Writer Stephen Kessler has been named the 2023 Artist of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission.
“Santa Cruz is a tremendously dynamic arts community,” he says. “I have some friends who have won this award. It’s great to be able to say, ‘hey, they noticed me too.’”
Kessler has written a dozen volumes of original poetry, 16 books of literary translation, three collections of essays and a novel, The Mental Traveler. Additionally, he’s edited numerous literary journals and community newspapers and is the editor and principal translator of The Sonnets by Jorge Luis Borges.
More recently, he’s become a well-known columnist for the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Kessler arrived in Santa Cruz in 1968 on a Regents Fellowship to study with the first graduate students in UCSC’s doctoral program in literature. The following year, a personal crisis led him on a different path, away from academia and eventually into journalism, specifically local underground and alt-weeklies.
“Writing is a way of discovering what I think and how I respond to experience,” Kessler says. “I don’t really see writing as self-expression or manifesting what you already know, but finding out what you know.”
He was a founding associate editor and writer with the Santa Cruz Express and the founding editor and publisher of The Sun, which was put out of business by the Loma Prieta earthquake—but not before its final issue chronicled the event.
In the ’70s and ’80s, Kessler was active as an organizer and an advocate for the Santa Cruz poetry community. He held readings, wrote reviews and essays for local weeklies and co-hosted “The Poetry Show” with Gary Young and “Bards After Dark” on KUSP, serving as a bridge between the literary world and the general population.
The credits go on: Kessler’s work has been published in Poetry Flash, Exquisite Corpse, San Francisco Review of Books, East Bay Express, Los Angeles Review of Books and North Bay Bohemian. As editor of the Redwood Coast Review, he received the California Library Association’s “PR Excellence Award” four times.
Kessler’s influences include everyone from Charles Bukowski to Joan Didion and Norman Mailer to James Baldwin.
The Artist of the Year award is presented annually to local artists for performing, visual or literary arts achievement. Nominees must be a resident of Santa Cruz County, have a national or international reputation, have created or presented work in Santa Cruz County, and “contributed to the cultural enrichment of the local community,” according to the commission. Over the last 37 years, the commission has selected artists nominated by the public.
“At this stage, it doesn’t matter too much to me who likes my work or the prizes I receive—writing is something I’m doing no matter what,” he says. “But I’m hoping this highlight on my work will arouse some curiosity. Inspire a few more people to check out my work.”
A free profile performance with Kessler will be held in May at Kuumbwa Jazz.
Gary Grice, aka GZA, aka Genius (a nod to his colossal lyrical vocabulary and his lifelong interest in science, among other things), has chess on the brain.
During Covid, GZA played a lot of chess. A couple of years ago, Vans launched Channel 66, an online television network that was a pop culture mecca, featuring everything from skate videos to shows like “Chessboxing with GZA.” The Wu-Tang legend curated music, discussed metaphysics and, of course, played live chess matches with celebrity guests, including Interpol’s Paul Banks, Logic and Scott Frank, the creator, director and writer of the popular Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit.”
“Can you imagine that shit?” GZA lights up. “One of the top writers in Hollywood came to play me in chess.”
While Vans’ Channel 66 is no more, GZA’s affinity for chess lives on—as part of a concert VIP experience, fans get to play a match against Genius.
2023 is a significant year for GZA and the Wu-Tang Clan family. It marks 30 years since GZA and his cousins, RZA and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, blasted off with a Staten Island collective of longtime childhood buddies—Method Man (Clifford Smith), Raekwon the Chef (Corey Woods), Ghostface Killah (Dennis Coles), Inspectah Deck (Jason Hunter), U-God (Lamont Hawkins) and Masta Killa (Jamel Irief)—to form the world’s greatest hip-hop ensemble of all time.
The outfit’s 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is a stark, unapologetic narrative propelled by a mix of “free-associative,” explicit and sometimes humorous rhymes driven by pop culture and the reality of the only life these guys had ever known at the time. RZA’s infinite collection of homemade beats, samples and perfectly placed dialogue plucked from ’70s kung-fu flicks equates to something so vibrant; it was impossible to ignore when it hit the streets—over 30,000 copies were sold in its first week. It went platinum in a little over a year and triple platinum in 2018. Not only is Enter the Wu-Tang regarded as one of the most important albums of the ’90s—in any genre—it is ranked number 27 on Rolling Stone magazine’s updated “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list.
To top it off, the album was selected in 2022 by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
It was evident from the beginning; talent erupts from just about every second of Enter the Wu-Tang—every member has made at least one critically acclaimed solo record.
GZA’s 1995 Liquid Swords is an undeniable hip-hop masterpiece. It’s so lyrically dense that several critics mentioned that it would have been impossible to include the lyrics in the CD insert because it would be the size of a book.
“Little shorties take walks to the schoolyard/ Trying to solve the puzzles to why his life’s so hard/ Then as soon as they reach the playground, BLAUW!/ Shots rang off, and now one of them lay down!”
It would be impossible to highlight all the prose that makes Liquid Swords so lyrically poignant. GZA’s blend of metaphor and reality blurs lines with disturbing force.
“I be the body dropper, the heartbeat stopper/ child educator plus head amputator.”
With the assistance of the RZA—whose encyclopedic musical knowledge brings in perfect samples that fit exactly where they’re needed—the production level elevates Liquid Swords to a height that few hip-hop records reach. A class on par with Nas’ Illmatic and Ice Cube’s Death Certificate.
“Everything is based on mathematics,” GZA says. “Chess is calculation of movements. The opening [move] is defined by a response. White moves first, but depending on how black answers, it defines the opening.”“Everything is based on mathematics,” GZA says. Photo: Azuree Wiitala
Before heading out on tour, Good Times caught up with GZA for a sprawling conversation.
What’s a day in the life of GZA like?
GZA: A lot of thinking. I’m not as busy as I should be. I should be much busier, but I’m a laid-back, lazy dude who don’t like to do shit but think and play chess—and write sometimes.
Who taught you how to play chess?
I learned how to play from a cousin at an early age, but I never played the game. He just showed me the rules. I didn’t start playing chess until I met Masta Killa. I already knew how to play the game. I just wasn’t skilled. So, he reintroduced me to chess, and that’s when it started for me. That was 1991-92. I didn’t even know how to set a board up. It was Killa who showed me. He brought me into the game.
What did you think of “The Queen’s Gambit.”
Beautiful! I might watch it again now that you mentioned it. It’s been a year now. I play random [people] at different events and at my shows. But I was playing celebrities on the Vans [“Chessboxing with GZA”]. One of my guests was Scott Frank, the guy who made “The Queen’s Gambit.”
Who won?
I think I came out on top when it came to the chess matches. But I came out on top because I learned a lot from [Frank]. I got to pick his mind. Not really during the chess game, but we went to dinner, and I got to speak to him. He gave me a few pointers as a director because I’ve been directing videos since the ’90s. Every time I write something, I imagine it on film and on the screen; I’ve always had this vivid imagination about a lot of shit, but I’m just lazy and laid back. I take a while to share shit. I think it’s been 14 years since I’ve put an album out. But I learned a lot from him. He schooled me. He gave me great advice as a film person as a director. And I watched some of his other things like “Godless.”This dude is amazing. He said he would help me develop one of my own projects. So, it was a learning lesson for me. I won the chess matches, and I learned a whole bunch of other shit.
GZA’s Liquid Swords went platinum—it sold more than a million copies—in 2015, joining Wu-Tang’s Method Man and Ghostface Killah, who had solo LPs that also went platinum. GZA will perform the record in its entirety on Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Catalyst.
Speaking of filmmakers, you got to work with Jim Jarmusch on Coffee and Cigarettes. He’s one of the greatest indie filmmakers. Do you stay in touch with him?
I was thinking about Jim Jarmusch today. He’s such a laid-back [guy]. He reminds me of myself in a way. I don’t know that much about him. But he’s quiet. He’s laid back. That’s how our relationship started with Coffee and Cigarettes. And my manager at the time brought me on the project with RZA, and I look forward to doing some more shit with him. I want to do some projects with Jim. I think we are probably the same fucking Zodiac. I like Jim, man. I got to spend several hours around him—and Bill Murray. I’ve just been blessed throughout my life. I can’t complain. I’ve been blessed on several levels.
I got Liquid Swords on CD when I was 16 years old, and I was hooked. You could let the album play from beginning to end without skipping. I’ve always put that record in the same category as albums like A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, Nas’ Illmatic and Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.
That makes my day. That inspires me a little more if I’m down in a funk or I’m not motivated. Just to hear that—I love Illmatic; I love A Tribe Called Quest. For you to compare [Liquid Swords] with those albums, it’s a great thing.
I know I’m not the only person who feels that way. Liquid Swords is loved by millions worldwide of all backgrounds. Why do you think it resonates with so many?
I think it was the timing. I think there were a couple of things that brought about that album. It was me striking back at the industry, at the label, who didn’t support me when I did my first album [Words from the Genius]—though I give all praises to the man who signed me to the first album, Tyrone Williams, and I was happy to be signed to the Juice Crew.
[Liquid Swords] was just shit I needed to let out at the time—it was real and organic. I didn’t know how it would hit the people, and I can’t say why it hit them; it’s just something people [stood behind].
I enjoy the variety of samples, like Stevie Wonder, the Bar-Kays and Thelma Houston, and the cultural references to folks like Wes Craven. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that RZA was the producer.
No one ever knew that was Thelma Houston until I mentioned it [the soul singer’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” is sampled on “Labels”]. It was a song that RZA wanted to use, and it was something he felt was needed for the album.
There’s some deep music knowledge throughout the album. The Mothers of Invention’s “Plastic People” is sampled on “Cold War,” and I had never heard of the Ohio Players until I heard the sample of “Our Love Had Died” on “B.I.B.L.E” I’ll never forget those memories; Liquid Swords expanded my world musically. Do you have any memories of making the record that has stuck with you over the years?
I’m an artist that takes a long time to get something done. I didn’t deliver fast enough—it takes me a while to write a rhyme. It’s not like I’m sitting on thousands of rhymes. I think with this album, I struck back against the industry. I had something to prove. I had to let [execs] know that I am a genius of rap. It was a remarkable moment that I needed to share; I needed it to be heard, and I needed to be seen.
The third season of the biographical drama “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”—a fictionalized telling of the group’s story available on Hulu—will be available Feb. 15. Showtime’s four-part docuseries “Of Mics and Men” dropped in 2019, and features interviews with all nine living members.
Are you working on any new material?
I always want the best in whatever I’m doing. Even if it’s just buying a speaker, I want to buy the best speaker, not because it’s the most expensive. If I deliver a new song, especially if it’s conceptual—it has to be a song with a foundation built for learning or educating. I want to make it the best of the best. That’s how I am, and when I’m working on something, it has to be the best it can be.
Have you been laying down any tracks or recording?
I’ve recorded a few songs, but right now, I’m at a standstill with this album. My ideas change as days go on. I want to create something great.
You’re also working on a documentary, correct?
Yeah, the documentary is about mental illness and focuses on a young chess prodigy with ups and downs. He’s been incarcerated and in and out of the system. He’s been unfairly treated and mistreated like a majority of the people. I just want to shed light on that. I want to shed light on the mental illness situation and what some have gone through. So, I’m making a film about it and incorporating chess.
Is there a tentative release date?
I think sometime in 2023.
2023 also marks 30 years of Wu-Tang. What does that mean to you?
If I flashback and go through history, it means a lot. We were a group that came from nothing and started something. Of course, it was all built around hip-hop culture. It was something that was innate within us. The love and the passion you have for something, to continue to do something, and to reach the millions of people we reached is a beautiful blessing. It’s something that I will always do, something I’ll always love; I love writing, and I love talking about lyrics. We can talk for hours about lyrics. We can talk for hours about writing. We can talk about music samples, which is a blessing. It means so much that I can be on this platform and do what I do.
Speaking of someone who also has a platform but has used it recently to spread hatred. What are your thoughts on Kanye West?
Now it becomes controversial. Although I’ve never met [Kanye], I know he’s a big fan of Wu-Tang, and he’s a big GZA fan. How can I put this? I love Kanye. He’s a great producer. He’s a great artist. I don’t know if I’m answering your question, but I respect him fully. I’m never going to say anything bad about him. I don’t want to start going into other shit he’s saying about certain things. I think that more shit is coming down on him than should come down on him. As artists, we just got to get on our platform, represent what we are saying, and stand behind what we feel.
There are certain places I can go, but I don’t want to be in a situation he’s in.
All I can do is stand by him. He’s a brother, and it is what it is. He may not be the clearest when he tries to explain himself. Sometimes you got to take time and think about what the fuck you want to say to the public, to the media, and be really careful about what the fuck you say, but I support Kanye though he might need a little help with certain things.
Do you consider yourself spiritual?
There’s always some spirituality, but it depends on how deep you are behind what you’re saying. When you start speaking about certain things, you have to go to the foundation of it.
How do you stay humble?
I think you keep yourself humble by knowing who you are, what you do and what you have on the table, what you’re working with, and that’s all you have as yourself. I can’t be Superman if I’m not fucking Superman. I can’t look into a jar of a thousand fucking jellybeans and tell you how many jellybeans are in that fucking jar. I am who I am. I’m no different from you. We’re no different. I’m not above you. I’m not below you. We are equal.
Whether you’re an artist or not, or whether you are the biggest artist in the world, you have to go into it knowing that you are the same person. Same shit. There’s no difference. I’m no different than you. And what makes us more alike is that you ask questions that I like to be asked.
What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do creatively but haven’t had the chance to do yet?
I would like to write and direct a film. That’s one thing that I haven’t done, but I should have been doing it for years.
Well, you should reach out to Jim Jarmusch.
You know what? I’m going to call him today. I think he can open my mind. He’s so laid back. I don’t even know the other words I can use to express this dude. But I want to make a film with him.
I also want to learn more about people like Bob Dylan. I don’t know much about his music, but people always say Bob Dylan is a master songwriter. I don’t know many of his songs. When we talk about songwriters, I know his name is always mentioned.
GZA performs ‘Liquid Swords’ (Amplified opens) on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 9pm. $35/$40; $135-185/VIP plus fees. The Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. catalystclub.com
Diane Sterling and her 11-year-old daughter Zasha spent Jan. 12 at the Felton Branch Library, using its Wi-Fi. The Sterlings’ power has been out for several days. One of the worst storms to hit Santa Cruz County caused widespread power outages, especially throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains—some residents went a week or longer without power. Even as storms have begun to ease, nearly 2,000 residents across the county are still without power, according to the online power outage tracker.
While the Sterlings’ power is back on, they remain disconnected in other ways.
“I have no phone and no internet,” Diane says. “If I wasn’t trying to work, it wouldn’t be an issue.”
The British native says she’s surprised the local infrastructure isn’t set up to handle rainy conditions.
“They don’t have any drains or gutters,” she says, adding that crews could have done more—like trim trees and remove the dead ones—to prepare ahead of time. “It’s just very backward.”
A few days earlier, their road was closed due to fallen trees; when Diane was finally able to make it to the store, it was sold out of ice. Many mountain businesses have been struggling with staffing shortages, closed roads and increased demand for specific items, like ice. Some businesses have had to get creative as a result.
Jeannette Kornher, owner of Kitten Kornher Rescue in Boulder Creek, says she brought her cats from home to join the kitties at her downtown storefront so that she could keep track of them during the torrential weather. Meanwhile, her partner, a veteran of Hurricane Katrina, has been repairing generators for residents.
Krista Scarborough, whose family owns Scarborough Lumber, says that while their stores have seen a significant uptick in sales—emergency tools, building materials—they’ve had staffing difficulties.
“I have employees that have been out of power for nine days,” Krista says. Still, she says it’s inspiring to see the community pulling together. “Everybody has been extremely understanding and patient.”
THE COUNTY’S RESPONSE
Santa Cruz County responders have begun to make a dent in the crisis that has hit the mountain communities especially hard. Santa Cruz County spokesperson Jason Hoppin noted particular attention had been paid to Lompico’s river systems.
“There was a large ball of wooden roots and trees that could have created a dam along the creek bed if [county workers] didn’t remove it—it’s almost like sticking your finger in a dyke, and then another three problems crop up,” Hoppin says. “Everybody’s working hard and long hours to keep the community on its feet.”
Everybody is also using any means possible—Hoppin says he’s never seen a jet ski used for rescue situations. State Parks used the recreational water vehicle to save Felton Grove residents who didn’t initially evacuate.
“We were surprised there wasn’t more damage in Paradise Park,” Hoppin says, noting residents’ efforts to elevate their homes throughout the years paid off.
Though 67 county roads remain closed as of Jan. 16, Santa Cruz County Deputy CAO Matt Machado is optimistic about his team’s progress. Roughly three-quarters of his team have been working in the Santa Cruz Mountains clearing roads. “We’ve had a lot of success in Bonny Doon,” Machado says. “We didn’t have any permanent damage there.”
STILL RECOVERING
As the rain poured down onto Santa Cruz County, it’s hard to imagine the arid conditions that led to the devastating CZU Lightning Complex Fires of 2020.
With another weather calamity wreaking havoc on businesses, homes and city infrastructure, the destruction is all too familiar for some mountain residents who watched helplessly as the wildfire scorched hillsides and destroyed more than 900 homes nearly two and a half years ago. Some are even eyeing the storm with a sense of Deja Vu as they work to reconstruct the homes that the fires burned down—at least that’s how Ken Mosberg felt after the initial storms hit on New Year’s Eve.
Mosberg and his wife, Carol Droskey, are one of the families who lost their homes to the CZU fires that torched the hills of Ben Lomond. Two and a half years later, they broke ground on the hill where their house once stood and even built the foundation and drywall, an accomplishment that not many CZU fire victims can relate to.
According to the county’s website, there are still 218 survivors whose permits to rebuild their homes haven’t been processed, and 194 people with all three permits are in the rebuilding process. Only 24 people have entirely overhauled their homes.
All those waiting to break ground are held up due to the clearances that preempt receiving county permits. Mosberg credits the swift success of receiving authorization and permitting to his house’s relative newness: built in the ’90s, the home was already up to recent state codes compared to many of his neighbors in more rural areas of the mountains.
But the recent storms have set the rebuilding progress back a few weeks. The nine inches or so of rain decimated Mosberg’s temporary drainage system that prevents water from going over the hillside. After the New Year’s Eve storm, the hill’s drop-off eroded to just a few feet away from the new house’s foundation.
“On New Year’s Day, I walked out back, and that yard area was gone,” Mosberg says. “There was still water running over the hill eroding the hillside. I had a moment where I wanted to say, ‘eff it. Let it go.’”
According to Mosberg, stubbornness propelled him to dig out the channels around his house, funneling the excess water and avoiding any indoor flooding.
“After going through as much as we’ve gone through, I wasn’t willing to just let it go,” he says. “I’m also probably way too optimistic. That’s the problem.”
So far, Machado says that he hasn’t seen a pattern of washouts, mudslides or falling trees being triggered due to the previous destruction of the fires or burn scars.
“The mountainsides have kind of healed up a bit,” he says.
Mosberg hopes to have his new home completed in the upcoming months. The trenches he and his neighbor dug to funnel excess water from the hillside into the streets have been vital. The makeshift canals, he hopes, will keep his home out of harm’s way and allow him and his family to sleep under their home’s new roof very soon.
“It’s fires or floods, one of the two, right?” Mosberg says with a chuckle. “I have to laugh.”
Despite her name, Mayhem—a charismatic 2-month-old “Great Pyrenees” puppy—brings a moment of respite from the storm for many at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds temporary evacuation shelter. Most grateful for her calming presence is her owner, Rory Stanton of Santa Cruz. His gray hoodie and large rain boots shroud him, and his eyes shift around nervously. But he lights up whenever Mayhem is mentioned.
“If she wasn’t allowed, I wouldn’t be here,” he says as the puppy pulls at his sweatshirt strings. “She’s my everything.”
The inseparable pair have spent the last two days hunkering down at the temporary shelter serving as a haven for people and their pets displaced by storm evacuations. Santa
Cruz County Animal Shelter has been working with temporary shelters to keep pets with their owners and out of animal shelters during the storms. “Our approach is different compared to fire evacuations,” SCCAS attorney Cara Townsend says. “It’s less stressful for people and pets.”
The animal shelter’s team has worked with the Fairgrounds shelter, run by the Red Cross, to host animals alongside people. The shelter asks all non-service animals to come with crates, but they are ready to dole out pet food, dishes and necessities, says Jenny Arrieta from the Red Cross communications team. Unlike other shelters, pets are welcome to join people indoors by their cots. Technically, all pets must be kept in crates, but most seem alright if that rule is overlooked.
“I was afraid,” Karla Villalobos, who evacuated her home in Pajaro, says. “I wasn’t sure who would take care of them.” She flips through photos of Shadow and Bandit, her 1-year-old husky and border collie mix, and her 1-year-old pomsky—a Siberian husky and Pomeranian mix—who wait in their crates by her cot.
“It’s just nice to be able to have them with me,” she says as she smiles at their photos.
Some, like Stanton, wouldn’t have gone to a shelter if pets weren’t allowed, and, believe it or not, some left their pets at home with no idea of when they’d be returning—this was seen during the CZU Lightning Complex fire, as Good Timesreported. Rescue teams regularly found abandoned pets. Villalobos was nervous that she might go to work one day and be unable to return home due to the storms. She worried she wouldn’t know where to find her dogs if someone came to save them.
Cabrillo College’s Santa Cruz shelter also accepts pets, but they’re asking them to be kept in owners’ cars in the parking garage and may be walked on the main roadway off campus, according to a volunteer at the shelter.
SCCAS urges people to have an evacuation plan for their pets. Additionally, owners should have a week’s supply of food, water, medication (if needed), a crate and a litter box with litter. If your pets can’t join you and friends or family can’t assist, the shelter will house and care for your animal(s) for free. While the SCCAS is happy to have your dog, cat, horse, tortoise or any other pet during tumultuous times, their ultimate hope is that pets and their people can stay together.
Like Stanton says, not having Mayhem is a dealbreaker. He might not know what will come next for him after the storms, but he knows his best pal will be with him.
Spillways, levees, reservoirs … the list of water management-related jargon goes on. To help keep your head above water, we’ve spelled out some common terms with local context. First up, we have Loch Lomond Reservoir and some much-needed good news.
The City of Santa Cruz depends on local rainfall for most of its water supply. This dependency makes prolonged droughts extra concerning, but the recent rains drowned out worries about this year’s reserve.
Loch Lomond Reservoir, located a couple of miles from Ben Lomond in the Santa Cruz Mountains, holds 2.8 billion gallons of water—about one year’s supply for city residents.
“The reservoir was designed in the late 1950s to ‘fill and spill’ each year, ensuring that there would be enough water in the reservoir to provide drinking water to Santa Cruz throughout the dry summer months,” notes the City of Santa Cruz Water Department. “However, the reservoir has only filled five out of the past ten years, leaving city residents vulnerable to water shortages.”
Loch Lomond is the city’s only drinking water reservoir. Levels had dropped significantly after the past few years of drought. But the recent storms filled the reservoir for the first time since February of 2019, and water now spills onto the Newell Creek Dam spillway.
Loch Lomond is a manufactured reservoir rather than a natural lake. The defining factor of a reservoir is a dam. Dams control water levels and allow for the storage of water.
When reservoirs fill—as Loch Lomond has—spillways, also sometimes called overflow channels, direct excess water from the tops of dams downstream.
Newell Creek Spillway directs stormwater downstream to Newell Creek, which feeds into the San Lorenzo River in Ben Lomond.
Rivers naturally overflow into floodplains, but development near waterways means natural flooding can turn disastrous.
In attempts to prevent overflowing, communities often build levees along riverbanks. Also called dikes, embankments, floodbanks or stopbanks, levees are ridges meant to keep rivers from changing course or flooding nearby low-lying areas. They can be permanent and made of earth or concrete or temporary emergency structures made of sandbags.
The Pajaro River levee in Watsonville has drawn attention during the recent storms as it showed signs of potential failure earlier this month. Santa Cruz County began making emergency repairs last week, but these solutions are temporary.
The levee was built in 1949 and broken by flooding as soon as 1955. In 1963, the Army Corps of Engineers declared the levee inadequate, but the project languished for decades without funding or agreements on improving it.
The levee has failed four times, and in 1995 the flooding killed two people.
Finally, the state allocated several million dollars to the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project in 2022. The project is expected to cost $400 million and draw additional funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Construction will likely not begin before 2025.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Good news, Aries! During the next episode in the age-old struggle between the Impulsive You and the Farsighted You, I predict the latter will achieve a ringing victory. Hallelujah! I also foresee you overcoming the temptation to quit a project prematurely, and instead pushing on to complete it. There’s more! You will refrain from knocking your head against an obstacle in the vain hope of toppling it. Instead, you will round up helpers to help you wield a battering ram that will produce the desired toppling.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You may not have a clear picture of where you’ll be going in the next five years. The detailed master plan that your higher self devised for you before you were born might even be obscure. But I’m here to tell you that in the coming weeks, a new lucidity can be yours. You can summon an acute instinct about which way is forward, if only you will recognize the subtle ways it’s speaking to you. In fact, I believe you will regularly know what move you should make next so as to expedite your long-term evolution. Life will be rewarding you with mysterious step-by-step guidance. Now please write a short statement affirming your intention to love, honor and obey your intuition.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do you believe in the existence of guardian angels and spirit guides and ancestors who can intervene in your behalf from the other side of the veil? Do you wonder if maybe your invisible friends from childhood show up in your vicinity now and then to offer you support and kindness? Or how about the animals you loved earlier in your life but who have since passed away? Is it possible their souls have never left you, but are available if you need their affection? Even if your rational mind tells you that none of these possibilities are authentic, Gemini, I suspect you will nevertheless be the beneficiary of their assistance in the coming weeks and months. Their influence will be even more potent if you proceed as if they are real.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Among your potential strengths as a human being are empathy, sensitivity and emotional intelligence. You may or may not choose to develop these natural gifts. But if you do, they can be instrumental in helping you achieve the only kind of success that’s really meaningful for you—which is success that your heart and soul love as much as your head and your ego. According to my astrological analysis, you are moving into a phase of your cycle when you will have extra power to ripen your empathy, sensitivity and emotional intelligence—and thereby enhance your ability to achieve the kind of success that’s meaningful for you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Dear Rob the Astrologer: The computer firewall at my youth hostel is blocking your website. I am being told you practice ‘Illegal Folklore and Insurrectionary Fairy Tales.’ What the hell? Can you do anything at your end to get me access to your wonderful horoscopes? Maybe cut back a bit on your Illegal Folklore and Insurrectionary Fairy Tales? Haha. Just kidding. I love that crazy stuff. —Deprived Leo in Ireland.” Dear Deprived: Many of you Leos have lately had problems getting all the Illegal Folklore and Insurrectionary Fairy Tales you need. I hope you will push hard to compensate. In my estimation, you currently have a strong need for dreamy stories that appeal to the Wild Child in you. They’re essential to your mental and spiritual health.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life, Donald Miller acknowledges that fear can be a “guide to keep us safe.” Being afraid may indeed have its uses and benefits. But Miller adds that it’s also “a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life.” In my astrological opinion, Virgo, fear will be of service to you—a guide to keep you safe—about nine percent of the time in 2023. Around 83 percent of the time, it will be a manipulative emotion not worth acting on. For the other eight percent, it will be neither. Please plan accordingly.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Select two sticky situations in your world that you would love to reinvent. Let other annoyances and glitches just slide for now. Then cultivate a focused desire to do everything in your power to transform the two awkward or messy circumstances. Proceed as if you will have to do all the work yourself—that nothing will change for the better unless you take full responsibility. If you’re absolutely sure this involves other people altering their behavior, consider the possibility that maybe your behavior needs to shift as well.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Three out of four toxic waste dumps in the US are located in predominantly African American or Latino communities. Two million tons of radioactive uranium tailings have been dumped on Native American lands. Three hundred thousand Latino farm workers in the US suffer from pesticide-related sicknesses every year. These travesties make me furious. More importantly, my rage motivates me to mitigate these travesties, like by educating my readers about them and donating money to groups crusading to fix the problems. In the coming weeks, Scorpio, I hope you will take advantage of your astrological potentials by using your anger constructively, too. Now is a favorable time for you to fight fiercely and tenderly for what’s right.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I predict that love will bring you many AHA! moments in 2023. You can’t fully prepare yourself for them—and that’s a good thing! The epiphanies will be brighter and deeper if they are unexpected. Your motivation to learn the available lessons will be wilder and stronger if you enjoy being surprised. So be ready for lots of entertaining rumbles and reverberations, Sagittarius. The adjustments you will be asked to make will often be strenuous and fun. The inspirations you will be invited to harvest will require you to outgrow some of your previous beliefs about the nature of intimacy and togetherness.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Some insects are helpful to humans. For example, ladybugs devour aphids, which are highly destructive to crops. Damsel bugs eat the pests called leafhoppers, and lacewings feed on the pernicious nuisances known as mealybugs. I also remind you that some bugs are beautiful, like butterflies, dragonflies and jeweled beetles. Keep these thoughts in mind, Capricorn, as you contemplate my counsel. Metaphorically speaking, you will have experiences with bugs in the next three weeks. But this won’t be a problem if you ally yourself with the good, helpful and beautiful bugs.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): What are “brain orgasms”? Can you seek them out and make them happen, or do you have to wait patiently for them to arrive in their own sweet time? When they occur, what should you do? Surrender into them with all your welcome fully unleashed? Or should you question whether they’re real, be suspicious of their blessings or dismiss them as irrelevant flukes? I encourage you to meditate on questions like these. That will raise your receptivity to the stream of brain orgasms that life will offer you in the coming weeks.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): My Piscean pagan friend Valie says God is stealthy yet blatant, like a green chameleon perched on a green leaf. After analyzing the astrological omens, I conclude that this is a helpful, all-purpose metaphor for you to use in the coming weeks. I encourage you to be alert for beauty that is hidden in plain sight. See if you can spy the miracles embedded within the ordinary. Ask life to pleasantly blow your mind over and over again. Here’s your phrase of power: open secret.
Homework: Ask life to bring you an insight that will help you ameliorate a long-running dilemma. newsletter.freewillastrology.com
There’s something about old-school spots that speak to my soul and hold together a community.
Three of my favorite examples—a hot dog stand, a Mexican counter joint and a tamale house—sit within a couple of blocks of historic Watsonville.
None are big, though all present big values. Each does signature dishes with time-tested consistency. Collectively they’ve made downtown Watsonville one of my favorite districts to explore for eats and drinks.
The most old-school among them is Taylor Brothers Hot Dogs. The last time I went, the cheerful young attendants told me they thought I was reporting to work.
The reason for that sat on my head: a bright red Taylor Brothers ball cap that all staffers wear and one I couldn’t resist buying on my previous visit.
But there is only one reason for non-employees to visit: chili dogs. Basic drinks, chips and candy aside, it’s the only item on the menu.
Each enjoys a knowing combination of relish, onion, mustard and secret-recipe chili for $2.15, best eaten standing up beneath the weathered neon sign or in the adjacent city plaza.
A key note for true dog dawgs: no ketchup. When I heard another customer ask for it, the gentle response was: “Sorry, we don’t carry ketchup.” Amen.
Taylor Bros came to Watsonville in the mid-1950s. Third-generation owner Matthew Taylor says his favorite part of the business is hearing scores of stories from customers whose families have been stopping by for decades.
Nothing lasts forever, but here’s hoping this place comes close.
Just around the corner sits The Tamal Factory. Like Taylor, its priority is one item, namely fresh, moist and cohesive hand-made tamales that make it feel like the holidays year-round.
Maybe 50 steps from TTF, an unassuming strip mall tucks in a triple dose of worthy spots.
Pizzamia represents Watsonville’s pizza-by-the-slice pioneers. (Thank you for building on that, Slice Project.) They do whole pies in all sorts of permutations, each with fluffy medium-thick crusts, but the slices only come in pepperoni. ‘Mia also does calzones.
It neighbors Tutti Fruiti Neverîa, a Latinx-leaning ice cream spot with mashup elements beyond frozen treats, like boba and Tostilocos.
The estrella, though, is throwback cafe La Fondita. Tall stools sit along a counter where Nayarit-born matriarch Eva Quintero attends to customers against a backdrop of vintage regional imagery.
Stuffed Micheladas ride shotgun with spot-on enchiladas, sopes and tacos assembled in combos and specialties like chilaquiles, pozole and bistec ranchero.
Watsonville’s center is experiencing a renaissance in a lot of ways. But it’s this type of time-tested outpost that provides the foundation.
DOWNTOWN GODSEND
While we’re here, one of the cooler epicurean stories coming in 2023 is happening right across the street from The Tamal Factory on Watsonville’s Main Street. Presbyterian minister Rev. Robbie Olson and his team are currently reimagining the one-time Stevie G’s Meats—and its more than 6,000 square feet—as a working brewery plus taproom plus beer garden under the name Watsonville Public House. Rotating trucks and, yes, neighboring tamal HQ will help on the food front. Best of all, the brewery’s nonprofit structure will direct a chunk of revenues into good area causes. Olson eyes mid-summer as a realistic opening date but acknowledges construction delays have run rampant. Whatever the case, this project is worth an enthusiastic toast.
Aptos Vineyard’s owners say their 2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir “livens up the party with a light palate and a bright finish.”
“This vintage is special,” they add.
It is a 50% direct-pressed whole cluster from DaLarDi Vineyard, with supplemental Saignée, which involves “bleeding” off a portion of red wine juice—after two to six hours of skin contact from DaLarDi, Lester and Saveria vineyards.
It’s Rosé for any occasion—the rose-gold wine is a refreshing sip with red fruits, honeydew and vanilla.
When top-notch grapes from respected Santa Cruz Mountains vineyards are paired with a talented vintner like John Benedetti, the result is magical. This beautiful Rosé of Pinot ($28) is available at Shopper’s Corner, New Leaf, Staff of Life and other local spots. It’s also carried in several area restaurants. Pick up a bottle of the 2020 vintage Rosé of Pinot for $15—if there’s any left! aptosvineyard.com
Scrumptious is the Word
I had some fabulous Scrumptious Fish and Chips recently. As a native Brit, I can testify that this local company’s traditional British grub is yummy. The chips are terrific, and the fish is fresh and tender with light and fluffy batter. Check scrumptiousfc.com for their food truck’s whereabouts. I am spreading the word to my British group—and everybody else on the planet.
Sailing on the Chardonnay
The Chardonnay sailing vessel has a special offer until Jan. 31: Buy three gift certificates and receive the fourth free—there is no expiration date. Enjoy local beer, wine and food while sailing along the majestic Santa Cruz coastline. Check out the variety of cruises offered at chardonnay.com
Xavier Zavala’s father first opened a breakfast spot in Aptos before moving into fine dining in 2013. Xavier dedicated himself to being a restaurateur at Watsonville’s Fish House Bar and Grill. He dove in headfirst and learned everything he could about the biz. From cooking and bartending to front-of-the-house—he even took etiquette classes on the art of service.
The Fish House serves classic American seafood with Italian flare; it’s upscale yet casual enough for families. And hospitality is always a priority. After nearly a decade, the open-flame oak grill has become the go-to for halibut, salmon, tuna, octopus, Castroville artichokes and just about everything else. They are also known for their pasta dishes like the crab ravioli with bay shrimp and rosé sauce, classic cioppino and chicken piccata. Dessert offerings include carrot cake and tiramisu—they plan to bring back their popular tableside banana flambé soon, too.
There’s indoor and outdoor seating, a full bar and live music. The Fish House also caters special events. GT spoke to Xavier about his cooking technique and culture.
Why the oak grill?
XAVIER ZAVALA: The flavors that the grill imparts on the food provide a unique element to the components of our dishes and a rustic char that marries well with the other flavors. The flame helps extract more savory qualities from the ingredients while maintaining their integrity.
What makes your customer service so special?
Whether it is our guests or staff, we treat everyone like family. We view this building as our house, and anyone who comes through our doors is provided the kindness and courtesy we show to our loved ones.
President Joe Biden on Saturday declared a disaster for the storm-damaged parts of California, freeing up federal aid to help state and local recovery efforts in Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties.
Biden’s declaration came hours after Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell and CalOES Chief Deputy Lisa Mangat visited Santa Cruz County to tour the damages.
The tour began in Bay Village around the Atri Park area and moved to Holohan and College roads, which were under flood waters at the time. The tour also included the Seacliff area and Capitola Village before ending with a presentation and discussion at the County Emergency Operations Command office.
“The need for disaster relief is clear and present in all the affected areas in the district, and I hope FEMA will expedite its process,” Supervisor Felipe Hernandez said during the presentation.
Hernandez added that the most important message for residents with flood damage is to document everything: keep receipts, take pictures and videos of all the damages, and track any work done or expenses incurred due to flooding.
Watsonville City Councilwoman Ari Parker, whose District 6 in Watsonville sustained most of the flood damages, stressed that many in her district are on a fixed income and that federal recovery is desperately needed.
FEMA assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help residents and business owners recover.
Funds are also available to local governments and nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in the affected counties.
Damage assessments are continuing, and additional areas may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.
