Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is characterized as a type of depression that is related to changes in seasons, typically tied to the start of fall and persisting into the winter months. We know that depressive disorders don’t take holidays, and this time of year can be stressful. For individuals who suffer from or are at risk for depression, though, the impact of holiday stresses and pressures can be much more severe than the momentary frustrations that almost everyone experiences. Typical symptoms of SAD, sometimes referred to as “winter depression,” may include the following (from the Mayo Clinic): feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day; a lack of energy; losing interest in activities you once enjoyed; feeling sluggish or agitated; oversleeping or having problems with sleeping; social withdrawal; feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty; substance abuse.
Contrary to a prevalent myth, suicide rates do not peak during the holiday season. However, depressed individuals are hardly immune from either depressive episodes or suicidal ideation during this time. If you or someone you love is struggling with depression and/or thinking about suicide, get help now. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 988, is a free resource, available 24 hours a day for anyone who is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. The Crisis Text Line is a free 24/7 text line where trained crisis counselors support individuals in crisis. Text “Jason” to 741741 to speak with a compassionate, trained Crisis Counselor. Confidential support 24/7, for free. For more information on ways to prevent, respond or act against bullying, visit stopbullying.org, which is a special initiative from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Jason Foundation (jasonfoundation.com) is another available resource. It is dedicated to the awareness and prevention of youth suicide through educational programs that equip youth, parents, educators and the community with the tools and resources to identify and assist at-risk youth. Many times, a young person will exhibit clear warning signs prior to an attempt. By knowing the warning signs, and knowing how to help, you could save a life.
770 bills became law this year, and many went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022. Some will affect millions of Californians, like the minimum-wage hike and steeper penalties for cellphone use while driving. Then there are those laws that most people will never know even exist. One is Senate Bill 395, the roadkill-for-consumption bill. But don’t get too excited, would-be lovers of pavement pizza! Though Gov. Newsom did sign the bill allowing state wildlife regulators to establish a pilot roadkill salvage program, the legislature never put up the millions of dollars it would take to regulate it. It’s still illegal to scrape crushed carcasses of deer, elk, wild boar and any other animal off California roads. The bill’s author—and staunch roadkill salvage advocate—State Sen. Bob Archuleta, said hundreds of thousands of pounds of meat could help those in need. The senator failed to mention that health officials are wary of people dying from eating potentially rotten meat, and highway officials are worried about motorists on dangerous highways. So for now, everyone just carry on as usual.
SURF LEGEND IN PUZZLING TRAGEDY
Former professional big wave surfer Darryl “Flea” Virostko won the Mavericks competition three times, and is featured in some of the most well-known surfing docs, including Step Into Liquid. While Flea—part of the infamous Santa Cruz “Vermin” squad with other like-minded freaks who loved large waves as much as ingesting large quantities of drugs—is a natural talent, he had a perpetual death wish. In 2004, he managed to survive a 50-foot drop at Hawaii’s Waimea Bay, which Surfer dubbed the “Wipeout of the Decade.” Now sober for over a decade, Flea is a doting father of two and teaches other recovering addicts how to surf. But earlier this year, he was in the news for something totally unexpected: a crash that took a truly bizarre and tragic turn. At 9am on Jan. 10, a Honda Accord rear-ended his Tundra on Highway 1 near Swanton Road; according to the CHP’s report, both vehicles pulled over after the accident. The woman driving the Honda got out of her car, crossed the highway towards the cliff overlooking the ocean and plummeted 300 feet to her death. Flea told KRON4 later that day that he was unharmed. Whether the Santa Cruz woman (whose name was not released) jumped or fell remains a mystery, but in yet another weird twist, the CHP classified the incident as a “hit and run” because she technically left the scene.
February
THIS IS SO MYCELIUM
If you always thought it sounded like Santa Cruz’s Fungus Federation stole its name from Star Trek, well, that might make more sense than you realized. During a particularly fungal February at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, local mushroom maniacs got their annual fix, with lectures on subjects like how to find mushrooms at DeLavega (pro tip: watch out for sliced golf balls). But things got downright psychedelic when it was revealed that the current theory on the origin of mushroom spores is that they literally came from outer space. Supposedly, they adhered to meteorites and flew willy-nilly until they entered our atmosphere, where they landed in the primordial soup and began multiplying, proliferating, adding complexities and eventually becoming Joe Rogan.
DEAR HR, PLEASE ADVISE ON WHETHER THIS PROCEDURE IS COVERED BY KAISER, ’CAUSE MUST HAVE NOW
We love Santa Cruz native Adam Scott, and were happy to see him get his first Emmy noms for the incredible Apple TV+ series Severance, which premiered Feb. 18. It seems lucky that we got it at all, what with Covid-19 shutdowns and production postponements, but all the perseverance paid off, as it’s a delicious dystopian dive into why work sucks. And its timing couldn’t be better as millions of Americans, having worked from home for two years, have gone from wondering “Why did we ever have to work in an office?” to “Why do we even have to work at all?” In Severance, Scott plays the disaffected Mark, who has agreed to an elective surgery that causes you to not remember what happened at work. The show is part horror, part brilliant commentary and part fantasy for everyone who still clocks in 9 to 5. It’s all very surreal, but to us the strangest part is that the show seems to think not remembering what happened at work is a bad thing.
March
I’VE BEEN WORKING AGAINST THE RAILROAD, ALL THE LIVE-LONG DAY
Trail-only supporters in the goddamned exhausting rail vs. trail debate were cautiously optimistic on March 8, when the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to place what would become Measure D on the June ballot. Passage would have changed the county’s general plan to focus solely on a bicycle and pedestrian path, and would have resulted in “railbanking” the stretch of track between Davenport and Pajaro. But the light they saw at the end of the tunnel was actually the headlight of an oncoming passenger train, bearing down slowly but inexorably upon their rail-free vision. Trigger warning for disgruntled D supporters: If you don’t like remembering March, you’re really not going to like remembering June.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? THAT’D BE NO
County supervisors approved a plan to use a $500,000 grant to place cellular antennae in rural areas throughout the county. The move was inspired in part by an August 2021 fatal stabbing at Aptos High School, during which bystanders had difficulty calling 911 because of a lack of cell towers in the area. At the time of the decision, county officials were looking at roughly three-dozen sites for the rooftop antennas. Incidentally, residents who live in the area of Aptos High–just off the Freedom Boulevard exit–still report their coverage as spotty at best, because of course.
April
FLOODING, YOU SAY? SURELY NOT WITH THESE ACCELERATING WEATHER PATTERNS THAT ARE NOT AT ALL INCREASINGLY ERRATIC
NIMBYs and anti-tax locals were in an uproar when some 3,000 residents with properties near the Pajaro River levee began receiving ballots in their mailboxes with a single question: Will you approve a property tax assessment to fund annual maintenance and operations of the future rebuild of the levee? That was the final funding piece in the long-awaited—and much needed—rebuild of the levee, where flooding during rainstorms in 1955, 1958, 1995 and 1998 devastated large swaths of the agricultural community. All things considered, the ask for residents—roughly $200 per parcel annually—seemed relatively meager by comparison. Failure of the assessment would have scuttled the project, so a group of residents began a door-to-door campaign that ultimately was successful—it passed with a sizable 79% margin. In October, county officials gathered in a pocket park with a view of the levee to celebrate having gathered the local, state and federal funding for the $400 million project.
NEXT THING YOU KNOW, THEY’LL LET A WOMAN ACTUALLY BE GOVERNOR
A mere 102 years after the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in the U.S.—and millennia since gender roles evolved beyond a hunter-gatherer lifestyle—Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis became the first woman in California history to sign a piece of legislation into law on March 31. Acting as governor while Gavin Newsom was on vacation, Kounalakis signed Assembly Bill 2179, which extended eviction protections through June 30 for tenants affected by the pandemic. At the time, she said the law would help 220,000 households. By the way, those statewide protections were later left to expire. Let’s not get too crazy with the progress!
MAY
AWW, BUT ALSO EWW
Mothers. We really can’t ever give them the attention and credit they deserve (just ask them!). Especially when you consider the lengths they go to for their children—raising them, putting their lives on the line, getting stuck in roofs as they try to feed their young. Well, that’s what one raccoon mama did in May, at least. After being separated from her attic-dwelling children, she chewed through a homeowner’s roof and ended up making it halfway through, with her head inside and hind legs out, Winnie-the-Pooh style. Luckily, a nearby work crew came to the rescue, widening the hole enough for the raccoon to squirm through into the attic and reunite with her babies.
I’LL HAVE WAGE EQUITY WITH ONE PUMP CLASSIC, DOUBLE BLENDED, WITH CARAMEL DRIZZLE
Two Starbucks in Santa Cruz were the first locations in California to vote to unionize on May 11, in a double-shot effort to join the first unionized Starbucks in New York. The workers at the stores on 517 Mission Street and 745 Ocean Street approved forming unions, the former in a 15-2 vote and the latter with a 13-1 vote. Later that afternoon, workers held rallies outside the stores, stirring cheers and honks from supporters—and feelings of despair from disappointed customers who went without venti oatmilk frappuccinos in solidarity.
JUNE
IN THE HOPES THAT, SOMEDAY, ALL OF US CAN ENJOY THE RIGHTS THAT WE LITERALLY HAD FOR DECADES UNTIL LIKE SIX MONTHS AGO
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, reversing almost 50 years of precedent, several hundred people gathered around the Santa Cruz County Courthouse steps. Several of them had shown up to the same spot in early May when a draft of the decision leaked. In response to the ruling, the speakers and sign-bearers returned to rally for bodily autonomy and the right to privacy. Medical professionals, mothers and local politicians expressed sorrow and urged the crowd to keep fighting for safe abortion access and a right to choose. The rally was one of thousands across the country.
MEASURE D-ONE
OK, we promise that’s the last Measure D pun we’ll make in 2022. But don’t blame us for how many of them we had to break out this year, considering how the rail-trail debate completely dominated local politics for months. There were so many people who wouldn’t shut up about it on both sides that it made it hard to tell just how much support the trail-only initiative really had. Spoiler alert: not very much! Though some rail supporters openly admitted to being nervous going into the June 7 vote, in the end they had absolutely no reason to be, as more than 70 percent of voters rejected Measure D. The rail-trail debate may finally be over, but at least we’ll have the memories of how divisive and toxic this entire chapter of Santa Cruz politics turned out to be.
JULY
THE HIGHEST THING IN SANTA CRUZ ISN’T STONERS
A July report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition revealed that the Santa Cruz-Watsonville area is now the second-most expensive place to live in the nation. Number one was a penthouse apartment in Trump Towers. OK, actually it was San Francisco, but you know how people around here hate being compared to “the City.” The study showed a Santa Cruz household would have to earn $60 an hour to comfortably afford a two-bedroom apartment; unfortunately, the average worker income here in 2021 was around half that number.
WHAT THE F
On July 6, the city gave up hope and verified that a half-cent sales tax measure had failed, nearly a month after residents voted on the issue. No one was exactly surprised that Measure F had failed, given the state of the economy, insane gas prices and the rent being too damn high. (The second-highest in the nation, remember? Like we could forget.) But for weeks after the June 7 balloting, the city held on to hope, kind of like that out-of-touch tech bro you went on one date with in an act of regrettable desperation. To make matters worse, the city’s revenue bid lost by only 50 votes—that’s gotta sting. We promise, Chad, your odds weren’t nearly as good.
AUGUST
BENCHLANDS BLUES
In August, the Santa Cruz City Council approved the closure of the pandemic-spanning local homeless encampment that sounded like it was named after a Bruce Springsteen song. Benchlands, you got a month to leave the park/Benchlands, don’t get caught there after dark/Benchlands…eh, okay, fine, there’s a reason the Boss is writing America’s every person anthems and we’re just out here trying to navigate the people shooting up, lighting things on fire and setting up tents in front of the door to our Benchlands-adjacent office.
I WANNA ROCK YARD
The Quarry at UCSC was an actual limestone quarry in the 1800s, and when UCSC opened in the 1960s, the storied hole in the ground became an arena for discussion, music, getting high and making love. The Quarry reopened in August with performances from the adopted sonic sons of Santa Cruz, Sound Tribe Sector Nine. Throughout the years, the Quarry has hosted Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar and speeches by Scotts Valley resident Alfred Hitchcock. The future looks bright for the Red Rocks of the Redwoods at it prepares for a new season—rumors are swirling that the reboot of The X-Files will have Scully and Mulder visiting the Quarry to see if it’s built on top of a vortex that opens into another dimension. We don’t want to say it’s aliens, but … it’s aliens.
SEPTEMBER
YOU OTTER BEWARE
Santa Cruz is infamous for surly surf lineups, but a September incident at Steamer Lane crossed the line. In a flagrant display of localism, a sea otter stole surfer Nick Ericksen’s board and lunged at him whenever he got close. The otter, suspected to be pregnant, took a few chunks out of the soft-top board. She ignored splashes and attempts to retrieve the board, until another surfer eventually yanked it away. But the aggro otter didn’t give up. After Ericksen got back on his board, she chased him out of the water. A video of the encounter went viral. Around the same time, YouTuber Colby Stevens uploaded a different video of an otter stealing another soft-top board at Steamer Lane. The otter’s motives remain a mystery, but some onlookers swear they heard her squeak, “Beat it, kook!”
THE REEK THAT WAS
When word got out that a corpse flower was on the verge of blooming at the UCSC Arboretum, Empire Grade turned into a parking lot. Cars lined the road as far as the eye could see, and hundreds of people swarmed to sniff the stinky, nearly human-sized tropical flower. After ten years of growing and storing energy, this was the plant’s first bloom. When the flower blossoms, it generates warmth and smells like a decaying carcass in order to attract the flies and beetles that pollinate it. But just as things were heating up, the process reversed. After a few days of nothing, the corpse flower seemed to be an actual corpse, and the arboretum scheduled an autopsy accordingly. And then, suddenly, it was back to life. The plant sprung into action and filled the grounds with the smell of death and irony.
OCTOBER
ATTACK OF THE PEEPING CYCLISTS
On Oct. 8, a Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge ruled that a group of Rio Del Mar property owners could put up temporary fencing to block public access to a 786-foot-long beachside walkway that runs along their properties. The matter has dominated many of the homeowners’ lives for years. They’ve regularly voiced their distress, with one resident saying: “One cannot safely stand, nor sit in [their patio] area, with the presence of cyclists moving through.” The ruling also stated that many people peer into their windows, which is even creepier considering that most speed by on bicycles. Just when it looked like things were looking up (not in) for these beachfront homeowners, however, the California Coastal Commission said that the walkway must remain open under state law, despite the verdict. While the conflict continues, one homeowner stated that most passersby are amicable, and she doesn’t want more barriers to be built. Unconfirmed reports say several of her fellow neighborhood homeowners passed out on the spot.
NOVEMBER
LIBRARY BROOKED
Local NIMBYs’ not-so-great year continued on Nov. 8, when almost 60 percent of voters rejected Measure O’s attempt to scuttle the downtown mixed-use library project. Perhaps Santa Cruzans were not impressed with the pro-O campaign’s fixation on the fact that the new library will include a parking garage; the campaign leaders’ galaxy-brained speculation on whether Santa Cruz will actually even need parking in the future turned out to be a non-starter. Nor did the O campaign’s promise that the project’s 124 units of affordable housing will be replaceable somewhere else resonate with a city staring down a requirement from the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments that it must add 3,735 housing units over the next eight years. Note to future anti-development campaigns: throwing around the scare word “skyscraper” apparently does not work when people know what an actual skyscraper is.
AND PLEASE, NO CONSTRUCTION OF SUPERVILLIAN BASES WITHIN THE PARK
The Bureau of Land Management has done a great job opening the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument in Santa Cruz County this year, but when it came to gathering public comment on a new set of guidelines for the land in November—well, bureaucrats gonna bureaucrat. Locals who wanted to look up the new rules (you know, so they could comment on them) had to scroll through tons of unnecessary verbiage about various related legislation and executive orders throughout American history. This led to a sentence that (ironically?) said, “Executive Order 12866 and Executive Order 13563 require each agency to write regulations that are simple and easy to understand. The BLM invites your comments on how to make this proposed supplementary rule easier to understand.” Hmm, we don’t know, maybe explain what you’re even talking about? When one finally got to the “supplementary rule”—or rather, set of rules—they turned out to be the most boring things ever: you have to pick up your dog poop, you have to stay on the trails, etc. Until the mind-blower that is #19: You can’t land an airplane in Cotoni-Coast Dairies. Geez, that escalated quickly!
DECEMBER
FROM OUR “OH NO, PLEASE NO” DEPARTMENT
As if we didn’t have enough to worry about (have you heard that this is the second-most expensive place to live in the country?), the California Geological Survey updated its tsunami hazard maps this year for the first time since 2009. The bad news is that a tsunami triggered by a distant source (the maps hypothesize a 9.3-magnitude earthquake in the eastern Aleutian Islands) could reach the shores of Monterey Bay within a few hours. The even worse news is that one set in motion by a closer event such as an underwater landslide in the Grand-Canyon-sized undersea chasm known as Monterey Canyon could be here in minutes. A worst-case tsunami could, according to the new maps, hit low-elevation areas around the Boardwalk, the harbor, Capitola Beach, Seacliff Beach, La Selva Beach and Pajaro River Beach. If you’re thinking “I’d prefer to stick with my daily fear of earthquakes, thanks,” don’t worry, we haven’t had a tsunami around these parts since, let’s see … January.
THIS PLACE WILL STEAL YOUR HEART
If there’s one thing you can say about Santa Cruz, it’s that it has heart—and last week, we had one lying around on Ocean Street. According to KRON4, some witnesses at the scene believed the organ might be human; however, a coroner’s van arrived around 10:45am on Dec. 15 to cart it away, along with some other remains, and determined it was not. Time for a welfare check on Bigfoot; anyone seen him lately?
In 2020, when the team at Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes first heard the news about the pandemic and watched as food pantries shuttered their doors across the valley, there was an understanding within the small team: they would remain open.
“We were open that day, and the day after and haven’t closed our doors since,” says Ashley Bridges, director of Loaves and Fishes.
Loaves and Fishes is just one of the food-focused organizations participating in the Santa Cruz Gives fundraiser. The program functions as a food pantry, serving lunch every day of the week, and also offering produce and groceries to people in need. Staffers from nearly all of the organizations that address food insecurity expressed that recent inflation has made providing services more costly, and the need for assistance more pressing.
Because of its location in Watsonville, Loaves and Fishes mainly sees Latinx workers in the agriculture industry coming in for hot meals and fresh produce during the week. The group says 90% of its clients are Latinx, 65% work in agriculture and about 10% of all clients are unsheltered.
Bridges says these populations are still reeling from Covid-induced financial losses and setbacks, and the timing of inflation and skyrocketing gas prices has only compounded these hardships.
During the first months of the pandemic, the pantry saw a historical 20% increase in demand for services. That demand has held steady since 2020, and only recently has slowed to rates closer to pre-pandemic levels. In the past year alone, the program has served 34,000 meals, and the pantry has seen 15,000 visits, with about 9,000 families that use the pantry’s services.
“People generally know that farmworkers have it tough, but they don’t actually know the level of poverty migrant farmworkers are living in,” says Bridges. “It’s not even just people living under the poverty line, too. It’s just tough to live here.”
About 90% of the organization’s budget is made up through donations. Since the pandemic, all lunches have been held outside, but the organization is gearing up to reopen its indoor dining services, which Bridges says is almost as important as the food itself: it gives people a safe place to eat, and fosters community. That’s what the organization plans to fund with the money raised from Santa Cruz Gives.
“We live in a society that isn’t just and equal, and until we get there, there will always be a need for services like Loaves and Fishes,” says Bridges. “When people don’t have anywhere else to turn, they are welcome at Loaves and Fishes.”
Teen Kitchen Project
For people suffering from life-threatening illnesses like cancer, exhaustion can be debilitating. Often, that exhaustion can be felt throughout a whole family.
In 2011, Angela Farley’s son was diagnosed with a rare lung cancer. During his treatment, friends and family brought home-cooked meals to help keep Farley’s family nourished.
Farley witnessed first-hand how much time and energy these meals saved her family; after her son’s treatment was completed, she wanted to return the favor.
That inspired the Teen Kitchen Project, which Farley founded in 2012. Farley wanted to relieve people of one difficult task while also supporting their health, and she knew that cooking nutritious meals could help with both.
The Teen Kitchen Project cooks low-cost, medically tailored meals for the critically and chronically ill. Part of the emphasis is on making nutritious meals for those who might not otherwise have the access to people in the lower poverty levels. Farley says about 70% of the project’s clients are low-income, and according to intake surveys, those are also the people making frequent trips to the emergency room.
“Access to food allows you to be more compliant with your medications,” says Farley. “And all of our meals are diabetes-friendly and heart-healthy. So that means that they’re medically tailored to be responsive to people with specific needs. Having these types of prepared meals allows them to stay on top of their medication, stay hydrated, stay out of the ER and saves them and taxpayers money.”
While the project is centered around helping clients during illnesses, having teens working alongside the project is an essential component. Farley hopes that by educating teens and teaching them how to make healthy meals, they will maintain healthy habits outside of the program. She also sees firsthand how the teen volunteers and employees gain a sense of purpose through the work.
“Before you’re an adult, people don’t trust you with just anything,” says Farley. “But at the project, we give you a knife, something super hot to cook. We’re gonna trust you with that. And they understand that what they’re doing is not just a job—they’re actually helping people.”
Eventually, Farley hopes California will adopt medically tailored meals as part of healthcare plans. Chronic and diet-related illnesses, which include cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes, are among the leading causes of death in the United States, disproportionately affecting BIPOC and low-income communities.
Until then, Farley will continue to stretch the project budget to meet demand. Her team works throughout the holiday weeks, checking in on clients to ensure they have support. The project already holds free cooking classes for clients interested in making nutritious meals at home. The program is just starting to support people even further by shopping for medically tailored groceries for clients.
“People tell us all the time that there’s no way they could have gotten home from the hospital and been able to eat this healthy,” says Farley. “Santa Cruz Gives is a wonderful opportunity for people to share their compassion for others and support free meal delivery for people who don’t have the resources to prepare this type of food for themselves.”
Food Nonprofits Around the County
Here are the other organizations around the county making it their mission to make sure people don’t go hungry and have access to healthy produce and meals.
Farm Discovery at Live Earth is a 150-acre patchwork of working organic farms in the Pajaro Valley. The organization works with low-income youth and families, to educate them on healthy food and sustainable farming. In 2021, the farm distributed 115,000 pounds of produce to low-income families, educated low-income youth on how to grow, cook and eat sustainably raised foods and hosted field trips for local schools. With funds from Santa Cruz Gives, the farm hopes to continue to grow and deliver organic food to those in the community who need it the most.
Eat for the Earth educates children and families on how to eat more plants and fewer animal products. Funds from the Santa Cruz Gives campaign will go towards workshops, in both English and Spanish, that focus on nutrition education, mentorship and will provide resources to those interested in adopting plant-based diets.
The Grower-Shipper Foundation believes that the more educated the community is about local agriculture, the better its decisions about food and food policies will be. In 2023, the organization will focus on educating the community about “gleaning,” a process that collects excess produce left behind in the fields that might otherwise go to waste and delivers that produce to food banks and distributors who serve those in need. In 2023, the organization hopes to host four gleaning events, reach more volunteers and provide the community with 800 cartons of fresh produce.
Most people will recognize Second Harvest Food Bank SCC by its name, because of the incredible work it has done locally to provide food for families since it was established in 1972. Second Harvest has a network of approximately 150 partner agencies and sites, making sure marginalized families have access to nutritious food. The food bank will use donations to continue to provide food for the 65,000 locals each month who depend on it.
Valley Churches United offers a food pantry and so much more for locals, including crisis rent, mortgage, utility and disaster assistance. The organization does not receive any government funding, so fundraising is critical. Currently, Valley Churches United provides 7,000 pounds of food to its clients annually, but it hopes to double that number and reach 15,000 pounds.
Sustainable Systems Research Foundation is a green think tank and project incubator in Santa Cruz. It plans to use funds from the campaign in a unique way: supporting Latinx farmers opening their own farms. According to the foundation, a growing number of Latinx farmworkers are transitioning to farm ownership, and the think tank wants to help. In partnership with other local agriculture organizations, the foundation will hold workshops designed to help increase productivity, conserve soil and water and earn greater profits targeted to new and experienced Latinx farmers.
Visit santacruzgives.org to donate and learn about all 63 participating nonprofits.
When Jonathan Hicken took over as executive director of the UCSC Seymour Marine Discovery Center in August of 2021, he began thinking about new ways to engage visitors. Since 1979, the science center has educated the public about local marine research.
But Hicken envisions more. He wants a gathering place—an idea incubator that connects scientists with activists and inspires community members to take action.
In May, the Seymour Center began working with the award-winning museum design firm Gyroscope to make that vision a reality. Hicken talked to GT about the vision and steps to get there.
What’s next for the Seymour Center?
JONATHAN HICKEN: It’s an already beloved institution, with so much potential to evolve. And that’s in no small part due to these hundreds and hundreds of passionate volunteers who give their time and their souls and their lifeblood to make this place work. It’s really been a community effort for a long time. And it can be so much more.
I think it first starts by acknowledging and recognizing the impacts of climate change on our community.
UCSC is doing some world-class, leading science on climate change, on the ocean, on coastal resilience in general. Meanwhile, the community is doing a lot of boots-on-the-ground work to respond.
But something I’ve heard from people a lot was this idea of, like, “I know people are studying this, and people are working on it. But I don’t really understand how it all fits together. And I don’t really know where to start. Like, yeah, I could buy a metal straw; Or yeah, I could do a beach cleanup. But really, what’s the meat of this? Where are we headed as a community? And how do I plug in?”
So when I started noticing that, I was like, “Okay, here’s an opportunity for Seymour Center to be this hub of connecting people. The people studying it. The people acting on it. How are we connecting all of those ideas and all those people? And most importantly, how are we going to leave every visitor with something concrete and actionable and attainable and meaningful that they can do as their next step to get more involved in the local response to climate change?”
Because Santa Cruz County, we’re not going to solve climate change alone, but we can prepare our community for it, and we can play our little role in the global effort. We can build hope that communities do have some agency over what happens.
I’m seeing this opportunity for us to be this vibrant, inclusive gathering space where people learn about the science behind the coastal environmental issues that are most relevant to this community right here, right now. Connect with fellow nature lovers and science geeks and walk away with that next step for them in their own life.
What will that look like?
[He pulls up a map of the center, sectioned into a few areas.]In this rendering, you’re seeing a maker lab in the foreground, and an action hub in the background. So the maker lab is Exploratorium-esque, hands-on, learn-by-doing, learn-by-building, getting your hands dirty. And then in the back is an innovative new space called an action hub, which is dedicated to that next step.
Maybe you’re taking an action right on the spot by writing a letter or signing something. Or maybe you’re making a pledge. Or maybe you’re meeting a climate hero, so to speak, in our community who’s already done some of the stuff that you can look up to.
The ocean is always going to be central to what we do. And the aquarium’s not going anywhere, so there will always be live animals here. But we are trying to refresh and bring this community new kinds of experiences.
We’re fundraising for that right now. So we’d love to talk to anybody in this community who is interested in making something like this happen.
Once the money is raised, what’s the first concrete step to making this all a reality?
We will re-engage [the] design firm to actually start designing the specifics of these experiences. And once we get to that phase, I’m going to be calling on this community to come share input on what they want to see. This isn’t going to happen in a black box. As soon as we start developing these experiences, we’re going to be seeking the community’s input on the kinds of things they want to see here.
What’s the timeline?
It really depends on how fast we can raise the money. What’s likely is visitors will begin to see some of these experiences show up sooner rather than later. And this will probably be a stepwise sort of development—so little changes that over time will add up to a fully transformed experience.
But hey, if there’s a philanthropic angel out there that wants to come in and fully fund this whole thing, we could get this built a lot more quickly.
What’s next for the center in the new year?
When the maze comes down, we’re going to be introducing a whole new experience all about animal tracking and animal movement and the science behind understanding that, and the kinds of conservation actions we can take when we understand animal movement.
It’s going to be really hands-on. We’re going to have opportunities for people to build things and learn by doing, and we’re also going to have an opportunity for people to take an action right here in the building to support … well, I don’t want to spoil it. There’ll be an action that they can take to support conservation right here in the building.
The Seymour Marine Discovery Center’s current exhibit “Water’s Extreme Journey” is open through Dec 31. 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz. seymourcenter.ucsc.edu.
A 23-year-old man was arrested late Saturday night after he led police from multiple agencies on a bizarre low-speed chase around Watsonville and Pajaro.
The string of events started around 7:35pm when Watsonville Police got a call regarding a possible carjacking at gunpoint in the McDonald’s parking lot in the Overlook Center on Main Street. A short while later, police spotted the Honda Accord being driven by a man up and down Main Street, back to the Target store parking lot where he led police on a slow-speed chase around the lot before fleeing along Main Street, according to Sgt. Donny Thul.
For a short while, police lost track of the suspect, later identified as Enrique Enriquez, 23, of Royal Oaks, but he resurfaced and another slow speed chase ensued. Eventually, police found the Honda abandoned with the engine running next to Little Cesar’s Pizza on Freedom Boulevard around 8:50pm.
That’s when someone alerted police that their Toyota Highlander had just been carjacked, Thul said. Dispatchers at the 911 center issued a countywide alert for the beige SUV.
Moments later, Watsonville Police got behind the suspect vehicle in pursuit. The chase criss-crossed the city map, including Clifford Avenue, Pennsylvania Drive, Green Valley Road and on Main Street, over the county line and into Pajaro, mostly maintaining speeds between 20 and 40 mph.
Enriquez made a U-turn on Salinas Road in Pajaro, drove back into Watsonville and made his way up to Pennsylvania and Main, with numerous patrol cars in pursuit, where he caused a major traffic crash involving at least three vehicles. Watsonville Fire officials reported they were dealing with three injuries.
But that didn’t stop him. Enriquez drove west on Green Valley Road, south on Main Street, right on Ohlone Parkway, onto Walker and then Rodriguez Street.
Just before 10pm, the Highlander—with the California Highway Patrol joining Watsonville Police in the chase—crossed over the Pajaro River into Pajaro again, where Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies were waiting. They conducted a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver, tapping the rear section of the Highlander with their patrol car and causing the SUV to spin around and stop. That’s when police moved in at gunpoint in a high-risk car stop and took Enriquez into custody as dozens of onlookers crowded the roadway for a view of the drama.
Enriquez was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail without bail on multiple charges, including carjacking, felony hit and run, felony evading police, concealing a handgun and other charges.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Eric G. Wilson has written a book that I might typically recommend to 40 percent of the Aries tribe. But in 2023, I will raise that to 80 percent of you. The title is How to Be Weird: An Off-Kilter Guide to Living a One-of-a-Kind Life. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, it will make sense for you to stop making sense on a semi-regular basis. Cheerfully rebelling against the status quo should be one of your most rewarding hobbies. The best way to educate and entertain yourself will be to ask yourself, “What is the most original and imaginative thing I can do right now?”
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): One of your potential superpowers is cultivating links between the spiritual and physical worlds. If you develop this talent, you illuminate the ways that eternity permeates the everyday routine. You weave together the sacred and the mundane so they synergize each other. You understand how practical matters may be infused with archetypal energies and epic themes. I hope you will be doing a lot of this playful work in 2023, Taurus. Many of us non-Bulls would love you to teach us more about these mysteries.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Here are fun and useful projects for you to cultivate in 2023: 1. Initiate interesting trends. Don’t follow mediocre trends. 2. Exert buoyant leadership in the groups you are part of. 3. Practice the art of enhancing your concentration by relaxing. 4. Every Sunday at noon, renew your vow to not deceive or lie to yourself during the coming week. 5. Make it your goal to be a fabulous communicator, not just an average one. 6. Cultivate your ability to discern what people are hiding or pretending about.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In 2023, I hope you will refine and deepen your relationship with your gut instinct. I will be ecstatic if you learn more about the differences between your lucid intuition and the worry mongering that your pesky demons rustle up. If you attend to these matters—and life will conspire to help you if you do—your rhythm will become dramatically more secure and stable. Your guidance system will serve you better than it ever has. A caveat: Seeking perfection in honing these skills is not necessary. Just do the best you can.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Psychiatrist and author Irvin Yalom wrote, “The question of meaning in life is, as the Buddha thought, not edifying. One must immerse oneself into the river of life and let the question drift away.” But Holocaust survivor and philosopher Viktor Frankl had a radically different view. He said that a sense of meaning is the single most important thing. That’s what sustains and nourishes us through the years: the feeling that our life has a meaning and that any particular experience has a meaning. I share Frankl’s perspective, and I advise you to adopt his approach throughout 2023. You will have unprecedented opportunities to see and know the overarching plan of your destiny, which has been only partially visible to you in the past. You will be regularly blessed with insights about your purpose here on earth.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): As a young woman, Virgo-born Ingeborg Rapoport (1912–2017) studied medicine at the University of Hamburg in Germany. But in 1938, the Nazis refused to let her defend her PhD thesis and get her medical degree because of her Jewish ancestry. Seventy-seven years later, she was finally given a chance to finish what she had started. Success! The dean of the school said, “She was absolutely brilliant. Her specific knowledge about the latest developments in medicine was unbelievable.” I expect comparable developments for you in 2023, Virgo. You will receive defining opportunities or invitations that have not been possible before. Postponed breakthroughs and resolutions will become achievable.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Of the 2,200+ humans quoted in a 21st-century edition of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, 164 are women—a mere seven percent! At least that’s more than the four females represented in 1855’s first edition. Let’s take this atrocious injustice as our provocation for your horoscope. In accordance with astrological omens, one of your assignments in 2023 will be to make personal efforts to equalize power among the genders. Your well-being will thrive as you work to create a misogyny-free future. Here are possible actions: If you’re a woman or nonbinary person, be extra bold and brave as you say what you genuinely think and feel and mean. If you’re a man, foster your skills at listening to women and nonbinary people. Give them abundant space and welcome to speak their truths. It will be in your ultimate interest to do so!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): To prepare you for 2023, I’m offering you wisdom from mythologist Michael Meade. Of all the signs in the zodiac, you Scorpios will be most likely to extract riches from it. Meade writes: “Becoming a genuine individual requires learning the oppositions within oneself. Those who fail or refuse to face the oppositions within have no choice but to find enemies to project upon. ‘Enemy’ simply means ‘not-friend’; unless a person deals with the not-friend within, they require enemies around them.”
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “I will always be as difficult as necessary to achieve the best,” declared Sagittarian opera singer Maria Callas (1923–1977). Many critics say she was indeed one of the 20th century’s best. The consensus is that she was also a temperamental prima donna. Impresario Rudolf Bing said she was a trial to work with “because she was so much more intelligent. Other artists, you could get around. But Callas you could not get around. She knew exactly what she wanted and why she wanted it.” In accordance with astrological omens, Sagittarius, I authorize you, in your quest for success in 2023, to be as “difficult” as Callas was, in the sense of knowing exactly what you want. But please—so as to not undermine your success—don’t lapse into diva-like behavior.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): To inspire your self-inquiry in 2023, I have chosen a passage from Herman Hesse’s fairy tale, “A Dream Sequence.” It will provide guidance as you dive further than ever before into the precious mysteries in your inner depths. Hesse addressed his “good ardent darkness, the warm cradle of the soul and lost homeland.” He asked them to open up for him. He wanted them to be fully available to his conscious mind. Hesse said this to his soul: “Just feel your way, soul, just wander about, burrow into the full bath of innocent twilight drives!”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Cardiovascular surgeon Michael DeBakey lived till age 99. He almost died at 97, but was able to capitalize on an invention that he himself had created years before: a polymer resin that could repair or replace aging blood vessels. Surgeons used his technology to return him to health. I am predicting that in 2023, you, too, will derive a number of benefits from your actions in the past. Things you made, projects you nurtured and ideas you initiated will prove valuable to you as you encounter the challenges and opportunities of the future.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I decided to divine the state of your financial karma. To begin, I swirled a $10 bill through the flame rising from a green candle. Then I sought cosmic auguries in the burn patterns on the bill. The oracle provided bad news and good news. The bad news is that you live on a planet where one-fifth of the population owns much more than four-fifths of the wealth. The good news is that in 2023, you will be in decent shape to move closer to the elite one-fifth. Amazingly, the oracle also suggests that your ability to get richer quicker will increase in direct proportion to your integrity and generosity.
Homework: What circumstance in your life is most worthy of you unleashing a big “Hooray!”? Testify! newsletter.freewillastrology.com.
For the past 35 years, I’ve eaten every meal with a pen in my hand—and more recently, a cell phone—all for a weekly food column. Some weeks I’ve got lots of material; a new restaurant, an exciting dish, a wine tasting, the latest farmers market harvest. Other weeks I’ve got nothing! But I still have a column to write. The stress! The panic! The last-minute anxiety! You get the idea. Some weeks I’m inspired, and the words roll off my fingertips, into my keyboard and onto the page or screen. Other weeks, not so much. You have no idea how often I’ve had to wrack my brain about a new favorite food, or some must-have pantry item. Or what I bought the week before and loved from Shoppers. I have had to spin straw into gold more times than Elon Musk has changed his mind. But no more!
Here’s the deal: as of Jan. 1, I’m stepping away from writing a weekly column about food, wine and restaurants. Oh, I’ll still do restaurant reviews. Once a month—at least. But not the relentless weekly pace of foraging for food-column material.
This is a good thing. The change will let me increase my arts criticism and theater reviewing. Plays, performances, music festivals, playwright interviews, book reviews, poetry reviews and probably more. I can now expand my arts writing free from the insistent pace of the weekly column.
Right about now, I bet you’re wondering: just how did Christina get into the food-writing racket anyway? It’s not like there’s a degree or an app for that.
Here I was in Santa Cruz, fresh from grad school and San Francisco, and I found myself hanging out with some loose cannons in alternative journalism; i.e., folks who enjoyed being smartasses in print and barely getting paid for it. Over a glass of wine, the discussion turned to restaurants. “Who wants to try to review this new place?” an editor asked. My hand went up. Why not? I’d grown up in France and Germany, spent time in Manhattan and Washington DC as an undergraduate. I knew a caper from a wild weekend. Why not give it a try?
My initial results were decent enough that I got the gig at a series of alternative weeklies leading to the Metro-owned newspapers I’ve been involved with for three decades. And was nominated for three James Beard Journalism Awards in the process.
Before the past two recessions, before the pandemic, even before the Big Earthquake, Santa Cruz was a hotbed of culinary adventure. More specifically (and for readers too young to remember the Time Before the Internet), the ’80s were a time of dining as entertainment. Everyone went out to eat all the time. Food wasn’t viciously expensive, it was inventive. The wineries that have now become global players were just starting out. Premium Santa Cruz Mountain wines and our innovative bistros grew up together. Food entrepreneurs grew on trees.
A chef named Ray Pinochi gave nouvelle cuisine a good name. El Palomar brought authentic regional Mexican cuisine into the heart of downtown Santa Cruz. L’Oustalou crafted countryside French dishes. The Salmon Poacher and Theo’s offered upmarket California-French menus that rivaled anything in San Francisco. Suzanne’s by the Sea made alfalfa sprouts a go-to topping on sophisticated salads, just as the Whole Earth Cafe made sunflower seeds de rigueur on every damn dish. Seychelles was a revelation of Middle Eastern-inspired flavors, and the then-new O’mei fused Asian authenticity with California ingredients, with a local wine list to boot. Gabriella Cafe had a young turk named Jim Denevan sourcing directly from local markets and suddenly Alice Waters’ farm to table concept was everywhere.
It was the Golden Age of the original India Joze, a restaurant so ungodly great that patrons and reviewers alike came from all over the country to bask in whatever Joe Schultz wanted to whip up, especially during the outrageous Calamari Festival.
You’re probably getting the picture as to just how spoiled we were in this small seaside town. UCSC’s well-traveled academics wanted challenging menus, and they got ’em. Pearl Alley Bistro, Chez Renee, Oswald, Malabar, Cafe Sparrow, Chef Tong’s, China Szechuan. Before there was Soif and La Posta, there was Deer Park Tavern, the Santa Cruz Hotel and Castagnolas—where delicious, if not exactly authentic Italianate cuisine ruled. Sushi in every pot, thanks to Suki and MoBo. On the Westside, there was Avanti and Sukeroku, two restaurants that fed many of us on a weekly basis before Bantam, Vim and Sushi Totoro sprung up.
The glories of Gayle’s and Kelly’s made sure Santa Cruzans had breads and pastries to rival those of Paris. Then the coffeehouse boom erupted—grateful thanks to the discerning nerds of Verve and Lulu’s and Iveta.
Each of these new ventures called out to be explored, and written about. There was, incredibly enough, more than enough here to fill my weekly columns. Every week. Every year. And every time I had saved the money, I’d get on a plane and dine in NYC, or Paris or Florence and refresh my tastebuds. Expand my dining consciousness. What always kept it fresh was that no matter what Michelin-starred place I visited, when I got back home I found that Santa Cruz entrepreneurs maintained high standards. It was enough to always keep me interested in what I would find next. Thanks to the gastro-explorers who rode point—Lou Caviglia, Patrice Boyle, Sean Venus, Randall Grahm, Santos Majano, Manthri Sinath, Gayle Ortiz, Fran Grayson, John Locke, Todd Parker, Charlie Deal, Erin Lampel, David Kinch, Jozseph Schultz, Germaine Akin and so many others—it’s been incredible and delicious fun (as well as all that stuff I said about being stressful).
Next week, I’ll give you my top meals of 2022, and then begin a New Year of monthly restaurant reviews, arts criticism, and theater reviews that don’t give away the plot.
Thanks to all for joining me on these weekly food escapades. Salut!
Le Cigare Volant needs no introduction, especially if you live around these parts. Wine wizard Randall Grahm started the “Flying Cigar” label after reading that the village council of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was “perturbed” that flying saucers—or “flying cigars”—might do damage to their vineyards “were they to land therein.”
The label art on the bottle of 2021 Central Coast Le Cigare Volant “Red Wine of the Earth” is original art from an 1855 edition of “Bordeaux et Ses Châteaux” spaceship courtesy of Jules Vern, circa 1870. Everything has deep meaning and relevance for Grahm.
A rich blend of 65% Grenache, 18% Syrah, 15% Cinsaut and 2% Petite Sirah, this very drinkable red vino is a mere $17.99 and comes with an easy-off screw cap. “The spicy, licorice component from the Syrah is a perfect foil to the Griotte cherry derived from the Cinsaut,” Grahm says. “It’s juicy elderberry, exuberance and joy.” ’Tis no wonder Wine Enthusiast awarded it 92 points.
A new tasting space in Aptos called Doon to Earth is opening in Ser Winery’s tasting room. Ser Winery founder and winemaker Nicole Walsh has worked with Grahm for over 20 years, so it makes sense that Ser and Bonny Doon would band together.
“We’ve always had such a great time at our tasting rooms in all their sundry incarnations,” says Grahm. “I’m certain Doon to Earth will be every bit as intellectually stimulating and warmly welcoming as the former ones have been.”
Oat milk is an excellent alternative to cow’s milk. Upright Oats makes regular and instant oat milk in powder form; you just add water. Both oat milk and instant oat milk come in chocolate, vanilla and unsweetened original flavors. Visit uprightoats.com for more info.
Ali Amin grew up learning the food industry from his father, an Afghanistan immigrant, and working in his businesses—he helped his dad open Laili in downtown Santa Cruz 12 years ago. They jumped at the opportunity to create an exciting concept and move into fine dining. Now co-owner and general manager, Amin says the cuisine is Mediterranean-Middle Eastern fusion with a foundation of Afghan influences and flavors. The Kadoo Borane—braised butternut squash with housemade lemon garlic yogurt and naan—is a signature Afghan appetizer. Entrée highlights include apricot chicken flatbread with dates, parmesan, mint and pomegranate and the filet mignon kabob with garlic-lime sauce and traditional Kabuli rice. The can’t-miss dessert is the flourless chocolate torte, accompanied by sabayon cream and raspberry puree. The ambiance is warm and inviting, accentuated by high ceilings and earth-tone colors—the crown jewel is the outdoor patio. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 4-8pm (8:30pm Fridays and Saturdays). GT asked Amin about their stellar outdoor space and his approach to hospitality.
What makes your garden patio unique?
ALI AMIN: It is one thing that makes our restaurant so special. There have been a lot of special moments and occasions out there, like weddings and other events. It’s a magical and unique space; when people go out there, it’s like they are transported to a different place. We have heaters and lights strung all around, and the walls are covered in vines and other assorted greenery. It’s really an experience to dine out there.
Why is service important to you?
Afghanistan is known for their hospitality. It is one of the culture’s core values. I experienced it first-hand when I went there, the incredible warmth and generosity, even in the midst of such chaotic and harsh times. We are doing our best to bring that hospitality here to Laili, and let people experience that sense of connection and have that feeling of being taken care of. We are here to make an impact on the community through this hospitality. It’s what drives us every day to do what we do.
It’s been a long and grueling journey for Roland Konickie. For over a decade ago, he’s been pedaling his take-and-bake pizza at local farmers markets. Then, Konickie got his pizza into some of the local Whole Foods and other natural food stores. He even had a mobile business that involved hauling his wood-fired stove all over for catering gigs.
Finally, Konickie has found a permanent home for his pizza joint, Uncie Ro’s, at the East Lake Village Shopping Center, sandwiched between the Villager and Carmona’s BBQ and Catering.
“We’re just happy to be able to open our doors to Watsonville,” Konicke says. “We’re a family-oriented business. It’s been a long journey.”
The Uncie Ro’s menu features eight pizzas, calzones, small plates (including homemade meatballs), salads and beer and wine.
Property manager Clark Codiga expresses excitement about his new tenant.
“Roland has the experience and knows what he’s doing,” he says. “He could do a lot of volume. We gave this place a new modern look but kept its charm.”
Indeed, the facility has served as a Round Table Pizza and, lastly, Chili’s Pizza that stretches back 40 years, Codiga says.
Konicke, a single dad with two kids who lives in Davenport, says that his love of cooking largely stems from his mother’s Italian side of the family.
“I come from New York, where pizza is a big part of life,” he says. “We emphasize local sources of organic produce—our sausage, meatballs and sauce are homemade. We’ll also feature daily special menus with things like kid’s cheese pizzas.”
Konicke added that he features local artists on the walls. Currently, eight paintings by Noah Gould are being showcased.
“Clark worked really hard to make this happen,” Konickie says. “I’m excited to get this going.”
Codiga says he aims to make the center a community hub alongside popular spots like Carmona’s, Sushi Q, Coffeeville and Fruition Brewery. Uncie Ro’s has indoor and outdoor dining options; it’s open Thursday-Sunday, 11:30am-8pm.
From the stinky to the sweet, the annoying to the just plain weird, here’s a look back at the offbeat news that wafted into our noses and brains in 2022
