Originally founded 30 years ago as a catering business, Carmona’s is now located at the Pajaro Valley Golf Course and is captained by chef and owner Johnny Carmona. He says he learned to cook as a child by attending “grandma university,” beginning his culinary career at age nine making food for not only his mom and sisters, but also for his grandpa and his buddies at their regular house domino games.
Carmona describes his namesake restaurant as a community-driven, family-friendly spot with a cozy sports bar feel, housed in a large open space with a view of the course’s first tee. The menu is classic American breakfast/lunch/dinner with pronounced multicultural influence from Mexican, Italian and Asian cuisines. Morning faves include a classic chicken fried steak, Hawaiian loco moco and breakfast fried rice on weekends. Lunch/dinner bests are Filipino lumpia, deep-fried mushrooms and a clam chowder that has won the Boardwalk’s cookoff eight times. The burgers are another hit, like the Happy Gilmore with bacon, onion rings and American cheese. Other standouts are chili verde with tender pork shoulder and an oft raved-about eggplant Parmesan. A full bar featuring local beers holds down the beverage side, and there’s live music or a DJ most weekends.
How did you learn to cook such diverse cuisines?
JOHNNY CARMONA: As a kid, my mom was a single mother working three jobs to support us, so I would often have sleepovers at friends’ houses. One of my friends was Filipino, so that’s where I learned how to cook pork adobo and lumpia. I also had several Hispanic friends whose parents taught me to make dishes like chicken mole, and I had an Italian buddy whose mom taught me how to make pesto and alfredo sauces and eggplant parmesan. I also read a lot of cookbooks. If something tasted good, I’ve always had passion to learn to cook it.
Tell me about the catering side of the business?
It’s kept us going for 30 years and counting with menu options like paella, whole roasted pig, goat and lamb, chile colorado, Thai shrimp pasta, shrimp scampi and chicken alfredo. We keep it very professional, but treat each customer like family. We do over 200 catering events per year, everything from small events to birthdays, weddings and large corporate gatherings.
Hindu goddess Durga rides a tiger and carries weapons in her ten hands, including a sword, ax and thunderbolt. Yet she wears a pleasant smile. Her mandate to aid the triumph of good over evil is not fueled by hate but by luminous clarity and loving ferocity. I suggest you adopt her attitude, Aries. Can you imagine yourself as a storm of joy and benevolence? Will you work to bring more justice and fairness into the situations you engage with? I imagine you speaking complex and rugged truths with warmth and charm. I see you summoning a generous flair as you help people climb up out of their sadness and suffering. If all goes well, you will magnetize others to participate in shared visions of delight and dignity.
TAURUS April 20-May 20
Born under the sign of Taurus, Maya Deren first expressed her extravagant creative urges as a writer, poet, photographer, clothes designer and dancer. But then she made a radical change, embarking on a new path as an experimental filmmaker. She said she had “finally found a glove that fits.” Her movies were highly influential among the avant-garde in the 1940s and 1950s. I bring Deren to your attention, Taurus, because I suspect that in the coming months, you, too, will find a glove that fits. And it all starts soon.
GEMINI May 21-June 20
In medieval times, alchemists believed mercury was a sacred substance and divine intermediary. They knew that it’s the only metal that’s liquid at room temperature. This quality, along with its silvery sheen (why it’s called “quicksilver”), made it seem like a bridge between solid and liquid, earth and water, heaven and earth, life and death. I nominate mercury as your power object, Gemini. You’re extra well-suited to navigate liminal zones and transitional states. You may be the only person in your circle who can navigate paradox and speak in riddles and still make sense. It’s not just cleverness. It’s wisdom wrapped in whimsy. So please offer your in-between insights freely. PS: You have another superpower, too: You can activate dormant understandings in both other people’s hearts and your own.
CANCER June 21-July 22
In the western Pacific Ocean, there’s a species of octopus that builds its lair from coconut shells. The creature gathers together husks, dragging them across the seafloor, and fits them together. According to scientists, this use of tools by an invertebrate is unique. Let’s make the coconut octopus your power creature for now, Cancerian. You will have extra power to forge a new sanctuary or renovate an existing one, either metaphorically or literally. You will be wise to draw on what’s nearby and readily available, maybe even using unusual or unexpected building materials.
LEO July 23-Aug. 22
I invite you to contemplate the meaning of the phrase “invisible architecture.” My dream told me it will be a theme for you in the coming weeks. What does it mean? What does it entail? Here are my thoughts: Structures are taking shape within you that may not yet be visible from the outside. Bridges are forming between once-disconnected parts of your psyche and life. You may not need to do much except consent to the slow emergence of these new semi-amazing expressions of integrity. Be patient and take notes. Intuitions arriving soon may be blueprints for future greatness. Here’s the kicker: You’re not just building for yourself. You’re working on behalf of your soul-kin, too.
VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22
A supple clarity is crystallizing within you. Congratulations! It’s not a brittle or rigid certainty, but a knack for limber discernment. I predict you will have an extra potent gift for knowing what truly matters, even amidst chaos or complication. As this superpower reaches full ripeness, you can aid the process by clearing out clutter and refining your foundational values. Make these words your magic spells: quintessence, core, crux, gist, lifeblood, root. PS: Be alert for divine messages in seemingly mundane circumstances.
LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22
The ancient Mesopotamian goddess Inanna was called “the Queen of Heaven.” Her domains were politics, divine law, love and fertility. She was a powerhouse. One chapter of her mythic story tells of her descent into the underworld. She was stripped of everything—clothes, titles, weapons—before she could be reborn. Why did she do it? Scholars say she was on a quest for greater knowledge and an expansion of her authority. And she was successful! I propose we make her your guide and companion in the coming weeks, Libra. You are at the tail-end of your own descent. The stripping is almost complete. Soon you will feel the first tremors of return—not loud, not triumphant, but sure. I have faith that your adventures will make you stronger and wiser, as Inanna’s did for her.
SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21
In ancient Rome, the dye called Tyrian purple was used exclusively for garments worn by royalty and top officials. It had a humble origin: murex snails. Their glands yielded a pale liquid that darkened into an aristocratic violet only after sun, air and time worked upon it. I’m predicting you will be the beneficiary of comparable alchemical transformations in the coming weeks. A modest curiosity could lead to a major breakthrough. A passing fancy might ripen into a rich blessing. Seemingly nondescript encounters may evolve into precious connections.
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Bees can see ultraviolet patterns in flowers that are invisible to humans. These “nectar guides” direct bees to the flower’s nectar and pollen, functioning like landing strips. Let’s apply these fun facts as metaphors for your life, Sagittarius. I suspect that life is offering you subtle yet radiant cues leading you to sources you will be glad to connect with. To be fully alert for them, you may need to shift and expand the ways you use your five senses. The universe is in a sense flirting with you, sending you clues through dream-logic and nonrational phenomena. Follow the shimmering glimmers.
CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19
At the height of her powers, Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut declared, “I have restored what had been ruined. I have raised up what had dissolved.” You now have a similar gift at your disposal, Capricorn. If you harness it, you will gain an enhanced capacity to unify what has been scattered, to reforge what was broken, and to resurrect neglected dreams. To fulfill this potential, you must believe in your own sovereignty—not as a form of domination, but of devotion. Start with your own world. Make beauty where there was noise. Evoke dignity where there was confusion.
AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18
In the high Himalayas, there’s a flower called Saussurea obvallata—the Brahma Kamal. It blooms only at night and for a short time, releasing a scent that legend says can heal grief. This will be your flower of power for the coming weeks, Aquarius. It signifies that a rare and time-sensitive gift will be available, and that you must be alert to gather it in. My advice: Don’t schedule every waking hour. Leave space for mystery to arrive unannounced. You could receive a visitation, an inspiration, or a fleeting insight that can change everything. It may assuage and even heal sadness, confusion, aimlessness, or demoralization.
PISCES Feb. 19-March 20
The human heart beats 100,000 times per day, 35 million times per year and 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime. It’s the most reliable “machine” ever created, working continuously and mostly without special maintenance for decades. Although you Pisceans aren’t renowned for your stability and steadiness, I predict that in the coming weeks, you will be as staunch, constant and secure as a human heart. What do you plan to do with this grace period? What marvels can you accomplish?
The music of Texas-born singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster combines Americana, blues, folk, gospel and soul. Earning comparisons to Mavis Staples, Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin, Foster makes effective and creative use of her vocal and instrumental skills, as vehicles for her inspiring lyrical work. She’s as prolific as she is talented, with more than a dozen albums to her credit. In recognition of her artistry, Foster’s list of nominations and awards is lengthy, including three Grammy nominations and one win (in 2025 for Mileage, Best Contemporary Blues album), and a staggering ten Blues Music Awards between 2010 and present. BILL KOPP
Luke Wyland sits at the keys and coaxes out beautiful spatial soundscapes, electronic ambient music with a plot that takes listeners on a journey. Hailing from Portland (where a large percentage of music of every conceivable genre seems to come from these days), Wyland is also a disability activist. Collaborating with the nonprofit SPACE, he curates The Library of Dysfluent Voices—a completely unique archive that explores stuttering as a generative, expressive mode of communication. Sharing the bill is Peruvian American composer, vocalist and performing artist Briana Marela. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN
INFO: 8:30pm, Indexical, 1050 River St., #119, Santa Cruz. $16. (509) 627-9491.
ALT-COUNTRY
WILL SPROTT
With his slightly psychedelic, alt country adjacent sound featuring a healthy dose of reverb-soaked guitar and rich imaginative lyrics, San Jose native Will Sprott first made his mark (and earned strong reviews) with The Mumlers. Under the Mumlers name (and now on his own), he’s proven to be quite prolific, cranking out recordings, including his latest, Natural Internet, which received a second pressing last year. This Friday sees him returning home to share the night with labelmate Joe Kaplow. It is presented by Redwood Records. KLJ
INFO: 8pm, Crepe Place 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
THEATER
ADDAMS FAMILY
Though perhaps a bit more morbid, The Addams Family navigates the struggles of every family. Their children are growing up. Chaos ensues when Gomez and Morticia Addams’ beloved, macabre daughter, Wednesday, falls for a regular old boy from Ohio. Peppered with witty songs and ghoulish charm, this musical comedy delights in the absurdity of teenage romance, the eccentricities that run in families, and the certainty of change. Mountain Community Theatre presents this show under the direction of Daria E. Troxell and will feature a few special “Dress As Your Favorite Character” performances for some added fun. Performances go until Oct 19. SHELLY NOVO
INFO: 8pm, Park Hall, 9400 Mill St., Ben Lomond. $30-$35. 336-4777.
SATURDAY 9/20
ELECTRONIC
GARY NUMAN
Recognized as one of the fathers of synth pop and known for hits like “Cars” and “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?,” Gary Numan’s evolving electric rock sound has been instrumental across eras. His influence spans timelines and genres, shaping legends like Prince, Nine Inch Nails and Kanye West. With 22 albums under his belt, his gritty, gothic sound has outlasted naysayers and transcended the fickle music industry. With robotic vocals and guitar-pedal-processed synth hooks, Numan mixes pleasure with just a touch of pain to create an innovative and altogether addictive soundscape. SN
INFO: 8pm, Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $41. 713-5492.
CABARET
ICONS: BLACK WOMEN ILLUMINATED
Dress to the nines and step through the speakeasy to experience a dynamic cabaret-style tribute to 20th-century Black women artists. Grab a drink and enjoy the jazz until the curtain rises. The evening will be filled with aerial artists, spoken word, song, burlesque and dance. All the acts come together for a one-night ritual that explores “lineage, liberation, and unapologetic creative power.” The night will feature an all-Black women and gender-expansive cast. Through remembering the great artists of the past, the artists and audience have a chance to form deeper connections with themselves, those who came before, and those who will come after. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 7pm, 418 Project, 155 S. River St, Santa Cruz. $45. 466-9770.
BLUES-ROCK
NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS
Now in their 29th year, North Mississippi Allstars was founded by brothers Cody and Luther Dickinson to pay homage to blues musicians like their father, Jim Dickinson, along with friends like Mississippi Fred McDowell, Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside. Armed with a rotating cast of guest musicians, the North Mississippi Allstars have boasted members such as Duwayne Burnside (son of R.L.) Alvin Youngblood Hart and Lucinda Williams. Earlier this year they released their new album, Still Shakin’ as a 25th celebration for their debut album, Shake Hands With Shorty. MAT WEIR
Get ready to be transported back to the Cliffs o’ Dover this weekend with Celtic at the Brewery. This afternoon will feature the Irish sounds of the Weeds Duo, consisting of fiddler John Weed (from the locally infamous Molly’s Revenge) and son Evan (who plays Celtic harp, melodica and piano). This Carmel duo celebrates the Celtic tradition with jigs, reels and slower, emotional selections. On top of that, they play tracks showcasing how Celtic music influenced American genres like bluegrass, Appalachian music and jazz, connecting the past with the present. This Sunday, raise those spirits (and some pints) with some uplifting music outdoors. MW
ND Stevenson’s acclaimed 2012 science fiction graphic novel, Nimona, was first published as a webcomic. Its organic success led to a 2015 deal with HarperCollins, eventually making Stevenson a National Book Award finalist. Nimona was adapted for animated film in 2023 and subsequently nominated for an Academy Award. Stevenson has worked on projects for Marvel, Disney+, and was showrunner for Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. A nonbinary artist, Stevenson explores LGBTQ+ themes in a myriad of ways. Stevenson’s latest work is Scarlet Morning, the first part of a planned duology featuring pirates, magic, and themes of friendship and found family. BK
INFO: 5pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
“When I feel good, I eat healthy, but when I’m anxious or depressed, all bets are off.”
It’s a conundrum I hear after every Mediterranean Diet class I teach. We all know, deep down, it’s better to reach for the apple than the ice cream. But knowing and doing are two different things. After all, when hasn’t a pint of Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough felt like the perfect end for a rough day? For a few blissful spoonfuls, it feels like self-care. Then the carton is empty, the moment has passed, and you’re left feeling worse than when you started.
So why does this hell-cycle tend to happen? And more importantly, how can we break free and choose foods that actually lift us up, even when we’re feeling low?
It turns out there’s a real scientific explanation. The gut and brain are in constant conversation via what researchers call the gut-brain axis—a feedback loop where mood, diet and digestion are inseparably linked.
Our gut microbiome—the trillions of microbes living in the digestive tract—communicates directly with the brain through the vagus nerve and neurotransmitters like serotonin (about 90% of which is produced in the gut) and dopamine (around 50% of which originates there too).
When the microbiome is balanced, we often feel calmer, clearer and more energized. But stress, processed foods and antibiotics can disrupt this delicate ecosystem, fueling anxiety, depression and digestive issues. Diets rich in fiber, fermented foods and healthy fats—like the Mediterranean diet—support microbial diversity and mental well-being, while mindful eating and stress-reducing practices strengthen the gut-brain connection.
Local Breema expert Dr. Alexandra Johnson confirms, “Specific bacteria have been correlated to anxiety, depression and other mood disorders.”
Local Wisdom
Cordelia Sidijaya sees the impact of this science every day.
“As a holistic gut health specialist and RN, I often see clients who don’t realize that some of the foods that they are eating are impacting their hormones, mental health and overall well-being. Once they start to eliminate the toxins that are neurotoxic, endocrine and hormone disruptors, they are relieved how their anxiety and fatigue goes away, and their stress resilience and overall mood improves. They also improve their brain-gut connection.”
In spite of the common complaint that diet advice is constantly changing—and that’s true if you’re getting your nutrition information from online influencers (aka marketers)—in reality, the Mediterranean diet has stood the test of time, recognized for centuries as one of the top health and weight management approaches.
Science continues to back it up with more recent findings supporting the role of probiotic foods on physical and mental health:
Diets rich in prebiotic fibers and less processed food are linked to improved mood.
Highly processed, inflammatory foods are associated with greater risk of depression and anxiety.
Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut may help ease anxiety, especially social anxiety.
Probiotic supplements show mixed results—whole-food diets tend to be more effective. But stress management requires more than a dietary approach.
Local holistic nutrition expert Alisha Slaughter puts it this way: “What we eat is one of the most accessible tools we have to support mental well-being. Diet shapes the gut–brain connection, which plays an important role in how we experience stress and anxiety. Nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods help support stable energy and mood.
“At the same time, the body must feel relaxed in order to digest and absorb nourishment,” she continues. “Combining stress management with nutrition creates a foundation for gut health and emotional resilience.”
Personalized Nutrition
Of course, no two guts are the same. Individual differences in the microbiome matter; what works for one person may not for another.
Some local experts, like Dr. Laura Paris and Dr. Johnson, are bringing advanced microbiome testing into their practices. By sending a simple stool sample to a lab, they can identify digestive imbalances and create targeted treatment plans.
Paris recommends shotgun sequencing microbiome tests, explaining that they’re “the most advanced way to map the entire ecosystem, pinpoint mood-related imbalances, and guide targeted protocols to shift the microbiome in the right direction.”
Anyone who’s dealt with a few days of constipation knows firsthand how digestion affects mood. Microbiome testing simply takes that gut instinct and gives it scientific precision.
Closing the Loop
We’ve all been there, spoon in hand, chasing comfort in a pint of ice cream. But as the science and local experts remind us, the real path to comfort isn’t about numbing stress—it’s about nourishing the gut so it can support the brain. From fermented foods to mindful eating to personalized microbiome insights, we have more tools than ever to strengthen this two-way connection.
And here’s the hopeful part: the same way stress can spiral into poor food choices, healthy choices can spark a virtuous cycle of resilience, energy and balance. Which means the next time life throws a curveball, we might find ourselves slowing down to take some slow, deep breaths before reaching for the organic apple, maybe sliced and made sweeter with a sprinkle of cinnamon—not because we should, but because it doesn’t feel like a compromise when it tastes sweet and satisfying AND makes us feel good.
On Sept. 9, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously supported an ordinance which—if approved upon the second reading on Sept. 30—would prohibit the retail sale of nitrous oxide for recreational use.
Also known as “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide has several legitimate uses, such as an anesthetic for some medical procedures, and in restaurants to make whipped cream.
But because it also causes a brief euphoric “high,” it has been widely abused, particularly by young people. And while state law prohibits its sale to minors—and for the purposes of intoxication—proving that can be a challenge, said Supervisor Kim De Serpa, who authored the ordinance.
“This gap leaves enforcement powerless where retail shops openly sell nitrous,” she said.
Also known as nitro, N₂O, NOS, nangs, whippets, hippy crack and buzz bombs, the gas works when the user inhales it.
According to county officials, it is classified as a dissociative drug that can alter perception, mood and consciousness similar to psychedelics.
It can cause dizziness, disorientation, blurred vision, loss of balance, numbness, nausea, headaches, vomiting, impaired memory, and slowed cognition or motor performance.
Heavy use may also cause chest tightness, impotence and clumsiness. Chronic use can cause vitamin B12 depletion, which can lead to nerve and brain damage, bone marrow suppression, muscle control loss, tinnitus, incontinence, weakened immunity and increased risk of heart attack.
The ordinance, De Serpa said, “is about protecting public health and public safety.”
She pointed to several recent incidents in which drivers were caught under the influence of the gas.
“We’re just seeing more and more of it,” De Serpa said.
During the summer, she said, SCSO investigators received a tip about a gas station in Felton that was selling “shelves and shelves and shelves” of nitrous. Employees later sold products to a minor decoy in a sting operation.
Later, investigators learned that the shop sold more than 900 units in four months, which was enough for 235,000 doses, De Serpa said.
“This is not small-scale,” she said. “It is industrial-level distribution for recreational abuse.”
Similar ordinances have been adopted in Orange, San Mateo and Humboldt counties.
De Serpa said that she expects local cities, along with the counties of Monterey and Humboldt, to follow suit.
Amber Williams, who runs Janus of Santa Cruz—a nonprofit that helps people overcome substance use disorders—said that withdrawal from nitrous oxide is difficult to treat. Two young people have recently gone to treatment for it, she added.
“The more we can ban it and get it out of our community so we can actually treat the other issues we’re already dealing with in substance use disorder services, the better,” Williams said.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Lt. Nick Baldridge said the ordinance will help law enforcement close the loophole that allows retail sales.
“This would just allow us to help keep that off the street, help keep our community safe, and take that enforcement action to keep it out of our retail shops in this county to try and limit that access for our youth,” he said.
If adopted later this month, the ordinance will take effect 31 days later.
Despite community opposition, the Watsonville City Council on Sept. 9 voted in favor of a $251,000, two-year contract with Flock Safety, adding 17 additional license plate reader cameras to the 20 that were already in place.
The vote was 5-2, with Mayor Maria Orozco and Councilmember Vanessa Quiroz-Carter dissenting.
The issue of using the automated cameras stationed in locations throughout the city has been controversial since 2023, when Watsonville signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta-based company, spending $132,000 for 20 cameras.
Watsonville Interim Police Chief David Rodriguez said that with 85% of police agencies across the U.S. facing officer shortages, the Flock cameras are a “true force multiplier” that helps them solve more crimes.
“What this is causing us to do is rethink the way we address policing issues, safety issues in our own community,” Rodriguez said. “A big part of this is using technology.”
According to Rodriguez, police used the cameras 98 times over the past six months for investigations. Incidents of stolen vehicles have decreased by 11% since they were installed, and 28 stolen vehicles have been returned to their owners.
The additional 37 cameras, he said, would help to fill “blind spots” at entrances and exits to the city.
Addressing community concerns, Rodriguez said that the cameras are not used for facial recognition or to monitor speed. More importantly, the data is never shared with federal law enforcement officials, he said.
He explained that officers using the system need a valid reason, as well as a case number. And if a license plate number comes back connected to crimes, such as a burglary or a missing person, the system will alert the officer.
“It allows us to better investigate these crimes and actually collaborate with our law enforcement partners to better investigate,” Rodriguez said.
The data is deleted after 30 days, Rodriguez said.
City Attorney Samantha Zutler said that state and local law prevent the data from being shared with outside parties. This includes Senate Bill 54—also called the California Values Act—which limits the way in which law enforcement agencies can cooperate with federal officials.
“The city owns the data, and the city accesses the data,” Zutler said.
But the assurances from the city were cold comfort to several people who spoke against the license plate readers.
Bernie Gomez with Milpa Collective said the cameras will disproportionately impact the people of Watsonville. (MILPA is a watchdog group, Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement).
He pointed out that Scotts Valley has no cameras, while the city of Santa Cruz, with a population of 56,000 and a majority of white people, has only eight.
“And you have the audacity to want 37,” Gomez said.
Julia Monahan, a founder of Get the Flock Out, said the group is working to persuade the county’s jurisdictions that use the cameras to cease their contracts.
The group points out that the city of Denver recently rejected an extension for license plate readers after a public backlash.
The movement, Monahan said, is not about distrust of the police.
She said Flock has already been accused of sharing data with federal officials in other jurisdictions.
“This is about the tool that’s being used,” she said.
Watsonville Charter School for the Arts teacher Bobby Marchessault said he understands why police would want the tool. But he urged the council to reject the contract.
“I think as a community, though, it’s also our job to balance that and ask what kind of community we want to live in,” he said. “Do we want to live in a surveillance state community? I don’t think the end is worth the means.”
Quioroz-Carter said that she was a part of the council two years ago when the initial contract with Flock was approved. But that was before President Donald Trump was elected and began to implement his hardline immigration policies.
“The world was a very different place two years ago,” she said, adding that current law is behind in protecting the privacy of citizens.
“Our data is being bought, sold and traded,” she said.
Councilwoman Kristal Salcido, an attorney, said she works with children caught up in human trafficking.
“I am persuaded by the types of crimes that can be solved (by the cameras),” she said. “If my children were to go missing, I would want this type of tool to be able to be used.”
It has been nearly five decades since Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls began selling their iconic pastries at the Santa Cruz County Fair.
The stand has become a cornerstone of the fair’s multifarious food offerings, and on busy days the dozen or so employees can sell as many as 4,000 rolls, says manager Jose Mirelez.
On any day during the fair, dozens of people can be seen lining up at the stand, ordering rolls that can be topped with frosting, nuts and bacon.
New this year is the Tres Leches roll, an ode to the Latin-American dessert. It features frosting mixed with evaporated and sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream, then topped with caramel and sprinkled with piloncillo, an unrefined, raw cane sugar common in Mexican and Latin American cuisine.
FAIR EATS Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls owner Willie Madaus readies his food stand for the fair. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
But traditionalists hoping for the stand’s classic need not fret: the traditional menu will still be on offer.
“We love what we do,” Mirelez said. “It’s all made by hand with love, and we get to put pride in it.”
Headquartered in Altamonte near Yosemite National Park, the stand started the year in Quartzsite, Arizona, and the San Diego County Fair in June and July.
They took home best in show awards at the California State Fair food competition at the California State Fair in Sacramento, as well as at the San Diego County Fair.
And while the cinnamon roll booth was the first food stand to make an appearance, work was happening throughout the fairgrounds, getting it ready for its Sept. 10 opening.
On Sept. 2, work crews were busy putting up giant tents in the fairgrounds for the annual event that runs through Sept. 14.
GOING UPWorkers put their weight into yanking a large tent into position as part of preparations for the Santa Cruz County Fair, which runs Sept. 10-14. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
Visitors this year can expect a handful of small changes.
The threat of avian influenza has somewhat limited the animals the fair can display, says spokesman Ron Haedicke. This means that the poultry barn will not have its usual display of chickens and other birds. Instead, the young people that raised them will make videos, which will be shown in the barn.
New this year in the Poultry Barn will be a Homestead Pavilion, where visitors can learn live-off-the-land skills such as canning and preserving. In addition, visitors will have the chance to see live chicks hatching in an incubator.
Due to the same disease, beef cattle cannot be displayed, although dairy cows can.
Still, most of the livestock will be on display, and attendees can expect old favorites such as the All Alaskan Racing Pigs and self-described master hypnotist Michael Mezmer.
A group of freestyle motorcycle daredevils called FMX Ramp-Age will perform Sept. 10, and there will be a nightly lighted drone show.
“The place looks better than I’ve ever seen it, and we’re looking forward to having everybody here,” Haedicke said.
Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez and a group of community leaders announced a hunger strike and started the movement with a protest outside of Driscoll’s headquarters in Watsonville on Sept. 2.
About 50 people were protesting the use of toxic pesticides near homes and schools in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley.
Dieguez announced that he began his fast on Sept. 1 and will continue for 30 days. He is being joined by several community leaders who will fast for various lengths of time.
Dieguez released a public statement to Driscoll’s and California Giant Berry owners, urging them to transition their fields near homes and schools to organic and stopping the use of toxic pesticides.
“Enough is enough,” the statement reads. “For too long, you have poisoned our community with toxic pesticides that harm our farmworkers, our immigrant and Indigenous families, our youth, and all of Pajaro Valley. You are contaminating our water, our land, our oceans, and the very air we breathe. This must stop now.”
Dieguez says in the statement that, as a young boy growing up near the fields, he acquired acute asthma.
“Many of my friends have suffered from cancers and other health problems that many of the same chemicals used in your berry fields are known to cause,” he says.
Dieguez says that the companies have the resources and capabilities to end pesticide use immediately and transition to safer practices.
“Impacts from pesticides go on for decades,” Gabe Medina, Pajaro Valley Unified School District board member, told the crowd. He spoke of family members who were sprayed “directly” while working area fields, and of cancer and strokes that have affected his family.
“This is what pesticides do to us: They impact us physically and mentally,” Medina said. He demanded proper screening of students at schools for added protection and spoke strongly of area leaders coming forward and standing up for what is right “and challenging corporations that see us as disposable units in order for them to make profits.”
Adam Scow of Campaign for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture, a grassroots organization of residents of the Monterey Bay, stated: “Local activists are coming together to put their bodies on the line in support of the movement to stop toxic pesticides. Our region is actually a leader in organic agriculture with nearly 20 percent of the Pajaro Valley being organic. So we need more of it in the right places.”
The specific fields near Pajaro Valley homes and schools are illustrated on a map released by the Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture, available at farmworkerfamily.org/cora.
In a prepared statement from Driscoll’s, the 150-year-old company says its “roots in this community run deep.”
“We live here, work here, send our children to local schools, and care deeply about the health and safety of our families, employees, and neighbors,” the statement reads.
The use of pesticides—and their use near schools—is regulated and monitored by agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) and the County Agricultural Commissioner’s Offices.
“All of Driscoll’s independent growers are required to follow regulations and the law, working with government agencies to ensure full compliance,” the statement says. In addition, all pesticides must be approved by EPA and CDPR, and are reviewed and approved only after scientific evaluation for safety.
CDPR is responsible for monitoring pesticides in the air, surface water and groundwater, as well as new scientific information.
The issue of buffer zones—and when to update them—lies under the authority of agencies like the EPA and CDPR, the Driscoll’s statement asserts, and anyone who believes the rules need to be changed should contact the appropriate agencies, where they can be formally reviewed and addressed.
Driscoll’s is “committed to advancing certified organic farming beyond compliance,” the statement asserts.
“We believe the future of farming lies in collaborative innovation,” it reads. “That’s why one of our key initiatives is “More Berries, Less Resources.” Through that initiative, the company is collaborating with institutions such as UC Santa Cruz and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to develop non-chemical solutions for pest and disease management.
Driscoll’s researchers are also developing berry genetics to breed naturally resilient plants that require fewer pesticide applications.
“These advances take time, research, and investment. But we are committed to leading the way toward more sustainable farming practices,” the statement says.
Many people assume habitats are measured in extremes.
“Either untouched wildland or a parking lot,” frames Alex Hubner, horticulturist and Garden Steward at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden.
In fact, as he and his wife, new Associate Director Lucy Ferneyhough, illuminate for me, habitats such as pollinator gardens are a confluence of nuanced factors.
“People’s perceptions of a perfect garden looks like something you’d see on the East Coast,” Hubner says. “Lush and green and full of giant flowers all summer long. The fact is, if you want that out here, you’re gonna have to use a lot of water, and you’re not going to be able to use native plants.”
Hubner and Ferneyhough are integral members and fervent proselytizers of the Arboretum’s Native Plant Program.
“Plant an array of different native species,” Ferneyhough says, “and you will see so many different types of bees and pollinators you haven’t seen before, or only out hiking. If you create the habitat, the animals will come.”
Ferneyhough and Hubner were both recruited to the Arboretum by Program Director Brett Hall, who has tended it since 1975. The two describe him fondly as a mentor giving youth lost in existential crisis purpose by spreading the gospel of gardening, a leader making new leaders.
Under his stewardship, the Arboretum team has collected seeds for more than 200 different rare plant species never before put into a “seed bank”—a library of flora built to sustain habitat destruction or climate change.
Hall got Ferneyhough into the California Naturalist Program, hosted by the Arboretum each year. A ten-week public course offered for optional college credit, participants meet on Thursday evenings, with weekend field trips. Wife and husband cannot sing its praises enough.
“You get this super holistic understanding of the landscape we live in that a lot of people rarely interact with,” she says. “People are so alienated from their own habitat in which all of our communities are situated.”
People are also alienated from each other, which the program also addresses, Hubner says.
“There’s an ecosystem of people doing this kind of work. You meet them and realize there’s something in common: appreciation for the sense of place.”
Yellow-faced bumble bee on a squash blossom. PHOTO: Bria Nathan/LaBriaTarPitz.com
This place we call home has some parallels. Southwestern Australia, the city of Perth in particular. The Cape of South Africa. Parts of South America, especially Chile. But mostly, Santa Cruz resembles the Mediterranean.
“The climate regime where you’ve got these long, dry summers, and the wet winter,” Ferneyhough says.
The problem they’ve identified for home gardeners is misinterpreting dormancy as death, or that they did something wrong. If anything, the more wrong move is overdoing it—overclearing, overtidying, overwatering. Fastidiousness can be useful indoors, but outdoors, you can be disturbing the fauna just as they’re getting settled.
One mnemonic device to help you, as rhythmic as this couple finishing each other’s sentences: leave the leaves.
“Don’t remove the dead stems from this year’s grasses or wildflowers,” he begins, “until the rainy season comes—”
“—And you’re starting to see new growth again…” she continues.
“…Because bees will use the hollow dead stem to go down there and build nests for their young or hide from predators,” he finishes.
Even actual, unequivocal death can be a boon.
“A tree that dies in your yard,” she says, “you can cut to just chest-high so it’s no longer unsafe to have, then you can drill 3/8 inch holes on the north side that create a place for solitary bees to nest.”
Revamping a dead standing tree known as a “snag” qualifies it to be called a much cuter term.
“A bee hotel,” he says.
A metallic green bee, shot by local photographer Bria Nathan at Wilder Ranch.
Raking leaves may feel righteous, an outdoor chore akin to washing dishes, but beware.
“Butterflies and moths often lay their eggs at the base of trees,” she says. “Then those larvae climb up into their host plant.”
Heat waves are increasing in frequency and intensity, but Ferneyhough cautions against endangering a plant while trying to “save” it.
“You’re going to want to make sure your plant is well-hydrated before the heat wave starts so that it isn’t sitting around in wet soil as the temperatures are going up. A lot of [native] plants are sensitive to fungal infection because they’re not adapted to a wet summer.”
No snazzy anti-invasive species marketing campaign exists, no warning labels informing customers the plant they’re about to purchase has the half-life of a plastic bag. But Santa Cruzans did get the memo about thirsty non-native green grass, as American as baseball diamonds, largely abandoning it as the drought made upkeep unrealistic and rationing by our water districts became punitive.
What’s a better choice?
“Buckwheat is beautiful, and bulletproof,” says Hubner. “And they bloom late, late summer into fall. You get that pollinator interest throughout the dry season.”
Nothing illustrates the interdependent evolution of flora and fauna like being a pollinator gardener. Plant long tube flowers and watch hummingbirds kamikaze for real estate rights. Plant short tube flowers and watch bees zip in and out. Pick the California native sticky monkeyflower and observe how it grows little landing pads for them. Behold nature’s immaculate design, devolving our attempts to assert our design over it.
“We’re at this peak human impact period,” Ferneyhough says. “Populations that are naturally small or are truncated by human pressures, whether it be development, or agriculture, or our spread of invasive species, could be completely extirpated or go extinct as a result of a single [catastrophic] event.”
In response, “Home gardens are providing linkages between fragmentation of the natural landscape. So much of the country, the state, our town is urbanized, and if you can create spaces for animals to be, you can reduce the impact.”
Pollinator garden starters, both native and exotics, are available for purchase at Norrie’s Gift & Garden Shop at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden, including a local buckwheat. Visit them at 104 Arboretum Rd, off Empire Grade, or call 831-502-2999 to see what is in season.
A painted lady butterfly perches on a cosmo. PHOTO: Bria Nathan/LaBriaTarPitz.com
Cultivating Pollinators
The following are tips excerpted from handouts provided by the UCSC Arboretum. Find more information on calscape.org, a website from the California Native Plant Society that allows gardeners to search by location for native plants suited to their local environment.
For best success, plant in fall to take advantage of cool winter temperatures and rainfall. For new plants, water deeply 1-2 times per month during cool periods in the summer so they’re ready for any heatwave before it happens.
Vary flower types: Hummingbirds favor tubular flowers, especially red. Bees gravitate toward blue, purple, orange and yellow short-tubed flowers, and daisy-like flowers. Butterflies are drawn to fragrant flowers with bright colors and a large landing pad. Moths seek out white flowers with a nectar spur, blooming at night.
Prioritize native plants. Consider exotic species as an extra nectar source, but natives will support the insects that allow bird populations to reproduce themselves. Include larval host plants.
Mix native species that flower at different times. Early flowering plants: Ceanothus species, Arctostaphylos species, Ribes (flowering currant) and clovers. Mid-season bloomers: Roses, mints, poppies, sages, lupines, Clarkia, Phacelia. Late flowering: California aster (Symphiotrichum chilense), seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus), gumplant (Grindelia spp.), goldenrod (Solidago sp.)
Willows and oaks host the largest number of butterfly larvae, so include these tree species if you have the space. Don’t spray your oak if it gets tent caterpillars.
For monarch butterflies, plant nectar plants if you are within a mile of an overwintering site rather than milkweed (Xerces Society has an interactive map at westernmonarchcount.org). Plant milkweed further inland
I’m so happy that Good Times did some real good (OK, we do a lot of good).
But in this case, a cover story in the early 2000s led to the creation of an amazing home store, Mario’s Lighting in Soquel, where Mario Guizar, a home builder who learned some of his skills at Cabrillo College, turns worn-out light fixtures people might throw away into great art.
You have to love it. This is masterful recycling, keeping things out of landfills and turning them into beautiful home fixtures.
He saw a robot-like creation on Good Times’ cover and thought he could make similar artistic creations for lighting and, voila!, a truly great home lighting business was created. Read the backstory in Josh Logan’s masterful article in our Home and Garden section.
Fall is like another planet’s spring, with the world taking on new colors and textures. And, while in other places it is the start of hibernation, here we can still plant and grow, while we will also spend more time indoors as the days grow shorter.
So it’s a good time to think about redecorating and recreating your indoor space. Check out Elizabeth Borelli’s piece on canning, something that will keep your cabinets full of fresh harvests and make for the best kind of holiday homemade gifts. Other outdoor revelations include John Koenig’s piece on koi pond collectors. Yes, a fish can sell for $20K. And Panashe Matemba-Mutasa looks at getting rid of your mowers and fertilizers and letting your lawn go feral, something I wonder about all the time, in our drought-ridden environment.
Food-wise, Mark C. Anderson has the inside scoop on the new restaurants at Santa Cruz’s long-awaited and long-debated La Bahia Hotel, something that will change the beachfront forever.
Andrew Steingrube brings you the story on Tramonti, a great restaurant now challenged by the closure of the Murray Street Bridge. I see local groups making a point of eating at places on both sides of the maze the closure has created and I tip my hat to them. It’s so sad to see businesses that struggled with the pandemic back in the hot seat with long-term road closures. Get out and patronize them, please.
Sometimes we forget we are an agricultural community, which has some drawbacks when it comes to doctors getting paid fairly, but is a joyous thing when you go to the Santa Cruz County Fair in Watsonville. It’s like a trip back in time to the good old days of pie-baking contests, photography shows, Lego building, crafts, arts and wild BMX riders, Mexican wrestlers, a hypnotist, cinnamon rolls, corn dogs, barbecue and carnival rides.
It’s sort of a bizarro world’s Burning Man, but you will run into everyone you’ve ever known there. Check our inside story on it.
Thanks for reading.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
JUST BEACHY This dog and seal followed each other up the Aptos coast. Photograph by Thomas Brew
GOOD IDEA
The RTC invites you to participate in the Week Without Driving, Sept. 29–Oct. 5. For many, getting around without driving is a daily challenge, not a choice. During a Week Without Driving, we’re ditching the driver’s seat to understand how communities serve those who walk, roll, bike, carpool or take transit. You can participate in reducing air pollution with fewer cars on the road.
Improve your health by walking or biking. Enter a raffle to win prizes. Register at gosantacruzcounty.org and then log any bike, walk, transit or carpool trips during the driverless week to be automatically entered for the raffle.
GOOD WORK
Beginning Sept. 1, the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District will accept applications to fill three vacancies on its Advisory Committee. Applications must be submitted by Sept. 30. The committee advises the Board of Directors on policy issues related to customer service, bus operations, strategic planning and community needs. It meets quarterly, and appointees serve four years.
Visit scmtd.com/mac to learn more or submit an application. For questions, contact Santa Cruz METRO at 831-426-6080 or email ma*@***td.com.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
‘You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.’ —Jon Kabat-Zinn
