hecox’s life, she studied the naturalist’s artifacts to learn more about her untraditional life. Many of those relics, illustrations and scrapbooks are now on display at the Santa Cruz Library’s downtown branch.
“Once I put the book out, I got a lot of feedback from people who said they’d actually never heard of Laura Hecox,” Guenther says. “Which I found surprising. She’s such an interesting role model for so many reasons. Not just as the lighthouse keeper but also being a self-educated scientist. She did amazing research. She dedicated so much of her life to it.”
To create the exhibit, Guenther reached out to museum staff, who she’d worked with closely during her research for the book, including collections manager Kathleen Aston.
“Lynn is passionate about sharing her book, but I think she finds the Laura Hecox story very moving,” Aston says. “We all thought it was a good time to propose the display to the library.”
Guenther appreciates the support from the museum and the library on her book and the exhibit.
“I had a big picture planned,” she says. “Kathleen has assisted me the whole way. It’s really about bringing these collections back to the forefront. The museum has done a great job promoting Laura, and I’m trying to expand on that.”
The exhibit includes artifacts and specimens from the museum’s collection and Hecox’s personal scrapbooks, which the library had already archived.
“A lot of women kept scrapbooks back then,” Guenther explains, “full of locks of hair, poems, tickets to operas. But Laura’s are something else. They are full of newspaper clippings from all over the country. She basically created her own encyclopedias.”
Aston adds, “Those scrapbooks are amazing. They are one of the few windows into her personal life and interests.”
The library’s connection to Hecox goes back to the beginning—the first iteration of the museum opened in the basement of Santa Cruz’s Carnegie Library in 1905.
“This display is a great way to reunite some things from the collection to the scrapbooks, where they were originally displayed,” Aston says. “We thought it was a fun opportunity.”
Guenther hopes the exhibit will inspire people to learn more about local history and appreciate Hecox’s legacy.
“Laura was really at the beginning of the environmental movement,” she says. “She was ahead of her time. She saw the need to preserve and document nature and what was being lost.”
Aston concurs, adding that Hecox accomplished everything without any traditional education.
“[Hecox] lived in a time where if she’d wanted to become an educated scientist, she likely wouldn’t have had access,” Aston says. “And yet she still made all of these observations because she was excited about the world around her. It goes to show that anyone can be a naturalist; it’s just a matter of attention, curiosity and care.”
The Laura Hecox exhibit will be displayed through Jan. 31 at the Santa Cruz Public Library, 224 Church St., Santa Cruz. santacruzpl.org
What the hell is going on with this insane weather? It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than 10 days since those first drops of rain fell from the sky. 2023 will be forever known as the year that began with an atmospheric storm that caused more destruction than most of us have ever seen in our lifetimes. Is it a sign? Who’s to say? As you’ll read in this week’s cover story, we have more questions than answers, and so many people need help—our neighbors, our friends, our essential workers who we trust to educate and keep our children safe are suddenly without homes. Even with homeowners and flood insurance, several Santa Cruz County homeowners and small businesses are fighting an uphill financial battle.
On Jan. 10, Gov. Gavin Newsom was in Capitola—where powerful waves destroyed a large section of the wharf and took out a chunk of the historic pier that led to Zelda’s days earlier—as massive cleanup efforts continued. Maybe he has some answers.
In the good news category, Santa Cruz Gives raised $1,107,375.51 for 63 local nonprofits. It wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing sponsors, so let’s acknowledge them all. Thank you to the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, Applewood Foundation, Joe Collins, Driscoll’s, Inc., Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Santa Cruz County Bank, Wynn Capital Management, The Pajaronianand Press Banner.
Remember, Best of Santa Cruz County voting is open through Jan. 31! Show your local love at goodtimes.sc.
ADAM JOSEPH | INTERIM EDITOR
Early in 1982, Andrew Lenz showed me the rising waters of the San Lorenzo River from the rooftop of Lenz Arts. A few hours later, a section of the log-battered Soquel Avenue Bridge fell into the waters below.
Fallen timber also stopped up the Soquel Creek and a muddy puddle swallowed up Porter Street. Lee May and I waded through the publishing company’s offices salvaging business records and typesetting machinery as levels inside rose to the window sills.
In Ben Lomond, a hill slid, crushing homes in mud and killing 10 people. All told, the flood of ’82 was Santa Cruz County’s deadliest natural disaster, with 22 lives lost, more than triple the toll of the Loma Prieta Earthquake seven years later.
Appreciating nature’s power is a lesson that cracks the illusion of safety and climate change denial. I brought my young daughters to Capitola’s Esplanade on Sunday, where they saw the closed and sandbagged restaurants behind chain link fences and yellow police line tape, the bisected wharf and the driftwood covered beach. Below the seawall, they gathered sticks and built a teepee-shaped structure.
My eldest asked me if it would be there tomorrow. I assured her that it would float away when the waters rose or be toppled in a wind gust. Everything we build will be gone someday.
Be safe and mindful in the meantime. The same hydrogen and oxygen molecules that sustain us can take away what they make possible.
DAN PULCRANO | PUBLISHER
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
Longtime Santa Cruz artist Brighton Denevan rakes “Persevere” in the sand at Capitola Beach after 50-foot waves crashed into the esplanade. He says that his father is his inspiration. Photograph by Todd Guild.
Submit to ph****@go*******.sc. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.
GOOD IDEA
FLOOD LINE If you’ve felt helpless as storms wreak havoc on our beloved county, we offer ways to support our cities and neighbors. Across the county, cities are asking for residents to sign up to help clear debris, manage shelters and fill in for other emergency response roles. Or, if you or someone you know has experienced flooding, you can request volunteer assistance. Whether you want to offer help or need some, check out: scvolunteernow.org
GOOD WORK
HUNGER HELPERS There’s so much we could highlight during this historic storm. Here are just a couple of organizations providing excellent resources for the community. Second Harvest Food Bank is preparing ready-to-eat meals and meal kits for displaced residents: call its hotline at 831-662-0991 for more information. Community Foundation Santa Cruz County created a disaster fund for residents and small business owners: cfscc.org/disaster
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Tell people there’s an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”
Another consumer home friendly way to save rainwater is the installation of onsite French drains. These are used to capture and settle rainwater into the surrounding ground from gutter drains through percolation, ending in aquifers or possibly feeding nearby creeks and other natural bodies of water.
These are simple to install, requiring digging trenches of appropriate size and length out from the gutters, leading to a larger collection ‘pond’ of greater depth. The trenches have two sided drainpipes connected to the gutters and, when under-filled and backfilled with medium sized drain rock, will carry the gutter based rainwater to a slow percolation into the surrounding soil base. Of course, they do require a permeable or semi permeable soil to accomplish the settling into the ground for the underground movement to be successful. Some Santa Cruz clays or near surface rock would either require more work or be nonviable.
The drain rock can be covered to hide it with a variety of means, I like one that adds a top layer of granite screenings, maybe becoming a landscaped pathway and as adding to the capacity of the system to absorb close by rain top surface water. Covered with various semi permeable materials allows for plantings over the French drain as long as soil isn’t allowed to infiltrate the system.
The installation of this simple system is not beyond the skills for a DYI or a local professional.
The reuse of the flushed millions of gallons of secondarily treated sewage water is still the major crux in a water saver scheme, but multitudes of this simple method over thousands, or more, of homes is both a successful addition as well as a way to be personally better connected to a solution.
John Balawejder, Santa Cruz
These letters do not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@go*******.sc
[Editor’s note: GTs interim editor Adam Joseph has a personal relationship with Amy Thomas.]
On New Year’s Eve, Amy Thomas was planning on having a few friends over to her Watsonville home off College Avenue. The day before, she cleaned and prepared for the small gathering; but nothing could have helped prepare her for the storm.
The evening brought rain, and as darkness fell, Thomas and her 76-year-old mother, who lives in a “granny unit” attached to the home, noticed part of the driveway was immersed in water. They watched helplessly as the water swallowed more of the driveway and crept closer to the house.
Thomas, the principal at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts, called her friends to bring over sandbags. But shortly after lining up sandbags, the water level had already risen to the top of the bags, waterfalling over them and seeping into her mother’s living space.
Thomas received a notification to evacuate after the whole house was submerged in muddy, contaminated water; most of her belongings were ruined (Thomas’ friends have set up a GoFundMe to help her with the staggering, ongoing costs of cleanup and temporary housing).
“We were in a hotel for a couple of days, and now we’re in a rental home that’s way too expensive for us,” Thomas says. “It has completely rocked my world. I lost everything. It’s hard to bounce back when you lose everything.”
Fortunately, Thomas’ 13-year-old and 15-year-old boys were visiting family out of state, but Thomas had to find a place on the fly that was big enough for her kids, her mother and her pair of young doodles. She also had to ensure it was somewhere close to her boys’ schools and Watsonville Charter.
Pinto Lake City Park manager Jesus Madrigal clears a drainpipe in a flooded section of the Watsonville park. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
Thomas’ story is similar to most of the population living near Corralitos Creek. The New Year’s Eve storm led to widespread flooding, road closures, evacuations, power outages and toppled power and communication lines; scores of people were trapped in their homes.
But New Year’s Eve was only the first day of a week’s worth of downpours, which has led to devastation across Santa Cruz County. Capitola’s iconic wharf was torn apart, chunks of West Cliff Drive’s sidewalk collapsed into the ocean and Capitola Village’s waterside restaurants are in complete disrepair.
Social media and major news outlets have shared photos and videos that capture Mother Nature’s wrath and destruction. But the devastation endured throughout South County, like Thomas’ neighborhood, has received less attention than the more touristy, wealthier spots, says Watsonville City Councilmember Ari Parker, who represents District 7, the areas that experienced vicious flooding.
“South County rarely gets attention,” Parker notes. “These are seniors; their homes were devastated. I know that it’s not intentional, but in all honesty, after all these years, it seems pretty intentional. The message is that North County is more important than we are.”
Watsonville residents unload appliances, furniture and clothing at a drop site provided by the city on Bridge Street. There were similar piles all over following New Year’s Eve flooding. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
South County continues to get struck. A little over a week after Thomas and her family were displaced, she checked on her home on Monday, Jan. 9.
“It’s flooded again,” she says with frustration. A week ago, she shelled out thousands to a disaster cleanup service to dry out the saturated walls and floors and dispose of the drywall that had already begun to show mold. With more rain expected to continue throughout the week, Thomas and her neighbors have no choice but to wait until it’s over.
As a result, Santa Cruz County has declared a local state of emergency, with initial estimates of damages upwards of $10 million. On Sunday, Jan. 8, the county held a press conference, alerting South County residents to prepare to evacuate—or stay evacuated. If the rainfall reaches expected levels, the county says the Pajaro River has a 60% chance of flooding. Thomas and other residents in the flooded area decry the ill-maintained Corralitos Creek as one of the reasons the flooding was so severe.
But Parker insists there wasn’t much that could have prevented the flooding. Corralitos Creek is under Santa Cruz County’s purview, and city measures to protect flooding, such as a pump station at Vista Montana and an overflow pond at Pajaro Vista, were working.
“You can’t shore up something that doesn’t have a levee,” Parker says. “The priority with the Pajaro River levee project is to fix that whole area with Corralitos Creek.”
Parker is referring to efforts that will restore Pajaro River’s levee to prevent flooding, a project that was stalled for decades and just received funding last October. But it might be too little, too late.
“We need people to understand that this is a very serious event,” Supervisor Zach Friend says at the press conference. “It may be the kind of flooding we haven’t seen here in the last generation.”
After enduring a mighty 40-foot tidal wave, a large portion of the historical pier broke into the Pacific. PHOTO: Sheridan Smith
DAMAGE CONTROL
As the third deluge in a little more than a week bore down upon the Central Coast, Pajaro Valley Unified School District closed 11 of its schools, a measure they said was intended to protect kids and their families from possible flooding. Hours later, the district decided to close all 35 of its schools.
In Mid-County, school officials closed Soquel and Main Street elementary schools.
The moves were one of many preventative measures officials across Santa Cruz and Monterey counties took to protect citizens from floodwaters as rivers and streams neared or exceeded their flood stages.
This included the mandatory evacuation of 4,600 residences in Watsonville, flash flood warnings and the specter of evacuation for many others.
Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin says that 32,000 people countywide were under evacuation orders Monday, although authorities were only enforcing those orders in low-lying communities where floodwaters gather.
Trees crush one lucky guy’s car shortly after he abandons it, avoiding hospitalization or worse. PHOTO: Sheridan Smith
Parts of the San Lorenzo River flooded on Monday, including in Felton Grove and Big Trees, where rescue crews had to use a Jet Ski to aid their efforts.
Officials again closed Highway 1 at the River Street bridge to allow for debris removal.
PG&E reported 102 power outages in Santa Cruz County, impacting 6,224 customers.
That situation was exacerbated by heavy rains, mud, rockslides and fallen trees, which forced crews to stop working for their safety, says PG&E spokeswoman Megan McFarland.
After the Dec. 31 storm, workers with shovels and heavy machinery removed mud and debris from Watsonville homes, driveways and waterways. Residents dug themselves out and threw out furniture, appliances and clothes into giant dumpsters.
“I have no washer, no dryer, no freezer,” Susan Louden, who has lived in her Anderson Drive home for 21 years, says.
The floodwaters entered her garage, destroying the appliances and most of the items stored there; the water bubbled up through her floorboards at one point.
Louden has the flood insurance required of homeowners living in the floodplains of the Pajaro River—and of Corralitos and Salsipuedes Creek—and also has possible financial assistance from FEMA. Since Monday was a federal holiday, Louden waited until Tuesday when a probable slog through mountains of red tape began for her and the other flood victims. The struggle with insurance providers and restoration services had begun—many have had to pay out-of-pocket while awaiting callbacks from adjusters, which still haven’t come.
One of the residents near College Avenue in Watsonville clears away mountains of mud with a shovel before the rain picks up again. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
NEW YEAR NIGHTMARE
While city and county officials anticipated the storm approaching during the new year, the sheer volume of water overwhelmed Corralitos Creek, which overran its banks and flooded several neighborhoods in Watsonville.
Laken Drive resident Michelle Deering says she was rescued in a kayak as waters quickly rose Saturday night.
“I had to act very quickly,” she says. “It was frightening, especially since we had no warning. I didn’t know what was going on. I can tell you this: At the next city council meetings, they are going to hear from me and a lot of other people from around here.”
Laken Drive stems off Holohan Road near Corralitos and Salsipuedes creeks and has been barricaded since Sunday morning due to standing water and scores of damaged homes.
According to Santa Cruz County Flood Manager Mark Strudley, roughly 10 inches fell in the Santa Cruz Mountains—more than twice the amount predicted—partly caused by the storm unexpectedly stalling over the region.
While hundreds of people received mandatory evacuation orders, many residents did not receive the alert or got them too late.
“The reason there was not much warning here—if any warning at all—was that we did not expect this to occur,” Strudley says during a Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency meeting. “We did not expect this level of flooding or breaching of Corralitos Creek to occur.”
As a result, the scope of the evacuation zones was limited to the Orchard Park neighborhood and College Road area, not the city of Watsonville itself.
While the Pajaro River did not reach the 32-foot mark that would have brought it to flood stage, it did reach 22 feet, thanks to runoff from the Santa Cruz Mountains.
But Corralitos Creek peaked at 16.91 feet—nearly a historical level—causing the creek to break from its north and south banks between Green Valley Road and East Lake Avenue near Atkinson Lane. That sent floodwater to Holohan Road, the Orchard Park neighborhood, College Road and several low-lying areas.
Watsonville City Councilwoman Ari Parker says that a more focused level of communication—which includes in-person communication—is essential for the senior communities, which primarily lie in the flood zones.
“That’s been the biggest and most difficult thing for all the seniors in this area, that they don’t always check—a lot of them don’t go online,” Parker says.
The countywide evacuation orders also included parts of Felton and the neighborhoods on either side of Aptos Creek in Rio Del Mar.
On Jan. 2, Santa Cruz County officials declared a local emergency in the wake of the aforementioned atmospheric river winter storm on Dec. 30 and 31 that ravaged roads and infrastructure and caused widespread flooding.
Watsonville followed suit, with City Manager Rene Mendez declaring a local state of emergency due to the significant damages from the storm and floods.
These declarations, expected to be ratified by the jurisdictions’ elected leaders at upcoming meetings, will allow them to request state and federal funding.
Following the sizable tidal wave that split the pier in two, there’s a bit of calm in Capitola Village, giving businesses time to close and residents time to take cover before the next downpour. PHOTO: Sheridan Smith
A LITTLE LIGHT
As rains slowed Monday afternoon—and as residents hard hit by the floods dug out and assessed the damages—there was one ray of sunshine. In Felton, the Loch Lomond reservoir “filled and spilled,” bringing some good news for Santa Cruz.
With the recent rains, Loch Lomond Reservoir is full and spilling onto the Newell Creek Dam spillway for the first time since February 2019.
Located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the reservoir holds 2.8 billion gallons—about a yearlong supply for residents—and is Santa Cruz’s primary drinking water source.
“Having a full reservoir is a great way to start 2023,” says Eileen Cross, the community relations specialist at the city water department.
But California needs much more. Since 2019, the state has endured the driest three-year period on record from 1896, California Department of Water Resources spokeswoman Akiela Moses says.
California’s water deficit will take time—and much more rain and snow—to erase. In some ways, it’s been a good start to the year, but the wet season is only half over.
Central reservoir storage remains below average, and conditions could turn dry, offsetting the recent onslaught of precipitation. Moses says groundwater levels in much of the state have also been depleted by the numerous dry years in the last two decades. Groundwater levels would take more than a single wet year to improve substantially statewide.
BATTERED BUSINESSES
Some of Capitola’s most iconic restaurants may be forced to shutter forever following the beating the beachfront esplanade endured. While some businesses got away with minor water damage lapping at their doors, others—particularly those lining the beachside along the Esplanade—fared far worse.
When a large chunk of the Capitola pier collapsed into the roaring seas, powerful waves carried a massive support beam and debris through the front wall of the infamous restaurant Zelda’s on the Beach. The local staple has been a favorite for over forty years, but with severe damages, its fate is unclear. Good Times could not reach Zelda’s’ owners during evacuation orders and preparations for continued storms.
Margaritaville, a first-story waterfront restaurant that has persisted over 30 years and through a change of ownership, was also hard hit. They announced on their Instagram that they would be closed through the end of January for repairs.
But some businesses in the village took to Instagram to remind residents that some shops remained open and needed local support.
In the wake of the damaging surges and impending storms, the Capitola City Council declared a state of emergency on Friday. The city is still working on estimating the cost of damages to property as businesses assess their ability to rebound.
Buildings along the Esplanade now have a green, yellow or red tag from the city, indicating if they are ready to reopen, have limited access for business owners to begin repairs or are entirely off-limits due to severe damage.
Sandbags continue to line the entrances to Capitola businesses, hoping to keep out the tides and torrential rain still to come.
TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS
On Sunday, Jan. 8, President Biden declared a State of Emergency in California, allowing federal aid assistance. It came just in time. Monday, Jan. 9, marked one of several of the storm’s most powerful crescendos. The National Weather Service issued flood watches for over 34 million Californians—roughly 90% of the state’s population, and all Pajaro Valley Unified School District schools are closed through Tuesday, Jan. 10—at the least—which impacts more than 18,000 students. The gusty winds, rain, flooding and rapid water rising in local rivers haven’t ceased, and the NWS expects an onslaught of mudslides, landslides and debris flows. So, the ruthless procession of atmospheric rivers continues to pummel Santa Cruz County and the rest of the Central Coast.
On Jan. 9, the disaster cleanup company alerted Amy Thomas, who had already shelled out thousands for drying her home on New Year’s Day, to let her know that her house had flooded again. They will return after this storm segment passes; the police shut down street access to her home as they spoke, and it was officially “red tagged.” Her situation is not unique, unfortunately. And there’s no definitive answer as to when this weather will cease. The NWS reported on Jan. 10: “In the short term, there’s no end in sight to these storms through the end of the month.”
ALL ABOARD THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
The science behind bomb cyclones and atmospheric rivers
As streets flood and waters rage throughout central and northern California, headlines warn of “bomb cyclones”—sounds like something from a Looney Tunes cartoon. Also, how are pineapples involved?
When cold and warm air masses collide, the denser, cold air pushes the lighter, warm air up and out of its way. This movement creates wind and causes a drop in atmospheric pressure. This drop in pressure can act like a vacuum, sucking more air in and up. In short, a bomb cyclone is a storm that intensifies very quickly.
To qualify as a bomb cyclone, the atmospheric pressure in a storm must drop by a specific amount within 24 hours. That threshold amount changes depending on the latitude.
This process, known as bombogenesis, creates intense winter storms known for high winds and extreme precipitation.
These storms are often fed by atmospheric rivers: bands of water vapor high in the atmosphere transported around the globe by jet streams. California depends on atmospheric rivers. They provide up to half of the annual precipitation for the state. But while they can fill reservoirs, they can also bring floods.
A Pineapple Express is a specific type of atmospheric river that draws moisture from the tropical Pacific near Hawaii and funnels it to the west coast. Even in the absence of a bomb cyclone, these atmospheric rivers can dump inches of rain in short periods of time. Researchers predict that climate change will make certain atmospheric rivers larger, likely resulting in oscillations between droughts and deluges.
Santa Cruz County water districts are preparing for this climate chaos with several projects attempting to capture and store excess stormwater runoff, such as injecting treated runoff into the groundwater basin through the City of Santa Cruz’s Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project. The recent storm will put this and other strategies to the test.
STORM RESOURCES
Shelter space is available throughout Santa Cruz County to assist the nearly 32,000 residents—and their pets—who’ve had to evacuate their homes. The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Cabrillo College, Scotts Valley Community Center and Jade Street Community Center are among several now available to evacuees.
The Community Foundation’s Disaster Fund is helping nonprofits respond to the ongoing storms in the Pajaro Valley, San Lorenzo Valley, Capitola and other affected areas. Click HERE to contribute.
The recent storm littered local beaches with driftwood and trash. Plastic pieces of all sizes tumbled in the surf and settled into the rubble. But the storm didn’t bring the plastic—it just highlighted its existence.
Some of the particles will get picked up by volunteers and mindful beachgoers. But lots of it will wash back out to sea and break down into smaller and smaller pieces.
When it degrades to less than five millimeters long—about the size of a pencil eraser—it’s microplastic. In a recent study, scientists found microplastics inside an alarming number of seabirds and anchovies from Monterey Bay. The research, published in the scientific journal Environmental Pollution, also suggested that some particles could disrupt hormones, potentially spelling trouble for wildlife populations.
Piecing it Together
Sami Michishita led the research as a graduate student at UCSC. She knew she wanted to study seabirds and plastics before she began her degree, and the Monterey Bay proved an excellent place to do it.
She chose to examine common murres—sea birds that spend most of their time on the open ocean and feed on small fish—and anchovies.
“Common murres are a resident bird species, so they’re a good indicator of what’s going on in the Monterey Bay,” says Myra Finkelstein, Michishita’s advisor and an adjunct professor in the microbiology and environmental toxicology department at UCSC. “They’re an ecologically important species. And so are anchovies.”
Common murres eat anchovies, which was a vital link for the research. Some toxins transfer from prey to predators in a process called trophic transfer. These toxins can then accumulate in greater concentrations in animals that are higher on the food web. Ecologists call this sequence of events biomagnification.
Scientists are still trying to determine whether microplastics biomagnify like this in food webs, so Michishita compared microplastics collected from seawater, anchovies and murres. She found similar types of microparticles in all three.
“We can’t 100 percent say that the murres had plastic in their stomachs because they ate anchovies that had plastic in their stomachs,” says Michishita. “But we found a lot of similar types of plastics—polyesters—in both digestive tracts.”
The scientists received anchovies from a sustainable Community Supported Fishery group based in Santa Cruz. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Seabird Health Program provided samples from common murres.
The team found human-sourced microparticles in the digestive tracts of 58% of the anchovies they sampled and 100% of the murres. Of that, over 57% were confirmed as plastic using spectroscopy.
“The majority of work to see how much plastic is in seabirds has looked at the macro plastic—the bigger pieces that you can see with your naked eye—and in those studies, less than 10 percent of murres were found to have plastic,” says Finkelstein. “But the fact that now we looked at these smaller little pieces, where we have to use a microscope, and found 100 percent of them had these microparticles, to me, was really alarming. And also, unfortunately, probably illustrates that these little microparticles are everywhere.”
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) scientists also study microplastics with a five-year monitoring plan.
“We know it’s fairly ubiquitous in the marine environment; we just don’t know what the long-term implications are,” says Chad King, a federal ecologist at MBNMS. “We don’t know the long-term health effects on not only human health but the marine ecosystem itself.”
To learn more about the issue in Monterey Bay, the sanctuary is developing a pilot program for monitoring microplastics in beach sand.
“We need to start answering the questions of ‘where’s it coming from,’ and ‘what can we do to reduce the amount,’” says King.
For example, if most of the microplastics are microfibers, that might suggest local laundry machines as a source. But the researchers don’t expect determining sources or solutions to be simple.
“At this point, it’s coming from everywhere, and we can’t just find a single source. It’s such a global problem,” says Lisa Uttal, the education and outreach specialist for MBNMS.
Still, the sanctuary is working to spread awareness among community members. A water quality team works with the agricultural industry to encourage best practices surrounding the plastic sheeting used in fields, for example.
“It is a high priority of the sanctuary to address this issue,” says King. “And we have a long-term action plan, and we’ve committed a lot of resources and staff time to address this issue.”
Hormone Havoc
One of the reasons scientists are so committed to studying microplastics is the detrimental health effects they could have on people and animals.
Some chemicals used in plastics have similar structures to hormones and can bind to hormone receptors in the body. These are known as endocrine disruptors, and one of the most infamous examples is Bisphenol A, commonly called BPA.
Endocrine disruptors can wreak havoc on the body’s development, reproductive system and immune system. They’ve been linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, early puberty, fertility irregularities and brain development disruptions, among other effects.
These consequences are well established, but few studies have involved microplastics. And few microplastics studies involve testing their ability to disrupt hormones.
“A lot of studies stop at just looking at how much plastic is present,” says Michishita. “We took it a step further by actually leaching those plastics to get additive chemicals from that plastic and seeing if they could activate estrogen receptors.”
They could.
The scientists worked with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and found that about a fourth of the murres had microparticles inside their guts that could activate human estrogen receptors.
“It could mean that in addition to the microplastic inside, they may be causing some sort of harm in terms of inflammation in the digestive system and localized effects. They might also be leaching toxic chemicals that could be impacting the murres’ ability to reproduce or shorten their lifespan,” says Finkelstein.
Her lab will continue investigating the biological impacts in collaboration with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
“This is a really big problem of our generation,” says Finkelstein. “Plastic production is exponentially increasing. And on the other side, this plastic pollution will also keep increasing exponentially. And we need to figure out as a society what we’re going to do about this unless we want to live in a plastic-polluted world.”
Although the problem can feel overwhelming, Finkelstein encourages action.
“I think people on an individual basis can do their part in terms of trying to minimize their own plastic use—especially single-use plastics,” she says. “But I think more importantly, support politicians that care about this issue and might make these more difficult changes that we have to do and invest money in research to try to think of alternatives—I believe we can fix this issue; we just have to prioritize it.”
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Nigerian author Wole Soyinka reworked the ancient Greek play The Bacchae. In one passage, the god Dionysus criticizes King Pentheus, who is supposedly all-powerful. “You are a man of chains,” Dionysus tells him. “You love chains. You breathe chains, talk chains, eat chains, dream chains, think chains. Your world is bound in manacles.” The bad news, Aries, is that many of us have some resemblances to Pentheus. The good news is that the coming months will be a favorable time to shed at least some of your chains. Have fun liberating yourself! Try to help a few others wriggle free from their chains, too. Doing so will aid your own emancipation.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The coming weeks will be a great time to fill your journal with more intense ruminations than you have for many moons. If you don’t have a journal, think about starting one. Reveal yourself to yourself, Taurus! Make conscious that which has been vague, unnamed or hiding. Here are assignments to help launch your flood of intimate self-talk. 1. Write passionately about an experience you’ve always wanted to try but have never done. 2. Conduct imaginary interviews with people who rouse strong feelings in you. 3. Describe what deity, superhero or animal you are and how your special intelligence works. 4. Visualize a dream in which you appear as a bolder, more confident version of yourself. 5. Talk about a time you felt rousingly alive and how you plan to feel that way again.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A stranger approached me at Wild Birds Unlimited, a store that sells bird food and accessories. “You write the horoscopes, right?” she asked. “I’m a Gemini, and I want to thank you for helping me tone down my relentless fidgeting. You made me realize I have been secretly proud of tapping my fingers on the table while talking with people, and constantly darting my eyes around the room to check out the ever-changing views. I’d unconsciously believed that stuff was a sign of my incredible vitality. But you’ve been a steadying influence. You’ve shown me ways to settle down and focus my energy better. I can see how restlessness sometimes saps my energy.” I told the woman, “You’re welcome!” and let her know that 2023 will be a favorable time to do much more of this good work. Homework: Meditate on channeling your incredible vitality into being grounded and centered.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): According to Cancerian author Ronald Sukenick, the writer’s work is “to destroy restrictive viewpoints, notice the unnoticed, speak the unspeakable, shake stale habits, ward off evil, give vent to sorrow, pulverize doctrine, attack and uphold tradition as needed and make life worth living.” I believe 2023 will be an excellent time for you to carry out those actions, even if you’re not a writer. You will have abundant power to bless and heal through creative rebellion and disruption. You will thrive as you seek out interesting novelty.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Psychotherapist Ryan Howes has wisdom you’ll benefit from heeding in the coming weeks. “We need to accept our age,” he writes. “We need to accept illnesses and addictions. We need to accept the past. We need to accept others as they are.” He goes on to say that this doesn’t mean we must like all these situations. And we can certainly try to make the best of them. But when we don’t struggle in vain to change what’s beyond our control to change, we have more energy for things that we can actually affect.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here’s testimony from musician Pharrell Williams: “If someone asks me what inspires me, I always say, ‘That which is missing.'” Yes! This is an apt message for you, Virgo. The best way for you to generate motivation and excitement in the coming weeks will be to explore what is lacking, what is invisible, what’s lost or incomplete. Check in with your deep intuition right now. Do you feel a stirring in your gut? It may tell you where to find important and intriguing things that are missing.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Every animal knows far more than you do,” declares a proverb of the Nimíipuu people, also known as the Nez Perce. Author Russell Banks provides further testimony to convince us we should be humble about our powers of awareness. “There is a wonderful intelligence to the unconscious,” he says. “It’s always smarter than we are.” These are good pointers for you to heed in the coming weeks, Libra. You will have a special power to enhance your understanding of the world by calling on the savvy of animals and your unconscious mind. They will be especially rich sources of wisdom. Seek out their educational input!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist Carl Jung said that the whole point of Jesus Christ’s story was not that we should become exactly like him. Rather, we should aspire to be our best and highest selves in the same way that he fulfilled his unique mission. So Jesus was not the great exception, but rather the great example. I bring these meditations to your attention, Scorpio, because I believe life in 2023 will conspire to make you, more than ever before, the hero of your own destiny. You will be inspired to honor only your own standards of success and reject all others’. You will clearly see that you are progressing at your own natural and righteous pace, which is why it makes no sense to compare your evolution to anyone else’s.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A reader named Mary Roseberry describes her experience of being a Sagittarius: “I hate to be bored. I hate imperfections. I hate to wait. I hate sadness. I hate conflict. I hate to be wrong. I hate tension.” Wow! I admire Mary’s succinct understanding of who she doesn’t want to be and what she doesn’t like to do. I invite you to compose a similar testimony. You would benefit from getting clear about the experiences you intend to avoid in 2023. Once you have done that, write a list of the interesting feelings and situations you will seek out with intense devotion during the coming months.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): When he was 74 years old, Capricorn author Norman Maclean published his first novel, A River Runs Through It. It became a best-seller. Capricorn film director Takeshi Kitano directed his first film at age 42. Now 75, he has since won many awards for his work in his native Japan. Capricorn activist Melchora Aquino, who was a leader in the Philippines’ fight for independence from Spain, launched her career as a revolutionary when she was in her eighties. She’s known as the “Mother of the Revolution.” I hope these heroes inspire you, dear Capricorn. I believe that 2023 is the year you will get an upgrade in any area of your life where you have seemed to be a late bloomer.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you will soon be called upon to summon grace under pressure; to express magnanimity while being challenged; to prove that your devotion to your high standards is more important than the transitory agendas of your ego. The good news is that you are primed and ready to succeed at these exact assignments. I have confidence in your power to activate the necessary courage and integrity with maximum poise and composure.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “By dying daily, I have come to be,” wrote poet Theodore Roethke. He didn’t mean he suffered literal deaths. He was referring to the discipline of letting go of the past; shedding worn-out habits; leaving behind theories and attitudes that once served him well but no longer did; killing off parts of himself that were interfering with the arrival of the fresh future. I recommend his strategy to you, Pisces. To the degree that you agree to die daily, you will earn the right to be reborn big-time in a few weeks.
Some reactions to the new Mad Yolks on Pacific Avenue have started to become consistent.
Thirty-four-year-old twins Henry and Peter Wong—the pair behind the project—have taken note.
Number one might be gratitude.
“People have been telling me they’ve been waiting on a place like this in Santa Cruz,” Peter says.
Reaction two: wide eyes laid on the egg sandwiches, like the three best sellers.
Those would be the Shrooms (soft egg, sautéed mushrooms, fontina cheese and caramelized onions; the B.A.E. ([B[acon, [A]vocado, soft scrambled [E]gg, sharp cheddar, caramelized onion and Sriracha aioli); and the Mad Chick (crispy chicken, over-easy egg, pickled cabbage, baby arugula and garlic aioli).
Reaction three: Can I take some of these brioche buns home with me?
That last thought makes the Wongs smile (even as they’re too overworked to scale enough to do it) because they workshopped the brioche (and the menu) for a year with an assist from community-favorite Prolific Oven Bakery based out of Palo Alto.
“The brioche is a great vehicle for what we want to cook,” Peter says. “We make [them] fresh every day, no shortcuts.”
A counterpoint to the decadent sandwiches ($10-$13.50) appears in the clean-living teas ($5-$6).
Mad Yolks’ atypical fresh brews range from jasmine-lemonade green tea to grade-A Japanese matcha splashed with strawberry.
“Indulgent and healthy seems like a conflict,” Peter says. “But it’s also about the joy of a nice breakfast with a refreshment that picks you back up.”
Which gives downtown Santa Cruz a boost at the same time.
Mad Yolks, 1411 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Monday-Sunday, 8am-3pm. madyolks.com
PIZZA YES PLEASE
After a relatively quiet 2022 for local restaurant debuts locally (we do see you, Venus Spirits Beachside), 2023 promises a surge. Some of the first to arrive are also among the most anticipated. The Pizza Series pop-up from champion dough-spinning pizzaiolo Matt Driscoll has found a permanent home at 226 Mt. Hermon Road in Scotts Valley, with a soft opening coming at the end of January. Also coming soon: Buzzo Pizza, next to Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House in Soquel, dishing blistered wood-fired pies like the potato-bacon-egg-roasted onion pizza on white sauce.
BACK TO BEER THIRTY
The family of craft cerveza spots will have a busy new year. Beer Run in the long-dark Wienerschnitzel A-frame on Soquel Avenue represents a nice Santa Cruz stoke that might open any week now. At the Trout Farm Inn in Felton, they co-direct with owners Jessyka and Tachu Soto; the restaurant-bar is nearing completion. Meanwhile, the original bottle shop and pour house in Soquel is expanding too.
MORE ‘WOOD IN THE HOOD
A second Alderwood spot, Alderwood Pacific, could open on the street of the same name by the end of the month, doing bread in-house, along with burgers, sandwiches, salads, cocktails and a raw bar. “Definitely more mass appeal and casual,” Chef Jeffrey Wall says. “I just want it to be really yummy, everything from scratch.” Sibling spot Flashbird also has two more outposts of its own coming to Scotts Valley and Pleasure Point in mid-February and late spring, respectively. #stayhungrymyfriends
There’s nothing quite like the experience of tasting wine in a thunderstorm! I got soaked to the skin during December’s Aptos Wine Wander, and so did all the other merry tasters who weathered turbulent wind and rain to enjoy local wines. Aptos Village businesses hosted 16 wineries that day—Betty Burgers on Trout Gulch Road being the location for Lago Lomita Winery, one of the places I stopped by to try their wines. One appreciative customer snapped up all Lago Lomita’s varietals at the tasting, including a delicious Santa Cruz Mountains (Monte Sereno Block) 2021 Nebbiolo ($55).
The red Nebbiolo grape hails from Italy and has been called “the wine of kings and the king of wines.” Light floral aromas greet the taster, and flavors of wild herbs, truffles, cherries and raspberries await. Produced and bottled by local Soquel Vineyards, everything comes together seamlessly to create this superb wine.
Lago Lomita sits at 2,600 feet, where Robin and Mark Porter take care of their vineyards on a whopping 44 acres. There is no tasting room but check their website to see where they’re pouring next. The Porters also run a bed and breakfast on their property—and a treehouse 40 feet off the ground.
Lago Lomita Winery, 25200 Loma Prieta Ave., Los Gatos; 408-353-2551. lagolomita.com
Shadowbrook Winery
We enjoyed a wine tasting at the beautiful Shadowbrook Winery in Walnut Creek. Not only are Shadowbrook’s wines outstanding, but the flatbread pizza is also delicious.
After Aptos native Jeff Hickey spent several years working construction in Texas, he returned to Santa Cruz County. He realized his dream of opening a restaurant that served the food he and his wife enjoy: fresh, organic salads with high-quality ingredients. So, in February 2021, they opened Soul Salad in Aptos.
Everything is scratch-made, including the dressings—they also roast their own corn, beets, nuts and seeds. Hickey’s favorite menu item is the Café Salad, a honey Dijon dressing drizzled over the “Soul Salad greens mix” and feta, pecans, mango and croutons. Another popular option is the Surfer Salad: greens and kale, steak and a Sriracha ranch dressing. The house-brewed teas, like hibiscus and lemon cucumber mint, are excellent. Soul Salad is open Tuesday-Saturday, 11:30am-5pm. Hickey recently described his concept and revealed his inspiration.
When did you have that aha moment?
JEFF HICKEY: At night, when my wife and I were off work, she would make her salad for the next day. She would prepare the lettuce, grate the carrots and beets and cut the cucumber, which would take her at least an hour. She often lamented how she missed her hometown salad shop in New York. We felt like Santa Cruz needed a place like that, so we created Soul Salad as a place for people to stop by and get something quickly that’s both fresh and healthy.
How do you define Soul Salad?
For me, it’s less of a restaurant and more of a prep service. We combine the freshest and highest quality organic ingredients that we can find. The only oil we have in the restaurant is olive oil, and 100% of the produce that comes through the door is organic. That’s how my wife and I eat at home, and that’s how our restaurant is too.
Santa Cruz County officials on Tuesday declared a local emergency in the wake of the atmospheric river winter storm on Dec. 30 and 31 that ravaged roads and infrastructure and caused widespread flooding.
The Board of Supervisors will consider the declaration during their Jan. 10 meeting, allowing the County to request funding under the California Disaster Assistance Act, County Deputy Administrative Officer Melodie Serino stated in a press release.
Serino said that damages to public infrastructure are estimated at $10 million, beyond the County’s ability to fund.
Damages include the failure of Glenwood Drive, Granite Creek Road and Highland Way, and flooding in Soquel Village and along Corralitos and Salsipuedes creeks.
The storm caused mudslides and debris flows, road washouts, road collapses and power outages throughout the County, which is expected to increase during the next storm on Wednesday.For information, visit co.santa-cruz.ca.us/OR3/Emergency.aspx
Tidal waves, demolished piers, debris-littered beaches and roads, flooding, power outages, widespread evacuations and closures leave Santa Cruz County shell-shocked—and it’s not over.
The new Pacific Avenue spot is known for its killer egg sandwiches like the Mad Chick (crispy chicken, over-easy egg, pickled cabbage, baby arugula and garlic aioli)
