โ€˜Over the River and Through the Woodsโ€™ is a Welcome Treat

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Nick has spent every Sunday having dinner with his loving, infuriating grandparents in their Hoboken, New Jersey home. Every Sunday! But this Sunday, in the late 1980s, he has to tell them that he’s been offered an exciting career advancement โ€ฆ  in Seattle.

When the beloved, if predictable, grandparents hear this shocking news, they begin hatching plots to keep him here at home. Tengo famiglia! The new Jewel Theatre production swiftly moves from funny to hilarious as the four elders argue about strategies to keep their grandson where he belongsโ€”with them. 

The charm of an adept ensemble cast makes Over the River and Through the Woods a welcome treat. It felt so good to laugh at grandparent jokes, moving to Florida jokes, why don’t you find a nice girl and get married jokes. 

This cast milks each laugh for all its worth, and in the process lays out a slice of American life that’s slipping away fast; living close enough to our extended families to gather with them often, each meal blessing the ties that bind. Nick (an energetic Wallace Bruce) knows what he’s in for as he arrives at the home of his Nona, Aida (a flawless  Anne Buelteman) and Frank (Rolf Saxon savoring a choice role). 

Nick will be plied with food from the minute he arrives to the very last second of his stay. As a woman who has been winning the hearts of her family for decades with her abundant home cooked meals, Buelteman’s Aida is a picture-perfect Italian-American grandmother. Fussing, loving, cooking. Her husband, Frank, is experiencing those much-feared symptoms of geriatric driving. As they banter (yell), the other set of grandparents arrive. Emma (a scene-stealing Monica Cappuccini) and Nunzio (Marcus Cato, who has been specializing in feisty old men for four decades), are ready to eat and all are delighted to see Nick. 

Poor Nick can barely get a word in edgewise. Attempting to get their attention to make his big announcement, his every word reminds each one of them of another story, or bit of gossip or pet peeve. Classic sit-com is alive and well on the Colligan Theater stage when these five wrestle with maintaining the status quo in the face of a potential huge change. โ€œIt’s just some job,โ€ growls the wonderful Saxon. โ€œThis is family!โ€

That struggle, between a young man needing to leave and make his own way, and the huge tidal pull of the family who has watched him grow up, is at the heart of this comedy. Think of George Costanza’s parents in Seinfeld. Just as loud, just as combative, but with more obvious love.

How much do we owe to those who care for us? How do we balance the need to leave home, and the comfort of staying? Do we ever balance those forces? Each character takes a turn pleading their case, and in the process playwright DiPietro, writing from the heart, reminds us how the values of youthโ€”for career, adventure, romanceโ€”inevitably transform into the simpler, deeper values of old age. And here poignancy can veer into sentimentality. But not too often.

Change and duration. The new, the old. Newcomers, family. These are old adversaries and the fun of Over the River and Through the Woods is to watch skillful actors shake these family trees into an uproarious harvest of one-liners.

Watching this cast work its way through a single frenetic round of Trivial Pursuit is worth the price of admission. A delightful finish to a memorable season, this production will remind you how good it feels to laugh out loud. Kudos to director Shaun Carroll!

_____________________________________


Over the River and Through the Woods, by Joe DiPietro, directed by Shaun Carroll, Jewel Theatre Company productionโ€”The Colligan Theater, through June 18, 2023.

Adding Up: Ivรฉta Downtown Gives an Up-and-coming Part of Town a Magnetic Bistro

Just like your favorite barkeep can be so many thingsโ€”a psychologist, an entertainer, a confidant, a creative, a security guardโ€”a great cafe can contain multitudes.

It can be a non-negotiable caffeine pitstop, a study spot, a social center, a snack factory, a proverbial โ€œthird placeโ€ thatโ€™s actually 10 places in one.

Westside Santa Cruzโ€™s Cafe Iveta checks those boxes, and a few more. Yes, the family-owned and Italy-inspired cafe does an honest cup of Lavazza coffee at the beautiful marble bar, but also A+ apricot scones, fried egg-chili chive biscuits, homemade soups, crisp salads, gourmet sandwiches and curated wines from California and Italy.

Thatโ€™s why it was welcome news for UC Santa Cruz when Ivรฉta won the contract to run the Campus Cafe in the Graduate Student Commons, providing coffee, burgers, poke bowls, boba, fresh-cut fries and more.

That also boded well for the third member of the budding dynasty, Ivรฉta Bistro and Wine Bar, which is celebrating a year in business on Pacific Avenue between downtown and the beach.

I stopped by to check it out, and came away jealous of anyone who lives in the 100 new apartment units above it. Iโ€™d give you my car to have an airy, sleek, unpretentious and well-executed bistro share my building.

The food and drink menus are wisely curated, prices are reasonable (starters, pastas and flatbreads are in the $10-$20 range) and everything I tried gave the impression itโ€™s tough to go wrong. 

Spinach-and-cheese-stuffed arancini arborio rice balls, fresh crab cakes (RIP Dungeness season), Brussels sprouts with bacon, toasted almonds and apples, tortellini alla panna (beef tortellini in a nice cream sauce) with fresh peas, pesto, butter and prosciutto cotto all were vibrant and comforting at the same time, balanced by Italian wines.

Lisa Bilanko co-owns the bistro with her parents and runs it along with the Westside cafรฉ and flourishing catering branch. 

โ€œI was born into it!โ€ she says. โ€œI just like hospitality. It comes naturally. I like serving people and being creative with food and entertainment, having an idea and seeing if it sells.โ€ 

Ivรฉta Downtown would be a dynamite addition anywhere in the area, but it feels that much more helpful to have the family-run spot infill a stretch of Pacific thatโ€™s been underutilized. 

Located at 545 Pacific Ave., it serves 4:30-9:30pm nightly with brunch on the weekends (9:30am-2:30pm); more at iveta.com. And buon appetito.

FRESH DEVELOPMENT

Much-awaitedโ€”and much-neededโ€”Aptos Foods is now open in the former Aptos Natural Foods. The same team behind Seascape Foods Market and Deli (Julie Kellman and Dan Hunt, who have been in the game for 18 years) has the place decorated with eye-catching murals by Mckella Suter and aisles stuffed with local organic produce, regional wines, bulk bins, house-prepared sandwiches and salads and specialty items like curated kitchenware and placemats. โ€œWe just love food, quality, health, local producers, local vendors and the community aspect,โ€ Kellman says. โ€œItโ€™s such a necessity to have small, local stores. Thatโ€™s where our passion is.โ€

8am-8pm daily. More at (831) 612-6748.

ZA ZA ZOOM

The Pizza Series in Scotts Valley has officially started serving its signature square Detroit-style pies and New York versions for indoor dining as of last week. Pizza World Cup-winning spinner Matt Driscoll and his partner Maddy Quesadaโ€™s operation occupies the former Tony & Alba’s location in the Winchester Shopping Center. Good people doing great food.

thepizzaseries.com 

HIGH SPIRITS

Santa Cruz Spiritsโ€™ flagship vodka recently claimed a โ€œdouble goldโ€ in the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, meaning the entire panel of judges loved its flow. Find it at 20 local venues listed on its website, including El Palomar, Hideout and Pleasure Point Liquors.

santacruzspiritsco.com

Silver Mountain Vineyards: A Magical Pinot

Jerold Oโ€™Brien, owner/winemaker at Silver Mountain Vineyards, has a magic touch when it comes to making wine. When I visit his tasting rooms, I am always impressed by the depth and quality of every wine he produces, especially his splendid pinot noirs. 

The 2013 Tondrรฉ Grapefield Pinot ($34) is a good example of what pinot offersโ€”characteristic earthiness and an abundance of red fruit. Aromas of mushrooms, smoke and leather, along with full-thrust flavors of game, spice, caramel and vanilla, round out this very drinkable red wine. Pair it with your Fourth of July burgers, or whatever else youโ€™re cooking up. This is a canโ€™t-go-wrong bottle of vino.

Silver Mountain has two tasting roomsโ€”one in the Swift Street Courtyard complex, and the other at the winery where Oโ€™Brien grows acres of grapes, many of them organic. 

Silver Mountain Vineyards, 328D Ingalls St., Santa Cruz; and 269 Silver Mountain Drive (the winery sits off Old San Jose Road), Los Gatos, 408-353-2278.

Check their website for opening times: silvermtn.com

Midsummer Nightโ€™s Dinner at Silver Mountain

A superb evening of food and wine will be held at the stunning property of Silver Mountain in Los Gatos. The event features a reception and winemaker dinner with Chef Ross Hanson of Oak & Ryeโ€”with wines by Silver Mountain; Aptos Vineyard; Cooper-Garrod Vineyards; House Family Vineyards; Left Bend Winery; Muns Vineyard; and Villa del Monte Winery. 

Take in the breathtaking views as you taste the wines and participate in a silent auction. For more info and tickets visit Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains (WSCM) at scmwa.com. WSCM members get a 15% discount for up to two tickets.

The event is 5pm on Friday, July 14. Tickets are $175, inclusive of food, wine and gratuities.

Nothing Bundt Cakes: Homer, no Bunt

Jeff Josephโ€™s path to opening Nothing Bundt Cakes in Capitola has been a circuitous one. Born on the East Coast and raised in the Bay Area, he moved to Washington D.C. to get his MBA and then to Manhattan to do internet consulting. 

Although he had no experience in the restaurant industry or food service, six years ago he and his wife felt like there was a niche and opportunity for a successful specialty cake shop in Santa Cruz. So, they opened Nothing Bundt Cakes, a take-out only retail bakery. Open every day from 10am-6pm (12-5pm on Sunday), they sell only bundt cakesโ€”in multiple regular sizes, a tiered option, individually sized โ€œbundt-letsโ€ and bite-size by-the-dozen โ€œbundtinis.โ€ 

Known for their hand-crafted themed decorations for special events like birthdays and graduations, they have nine year-round flavors and one flavor of the month. Favorites include red velvet, chocolate chocolate chip, lemon and confetti, and they also have gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. 

What was it like starting your shop?

JEFF JOSEPH: When we first opened years ago, people would ask โ€œHow are you going to succeed selling bundt cakes?โ€ My answer was, โ€œHave you tasted one yet?โ€ And now that weโ€™ve been open for almost six years, we have a really strong following and many repeat customers. We actually have people come from all over the Central Coast.

How do your children feel about the family business?

When they were younger, they didnโ€™t love all the attention that came along with owning this store. But now itโ€™s the opposite, they think itโ€™s cool because we are so well known and sometimes their friends even ask for a job here. Now, owning the store has some cache, which they didnโ€™t appreciate when they were younger. My kids not only have our cakes for their own birthdays, but are often asked to bring them to any celebration they attend, which they proudly and happily do.

3555 Clares Street Suite YY, Capitola, 831-476-8773; nothingbundtcakes.com

Free Will Astrology for the Week of June 7

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): โ€‹โ€‹โ€œEverything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves,โ€ said psychologist Carl Jung. What was he implying? That we may sometimes engage in the same behavior that bothers us about others? And we should examine whether we are similarly annoying? Thatโ€™s one possible explanation, and I encourage you to meditate on it. Hereโ€™s a second theory: When people irritate us, it may signify that we are at risk of being hurt or violated by themโ€”and we should take measures to protect ourselves. Maybe there are other theories you could come up with, as well, Aries. Now here’s your assignment: Identify two people who irritate you. What lessons or blessings could you garner from your relationships with them?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1886, a wealthy woman named Sarah Winchester moved into a two-story, eight-room farmhouse in San Jose, California. She was an amateur architect. During the next 20 years, she oversaw continuous reconstruction of her property, adding new elements and revising existing structures. At one point, the house had 500 rooms. Her workers built and then tore down a seven-story tower on 16 occasions. When she died at age 83, her beloved domicile had 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 stairways and six kitchens. While Sarah Winchester was extreme in her devotion to endless transformation, I do recommend a more measured version of her strategy for youโ€”especially in the coming months. Continual creative growth and rearrangement will be healthy and fun!

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): โ€œAll the things I wanted to do and didnโ€™t do took so long. It was years of not doing.โ€ So writes Gemini poet Lee Upton in her book Undid in the Land of Undone. Most of us could make a similar statement. But I have good news for you, Gemini. I suspect that during the rest of 2023, you will find the willpower and the means to finally accomplish intentions that have been long postponed or unfeasible. I’m excited for you! To prepare the way, decide which two undone things you would most love to dive into and complete.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Denis Johnson had a rough life in his twenties. He was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Years later, he wrote a poem expressing gratitude to the people who didn’t abandon him. โ€œYou saw me when I was invisible,โ€ he wrote, โ€œyou spoke to me when I was deaf, you thanked me when I was a secret.โ€ Now would be an excellent time for you to deliver similar appreciation to those who have steadfastly beheld and supported your beauty when you were going through hard times.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Donโ€™t make a wish upon a star. Instead, make a wish upon a scar. By that I mean, visualize in vivid detail how you might summon dormant reserves of ingenuity to heal one of your wounds. Come up with a brilliant plan to at least partially heal the wound. And then use that same creative energy to launch a new dream or relaunch a stalled old dream. In other words, Leo, figure out how to turn a liability into an asset. Capitalize on a loss to engender a gain. Convert sadness into power and disappointment into joy.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): At age nine, I was distraught when my parents told me we were moving away from the small town in Michigan where I had grown up. I felt devastated to lose the wonderful friends I had made and leave the land I loved. But in retrospect, I am glad I got uprooted. It was the beginning of a new destiny that taught me how to thrive on change. It was my introduction to the pleasures of knowing a wide variety of people from many different backgrounds. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because I think the next 12 months will be full of comparable opportunities for you. You don’t have to relocate to take advantage, of course. There are numerous ways to expand and diversify your world. Your homework right now is to identify three.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Most of us continuously absorb information that is of little or questionable value. We are awash in an endless tsunami of trivia and babble. But in accordance with current astrological omens, I invite you to remove yourself from this blather as much as possible during the next three weeks. Focus on exposing yourself to fine thinkers, deep feelers and exquisite art and music. Nurture yourself with the wit and wisdom of compassionate geniuses and brilliant servants of the greater good. Treat yourself to a break from the blah-blah-blah and immerse yourself in the smartest joie de vivre you can find.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Over 25 countries have created coats of arms that feature an eagle. Why is that? Maybe itโ€™s because the Roman Empire, the foundation of so much culture in the Western world, regarded the eagle as the ruler of the skies. Itโ€™s a symbol of courage, strength and alertness. When associated with people, it also denotes high spirits, ingenuity and sharp wits. In astrology, the eagle is the emblem of the ripe Scorpio: someone who bravely transmutes suffering and strives to develop a sublimely soulful perspective. With these thoughts in mind, and in accordance with current astrological omens, I invite you Scorpios to draw extra intense influence from your eagle-like aspects in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): โ€œWhen I paint, my goal is to show what I found, not what I was looking for.โ€ So said artist Pablo Picasso. I recommend you adopt some version of that as your motto in the coming weeks. Yours could be, โ€œWhen I make love, my goal is to rejoice in what I find, not what I am looking for.โ€ Or perhaps, โ€œWhen I do the work I care about, my goal is to celebrate what I find, not what I am looking for.โ€ Or maybe, โ€œWhen I decide to transform myself, my goal is to be alert for what I find, not what I am looking for.โ€

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Vincent van Gogh painted Wheatfield with a Reaper, showing a man harvesting lush yellow grain under a glowing sun. Van Gogh said the figure was โ€œfighting like the devil in the midst of the heat to get to the end of his task.โ€ And yet, this was also true: โ€œThe sun was flooding everything with a light of pure gold.โ€ I see your life in the coming weeks as resonating with this scene, Capricorn. Though you may grapple with challenging tasks, you will be surrounded by beauty and vitality.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I suspect that your homing signals will be extra strong and clear during the next 12 months. Everywhere you go, in everything you do, you will receive clues about where you truly belong and how to fully inhabit the situations where you truly belong. From all directions, life will offer you revelations about how to love yourself for who you are and be at peace with your destiny. Start tuning in immediately, dear Aquarius. The hints are already trickling in.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The renowned Mexican painter Diego Rivera (1886โ€“1957) told this story about himself: When he was born, he was so frail and ill that the midwife gave up on him, casting him into a bucket of dung. Rivera’s grandmother would not accept the situation so easily, however. She caught and killed some pigeons and wrapped her newborn grandson in the birds’ guts. The seemingly crazy fix worked. Rivera survived and lived for many decades, creating an epic body of artistic work. I bring this wild tale to your attention, Pisces, with the hope that it will inspire you to keep going and be persistent in the face of a problematic beginning or challenging birth pang. Don’t give up!

Homework: What broken thing could you repair so itโ€™s even better than it was before it broke?

Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

Loud And Proud

The 48th annual Santa Cruz Pride parade brought thousands of revelers to the streets of downtown Santa Cruz on Sunday. People from all across the community joined in the festivities to celebrate this yearโ€™s theme, Waves of Pride. 

The parade is the cornerstone of Pride weekend in Santa Cruz, which included a โ€œDressed in Dragโ€ youth event, Pride volleyball on Main Beach and a drag and dance party at Abbott Square. 

According to its official website, Santa Cruz Pride aims to make Santa Cruz County the most welcoming and inclusive county in the world. The massive turnout and raucous atmosphere reflected the spirit that Pride is all about.

Families of all types dressed in their rainbow best and even some pets joined in,  sporting snazzy Pride bandanas.  

Hundreds of people participated in the downtown march, most of them in bright colors. PHOTO: Todd Guild

Roaring motorcycles led the way as hundreds of parade participants made their way up Pacific Ave. along the route between Cathcart St. and Locust St. The colorful flags of the LGBTQ+ community flew as local businesses and organizations showed support for the joyous event.

Cheer SF, a charity cheer squad that raises funds for people living with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening conditions, awed the crowd with their acrobatics and high-flying pyramid formations along Pacific Ave. The Santa Cruz High School marching band added a brassy flare to the dayโ€™s soundtrack, moving the crowd to their beat. 

Members of Cheer SF perform a routine. PHOTO: Todd Guild

County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Faris Sabbah, one of the paradeโ€™s Grand Marshals, rode atop a convertible, waving at the crowd with his niece.

โ€œI just feel absolutely honored that they selected me as Grand Marshal and it was so much fun being a part of the parade to see all the love in the community,โ€ Sabbah said.

The significance of this yearโ€™s celebration was amplified as the nation has experienced a surge of anti-LGBT+ legislation proposals in the past year. In 2023, over 540 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state legislatures, a record, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Grand Marshal Faris Sabbah waves to the crowd with his niece. PHOTO: Josรบe Monroy

Congressman Jimmy Panetta spoke to the crowd gathered at Abbot Square after the parade, highlighting the importance of defending LGBTQ+ rights at the legislative level. 

โ€œWeโ€™ve got to continue to push for the Equality Act, so that people are not discriminated against under  federal laws,โ€ Panetta said. โ€œBut at the same time, be very proud of the work that we have done.โ€

Panetta is a strong supporter of the Equality Act, a proposed amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. 

oCongressman Jimmy Panetta speaks to the crowd at Abbot Square. PHOTO: Josรบe Monroy

Santa Cruz County has been at the forefront of LGBTQ+ rights for decades and some attendees of this yearโ€™s Pride parade have been coming to Pride since its beginning.

Noreen Winkler, a retired local educator, reminisced on how far the local movement has come over the last 40-plus years. As recently as 1996, queer students at Watsonville High School had to hold meetings in secret, fearing discrimination. Santa Cruz Pride was a haven for these students, who eventually organized in their own community, according to Winkler.

Jason Osmanski knows well what itโ€™s like to be discriminated against for being gay. The St. George, Utah native moved to Santa Cruz this year and has found an accepting community open to all. This is his first Santa Cruz Pride event. 

โ€œPride is all about just being out and proud. I come from Utah, where itโ€™s very conservative [and] very dangerous to be who I am,โ€ Osmanski said. โ€œSo being in a place where Iโ€™m welcome and seeing this is very affirming.โ€

Jason Osmanski moved here from Utah. It’s his first Santa Cruz Pride event. PHOTO: Josรบe Monroy

After the parade, the party continued at the MAH and Abbot Square. The Wigs and Waves drag show at Abbott Square showcased local favorites like Cherry Cola, Rouge Roulette and Franzia Rosรฉ. The MAH was also a Grand Marshal for Pride 2023.

Standing next to the stage at Abbott Square, Senator John Laird commented on the cultural and political importance of Pride and how far it has come.

โ€œThere were more protesters than marchers when I marched in my first [Pride] in Santa Cruz,โ€ Laird said. โ€œAnd now it is the biggest political event in the county of the year.โ€

Michelle Rodriguez Leaving PVUSD

Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez will be leaving the school district, after taking the same position with Stockton Unified School District.

Rodriguez made the announcement Friday. Her last day will be June 30.

โ€œTo the remarkable Pajaro Valley community that has embraced me over the past seven years, I have a heart filled with gratitude for each and everyone of you who have been part of our efforts to improve the lives of our students, our staff, our families and our community,โ€ she stated in a press release. โ€œTogether, we have built a District committed to excellence, resilience, and growth.”  

She started with the district in 2016, and leaves as its three largest high schools boast their highest graduation rates in years. 

Pajaro Valley High reached 86% in 2019, which then was a peak. But this year the school saw 95% of its students receive a diploma. Watsonville Highโ€™s peak of 92% in 2019โ€”after hovering for years in the mid-80sโ€”was surpassed this year with 94%.

Aptos High saw 97% of its class graduate, after peaking at 94% last year.

Rodriguezโ€™s new district has an enrollment of 36,000 nearly twice that of PVUSD. It has 44 elementary schools, 44 middle schools and 13 high schools, according to U.S. News & World Report. Hispanic and Latino students make up just over 68% of its enrollment, and nearly 13% are Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander. About 10% are Black.

The school has a 79.5% graduation rate.

Although Rodriguez is leaving with three years left on her contract, she says she fulfilled her pledge to stay seven years and to bolster student achievement.

She said that a larger district has long been a career goal. She plans to only work in districts that supports โ€œdisinvested populations,โ€ of which the said are only 10-15 in the state.

“The timing was perfect in that I fulfilled my promise to the community,โ€ she said. โ€œAlso, it is an opportunity that I think is going to be a benefit to (the Stockton) community, and I think I will be able to do good work.โ€

During her time at PVUSD, Rodriguez led the district through challenges such as the COVID pandemic, the CZU fires, and storms that required the relocation of Valencia Elementary School in 2017.

She also oversaw the educational response to the storms in January, February and March that forced the evacuation of hundreds of families and the relocation of Pajaro Middle School.

She earned the Community Hero of the Year from United Way of Santa Cruz County in 2019 and the 2020 Phil Rather Award from the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust.

She received a Legislative Resolution 1445 from Assemblyman Robert Rivas, Senator John Laird and Assemblyman Mark Stone and was named Superintendent of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). 

Board Trustee Kim De Serpa said that Rodriguezโ€™s leadership style includes visiting several campuses every day.

โ€œShe got to see clearly what was happening, and what was not happening, for the kids in the district,โ€ De Serpa said. 

The district has increased its test scores in literacy by 63%, De Serpa said. She credits this in part to Rodriguezโ€™s efforts of utilizing reading programs such as Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words (SIPPS). The program has expanded to 24 sites, 478 staff members and 7,720 students.

De Serpa praised Rodriguez for leading the district through the distance learning of the COVID pandemic, which resulted in less learning loss than other districts.

โ€œWe were the quickest pivot in the whole state in terms of making sure that  every single kid had a Chromebook and that every family had access to the Internet and that our teachers pivoted very quickly in learning how to teach online,โ€ she said. 

Rodriguez also brought in more than $20 million in grants that have funded music and art programs and the Emerilโ€™s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen.

She was also instrumental in implementing the Latino Youth Film Project into elementary and secondary classrooms

โ€œDr. Rodriguezโ€™ record speaks for itself and under her leadership, our students achieved more than they ever had beforeโ€ฆfrom our literacy rates, to graduation rates, she set high expectations and those were often exceeded with her careful guidance,โ€ De Serpa said. โ€œWe were fortunate to have her in PVUSD as long as we did and I thank her for her work here.

PVUSD Board Chair Jennifer Holm said she has been impressed by Rodriguezโ€™s reliance on evidence-based practices when delving into student achievement data.

โ€œAs a nurse thatโ€™s important to me,โ€ she said. โ€œIt was always looking at, what evidence do we have, how can we make the best possible decisions with the evidence we do have? And trying to really gauge whatโ€™s going to be in the best interest of the students.โ€

Holm said that the Board will begin discussions soon on selecting a new superintendent. 

Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers President Nelly Vaquera-Boggs said the union wishes Rodriguez the best.

โ€œAnd we look forward to working with the board of trustees to identify a new Superintendent who will work constructively with the workers who are essential to student success in our district,โ€ she said. 

Rodriguezโ€™s time with the district was not without controversy. Led by then Board President Georgia Acosta, the Board of Trustees fired her in January 2021 in a 4-3 vote, a decision that was reversed unanimously days later.

Acosta was removed as president and censured by the board in the wake of the vote. She has never publicly explained the reasons for the dismissal.

Both she and Trustee Daniel Dodge, Jr. did not respond to a request for comment. 

Rodriguez says her departure she is leaving the district in good shape and in good hands.

โ€œI believe we have the team, we have the structures, we have the system in place to continue to strive for excellence,โ€ she said. 

The high graduation rates, she said, exemplify the structure she has helped build.

โ€œThatโ€™s having unified goals that every member of the community, every member of the organization knows what they are, ” she said. โ€œAnd having faith and trust in each other that weโ€™re going to do our part.โ€

A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the amount Rodriguez raised as $2 million. The correct figure is $20 million.

Cabrillo Music Festival Names New Exec D. Riley Nicholson

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A new executive director whoโ€™s been alive almost as long as his predecessorโ€™s tenure will bring fresh energy to one of Santa Cruz Countyโ€™s signature music festivals.

Composer, performing pianist and arts executive D. Riley Nicholson, 32, is returning to California to lead the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the organization announced June 1. Nicholson brings a diverse background in contemporary performing arts, including dance, theater and film, to the internationally-acclaimed contemporary orchestral festival.

Nicholson succeeds Ellen Primack, the Cabrillo Festivalโ€™s executive director for the past 33 years, as part of a planned transition. Nicholson will take the helm on October 1, 2023. 

Riley has served as Executive Director at Symphony of Northwest Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas since 2020. According to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, during Nicholsonโ€™s tenure the Arkansas symphony experienced an โ€œincrease in contributed revenue streams by 71% to support a budget of $1.4 million, the largest budget in the organization’s history.โ€

The Cabrillo Festival reported gross receipts of $2.35 million on its 2021 Form 990 filing.

Before Arkansas, Nicholson spent four years with San Franciscoโ€™s Center for New Music and two years as marketing director for San Francisco Dance Film Festival. He also served as a board member at the Berkeley Ballet Theater and Post:ballet.

Nicholson will work with the festivalโ€™s Grammy Award-winning Music Director and Conductor, Cristian Mฤƒcelaru. When not in Coastal California, the Romanian-born Mฤƒcelaru can be found serving as music director of the Orchestre National de France and conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester in Cologne, Germany. 

Before Mฤƒcelaru, Marin Alsop served as Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Musicโ€™s musical director for 25 years.

โ€œI am thrilled to have Riley Nicholson join the Festival as our new Executive Director,โ€ said Claire Schneeberger, President of the Board of Directors, in a news release. โ€œHe brings a breadth of experience and creative energy to Cabrillo Festivalโ€™s mission of building a vibrant community dedicated to the creation of new and innovative music.โ€ 

โ€œI will be Rileyโ€™s biggest cheerleader as he assumes the role of Executive Director of the Cabrillo Festival, which I love so much,โ€ departing exec Primack said. โ€œHis appointment gives me enormous confidence as the Festival approaches a new era with great promise and possibility โ€” further advancing our impact on the music world and our local community.โ€

ย โ€œCabrilloโ€™s commitment to the creation and performance of profound, relevant and innovative music aligns perfectly with my artistic vision,โ€ Nicholson said.

According to his biography, Nicholson received a Horizons Foundation grant in support of his large string orchestra work. One, which headlined Hot Air Music Festival in 2016. In 2017, his music was featured on a Not Art Records Mixtape. Horizons also supported his full-length Shimmer production, which toured nationally in 2018.ย 

Later that year, he was honored as the California Association of Professional Music Teachers Distinguished Composer of the Year. 

Riley has an M.M. in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, a B.M. in percussion performance and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Memphis.

“I am elated to join the Santa Cruz community,โ€ Nicholson said. โ€œDuring my time in the Bay Area, I visited many times, several times to attend the Cabrillo Festival and at times just as a weekend getaway. I have always thoroughly enjoyed my time in Santa Cruz and am thrilled to make it my home.

โ€œI am impressed by not only the Cabrillo Festival and their work to envision and forge a path for the future of orchestral music but also by the Santa Cruz community’s steadfast support of that mission and programming.”

This article has been updated to add a quote from Nicholson, and his age.

Santa Cruz Cannot be a Haven For that Kind of Misguided Thinking

To borrow from Socratesโ€™ โ€œApology,โ€ the unexamined publication is not worth publishing.

Last week, Good Times issued an apology for a letter to the editor that unfairly characterized a drag story time event and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Its publication bypassed our normal review processes and violated our policies against anonymous letters and hate speech.

I have spoken with one of the performers, to Raices y Cariรฑo and to leaders of local organizations to personally apologize, and to listen to concerns expressed representatives of the LGBTQ+ community, with whom we stand. We apologize unequivocally for granting a request for anonymity, for allowing this letter to appear and for the hurt it caused.

We spent the past week reflecting and implementing more thorough pre-publication review to ensure that harmful stereotypes and anti-drag hysteria are not reinforced.  Montana this month passed a poorly drafted and harmful law that mischaracterizes and outlaws story readings of the type that the local letter writer opposed.

Santa Cruz cannot be a haven for that kind of misguided thinking. Good Times and its associated publications have historically been at the forefront of the movement to advance inclusivity and will continue to do so. We are committed to fostering a safe and welcoming community for all.

Our training and guidelines for editors in our publishing group will improve to ensure that we do our best job for our readers and communities.  

In addition, please join me in welcoming Brad Kava, an experienced editor, publisher and journalism educator, to our company. He answered the call to help us publish this weekโ€™s issue, keep Good Times on track and ensure that a fitting tribute was incorporated to welcome attendees at this yearโ€™s Santa Cruz Pride. Brad will head the local editorial team until we complete the process of hiring our next Editor.

Happy Pride!

Dan Pulcrano

Publisher


We Proudly Sign Our Names

On May 17, 2023, Good Times published a letter to the editor, โ€œWoke Up Call.โ€ We found this letter contained homophobia and transphobia targeting our LGBTQIA2S+ community, specifically the families of color in Watsonville and Pajaro. The rhetoric used was to encourage violence by spreading ignorance and hate speech to dissuade families from attending a Drag Storytime event hosted at the Raรญces y Cariรฑo family center of Watsonville.

We are the two drag performers from this event: Xinistra (Jorge Guillen) and Rogue Roulette (Zak Keith). When we discuss Drag artistry, we are not talking about โ€œcross-dressing giant overgrown makeup-covered men,โ€ we are talking about an unapologetic expression connected to a rich and beautiful history. Drag is about sharing the art of gender in a way that is accessible to everyone. Good Times released an opinion that does not match the values of Santa Cruz County, and so we are here to remind you of those values in our call to action.

We ask our local businesses for their support in our call to action. The family who runs Raรญces y Cariรฑo has truly demonstrated the meaning of being an ally to both the local and queer communityโ€”and for that, we cannot express enough gratitude. Their allyship is what reflects the true values of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and the model for our call to action. The discomfort that can emerge in questioning what role you play in this discourse is the same discomfort LGBTQIA2S+ folks experience every day while homophobia and transphobia continue to have space in our community, and so we implore you to be public in your opposition to homophobia and transphobia.

The anonymous author attempted to create harm in our community by spreading ill-informed beliefs while using their children as an example of malice. On the contrary, it has galvanized our community. We hope that throughout this process, the author has learned something for her ill-informed views and her family. Drag Story Time was an incredibly successful event, with over 70+ family members coming to read children’s stories together in solidarity. The children laughed and learned with us as artists; plenty of pictures show the joy that filled the space. We value the people of our community, not the harmful words of someone who finds comfort in hate. The children who got to see this visibility, who got to see themselves represented and who were told they were allowed to be whoever they wanted to be are the people we are celebrating.

We are disappointed to see Good Times release such a hate-filled letter, and we want to share with the community we are part of the ongoing conversation about how we can heal together with sustainable actions. The country we live in is rapidly using the fear and violence against the queer community to gain power over our well-being, expression and joyโ€”and as Drag artists, we refuse to allow that to permeate the inclusive environments we continue to create. We cannot justify such grossly ignorant events, but we can choose to walk our values as a Queer community. We are colorful. We are vibrant. We are loud. We are proud. We are resilient. We are freedom. We are authentic. We are love. Those who choose not to be part of that will live a life of dullnessโ€”but that is not the path we walk together. Celebrate with us at Santa Cruz Pride and begin the process of healing together.

We proudly sign our names,

Xinistra and Rogue


Good Idea

Starting June 3, fire practitioners from around the world will join forces to hold a prescribed fire training. The prescribed burns will be open for the public to observe on various days throughout the training, which lasts through June 10. The program will also include lectures and seminars on local fire ecology of plant and animal species. Members of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and the Esselen Tribe of Monterey will also teach the history of tribal burning practices. Learn more at calpba.org


Good Work

Santa Cruz local Carla H Brown has done it again: She is the two-time winner of the World Laughing Championship (WLC), a worldwide event that celebrates the art of laughter. On May 23, participants from around the world joined in on the virtual event. They were judged by the contagiousness of their laughter by a live online audience. Brown herself is a laughter specialist, trained in Laughter Yoga and her performance left audiences in stitches. Read more at www.worldlaughingchampionship.com


Quote of the Week

โ€œThis world would be a whole lot better if we just made an effort to be less horrible to one another.โ€

โ€”Elliot Page

Plasticless Fantastic: Low Turnout at the 46th Annual Santa Cruz County Coastal Cleanup

Cars driving along Portola Drive on Saturday honked and cheered at the dozen or so volunteers collecting plastic from the roadside.

The volunteers were participating in the 46th coastal cleanup, hosted by Clean Oceans International (COI), as well as One People One Reef and Surfrider, that kicked off Memorial Day weekend on May 27.

Based at the KSCO radio station for the day, community members took to the streets and coastline to scour for any piece of plasticโ€”big or smallโ€”and dispose of it properly.

While the event didnโ€™t have as large a turnout as previous years (at times well over 100), volunteers came together with the collective goal of making the ocean a cleaner place.

โ€œI think itโ€™s really important,โ€ volunteer Gene Ratertae said. โ€œPeople get the connection between trash on the street and nasty stuff in the water.โ€

The coastal cleanups initially began as a project for Cabrillo College oceanography students, but quickly became a perennial mission to apply their knowledge of ocean conservation.

After a year and a half hiatus during Covid, the coastal cleanups are now in a revamping stage.  Radio stations KPIG and KSCO have highlighted the events and encouraged participation in the cleanups.

Even with these efforts, the cleanup turnout was smaller than expected. 

The previous 45 cleanups have yielded an average of about 1,000 pounds of plastic removed from local beaches and roadsides. This time around, volunteers were able to remove over 40 pounds of plastic from the environment.

โ€œI was a little bit disappointed with our low turnout today, but not that disappointed that itโ€™s going to stop me from doing this again,โ€ COI education director David Schwartz said.

Small But Mighty

COI is a small but growing non-profit based in Santa Cruz that aims to convert plastic waste into diesel fuel and provide plastic waste assessment of local beaches.

The organization uses Portable Plastic to Fuel technology to break down plastic waste through a vaporization process. This technology converts the waste at a rate of about one liter of diesel fuel additive for every kilogram of plastic with little to no harmful wasteโ€”and is achieved through a vaporization process called pyrolysis which encapsulates toxic chemicals rather than releasing them.

Until a diesel fuel converter is accessible in Santa Cruz County, the plastic collected over the last 46 cleanups was recycled as much as possible, while the rest was sent to landfills.

Some people, frustrated with the fees local landfills require, opted to dump their garbage in places like the San Lorenzo river tributary which flows directly to the Monterey Bay.

For the first time, the Santa Cruz Alliance for Ocean Conservation organized the coastal cleanup, which is a coalition of COI, One People One Reef and Surfriderโ€”all of whom strive to protect Monterey Bay from plastic pollution.

โ€œWe decided maybe it could be to our collective benefit if we form an alliance where we could share outreach and education,โ€ said Shwartz. โ€œWe all have our own niche.โ€

Twice a year since the early 1990s, the coastal cleanups have removed a grand total of around forty thousand pounds of plastic in Santa Cruz from Sunny Cove to Pleasure Point.

For every piece of plastic removed, two were ready to take its place.

Just like incentivising recyclables has drastically reduced the amount of bottles and cans aimlessly strewn throughout the community, converting plastic into diesel fuel could have a similar effect on the worldโ€™s oceans. While only 9 percent of current plastic waste is recycled, researchers are working to commercialize the process and reduce global plastic waste.

For now, plastic pollution remains a massive problem for the environmentโ€”and a sore sight for eyes.

โ€œThe more that you start looking, the more you see,โ€ volunteer and Cabrillo oceanography teacher Lauren Hanneman said. โ€œItโ€™s not the big pieces but the little ones, the ones you donโ€™t pay attention to.โ€

The Santa Cruz Alliance for Ocean Conservation plans to host the next coastal cleanup in late October, with more details to come on the COI webpage.

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Jewel Theatre Company's Over the River and Through the Woods
Nick has spent every Sunday having dinner with his loving, infuriating grandparents in their Hoboken, New Jersey home. Every Sunday! But this Sunday, in the late 1980s, he has to tell them that he's been offered an exciting career advancement โ€ฆ  in Seattle. When the beloved, if predictable, grandparents hear this shocking news, they begin hatching plots to keep him...

Adding Up: Ivรฉta Downtown Gives an Up-and-coming Part of Town a Magnetic Bistro

Iveta Downtown Santa Cruz
Just like your favorite barkeep can be so many thingsโ€”a psychologist, an entertainer, a confidant, a creative, a security guardโ€”a great cafe can contain multitudes. It can be a non-negotiable caffeine pitstop, a study spot, a social center, a snack factory, a proverbial โ€œthird placeโ€ thatโ€™s actually 10 places in one. Westside Santa Cruzโ€™s Cafe Iveta checks those boxes, and a...

Silver Mountain Vineyards: A Magical Pinot

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Jerold Oโ€™Brien, owner/winemaker at Silver Mountain Vineyards, has a magic touch when it comes to making wine. When I visit his tasting rooms, I am always impressed by the depth and quality of every wine he produces, especially his splendid pinot noirs.  The 2013 Tondrรฉ Grapefield Pinot ($34) is a good example of what pinot offersโ€”characteristic earthiness and an abundance...

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Loud And Proud

Thousands descend on downtown Santa Cruz for the 48th annual Santa Cruz Pride parade

Michelle Rodriguez Leaving PVUSD

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent is leaving with three years still left on her contract.

Cabrillo Music Festival Names New Exec D. Riley Nicholson

D. Riley Nicholson
A new executive director whoโ€™s been alive almost as long as his predecessorโ€™s tenure will bring fresh energy to one of Santa Cruz Countyโ€™s signature music festivals. Composer, performing pianist and arts executive D. Riley Nicholson, 32, is returning to California to lead the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the organization announced June 1. Nicholson brings a diverse background in...

Santa Cruz Cannot be a Haven For that Kind of Misguided Thinking

A letter to the editor of Good Times
To borrow from Socratesโ€™ โ€œApology,โ€ the unexamined publication is not worth publishing. Last week, Good Times issued an apology for a letter to the editor that unfairly characterized a drag story time event and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Its publication bypassed our normal review processes and violated our policies against anonymous letters and hate speech. I have spoken with one...

Plasticless Fantastic: Low Turnout at the 46th Annual Santa Cruz County Coastal Cleanup

Coastal Cleanup
Cars driving along Portola Drive on Saturday honked and cheered at the dozen or so volunteers collecting plastic from the roadside. The volunteers were participating in the 46th coastal cleanup, hosted by Clean Oceans International (COI), as well as One People One Reef and Surfrider, that kicked off Memorial Day weekend on May 27. Based at the KSCO radio station for...
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