The jewel in Santa Cruz’s theatrical crown prepares for an exit. The Jewel Theatre Company will end its innovative run of professional productions at the end of the 2023/2024 season. Even with preparation, the announcement came as a blow to the gut. Covid-created revenue losses, inflation, and the theater-goers’ reluctance to return to gathering in theaters—not to mention what has seemed like a lifetime of mask-wearing—all took their toll.
Jewel Theatre co-owner Mary James alerted us last week that an announcement was imminent. “The audiences just are not coming back after Covid, “James says, “not in numbers enough to sustain us going forward beyond next season.” The theater producer of two decades admitted that “it was a tough decision, but it is the financially responsible one, even though it pains us.”
As the company’s artistic director and frequent performer, Julie James, told me, “the challenge is multifaceted and long-term, and we don’t want to have to say the sky is falling every year.”
“In light of the slow recovery and soaring costs, we are choosing to act responsibly,” the artistic director says.
Many theaters nationwide face similar dilemmas, including the internationally recognized Oregon Shakespeare Festival, cutting performances and personnel.
The Jewel bravely survived the 20-month Covid-forced closure and, upon reopening in September 2021, enjoyed the confidence of 80% of subscribers renewing for the 2021/2022 season.
“However, for this current 2022/23 season,” James reveals, “only 70% of the pre-Covid subscriber numbers returned.” And for the future, it’s probably worse than these numbers show. “Many people just simply got out of the habit of attending performing arts events.”
The Jewel’s exit next year will create a massive gap in the cultural life of Santa Cruz. As many younger potential theater-goers spend more time on social media and device-driven entertainment, live theater, with all its costs and rewards, has a considerable challenge going forward. Sad news, indeed.
California’s independent state auditor will investigate the understaffed California Labor Commissioner’s Office over its persistent backlogs in workers’ wage theft claims, issues highlighted in a series of articles last year by CalMatters.
The audit would start Sept. 1 — that is if budget hearings before then don’t first address the agency’s problems to the satisfaction of lawmakers who approved the investigation.
The Joint Legislative Audit Committee on Wednesday called for the audit over the objections of some of the state’s biggest labor unions, who argued the probe was unnecessary.
Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower on Wednesday also pushed back against an audit, testifying that her office already is undertaking multiple reforms to address her agency’s backlogs.
The Labor Commissioner’s Office has struggled for years to address wage claims in a timely manner. Wage theft — the failure of employers to pay the minimum wage, overtime premiums, or provide meal and rest breaks — primarily affects low-wage workers who are often immigrants or people of color, studies show.
Each worker’s claims by law are supposed to be heard in 120 days and decided 15 days after that. But CalMatters, in its series, uncovered that between 2017 and 2021, the state averaged 505 days.
After that, back pay can take years to recover, and many who win their claims are never paid. The backlog was exacerbated last year, when new wage theft claims hit a record 38,000 and wait times climbed past 800 days.
“What is it going to take to get to 120 days? Is it additional measures to compel employers to participate, and if that’s the case, in which ways?” asked Assemblymember David Alvarez, a Democrat from Chula Vista who chairs the legislative audit committee.
“I am willing to give an opportunity for those questions to be answered,” he said. “But I’d like to see detailed answers, not just ‘we’re going to do better when we hire more people.’”
Alvarez held out the possibility that the committee could rescind their audit request before September if budget hearings satisfactorily address the issues the audit would target. The Labor Commissioner’s Office is seeking $12 million in the next fiscal year to hire 43 additional employees with the goal of reducing the time to hear a claim to 200 days.
The audit came at the request of State Sen. Steve Glazer, a Walnut Creek Democrat, who agreed to the compromise to delay the audit until Sept. 1. The audit request put Glazer, a moderate Democrat, at odds with labor groups and workers’ advocates.
The California Labor Federation and several unions and worker centers wrote earlier in March that an audit would divert time and attention from an already understaffed agency.
The California Chamber of Commerce testified in favor of the audit. Ashley Hoffman, a lobbyist for the Chamber, told the committee it is important to the state’s employers that bad actors be held to account and that disputes between employees be resolved expediently, out of court.
In addition to wage claims, California workers can also file lawsuits against employers through California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), a 19-year-old law that gives workers the same powers as the state to sue employers and recover civil penalties on behalf of coworkers. If they win, the workers can get a quarter of the penalties while the rest goes to the state for labor enforcement.
In 2022 the Department of Industrial Relations, the agency that houses the Labor Commissioner’s Office, received 5,813 notices of new PAGA suits, according to state data.
The Chamber is among several business groups that succeeded in getting a measure to repeal the private enforcement law on the 2024 ballot.
Hoffman told the committee that workers get more of their back wages when they go through the Labor Commissioner’s process instead of filing a lawsuit with a private attorney.
In her testimony Wednesday, García-Brower said she is working to overhaul her office’s wage claims staff by recruiting recent graduates from the University of California, filling key managerial positions and implementing new pilot initiatives in certain offices, among other measures.
García-Brower, an appointee of Gov. Gavin Newsom, is the former director of a group that helped the state investigate wage theft in the janitorial industry before she became labor commissioner and is considered an ally of the unions and worker advocates who opposed the audit.
The labor and worker groups advocated instead for increased funding for García-Brower’s office, higher penalties for employers who violate labor law and an expedited hiring process for the Department of Industrial Relations. They also argued for boosting the use of criminal charges against problem employers and expanding local officials’ abilities to sue businesses on behalf of workers to relieve pressure on the state.
Lorena Gonzalez, the former assembly member who heads the California Labor Federation, told CalMatters in an interview before the hearing that an audit would be a distraction.
“Everyone knows there’s a problem, including the labor commissioner,” Gonzalez Fletcher said. “I don’t think an audit is going to tell us anything we don’t know already.”
But at the hearing García-Brower conceded that the issues in her office went beyond a staffing shortage.
Assemblymember Jim Wood, a Democrat from Ukiah, and a member of the legislative audit committee, said his office had considered proposing an audit of the Labor Commissioner’s wage claim issues.
He told García-Brower that his office struggled to get data on wage claims from her office, and that some of his constituents had faced people who worked for her who “are not always terribly friendly and very dismissive sometimes.” That prompted García-Brower to agree.
“I sat across six different labor commissioners, and most of them were dismissive,” García-Brower said, referring to her time as a labor activist. “So this is a deep, systemic problem within the culture of this agency, which is why we’re digging down deep to ensure that people understand we are a public facing agency. We were created to serve the public.”
Senator John Laird, a Democrat from Salinas who sits on the committee, said García-Brower’s acknowledgement that the office’s problems went beyond staffing issues swayed him in favor of the audit.
The Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Board of Directors on Wednesday unanimously appointed Watsonville Community Hospital Chief Operations Officer Matko Vranjes to serve as interim CEO, after Steven Salyer announced his resignation last week.
Vranjes will begin on April 11, Salyer’s last day.
According to Board member Tony Nuñez, Vranjes has been with the hospital for more than three decades.
Nuñez says that Vranjes has, among other things, helped the hospital avoid near bankruptcy in 2021, as well as with the transition from a corporate-owned entity to a publicly controlled organization run by an elected board.
“We were lucky to have him when we had him, and we’re super-lucky to have him now,” he says.
In a press release, Board Chair John Friel says that the hospital is in good fiduciary shape.
“One benefit of having a community hospital that is on a positive financial path and led by a local healthcare district, is that when there is transition, the leadership team remains solid and focused on providing quality healthcare,” he states. “Watsonville Community Hospital is in good hands and solid footing for a bright future.”
In October, the hospital saw its first month of positive net income in years, which Friel attributes to Salyer’s leadership.
In addition, the hospital has improved its financial outlook through renegotiating contracts with major insurance companies. New payment rates will generate more than $12 million in annual revenue, and new staffing schedules will reduce spending and overtime costs, resulting in hundreds of thousands in savings.
DRUGDEALER WITH FAKE FRUIT Drugdealer’s third and most distinguished album, Hiding In Plain Sight, almost didn’t happen. Founder/singer-songwriter, Michael Collins, was ready to throw in the towel. While Collins had much success with the band’s 2016 debut, The End Of Comedy, and their 2019 follow-up, Raw Honey, frequent impulses to hand over the microphone to collaborators such as Weyes Blood, Jackson MacIntosh and Sasha Winn led to the musician descending into uncertainty. Then, everything changed after Collins connected with the visionary Annette Peacock. “I was so inspired by Annette,” he recalls. “I told her my plight, then I played her a song, and she told me I wasn’t singing high enough for my speaking voice. When I returned to L.A., I started coming up with new progressions, which I’d modulate up three half-steps. It forced me to find a new way to sing.” The conversation allowed Collins to find his voice. As the record title implies, the era during which he wrote the bulk of the music was a time spent searching for answers, searching for love and summoning influences that had fled him in reality. Hiding In Plain Sight is about finding the more extraordinary ability to love and embrace those around you. It also marks Drugdealer getting their groove back. $25/$29 plus fees. Thursday, March 23, 8pm. Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. feltonmusichall.com
LEE FIELDS WITH ANDRE CRUZ AND CHRIS LUJAN “We all have a time when we’ll expire, and we’ll do it at the exact time we should,” Lee Fields told Good Times before his August 2022 show in Felton. “Whether it’s an accident or by natural causes. But I’ll tell you one thing: I’m having a good time while I’m here!” The prolific soul legend’s follow-up to 2019’s It Rains Love was released on Daptone Records, which Fields has recorded for in the past—he recently signed a four-record deal with the label. “I’m hyped on a bunch of new songs we want to try live, see what the people think about it,” Fields added. “There’s a lot of emotions on the new album; I’ll put it like that.” The longtime soul man delivers big with his 2022 EP, Ordinary Lives, and his full-length Sentimental Fool, a replenished soul triumph. At 73 years old, the singer has released 20 albums and over 40 singles—he’s not finished, either. The times have changed a bit throughout Fields’ career, but one thing remains the same: the definition of “a good soul song—people can [always] feel that.” $30/$35 plus fees. Friday, March 24, 9pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. folkyeah.com
MARK FARINA WITH LITTLE JOHN Mark Farina is a name that rings out across the entire global dance music industry. The last few years have been an incredible new era of creativity, outreach and recognition for one of the business’s most original and consistent voices. Farina continues to connect with new fans without losing those who have been loyal supporters from day one. Fans, promoters and industry insiders know that no matter what changes come, Farina always delivers. His nonstop touring, constant content creation, partnerships with legendary venues and record labels and total commitment to showcasing the best new and old-school producers in his sets have made him a living legend to house and Mushroom Jazz lovers everywhere. With his passion for playing extended shows and a recent foray into streaming, exemplified by his highly successful new YouTube series with Defected Records, Farina continues to tirelessly entertain his incredible fans all over the globe with over 100 shows per year. $21/$24 plus fees. Friday, March 24, 8pm. Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. feltonmusichall.com
MARTHA SPENCER AND THE WONDERLAND COUNTRY BAND WITH THE BLUE RIDGE GIRLS Martha Spencer is a singer-songwriter, mountain musician and dancer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She grew up playing with her family and their Whitetop Mountain Band. Playing with her family, she learned to play several instruments and flatfoot/clog. Her most recent album, Wonderland, creatively interprets traditional music. Spencer’s friends Jamie Collins (bass/guitar), Lucas Pasley (fiddle/banjo) and Jake Dwyer (washboard) make up the Wonderland Country Band. The multi-talented frontwoman has played shows and festivals and led workshops worldwide. She was also a part of the acclaimed documentary Fiddlin’.$22/$26 plus fees. Friday, March 24, 6:30pm. The Catalyst Atrium, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. catalystclub.com
BROOKDALE BLUEGRASS AND AMERICAN ROOTS FESTIVAL Jim Savarino, West Side Willies with Sonia Shell, Lucas Lawson and the Unturned Stones, Jim Lewin and Bill Laymon, Post Folk Revivalists, Sunny Side of the Mountain with Amy Warren and Friends and Acid Grass Boys represent just the tip of the bluegrass iceberg taking over the Brookdale Lodge for three days of nonstop bluegrass, food and craft vendors, a mechanical bull and late-night jams in the bar. “It’s been at least 10 years since we came back home to the Brookdale Lodge,” Brookdale Bluegrass Festival founder Eric Burman says. “Remember the good times, don’t miss it!” Get a room package deal with the purchase of a three-day or single-day ticket. $20-40 plus fees. Friday, March 24, 6pm-midnight, Saturday, March 25, 11am-midnight and Sunday, March 26, 10am-2pm. Brookdale Lodge, 11570 Hwy 9, Brookdale. brookdale-lodge.ticketleap.com/brookdale-bluegrass-festival
TOP DOG FILM FESTIVAL The Top Dog Film Festival will wag its tail at the Rio Theatre, sharing a two-hour collection of short independent films from around the globe, all about dogs! This carefully curated program of canine-themed films comprises the most inspirational, heart-warming and entertaining stories about dogs and their human companions from independent filmmakers around the globe. Preshow “Yappy Hour” at Sante Adairius. Meet dogs from all walks of life on the big screen at this year’s event.$20 plus fees. Saturday, March 25, 7pm. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. riotheatre.com
LOS SCHLEPPOS TIPICOS Los Schleppos Tipicos was a premier Bay Area salsa band throughout the ’80s that performed at all the local venues, including The Catalyst, OT. Price’s and Kuumbwa. The beloved dance group had a large following that remains intact. For the first time in 40 years, the band will unite for a special performance with a surprise guest on tenor sax. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to boogie to the Latin crew again. $20 plus fees. Sunday, March 26, 7pm. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. kuumbwajazz.org
COMMUNITY
LATINO ROLE MODELS CONFERENCE This event focuses on Santa Cruz County families and is presented in Spanish (with English interpretation) to inspire students to achieve their dreams for college and careers. The keynote speaker is Olga Talamante, a longtime activist who was the first Executive Director of the Chicana Latina Foundation and currently co-chairs the Caravan for Children, advocating for children at the border. Artist and activist Juan R. Fuentes will also be featured. The Watsonville native’s designs are featured predominantly in the “Watsonville Brillante” mosaic murals. The conference will also feature professionals and college students sharing their career and education pathways and resource tables. Created by nonprofit Senderos 13 years ago, the event is presented in collaboration with Cabrillo College, County Office of Education, UCSC, Kaiser Permanente, Consul General Mexico-San Jose and others. Free (registration required). Saturday, March 25, 9am-1pm. Cabrillo College Crocker Theater, 6500 Lower Perimeter Road, Aptos. scsenderos.org
With a name like Steve Smith and a resumé that defies our shared understanding of human capabilities, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed for assuming there are three or four drummers on the scene, barring that supremely generic moniker.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer via his heyday stint with Journey, circa 1978-1985? The trap set marvel besotted with North and South Indian classical music, toured and recorded with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. The incandescently swinging cat who leads the Buddy Rich tribute band Buddy’s Buddies? The dynamo who powered Mike Manieri’s storied fusion combo Steps Ahead? All the same dude.
If there’s one thread running through Smith’s bogglingly disparate musical pursuits, it’s his band Vital Information. On a tour that marks the combo’s 40th anniversary, the unusual power trio plays Yoshi’s on March 26 and Kuumbwa on March 27. Considering Smith’s restless curiosity, it’s not surprising that Vital Information has evolved considerably in recent years as longtime comrades retired or departed the mortal scene.
Over the first three decades, Vital Information featured a formidable cast of players, including guitarists Mike Stern and Frank Gambale and bassists Kai Eckhardt and Larry Grenadier. For most of that time, Santana organist Tom Coster defined the group’s sound. With the quartet focused on gritty grooves, Coster’s seminal experiences in the mid-1960s playing soul-infused Hammond B3 organ in Fillmore District jazz clubs proved invaluable.
With Coster’s decision not to tour anymore, Smith took the band in an acoustic direction with pianist Mark Soskin, a prolific veteran best known for his 12-year stint with tenor sax titan Sonny Rollins. Soskin was already holding down the piano chair in Buddy’s Buddies, and Vital Information thrived until, well, you know.
“I was touring pretty often in Europe, the U.S. and China until the pandemic,” Smith, 68, says. “From 2016-2019, I was touring with Journey six months of the year and with Vital Information and other gigs.”
That was his third stint with Journey, which ended abruptly as the band devolved into a legal morass that only seemed to get crazier by the week. The latest news from Billboard is that Journey’s two remaining longtime members, guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain, have hired bodyguards to keep each other out of their dressing rooms. Smith seemed less than interested in rehashing drama old and new.
“I really have nothing to say about that,” he deadpans. “I’m just happy to be playing my own music with my own group.”
In the wake of bassist Baron Browne’s 2021 death and Mark Soskin’s health struggles, Smith reconfigured the band with British-born electric bassist Janek Gwizdala and trumpeter Randy Brecker, “I knew [Janek] was the right player, with the chops to play swing, R&B funk, fusion,” Smith says. “I was looking for a completely new sound, and Janek is a great improviser from nothing. He’ll create sounds with the pedals, and we’ll find a groove or a melody.”
Nothing Smith does should come as a surprise, but it was still astonishing to see that he brought Cuban pianist Manuel Valera into the Vital Information fold. Over the last two decades, the brilliant improviser-composer has become a key figure in New York’s jazz scene. Meanwhile, his work on the West Coast, with fellow Cuban masters like trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval, saxophonist and percussionist Yosvany Terry and drummer Dafnis Prieto, has added to his acclaim.
Smith was quickly struck “by his musicianship, virtuosity and ability to improvise effortlessly.”
I brought in Vital Information charts, and [Valera] sight-read them. He’s a monster player—so enthusiastic and a great writer and arranger.”
Valera’s tunes are featured extensively on the new Steve Smith and Vital Information album, Times Flies, a setting that seems to unleash the keyboardist. It’s electro-acoustic, “but not a super fusion set up,” says Valera, who joins the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis next month for a special program with Cuban reed great Paquito D’Rivera.
“I have two keyboards, a Rhodes-type instrument and a synth that I do a lot of routing on, but for the most part, there’s a lot of acoustic pianos,” Valera explains. “It’s not like a traditional piano trio at all. It’s quite an honor to have some of my compositions on a Vital Information record. You never know what turn your next path will take.”
Time Flies also features a disc with new tunes and special guest George Garzone, a Boston saxophone savant that Smith played with during his years at Berklee College of Music in the 1970s. And as if Smith couldn’t resist adding another surprise into the mix, Time Flies features a bonus album with Gwizdala, Valera, Smith and Garzone on a session of impromptu improvisations.
“I go to play with an open mind,” Valera says. “Steve can really let loose. There’s no fear of catastrophe.”
Steve Smith & Vital Information perform Monday, March 27 at 7pm at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $47.25/$52.50; $26.25/students. kuumbwajazz.org
Christy Rodriguez needs to get her 10-year-old daughter’s glasses and school supplies, and more clothes for her family—she has three days’ worth of clothes she’s continuously laundering. Like many Pajaro residents, the Rodriguez family didn’t think they’d be unable to return home after more than 10 days following the mandatory evacuation.
The late-night/early-morning order to abandon their house understandably roused Christy into anxiety: “All we heard was sirens and a [loudspeaker] saying, ‘the levee had breached, and water was on its way,’” she recalls. “I was having a hard time just breathing—my kids were asleep, and getting woken up like that was horrible.”
There was no time to think about packing necessities, like shoes for her daughter and 4-year-old son. Since that sudden wake-up call, the family of four has been living out of a hotel room. Christy and her husband—a special education instructional assistant for the PVUSD and a sales rep, respectively—are thankful they have that option, though. They’re also grateful that their home wasn’t flooded. But the private security on their street still won’t allow them to enter their home for just a few minutes to collect some things. Christy and her husband are constantly inquiring, trying to find out when they’ll be able to get into their home. They’re told that the ground is “contaminated.”
Meanwhile, the cost of purchasing all the necessities they can’t access from their home plus the $140-per-night for the hotel room is adding up—Christy sighs, remembering rent is also due soon. But no one has answers.
“Everyone is clueless,” Christy says. “It’s still not even declared a natural disaster, so we’re not allowed to apply for FEMA yet. The shelters are full, and people are sleeping in their cars.”
Like the Rodriguez family, nearly 2,000 Pajaro residents who evacuated live in day-to-day limbo, feeling alone in this. Meanwhile, 94% of Pajaro is Hispanic; many don’t speak English and undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible for federal assistance when or if it becomes available.
“The government has done nothing to help Pajaro that I know of,” Christy says. “It’s been the community helping. At the hotel, Driscoll’s did tacos for us; Freedom Meat Locker did sandwiches.”
Christy doesn’t understand why President Biden hasn’t declared Pajaro a natural disaster as he did for Capitola; the frustration, the depression, that feeling of not knowing what’s next—an emotional exhaustion that Christy probably shares with all community members.
“It’s so hard when your kids are crying to go home, and you can’t take them home,” she says. “My son is always like, ‘I want spaghetti,’ and I’m stuck here with a microwave.”
Trees down in New Brighton State Beach in Capitola following the most recent atmospheric river. Photograph by Dianna Glidden.
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GOOD IDEA
On Monday, Representative Jimmy Panetta announced that his office is accepting artwork from local high school students for the annual Congressional Art Competition. The winners will have their entries displayed in the United States Capitol in Washington D.C., a tradition that began in 1982, with over 650,000 high school students involved in the nationwide competition. Paintings, drawings, collages, prints, mixed media, computer-generated art and photographs are all accepted. The deadline for submissions is April 21. panetta.house.gov/services/art-competition
GOOD WORK
Housing Matters, a local nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness, is leading the first-ever March to End Homelessness in Santa Cruz County. On Saturday, April 1, local nonprofit providers, businesses and community members will march and rally near downtown Santa Cruz. At the end of the march, there will be local speakers and a festival with live music, vendors and food trucks. housingmatterssc.org/march2023
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I don’t trust anyone who’s nice to me but rude to the waiter. Because they would treat me the same way if I were in that position.”
I began 2023 trying to help my wife write her bio for The Circle Family Center’s website. They hired her as a certified Zumbini instructor, and I couldn’t wait to help list how she was the perfect candidate for such a fun job. Zumbini is a music, dance, and educational class for toddlers and their parents to learn, move and bond. Her classes at The Circle had just begun, and saying she was using all her skills as a teacher and fitness instructor is an understatement.
Parents and their kids, ages 2-4 years old, poured in the doors to be met with the Zumbini “Kalino finds the music” song and begin dancing from the get-go. My wife, known to her 4th graders at Mar Vista Elementary as Ms. Dunham, wrangled these babies and toddlers together to shake bells, peek-a-boo with scarves, and bang on mini-congas like a pro. She is a pro in that she taught yoga, and kids’ yoga, professionally in New York before she moved to Santa Cruz to become a teacher in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. She is taking time off to be with her baby, Willow, and now teaching this class where she can be a teacher, new parent, fitness instructor, and emblem of inclusivity.
Almost every week, one new parent and child join our Wednesday afternoon, adding to the core group. Zumbini classes comprise eight-week sequences where the Zumbini character, Kalino, sings and dances to the same songs during that segment until the story changes. We’ve noticed that the songs like “Rueda, Rueda,” and “Vuvuzela” have become favorites and get played weekly because Ms. Dunham, the teacher, knows how consistency benefits a child’s learning and Spanish language acquisition.
The class deserves some attention because there is no Zumbini locally, and parents don’t yet know how amazing it is.
Zumbini teachers get paid well to come to birthday parties and get kiddies dancing!
At the end of each class, to calm down, Ms. Dunham, the yoga instructor, has each child pull a card with a pose they all try with their parents. After that, everyone leaves with a huge smile—and some sweat. A new class and great family center that parents with toddlers should all check out! @zumbini_aptos
—William Prusinowski
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It took squishy, delectable, sweet, itty-bitty black balls for Sam Kurita to open Santa Cruz County’s first boba shop in 2004. Kurita traded in his suit, tie and cushy gig at a profitable semiconductor operation for an apron, longer hours and a risky bet on a trend that was beginning to make waves amongst foodies throughout Silicon Valley.
“I saw an untapped market here,” the ponytailed Kurita says. “There was no boba [in Santa Cruz County]. We started doing crepes and boba tea at a place we called Ambrosia. There was no other shop like it in Santa Cruz.”
Kurita is known around town as the man who officially brought the Asian drink to Santa Cruz County—a true OG in the boba biz. In 2005, he converted his popular crepe-boba spot into a Thai restaurant downtown, now Pacific Thai.
“We kept the boba tea but slimmed the menu down,” Kurita explains. “We have to keep our boba menu simple compared to other places. Back in the day, we had more variety.”
Kurita’s risk and his approach have paid off. His Thai eatery is now considered a downtown Santa Cruz staple.
Wearing a black UCSC Grateful Dead hat and thick sunglasses—indoors—Kurita says his bubbly boba drinks boost his food sales, and his highly lauded Thai food keeps customers returning for his teas.
“We’ve sold boba for a long time, but more and more people—especially young people—are discovering boba these days,” he says. “It’s big.”
The market size of boba is predicted to increase from $2.4 billion (2019) to $4.3 billion by 2027. And boba culture—aka “Boba Life”—continues to pick up steam. Large, multi-tentacled corporations like Peet’s Coffee, Jamba Juice, Dunkin’ Donuts and even Del Taco have been jumping on the boba bandwagon—experimenting with various boba concoctions.
But how big can boba get in the United States? Also, is it a fad, or is boba here, domestically, for the long run? Longtime industry players agree, for now, that boba and the culture surrounding it is here to stay. Even “boba” is an ironic cultural reference to the 1980s Hong Kong movie star Amy Yip. Her generously sized “assets” resulted in the nickname “Boba” (loosely translated Chinese slang for “champion of breasts.”)
Taiwan has roughly 21,000 boba shops, including international chains such as Sharetea, Gong Cha and CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice.
You probably don’t envision Amy Yip when a buddy invites you to get boba. In the United States, at least, it’s far more likely that a colorful shaken drink over ice—consisting of milk, black tea and chewy tapioca pearls (in its most basic form)—pops up in your noggin. However, the term “boba” and the perpetually evolving world encompassing it can get confusing. Sometimes, it’s called “bubble tea” or “pearl milk tea,” other times, it’s called “boba tea,” “tapioca milk tea” or just plain old “boba.” The ubiquitous tapioca pearls are also called “boba,” which doesn’t help simplify things.
INTRO TO BOBA
Boba pearls are made by adding boiling water to tapioca starch, which is then kneaded until it reaches a doughy consistency. The tapioca is then shaped into balls and added to a vat of boiling water with brown sugar for about 30 minutes—for flavored boba pearls, fruit puree, or syrup is added to the tapioca starch before the kneading process. It seems simple, but high-quality boba can take years to perfect and is considered an art form similar to mastering scratch-made ramen noodles.
The “boba movement” was born in Taiwan, where tea shops are on nearly every corner. Boba shops are reviewed, chastised and criticized based on the quality of their pearls. The best boba has a “Q” or a “QQ,” which means it has an incredibly chewy consistency. It’s a good thing.
Back in the day, in its earliest form, bubble tea was a mixture of piping hot Taiwanese black tea, syrup, condensed milk and tapioca pearls. Like many regions worldwide, tea is big in Asia—Asian tourists go to tea tasting on plantations and experiment with Oolong, Darjeeling, Longjing and jasmine varieties, similar to Americans going wine tasting.
Boba is not tapioca pudding. The pearls in many delightful slurpable boba mixtures are made from tapioca starch, an extract of the South American cassava root. Also known as “yuca,” cassava root is cultivated by over eight million farmers, mainly in tropical regions. It has become big business; the driving force behind scores of rural communities’ economies.
Cute plush boba stuffies, comfy leather seating, flashy LED displays and a white color scheme with crisp green accents fill the airy confines of Boba Bay, Cheryl Schnaider’s new premium tea joint in Capitola Village.
The 45-year-old mother of two says business has been “okay” during the off-season in the quaint beach town. For one week in August, though, Schnaider got a brief glimpse of Boba Bay’s potential.
“Capitola is a tourist town that is very seasonal,” she says. “That’s what I’m realizing. In certain areas, boba is mainstream. A lot of people have to travel to get it. There’s definitely a demand for [boba].”
Some businesses close up during the frigid months—the onslaught of atmospheric rivers tearing through the Central Coast this year is unprecedented.
Schnaider hasn’t let that get in the way, though. Her menu is carefully curated, and her passion for boba is undeniable; Schnaider’s discussions/explanations with curious customers are more like “Boba 101” classes.
“People use the word ‘boba’ for the drink itself,” she explains. “But it’s really the pearls. When people hear the phrase ‘bubble tea,’ they think it’s because of the tapioca pearls—but the bubbles form when you shake the drink. People are surprised by the pearls. Most think of tapioca pudding.”
19-year-old UCSC environmental science major Tani Ng says she’s on a mission to try every boba spot in Santa Cruz. Wearing large headphones, she sits hunched over a table at McHenry Library. Ng says that she’s yet to find good boba in Santa Cruz—until now.
“It’s severely lacking here,” she says. “Good boba is cooked well. Not hard. Boba has to have this subtle sweetness—not too plain. Bad boba is hard and plain. Some places are sweet, though. There’s this intricate balance.”
Isara Chongpilayert—an immigrant from Fatu, Thailand—sells around 150 boba teas and 70 crepes daily at iCrave in Capitola. Isara and his wife opened the hip boba-crepe biz in 2009 and have worked diligently to perfect it.
Many shops that advertise scratch-made boba prep their boba balls with organic tapioca starch and employ a machine that speeds up the boba kneading process. It takes longer, but the boba quality is generally much better.
“Boba is all about the details—and freshness,” Chongpilayert explains. “We have a special technique for our boba. It’s soft and chewy. Some places have boba that is hard inside and uncooked. Our customers say our boba is perfect.”
iCrave’s eclectic décor, bright colors, Totoro motifs, affordable crepes and boba teas keep customers returning. Lines routinely stretch out the door.
“Boba, the drink, not the tapioca pearls, at its most basic, is flavored milk and tea with tapioca balls shaken and poured over ice,” Chongpilayert says. “We sell more traditional boba than anything here. In bigger cities, there are more complicated ways of making boba. At my shop, I’m sticking to the boba basics—pure boba drinks. Because we only have two people working here, people would have to wait too long for their drinks. I make it easy for them.”
BOBA RISING
Using a half-empty taro-root boba tea in the courtyard of UCSC’s Iveta Café, computational media grad student J.T. Zong explains boba’s global popularity and significance. Her eyes, framed by delicate moon-shaped glasses, light up as she compares our boba with the small province where she grew up, just outside of Shanghai.
“Boba really is a global phenomenon,” Zong says thoughtfully. “It originated in Asian countries initially, but people are making it everywhere. It’s an okay thing, I guess. I’m glad that I can get boba here. But it’s not as good as in China. It’s really sweet compared to home. And they use real teas in China. Better tea. They care. Even the big chains like Quickly.”
With years of boba-cred, Zong says she can separate good boba from the pretenders and those just trying to make a quick buck.
Initially dominated by small family-owned businesses selling run-of-the-mill tea drinks made cheaply with simple powders and syrups, quality has grown exponentially. While not comparable to what Zong is used to in Shanghai, she says there are finally good boba options in Santa Cruz County.
Boba Bay, my go-to treat spot, represents the ongoing boba revolution. Schnaider reaches across the shiny, white countertop and hands me a large plastic cup with a cute little sea otter cradling a bubble tea. The scarily purple Taro boba is my favorite. I grab a giant pink boba straw and puncture the thin plastic that separates myself and pure, unadulterated boba bliss with ninja-like precision. The ambiance, the quality and it’s in Capitola!
I’m admittedly a boba newbie—just a few years in—but even I can taste the difference.
“There are two types of bubble tea—the fast food type—like Quickly or restaurants that serve it as a compliment to their menus. The ingredients are low quality, like powders,” Schnaider says. “Then there are specialty shops that serve high-quality teas, made fresh. At other places, boba teas are pre-made, or the ingredients are cheap and gross. When I trained with a Taiwanese supplier, he used Quickly and some other chains as examples of bad boba.”
Schnaider is convinced that quality matters and will win in the end.
Unlike traditional coffee joints, boba shops have been emerging as hangout destinations for Asian American youth, existing as a de facto, safe place for chilling on weekends and after school. For a group of adolescents living a fast-paced digital life but still sequestered in the throngs of suburbia, boba spots represent a “cultural home.”
“Boba is fun, sugary and sweet, so many teenagers and young people love it,” Ng says. “They hang out at boba shops and talk for hours. If they go to a restaurant to eat, many stop and get boba. Boba replaces the normal drinks we get in the food place, like soda.”
Like Starbucks cups, hip boba brands garner attention and business from Asian American youth, who often sport elaborately decorated bubble tea cups as accessories. You won’t see Quickly cups or low-grade logos—chosen brands demonstrate individuality and a deep and comprehensive understanding of boba and its unique, vibrant, customizable culture.
“At home, we go out with our friends and get boba,” Ng says. “It doesn’t happen as much here yet. People in Santa Cruz mostly go to cafes or coffee shops instead. But if you go to San Jose or more established boba areas, it’s the opposite. Boba spots are hangout spots. We like places that feel like ours—with cool, comfortable seating, good music and playing games and stuff.”
BOBA BREAKTHROUGH
Boba is becoming a heralded drink everywhere and is no longer specific to any nationality. Just about everyone has tried it or at least knows what it is. As boba’s appeal, visibility and popularity continue to a crescendo, everyone from every background can raise a collective toast and celebrate a drink—a plastic cup, cellophane lid, large colorful straws and mountains of teentsy black balls—that has surpassed expectations.
“Boba going mainstream? I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Ng says. “More people are being exposed to something truly Asian. Asian culture. It’s good for parts of Asian culture to become more widespread. So, it’s not that‘super weird’ thing that we’re into. Boba can be a gateway to other parts and aspects of Asian culture.”
The market size of boba is predicted to increase from $2.4 billion (2019) to $4.3 billion by 2027.
During the dreary and masked-up days of Covid, labor shortages, a disaster in the Suez Canal and pervading hiccups in the global supply chain they caused, parts of the Western United States and Canada experienced a sudden and severe boba shortfall. A lot of the boba slurped in the States is imported from Asia—the drink’s most critical ingredient, tapioca starch, is grown there.
Some mainstream press even raised fears of a broader bubble tea shortage, panicking shop owners and boba addicts nationwide.
“For months, with supply chain issues and Covid, we couldn’t get any pearls,” Kurita recalls. “I scrounged for boba pearls anywhere I could, trying to order wherever I could get them. For months it was impossible. I ordered 15 pounds from a vendor in Los Angeles, and all I got was a cup of good pearls. The rest was powder. So, we tried to make them ourselves, but it didn’t work out. We just took the hit.”
The fact that U.S. mainstream media reported on the boba shortage during the darkest times shows how much the beverage has become embedded into our consciousness. It turns out those tiny chewy balls are a big deal.
Santa Cruz County Boba Mania
Boba Bay – bobabay.com Signature Drink: Oreo Tiger Milk Tea
Tranquilina Ramirez sits at a table outside a Freedom, California grocery store on a brisk March evening. Originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, the mother of seven has been a local farmworker for 14 years.
Now, like countless other workers in the Pajaro area, she is in limbo after the devastating impact of the recent winter storms. Storms have raged intermittently since January, with the most recent one causing the Pajaro River levee to suffer a catastrophic failure, flooding the town of Pajaro and creating a nightmare scenario for the already-devastated region. The destruction has created a dire situation for families like hers, whose livelihoods depend on the local land.
“We’re looking for work, but there is nothing out there. We are used to working the fields, but there is nothing,” she says in Spanish. “It’s hard for us campesinos because it’s taking a long time, and we have to wait and see if there is work. And if there is, it will be a lot less.”
Ramirez has worked in the fields since she was 18 and speaks Mixteco primarily. At this time last year, she was at least working about 15 hours a week weeding the strawberry fields, but the storms have drastically cut down working hours for farmworkers.
That’s because more than two months after the first major storms hit in late December 2022, agricultural fields are still flooded, leaving farmworkers across the county without income for the foreseeable future.
“There is not much support for immigrants and campesinos. Many of us need help right now,” says Ramirez. “Some people don’t have a place to live or can’t pay their rent.”
She has considered seeking work at local packaging plants but says that openings are hard to come by, especially in the off-season when many farmworkers flock to these jobs.
Meanwhile, her debt is mounting—her family of nine rents a one-bedroom apartment for $1,800 a month. They would rather go hungry than not pay the rent and lose their dwelling. They have resorted to taking out loans from friends and other family members. From January to now, they have borrowed $4,000 for rent and bills, with no anticipated relief coming down the pipeline.
Ramirez isn’t alone. South Santa Cruz County has the highest concentration of undocumented workers and migrants, many of whom are only eligible for federal aid if they meet a narrow criterion.
Tiana Suber, a Media Relations Specialist for FEMA, clarified the requirements.
“If they are undocumented and they have somebody in their household who is a U.S. citizen, then they can apply in their name,” Suber says.
Those who qualify may receive up to $40,000 in federal grants to help homeowners and renters pay for repairs.
But even if some farmworkers qualify through a household member, fearing deportation and having their families broken apart stops many from applying, according to Ramirez.
When asked what will happen to families that do not meet the criteria for federal aid, Suber points to local organizations as a solution.
“They can get help from other agencies. The state and the county offer a lot of resources as well for those that don’t qualify, and [they] can get help from these other resources and non-profits as well,” Suber says.
SAFETY NET
Dr. Ann Lopez, founder of the Center for Farmworker Families, calls the conditions that local farmworkers experience “horrible.”
“They’ve been hit on all fronts. I’ve never seen a catastrophe hit farmworkers on this scale,” says Dr. Lopez. “Within a three-year period, they’ve lived through the Covid pandemic, heat waves that have made farmworkers faint in the fields and now the aftermath of the winter storms.”
Since its founding, the center has worked to gain the trust of migrant farmworker families who are wary of government programs, helping them through weekly food and toiletry distribution.
“They know we are not the migra. When you mention an institution that is federal or state, it gets scary for them,” Dr. Lopez says.
At a recent food distribution that primarily serves farmworkers, about 700 families sought help. During the agricultural off-season, which typically runs from November through January, the Center serves about 250 families in need. This year, that number has nearly tripled, according to Dr. Lopez.
“Just this morning, I spoke to people from Watsonville, Salinas and Castroville who were literally begging for food. So, the need is tremendous. And so many people have lost everything, and there is no work.”
Ernestina Solorio, a local farmworker and advocate from Watsonville, agrees that the current situation is disastrous for these working families and that they have limited options. That’s because agricultural workers don’t have resources like unemployment benefits and aren’t able to qualify for government aid that a person with legal status might be able to obtain, he says.
Philanthropic foundations such as the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County and the Community Foundation of Monterey County have stepped in to help organizations provide relief. Alongside the Center for Farmworker Families, the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County and Community Bridges are also joining in to help South County.
Tony Nuñez, the communications manager for Community Bridges, says one of the biggest needs is rental assistance for people who are out of work, have had to leave their homes or have lost their homes.
Santa Cruz is the second-most expensive rental market in the country, according to a recent study. The market rate for a two-bedroom apartment is $3,138, which would require an estimated wage of over $60 an hour. Much like other working-class residents of the county, farmworkers make an average of $14 an hour.
“The Community Foundation gave us thousands and thousands of dollars to write rental assistance checks for farmworkers so they wouldn’t lose the places where they lived. And we do whatever we can,” says Dr. Lopez.
Community Action Board (CAB) has received $300,000 from the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County for rental assistance and expects another $300,000. However, CAB’s role is restricted to housing relocation and wage replacement for those that qualify based on their legal status. Households qualifying can receive up to $1,500 as a one-time payment, but that is only a temporary solution.
“How are they going to pay for everything moving forward?” asks Elyssa Sanchez, Program Coordinator for CAB’S Homelessness Prevention and Intervention Services. She says these families’ financial hardships are compounding as weeks pass, and another cycle of rent and bills is on the horizon.
Despite the daunting tasks ahead for these organizations, the current situation has galvanized their role in the community.
“Something is happening in South County,” says MariaElena De La Garza, Executive Director of CAB in Santa Cruz County, “and it’s called organizing.”
COUNTY INEQUITIES
The national spotlight recently focused on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in South Santa Cruz County. It took a tragedy in Pajaro to get the country’s attention.
According to Paz Padilla, Director of Programs and Impact for CAB, South County was largely unrepresented when President Biden visited the region and held a press conference with local officials in January. It reminded her of the media coverage following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which focused on San Francisco and Oakland, effectively neglecting Watsonville, one of the hardest-hit areas in the county.
On March 15, Governor Gavin Newsom arrived in Pajaro and toured the area with local leaders, promising cash payments of $600 were underway for those affected, regardless of immigration status. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Raymon Cancino, CEO of Community Bridges, called the gesture a “slap in the face” and said that more help was needed. He noted that the $600 payments were initially intended as Covid-19 pandemic relief and were not aimed at assisting flood victims.
When asked what she thought about the lack of media attention before the Pajaro flood, Ernestina Solorio hoped people realized the benefits they get from farmworkers in the local area and that they should support them in any way they can. This rings even truer now.
“You never know the sacrifice and efforts that go into picking the food we eat. Campesinos may not be from here, but we are contributing to this country.”
David Blume, CEO of Whiskey Hill Farms in Watsonville, expects that the destruction from recent storms that have flooded local farms and led to farmworker job losses will start to have ripple effects across the county.
Consumers will soon feel an economic impact on the local and national levels. Blume says that shortages and higher prices for broccoli and cauliflower, both grown in the region, will be the effect of the massive regional crop loss.
Nishan Moutafian, Vice President of Production for Driscoll’s Inc, estimates that at least 1,500 acres of their strawberry fields have been affected by the recent flooding. And those that haven’t flooded are still over a month away from significant production, he says. However, he thinks the smaller growers will bear the brunt of the economic hit.
“Seventy five percent of the people who live in Watsonville are farmworkers and Hispanic. And without them, we’d all be lost,” Blume says.
Salmon population numbers in key California stocks are forecasted to be lower than they have been in years, prompting a full closure of the ocean fishery for the first time since 2008/2009.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) determines ocean salmon seasons for Washington, Oregon and California. The council is currently weighing three management alternatives for the 2023 season. These alternatives vary for Washington and Oregon, but none allows commercial or recreational salmon fishing in California until at least April 2024.
The PFMC will accept public comments on the alternatives this week and at a meeting in Foster City from April 1-7. The council will adopt one of the three regulations at the April meeting and forward the recommendation to the National Marine Fisheries Service, which will make a final call by May 16.
Plummeting Populations
The closure comes on the tail of annual pre-season abundance forecasts. Researchers use catch numbers and the amount of fish returning to rivers to create models that predict fish numbers for the coming season. In March, those numbers looked worse than they have in over a decade for two key stocks.
Sacramento River fall Chinook was forecasted to have 169,767 adults, while Klamath River fall Chinook was forecasted to have 103,793 adults. Managers say the causes for the declines are complex.
(The coho salmon in Santa Cruz County streams are not what people are fishing for in Monterey Bay. The California industry focuses on Chinook, also known as king salmon.)
“I’m hesitant to speculate as to what the primary cause was because it’s pretty clear that there’s a number of things going on—both in freshwater and in the ocean—that resulted in what we’re looking at today,” says Michael O’Farrell, the program lead of the fisheries assessment modeling at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Santa Cruz.
But whatever the major causes, the drought certainly didn’t help.
“This is a decades-long trend, and the past few years of record drought only further stressed our salmon populations,” said Charlton H. Bonham, Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in a press release about the closure.
Chinook salmon follow about a three-year cycle, during which they hatch in a river, migrate to the ocean and spend a few years at sea before returning to their home stream to spawn and die, so environmental conditions from a few years ago determine the population that returns now.
“Three years ago, we were dealing with intense drought that dried up rivers, as well as climate disruption,” says Jordan Traverso, the Deputy Director of Communications at CDFW. “We also have major issues with barriers to passage in their historic habitat, with dams preventing them from utilizing hundreds of miles of it.”
Fisherman Panic
The closure feels like a final blow for some local fishermen who depend on salmon. Kevin Butler, who has fished salmon commercially in Monterey Bay since 2002, calls it devastating.
“We didn’t have a crab industry, our harbor was shoaled up for three months, no one has made money in years and the last couple years, they gave us these little spots [to fish],” he says.
Drops in restaurant sales during the pandemic, increasing costs and closed fisheries are forcing people who have been in the industry for decades to reconsider their careers—particularly, Butler says, if they operate smaller boats.
“I don’t have anything else to fall back on,” he says. “I’m going to get my captain’s license and try to start doing eco-tours, but other than that ….”
Despite the challenges, Butler says he supports a closure for at least two years so that people can’t blame the salmon declines on fishermen.
“We didn’t do it,” he says, pointing instead toward water management and hatcheries.
CDFW says the problem is more complex.
“Water management is part of the salmon strategy, but there is more to the story,” Traverso says. “It’s really easy for groups advocating for one small piece of the story to boil it down to this age-old—and tired—debate. But the whole story is so much more vast.”
The good news, he says, is that salmon numbers fluctuate, and conditions this year are better.
“We anticipate that the fish born this year will have better success,” says Traverso.
Hope for Recovery
The recent storms, though destructive in many other ways, aid current salmon in getting to the sea and back.
“I think [the rains] can only help right now,” O’Farrell says. “Better than drought conditions, that’s for sure.”
CDFW is taking advantage of higher water levels to release millions of smolt—young salmon ready to migrate to the sea—from hatcheries into streams around California. But because of the salmon life cycle, it will be a few years before biologists and fishermen see the results.
Another strategy for bolstering the population is the removal of dams around the state. In what Traverso calls “the largest river restoration project in American history,” four tribal water projects will remove four dams along the Klamath River, giving salmon and steelhead access to almost 400 more miles of watershed in California and Oregon.
Still, managers, scientists and fishermen remain cautious in their hopes for a normal season soon.
“Salmon management goes on a year-by-year basis,” O’Farrell says. “We go through this process every year of making abundance forecasts and planning the salmon seasons, and salmon populations can be pretty variable. So, I’d hesitate to be too confident about what we’re looking at for next year. But salmon are resilient, and so you never know.”
