Plan to be dazzled by the Santa Cruz Symphony’s 68th concert season, starting in October with Rimsky-Korsakov’s dreamy Scheherazade, featuring the violin of Artist-in-Residence Nancy Zhou. The entire year is filled with orchestral music that is both accessible and thrilling, including November’s The Planets by Gustav Holst, the December Holiday Pops Nutcracker Suite, and in March the Family Concert, a week of educational programming culminating in the brilliant Carnival of the Animals, complete with an instrument “petting zoo” afterwards, where children will get introduced to a variety of musical instruments.
In late March the actors of Santa Cruz Shakespeare will once again join the Symphony for a blend of Mozart’s music with narration from Peter Shaffer’s play, Amadeus. Rounding out the season is Beethoven’s majestic Symphony No. 9, which will showcase the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus and its brand-new director. Join fellow music-lovers and maestro Daniel Stewart for many evenings of great live music performed at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and the Henry Mello Center. Given the ongoing funding cuts to the arts in this country, now is exactly the time for you to make your plans to keep symphonic music alive and robust in our town. santacruzsymphony.org
Inter/Action With a Poet
A maverick poet and rodeo queen, part Walt Whitman, part Patti Smith, Dion O’Reilly will read from her latest collection, Limerance. With her cowboy boots, Cyndi Lauper hair and movie star glasses, this exciting Santa Cruz/Seattle-based poet is a performance even before she speaks. The event, Inter/Act Spoken Word, takes place Sept. 16 at Satori Arts, 815 Almar, No. 9, Santa Cruz. dionoreilly.com/events
POETIC MOMENTS Dion O’Reilly will read from her latest collection, ‘Limerance,’ on Sept. 16. Photo: Contributed
Mini-Playwriting With a Pro
From prolific writer, director, teacher, poet and playwright Wilma Marcus Chandler comes the chance to tackle your ideas for creating a short play. Specifically, Writing Your 10-Minute Play, the title of a four-part workshop that begins on Sept. 20.
Ten-minute play festivals began on the East Coast with Actors’ Theatre of Louisville and on the West Coast with Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre. Since then they’ve blossomed all over the country. If your inner playwright has ideas, this workshop might be just the ticket. Workshop topics include Developing Your Ideas, Characters, Plot line, Settings, Style and Genre, plus Pitfalls, Formatting, Table Reads, Submission Opportunities. The real nitty-gritty stuff. The playwright shares her perspective on the mini-play phenomenon:
GT: Why are ten-minute plays so popular?
WMC: They fulfill several needs. In one evening of ten-minute plays, they can offer a wide variety of experiences, a diverse array of audience reactions and responses, such as humor, pathos, mystery, etc., and they create the opportunity to see many different actors, directors and playwrights at work.
Do they attract larger audiences than full-length properties?
Theater itself has always attracted audiences to see the immediacy and risk of action on stage. Both are loved.
Were you a writer of short plays before the Actors’ Theatre seasons began?
Yes. The Actors’ Theatre adopted the ten-minute format from work we had done at Cabrillo College for many years, starting in the 1980s with many Dream Theater shows and one-act play events. We owe gratitude to the Actors’ Theater of Louisville for spearheading this entire idea.
What do you love about these tiny gems? As a viewer, and as a playwright?
In both capacities, I envision each ten-minute play as a window into a situation or circumstance that is “in progress.” We are ushered into that state of affairs and share in its unfolding.
How are ten-minute works more effective than long plays? What can they do, and how does their impact work?
I would not say they are more effective. Both are powerful and fruitful. Both are legitimate conveyors of life experiences, of hearing and witnessing people speaking to each other and resolving situations and unexpected crises. The value and perhaps the popularity of the ten-minute play, however, is that we see many experiences in one evening. We are into the center of each one immediately.
Chandler’s workshop takes place over four Saturdays, Sept. 20–Oct. 11, 11am–12:30pm, at the Actors’ Theatre, 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. $50. Email sc**************@***il.com.
Way back then, before Martinelli’s earned the gold medal that became its slogan and symbol, before the American Civil War, and before telephones or cars or even Canada were things, the O.G. Watsonville operation was all about its hard cider. Way back then, before Martinelli’s earned the gold medal that became its slogan and symbol, before the American Civil War, and before telephones or cars or even Canada were things, the O.G. Watsonville operation was all about its hard cider.
Prohibition changed that, but didn’t slow down the dynasty that remains family-owned even as it now distributes its famous “drink your apple a day” juices and NA ciders in every U.S. state and 40+ countries on five continents.
Now the adult version is back, in four flavors, including Berry Blush, Mango, classic 1868 and Imperial 1868.
It’s only available at select spots in its native Watsonville, namely Lulu’s Liquors (1102 Freedom Blvd.), D’La Colmena Market (129 W. Lake Ave.), Grocery Outlet (1000 Main St.) and Nob Hill Foods (1912 Main St.).
They don’t even pour it at Martinelli’s Company Store (345 Harvest Drive, Watsonville, open 9am-5pm weekdays, 10am-2pm Saturday, closed Sunday), though that shouldn’t discourage a field trip, because the place rules.
We’re talking museum-grade artifacts, sweet merch, deals on fan favorites—Mango-apple! Pomegranate apple! Organic unfiltered!—that Costco can’t touch, and a long tasting bar where guests can sample a choice of two dozen ciders.
The selection process to fill the former Ella’s at the Airport spot at the Watsonville Airport (100 Aviation Way, Watsonville) is down to three candidates, and by now maybe fewer. One is chef Tim Wood, of Woody’s at the Airport over at Monterey Regional, voted #1 airport restaurant by USA Today readers last year. Airport Director Rayvon Williams declines to confirm that, is mum on the other candidates, and notes any potential lease negotiations with the preferred operator begin soon. woodysmontereyairport.com, watsonville.gov/2322/Airport.
PERMA POP
Santa Cruz Permaculture’s 29th Permaculture Design Course starts next month. Meanwhile, the sustainable farm superstars have started distributing seasonal produce at the De Anza Farmers Market in Cupertino (9am-1pm Sundays) and continue to appear at the Westside Santa Cruz market (9am-1pm Saturdays). On top of that, SCP has a special Farm Dinner on Oct. 12, and its 10th (!) anniversary lingers on the horizon in 2026. santacruzpermaculture.com.
MAGNETIC MORSELS
The Felton Farmers Market hosts the Apple-A-Day Festival on Tuesday, Sept. 9, during standard market hours (1:30-5:30pm), with Santa Cruz Cider leading DIY apple pressing and fresh apple juice tasting, preservation pro Jessica Tunis teaching a free apple pie filling workshop, KERMIT the bicycle-book-mobile from the Santa Cruz Public Libraries sharing good reads, live music, face painting, organic apples for sale and all the classic joys of the community market, santacruzfarmersmarket.org/markets/felton…Ocean Film Festival World Tour rolls into Santa Cruz for a 7pm Sept. 6 sequence at Rio Theatre that benefits Save our Shores, oceanfilmfestivalworldtour.com…Cavalletta (9067 Soquel Drive, Aptos) now dishes 10am-2pm weekend brunch with goodies like Italian sausage breakfast hash, brioche French toast, mortadella Benedicts and seafood scampi pizzas, cavallettarestaurant.com…UCSC’s Center for Agroecology Farm to Fork 2025 dinner and barn dance benefit dinner happens on the UCSC Farm Saturday Sept. 6, and stars produce cultivated right there, the link to grab tickets is huge so it’s better to search the event name…Speaking of pro-organic dance parties, the 34th Annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival will take place Oct. 4 at Full Belly Farm in the Capay Valley, to benefit EcoFarm and other organic farming causes, fullbellyfarm.com/events/hoes-down… Lily Tomlin, help us celebrate Labor Day belatedly: “The road to success is always under construction.”
Editor’s note: Error in the name of Martinelli’s Hard Cider fixed on Sept. 19, 2025.
Long-standing local favorite La Perla Del Pacifico has been a jewel of the Watsonville dining scene for the last 35 years, founded by owners Ana Martinez and her husband, Gabino. They had no prior restaurant experience, but they shared a desire to work together and be their own bosses, in order to have more time with family, And they both loved to cook, which kept the wind in their sails while they learned the industry.
Ana defines the restaurant’s ambiance as family-focused, classic and quiet, with fish décor on the walls to reflect the seafood-centric menu. Favorites include ceviche tostadas, light and spicy aguachile, fish and shrimp tacos, and a not-often-seen fried whole red snapper. Another succulent seafood selection is the Comal de Mariscos, a cornucopia of scallops, shrimp, octopus, mussels and calamari on a sizzling fajita plate with rice, beans and homemade tortillas. Non-seafood options abound as well, like chicken enchiladas with red, green or mole sauce and deep-fried chili rellenos. For dessert, Ana says the housemade flan is the best in town.
Describe what it’s been like getting into the restaurant game.
ANA MARTINEZ: You want to do a lot of things when you’re young. We only intended to be in the business for a couple years, but 35 years later here we are. And we wanted to live the American dream, live here, have a house, raise our children and have them not work as hard as us. Running a business is difficult, especially nowadays, but we started when we were young and worked really hard, wanting to make a little extra money to have our house and take family vacations.
What’s the key to being successful for so long?
We are still in business because we do our best every day. When I make a mistake, I feel so bad and always make it right, and my husband works so hard preparing and cooking the food, keeping his recipes secret and putting his heart into the cuisine. People love our menu, presentation and service. There are so many factors that go into running a good restaurant. My husband and I have seen our customers become parents and grandparents and our place holds a special spot in the community. And we are so lucky and grateful to have such great employees.
Our divisiveness grows every day, and my generation is the worst. We come together like a hospital gown. For my age range, that shows way too much ass. The fences that made good neighbors have become walls of rage.
I’m coming in off the road, trying to make it back home as the winter sun goes down. I pound my Prius north on I-5. I’m so hungry. Then I see the red and yellow sign of an In-N-Out Burger.
I enter the drive-thru line and stop beside the teenager in a white paper hat with an iPad balanced on her forearm. Her brilliant smile is adorned with braces; she looks happy to greet me. I say, “One burger,” and she beams.
I pull up behind a gigantic white pickup truck with American flags all over it. It’s got dual exhaust pipes three feet off the ground that pump out carbon monoxide with the rhythm of a death metal band let’s call Respiratory Ailment.
I’m nauseous, I can’t breathe, the poisonous gas closes my throat, so I stop and let the behemoth get way ahead of me. This messes up the operation of the drive-thru. For the windows to work efficiently you’re supposed to keep moving ahead, and now I’m slowing the process for everyone. Cars behind me honk, someone yells, one gestures with his hand. I can’t help it—I gotta breathe.
I start making up stories about the pickup truck driver. I begin with what I imagine is his political view (“I bet I know who you voted for”) and devolve into stereotypes of who I imagine is in the big truck.
“Why all the flags, pal? Got a short-term memory problem about what country you’re in? I bet you are making fun of my Prius right now, a candy ass liberal’s excuse for transportation. Sorry that I accept the science regarding climate change. Your truck looks like you should join the caravan to attend the president’s campaign event where he uses kerosene and matches for the ceremonial Lighting of the Cross. Your truck is so white I bet it has a favorite NASCAR driver. Your truck is so white I bet cops tell it that it is free to go, while I have to deal with you not getting vaccinated so you can stand up for your right to get laid off and die. Why?Because you don’t know what chemicals are in the vaccine. Oh, I see you’re getting a Coke, like you have any idea what chemicals are in that.”
I degenerate into insults about his mother and turn the air in my little car blue with profanity.
When I get to the pay window the young man in the white hat says, “Here’s your burger. No charge.”
“What?”
“The guy in front of you paid for yours.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. He said something about apologizing for the exhaust.”
I am humbled. I was making up stories about a guy who was paying it backwards.
I wondered if the endorphin rush from the hike was flushing my brain with this crazy idea, but then several of my fellow hikers started saying what I was thinking: This trail constantly changes.
You might think you’re going to walk all afternoon over a warm grassland trail, and suddenly the path drops off into cool, moist air. Go round a bend and you’re climbing up through redwoods. Hike up a windless hillside, and the gusts on top can flap your clothes. The ecology here at Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument seems to change at every turn.
I ask Zachary Ormsby, field manager for the newly opened park: “Is there something special about this place, or are we hallucinating?”
“You’re good. The topography can have you in a well-protected corridor on those grasslands and then you come out of that and get a blast of wind. Loop One takes you in and out of a riparian depression and then you take a hard left at the base of the coastal terrace where the wind blows in off the ocean. Yeah, it is a special place; hiking here is what I do on my time off.”
NEW HORIZONS On Loop Two, the Tree or Huyya Trail, just when you think the rolling grasslands will go on forever, you round a bend and are in a forest. PHOTOS: Richard Stockton
BLM has opened the gate for a walk through time. When you hike the new paths of the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, the history of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the history of the people who settled here are on display. The sweeping Pacific Ocean views, the three coastal marine terraces, and the lush Mediterranean vegetation unaffected by humans tell the story.
It’s Aug. 15, opening day. I join my gang of nine hiking buddies, along with a hundred others, to walk the first two loops of the new hiking paths. After a million years of Mother Earth lifting these marine terraces to form our coastal mountains, and after 10,000 years of Cotoni stewardship, it took a volunteer workforce eight long, hard years of building the tribe’s legacy into nine miles of hiking trails. Cotoni is pronounced “Cho-toe-knee.”
The parking lot holds 62 cars but the 100 or so hikers have carpooled, and at 3pm we all gather around Ormsby, Central Coast field manager for the Bureau of Land Management, the agency in charge of the site.
As gusts of wind cool us in the afternoon sun, Ormsby speaks of the Cotoni people, a distinct tribe of the Awaswas, also known as the Santa Cruz people. I’m grateful that he explains the monument’s commitment to honoring the Cotoni. The moment sobers our crowd of hikers.
The Cotoni lived here, north of Davenport along the Pacific Ocean, and also on the inland ridge of Ben Lomond Mountain in Bonny Doon. They subsisted on shellfish and edible seeds and leafy greens. They lived in paradise. The Cotoni people were here for over ten thousand years—they really had it made. Then it ended with the arrival of the Spanish. And here we are. It is a small redemption, but we try to remember them.
The Three Loops
Ormsby describes the three loops of trail they have created that are open to the public. The loops are stacked; to get to the final Wildcat Loop, you must pass through the Hawk Loop and then the Tree Loop.
The first loop is Káknu, on the lower marine terrace, and named for the Awaswas word representing hawk. It’s less than three miles round trip and is largely level. It’s a very easy hike with amazing ocean views and it works for hikers, bikers, adaptive accessible bikers and on-leash dogs.
Loop Two is the Tree Loop, with signs that also represent it in the Awaswas language as Tree Trail, or Huyya Trail. This is the loop I take today with most of my hiking buddies. I’ll tell you in a bit how this old body of mine did on Tree, but it’s not hard; the paths are nice and it’s maybe three miles round trip. On-leash dogs and bikes are permitted.
The third path is the Big Path Loop, also named Wildcat. In the Awaswas language, Toróma. This loop is longer, 3.4 miles, steeper, and goes to what Ormsby says is a majestic ridge top terrain. He says, “You’ve got to earn it.” We don’t get to go on the third loop today; there is not enough daylight left to make it back before dark, and sunset is when everyone must leave the park.
Ormsby emphasizes that hikers and bikers really need to stay on the paths. He says off-limit areas include resources that are delicate, and cultural resources that are identified as important to indigenous peoples. Some areas are restricted because of sensitive native plants. He suggests we check out Calflora, a science app that shows all the vegetation communities. And finally, Ormsby tells us about the volunteers who did the 10,000 hours of work to build these nine miles of trails. “They used hand tools and just good old-fashioned hard work. They also raised about $2 million to help fund this.”
Katy Peterson, senior marketing and communications manager of the Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, elaborates on the process. “The role of the Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship in the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument was to lead the design, the funding and the building of the trails. We worked in partnership with the BLM to design the trails. We were involved in the public access meetings held by the BLM and encouraged the community to speak up for what they’d like to see in the property back in 2017, 2018 and 2019. We led the fundraising campaign to raise the $2 million and coordinated the volunteers to build the trails that the public gets to enjoy today.”
LISTEN AND LEARN The gang of nine peppers BLM Field Engineer Mike Powers, in blue, with questions (photo contributed). Below, the few bikers who passed were all smiles and waves, which was nice because bikes are here to stay on these multi-use trails. PHOTO: Richard Stockton
Living History
What’s in a name? Many generations, many people.
If you look inside the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument name, the first part refers to the Cotoni people. “Coast” takes you to the property’s extension from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. “Dairies” refers to the property’s history as a century-long dairy farm.
In the 1860s, Swiss farming families acquired the land from Spanish grantees and developed the site into a dairy. The families continued to farm the land for more than a century. In 1998, conservation groups bought the property to prevent private development. About 400 acres were donated to California for a state park and most of the rest was transferred to the BLM in 2014.
At the end of his presidency in 2017, Barack Obama designated Cotoni-Coast Dairies as a unit of the California Coastal National Monument. Before the monument designation, the land faced threats from development, proposed oil drilling and even plans for a nuclear plant. A conservation campaign, led by groups like the Trust for Public Land and Save the Redwoods League, raised $45 million to preserve it. The Trust transferred the land to the Bureau of Land Management in 2014, paving the way for permanent protection and eventual public access.
Where loops one and two connect, the gang of nine surrounds field engineer Mike Powers. “So, Mike, what’s going to keep oil companies from just buying off the feds and come in here and start drilling?”
“There is no oil under this ground.”
That is true enough. Our geologist in residence, Dwight Harbaugh, tells me that Texaco sank a test well on the coastal terrace here in 1956 and did not find enough to go forward. The Cotoni-Coast is safe, at least from capitalism.
When I rode with Dwight up Highway One that morning, he showed me the stark outline of the marine terraces that the whole Central Coast, from mountains to the sea, is made of. The 5,843-acre Cotoni-Coast Dairies property extends over two marine terraces, which may factor into the dramatic wind changes when you walk the trails.
Highway One is on the terrace that falls off to the west, forming the cliffs above the rocks where the Pacific waves crash. The terrace to the east above us starts at the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Dwight tells me these terraces are formed by the uplift from the Pacific tectonic plate and the North American plate, as they slide horizontally past each other, known as a strike-slip movement. When the rough edges of the plates get stuck, the release of pressure can surface as an earthquake along the fault.
As we switch back and forth through the redwoods, the blackened bark on the redwoods from the CZU fire of 2020 lends weight to the idea of allowing cattle to graze and keep the fire fuel down. The real good news is redwood bark is fire resistant, and most trees live. Rampant fire happened here just five years ago, and Cotoni-Coast looks fine.
The Loop Two trail is a marvel of well-engineered switchbacks, and there were only a few hills where my well-cured body huffed and puffed.
Hikers know that the trick to longevity is to not fall. BLM Field Manager Ormsby said the third loop is more difficult, so I make a note to bring my staff when we return to go to the top. Trekking poles would be excellent.
Organic Weed Eaters
As we walk back to the trailhead, we see big, Black Angus cows, and I must say, thank God for the g in Angus. Mature males can weigh 2,400 pounds, even more. So, why does BLM lease this land to beef growers? It turns out the cows are being used as a land-management tool. Nobody wants pesticides and herbicides in the park, and grazing knocks down fine fuels, like dry grass and thatch, so fires are less intense and spread more slowly. They can also graze on non-native plants that are going to seed. The BLM plan for Cotoni-Coast Dairies explicitly authorizes using livestock to “reduce fine fuel loads and wildfire risk.”
To control these shiny-black behemoths, BLM equips them with solar-powered collars that uses a GPS system. The cows are trained to follow the collar’s beeps and buzzes, which move them in the direction the rancher wants them to go. This “virtual fencing” keeps cows off trails and sensitive sites while still hitting fuel and weed targets.
Ormsby says the digital collars can precisely move the cows to where the non-native plants are going to seed. The rancher who owns the cows moves them with his phone. Ormsby laughs, “He says for the first time in his ranching history he knows where all his cows are.”
Hiking, Biking and Strolling
BLM has a mandate for multi-use of the property and bikes are allowed on the trails. The plan is to make the monument accessible to a wider audience, and this includes adaptive biking paths, such as the Hawk Trail, designed to accommodate hand cycles and other mobility-adapted bikes. There are plans to connect to trail networks, such as the Santa Cruz Coastal Rail Trail. Mountain bikes, including Class 1 e-bikes, are allowed on all trails. With BLM permits, you can also ride horses in some areas.
Hours and parking: The trailhead for Loop One has a parking lot with 62-plus spaces, clean restrooms and picnic tables. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset, and the park is accessible via Cement Plant Road off Highway 1, north of Davenport.
Other rules: Camping, off-trail access and fires are not allowed. Dogs are allowed only on Hawk and Tree trails (Loops 1 & 2) and must be leashed.
How to get there: Drive six miles north from the west side of Santa Cruz on Highway One, past the town of Davenport and turn right onto Cement Plant Road. You’ll pass massive eucalyptus trees that have trunks blackened from a fire on Aug. 13, before Cotoni-Coast Dairies opened. From the lowland eucalyptus to the mountain redwoods, you’ll see blackened bark throughout your hike. Cement Plant Road switches back up into the lower grasslands to the monument entrance.
*Editor’s note: Changes made to this story on Sept. 4, 2025, to provide additional information about the trail construction and the fire that scorched eucalyptus trees.
On Aug. 25, Brenda Duarte was standing alongside a pile of her belongings in between the train tracks and the Pajaro River Levee. The 27-year-old wondered where she was going to sleep that night.
Surrounding her were scores of recently abandoned campsites that had peppered the levee, including tents, lean-tos, shanties and even a small platform containing a tent perched precariously in the branches of a tree.
Most of these had been abandoned in the early morning by people who were evicted—officials at the scene estimate 150 people lived in unsanctioned encampments along the levee—to make room for the upcoming Pajaro River Levee reconstruction project.
In their wake were heaps of things the residents had accumulated—tarps, tents, cooking equipment, mattresses, clothes and a profusion of trash.
“It sucks,” Duarte said. “They told us we had to leave, but they didn’t give us a place to go.”
WITHOUT A HOME Homeless people watch as crews clear out scores of tents and makeshift shelters along the Pajaro River levee. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
Pajaro River Flood Management Agency Director Mark Strudley said that homeless services advocates are working to find places for the evicted people to go, including providing bus tickets so they can travel to friends or family.
Still, with few local shelter options and with all 34 spots in Recurso de Fuerza already taken, that’s no easy task.
That village of 34 tiny homes at Westview Presbyterian Church in Watsonville was created to house the people living on the levee while the work takes place.
“I think it’s universally known that there isn’t enough shelter space available for everyone out there,” Strudley said.
Strudley said that various nonprofit organizations have been giving notice about the impending eviction over the past two months, and there was a “soft notice” on Aug. 14 and 15.
Law enforcement began giving “hard notices” on Aug. 19, he said.
As workers used heavy equipment to toss it all into waiting dumpsters, groups of people stood on the fringes, few with a plan of what to do next. Some, including Juan Tejeda Isiordia, had no plans to leave.
“I have no family, no kids,” said Tejeda, 62, through a Spanish translator. “I don’t have much, and I have nowhere to go.”
Monika Tone, president of the Pajaro River Homeless Union, said that the cleanup and eviction was another blow to the homeless community that only recently had recovered from the floods that inundated the Pajaro region when the levee breached in 2023.
She said that recovering after such a sweep—including replacing tents, blankets, identification cards and medical records—is a daunting task.
“And now we have everything took again,” Tone said. “The most disrespectful thing they can do is come out here; they bring bulldozers and snatch up everything and just displace it. They’re taking away people’s shelters.”
Tone also wondered why the cleanup was happening now, with construction on that portion of the river not expected to happen for two years, and with ongoing construction of Recurso de Fuerza not expected to be complete for at least three months.
Strudley explained that the encampments endanger both the integrity of the levee and the safety of the staff and other people who must enter the levee.
This includes the shelters dug into the earth, he said.
“We can’t tolerate dugouts in the levee because it weakens it,” he said. “We can’t get people and our consultants and staff in and out of there.”
In addition, many residents and businesses have complained about vandalism and theft that occurs in the area.
“It’s not just a maintenance issue for us, it’s also a public nuisance issue,” Strudley said.
Monterey County Board of Supervisors chairman Glenn Church agreed.
“This is an effort to address the longstanding homeless problem on the Pajaro River levee,” he said in a text message. “The encampment is a threat to the stability of the levee because of digging and other activity. The Pajaro River Flood Management Agency is developing a long-term plan to prevent any further encampment so that people and infrastructure on both sides of the river are protected.”
The work is being conducted by Oakland-based Lagestic, LLC, which was awarded a $262,222 contract for the cleanup—expected to finish by Sept. 30—and $238,340 for vegetation thinning, which will be finished by Oct. 15, according to a report by flood management agency staff.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to withhold federal funding from local governments that did not cooperate with his mass deportation agenda.
The governments, along with a host of advocacy groups, challenged the executive orders, arguing that Trump lacks constitutional authority to impose such sweeping conditions.
In April, U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco agreed, and issued a preliminary injunction blocking the orders, saying that the threat to strip billions in funding was an unconstitutional “coercive threat.”
Community Bridges has now joined six other California nonprofits in filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to block the Trump Administration’s efforts.
The amicus brief, filed by the Asian Law Caucus and Cooley LLP, highlights the impact that the administration’s executive orders could have on nonprofits’ ability to provide vital services.
Community Bridges joins the brief with San Francisco Interfaith Council, San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network, Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, California Association of Nonprofits, California Behavioral Health Association and the Behavioral Health Contractors’ Association.
These represent hundreds of nonprofits that serve millions of Californians each year, said Community Bridges spokesman Tony Nuñez.
CEO Raymon Cancino said that since its inception in 1977, Community Bridges has “stood with those who seek justice, fairness, and dignity for all people.”
“This attempt to weaponize federal funds against our communities is a direct assault on local self-determination and the people we serve,” Cancino said. “We join this fight because our work cannot be dictated by fear or partisan retaliation. These dollars belong to the people; they must be invested in the well-being of our communities, not withheld as punishment for upholding America’s promise of liberty and refuge.”
The brief details how the funding uncertainty wrought by Trump’s threats forces nonprofits to weigh service cuts just as communities need them most, Nuñez said.
In addition, programs such as food assistance, senior nutrition, disability services, childcare and health clinics are imperiled.
Worse, immigrant families worried about federal immigration enforcement are reluctant to seek help; they may delay medical care, forgo nutrition assistance and even decline to report crimes, Nuñez said.
This threatens the health and safety of immigrant households and undermines community trust and public safety, he said.
Trump signed two executive orders on Jan. 20 and Feb. 19, directing federal agencies to withhold funding from sanctuary jurisdictions.
Orrick’s injunction was later expanded to include major metropolitan areas across the country, including Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
The Trump administration has since appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Community Bridges and its nonprofit allies have now filed an amicus curiae brief—which translates to a “friend of the court” filing—supporting the injunction.
Amicus briefs are submitted by organizations not directly involved in a lawsuit, but who can bring perspectives to help the court weigh the broader impact of its ruling.
The brief emphasizes how withholding funds undermines nonprofits’ ability to deliver critical services, deters immigrant families from seeking help, and threatens the overall health and safety of entire communities.
“Community Bridges has always believed that everyone deserves access to care, support, and opportunity, regardless of where they come from or what language they speak,” Cancino said. “Joining this amicus brief is a continuation of our promise to protect the most vulnerable and to stand on the right side of history.” For information, visit communitybridges.org
Eight photographers have pooled their creativity to stage a new exhibit at R. Blitzer Gallery on the Westside of Santa Cruz. “Through Our Eyes 2025,” by Image Crafters Santa Cruz, will run through Sept. 27 on the second floor of the former Wrigley Building.
Image Crafters—a collective of Santa Cruz County photographers who believe in the power of the printed image—meets every month to “salute the art and craft of photographic prints and how they can freeze time, encapsulating emotions, landscapes, and stories within a single frame,” said photographer Mark Overgaard.
HAUNTED WOODS ‘Guilt’ is one of a series of emotionally charged black-and-white infrared
portraits of trees created by Kevin Osborn.
Each photographer has brought his or her own approach and style to the show.
Annelies de Kater said she was entering color and black and white photographs in the exhibit; her body of work is titled “Intimate Portraits of Nature.”
“I went through the darkroom days and film, safelights and developer. Now I use a Canon RD digital camera,” de Kater says. “This is our second year. It’s just wonderful to work as a small group. It keeps you on your toes. This is a wonderful way to showcase our work.”
STRAIGHT AHEAD Mark Overgaard sets up his portion of the exhibit, ‘Celebrating Wilderness Africa.’ PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
Added Keith Munger: “I’m one of the original people in this group, for more than seven years. I use an Olympus digital camera; thank god for digital. My portion is called ‘Intimate Architecture.’ I do this because I love photography and I’m having fun staying busy with this group.”
Other featured artists are Keith Osborn, Kathy Edwards, Larry Herzberg, Robert Mahrer and Michael Singer.The R. Blitzer Gallery, 2801 Mission St., Santa Cruz, is open Thu.–Sat., 1–4pm, or by appointment. Free. First Friday reception is Sept. 5, 4–7pm; closing reception is Sept. 27, 1–4pm. 458.1217. rblitzergallery.com
CAMERA WORK Michael Singer hangs his photos for the exhibit ‘Through Our Eyes,’ on view through Sept. 27
at R. Blitzer Gallery. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
A cascading wave of fiscal challenges—the election of President Donald Trump and his One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)—has Watsonville Hospital’s leadership team worried that it will not have the financial means to continue to run the facility.
As a result, the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD) Board of Directors voted Wednesday to seek an outside health care provider to take over day-to-day management of the hospital.
The board formed a two-person ad-hoc committee to look into a partnership with Sutter Health, Common Spirit Health—the organization that owns Dominican Hospital—and other interested health management organizations.
Since PVHCD took over Watsonville Community Hospital in 2021—saving it from potential closure in the face of bankruptcy and bringing it back into community ownership—it has made significant progress in righting the institution.
Voters passed Measure N in 2024, a $116 million bond that allowed the district to purchase the hospital building and property, renovate imaging systems such as MRI and CT scanners, and begin plans to renovate the emergency department. It has also created a new cardiac catheterization lab, which opened last month.
And two years after losing $33 million as a result of the bankruptcy, the hospital was on track to break even in 2024, said PVHCD Board Chair Tony Nuñez.
That was until a cyber-attack set off a cascading wave of fiscal challenges, and the passage of OBBBA—also known as H.R. 1—which will result in massive cuts to Medi-Cal and Medicare.
The hospital, which predominantly serves those with government insurance, is now facing financial uncertainty.
“It’s really bleak,” Nuñez said. “We’re talking anywhere on an annual basis of losing from $3.5–$7 million each year in revenue (starting in 2026).”
The search for external partnerships began last year, when the board sent requests for proposals to several healthcare providers such as Salud Para La Gente, Kaiser Permanente, the County of Santa Cruz and UC San Francisco.
That move to bolster the financial picture of the hospital and expand its services was part of PVHCD’s 2023 strategic plan, Nuñez said.
“This was the next step of us bringing services back to Watsonville and expanding services at Watsonville Community Hospital,” he said.
Talks are now underway with Kaiser to rent out unoccupied space at 65 Nielsen St., where they will offer specialty care.
But after initially declining management services offers from Common Spirit and Sutter, the newly formed ad-hoc committee will bring a list of guiding principles to hospital CEO Steven Gray in September, that could include a mandate that the PVHCD Board will still oversee the hospital, and that it will keep its name.
Gray will bring those principles to the negotiating table with the health care organizations.
“Now we’re here in this position where we need a partner to help us weather this really awful storm that is going to be coming for us over the next five years as a result of H.R. 1,” Nuñez said.
The challenge, he said, is that the hospital is not yet turning a profit, which means it cannot make smaller renovations, pay past-due bills and purchase supplies.
A larger healthcare network, he said, would have more cash on hand to do so.
But the most important incentive is that the hospital is running the risk of not being able to make it past OBBBA and the damage that will happen as a result.
“We cannot let that happen,” Nuñez said. “We can’t get to a point again where we are staring bankruptcy in the face. We can’t get to a point where we are going back to our community and saying ‘we might close.’”
Watsonville Hospital is not alone in its financial troubles. According to protectourhealthcare.org, 36 hospitals have already closed since the passage of OBBBA, and another 750 are at risk.
In some Buddhist mandalas, the outer circle depicts a wall of fire. It marks the boundary between the chaotic external world and the sacred space within. For seekers and devotees, it’s a symbol of the transformation they must undergo to commune with deeper truths. I think you’re ready to create or bolster your own flame wall, Aries. What is non-negotiable for your peace, your creativity, your worth? Who or what belongs in your inner circle? And what must stay outside? Be clear about the boundaries you need to be your authentic self.
TAURUS April 20-May 20
Centuries ago, builders in Venice, Italy, drove countless wooden pilings deep into the waterlogged mud of the lagoon to create a stable base for future structures. These timber foundations were essential because the soil was too weak to support stone buildings directly. Eventually, the wood absorbed minerals from the surrounding muddy water and became exceptionally hard and durable: capable of supporting heavy buildings. Taurus, you may soon glimpse how something you’ve built your life upon—a value, a relationship or a daily ritual—is more enduring than you imagined. Its power is in its rootedness, its long conversation with the invisible. My advice: Trust what once seemed soft but has become solid. Thank life for blessing you with its secret alchemy.
GEMINI May 21-June 20
In Inuit myth, Sedna is the goddess who lives at the bottom of the sea and oversees all marine life. If humans harm nature or neglect spiritual truths, Sedna may stop allowing them to catch sea creatures for food, leading to starvation. Then shamans from the world above must swim down to sing her songs and comb her long black hair. If they win her favor, she restores balance. I propose that you take direction from this myth, Gemini. Some neglected beauty and wisdom in your emotional depths is asking for your attention. What part of you needs reverence, tenderness and ceremonial care?
CANCER June 21-July 22
In ancient Rome, the lararium was a home altar. It wasn’t used for momentous appeals to the heavyweight deities like Jupiter, Venus, Apollo, Juno and Mars. Instead, it was there that people performed daily rituals, seeking prosperity, protection and health from their ancestors and minor household gods. I think now is a fine time to create your own version of a lararium, Cancerian. How could you fortify your home base to make it more nurturing and uplifting? What rituals and playful ceremonies might you do to generate everyday blessings?
LEO July 23-Aug. 22
In Persian miniature painting, entire epics are compressed into exquisite images the size of a hand. Each creation contains worlds within worlds, myths tucked into detail. I suggest you draw inspiration from this approach, Leo. Rather than imagining your life as a grand performance, play with the theme of sacred compression. Be alert for seemingly transitory moments that carry enormous weight. Proceed on the assumption that a brief phrase or lucky accident may spark sweet changes. What might it look like to condense your full glory into small gifts that people can readily use?
VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22
In Andean cosmology, the condor and the hummingbird are both sacred messengers. One soars majestically at high altitudes, a symbolic bridge between the earth and heaven. The other moves with supple efficiency and detailed precision, an icon of resilience and high energy. Let’s make these birds your spirit creatures for the coming months. Your challenging but feasible assignment is to both see the big picture and attend skillfully to the intimate details.
LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22
In the ancient Greek myth of Psyche, one of her trials is to gather golden wool from violent rams. She succeeds by waiting until the torrid heat of midday passes, and the rams are resting in the cool shade. She safely collects the wool from bushes and branches without confronting the rams directly. Let this be a lesson, Libra. To succeed at your challenges, rely on strategy rather than confrontation. It’s true that what you want may feel blocked by difficult energies, like chaotic schedules, reactive people or tangled decisions. But don’t act impulsively. Wait. Listen. Watch. Openings will happen when the noise settles and others tire themselves out. You don’t need to overpower. You just need to time your grace. Golden wool is waiting, but it can’t be taken by force.
SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21
In 1911, two teams tried to become the first humans to reach the South Pole. Roald Amundsen’s group succeeded, but Robert Falcon Scott’s did not. Why? Amundsen had studied with Indigenous people who were familiar with frigid environments. He adopted their clothing choices (fur and layering), their travel techniques (dogsledding), and their measured, deliberate pacing, including lots of rest. Scott exhausted himself and his people with inconsistent bursts of intense effort and stubbornly inept British strategies. Take your cues from Amundsen, dear Scorpio. Get advice from real experts. Pace yourself; don’t sprint. Be consistent rather than melodramatic. Opt for discipline instead of heroics.
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21
A lighthouse isn’t concerned with whether ships are watching it from a distance. It simply shines forth its strong beams, no questions asked. It rotates, pulses and moves through its cycles because that’s its natural task. Its purpose is steady illumination, not recognition. In the coming weeks, Sagittarius, I ask you and encourage you to be like a lighthouse. Be loyal to your own gleam. Do what you do best because it pleases you. The ones who need your signal will find you. You don’t have to chase them across the waves.
CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19
In 1885, Sarah E. Goode became the fourth African American woman to be granted a U.S. patent. Her invention was ingenious: a folding cabinet bed that could be transformed into a roll-top desk. It appealed to people who lived in small apartments and needed to save space. I believe you’re primed and ready for a similar advance in practical resourcefulness, Capricorn. You may be able to combine two seemingly unrelated needs into one brilliant solution— turning space, time or resources into something more graceful and useful. Let your mind play with hybrid inventions and unlikely pairings.
AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18
I expect you will be knowledgeable and smart during the coming weeks, Aquarius. But I hope you will also be wise and savvy. I hope you will wrestle vigorously with the truth so you can express it in practical and timely ways. You must be ingenious as you figure out the precise ways to translate your intelligence into specifically right actions. So for example: You may feel compelled to be authentic in a situation where you have been reticent, or to share a vision that has been growing quietly. Don’t stay silent, but also: Don’t blurt. Articulate your reality checks with elegance and discernment. The right message delivered at the wrong moment could make a mess, whereas that same message will be a blessing if offered at the exact turning point.
PISCES Feb. 19-March 20
Liubai is a Chinese term that means “to leave blank.” In traditional ink painting, it referred to the portions of the canvas the artist chose not to fill in. Those unpainted areas were not considered empty. They carried emotional weight, inviting the eye to rest and the mind to wander. I believe your near future could benefit from this idea, Pisces. Don’t feel you have to spell everything out or tie up each thread. It may be important not to explain and reveal some things. What’s left unsaid, incomplete or open-ended may bring you more gifts than constant effort. Let a little stillness accompany whatever you’re creating.
Plan to be dazzled by the Santa Cruz Symphony’s 68th concert season. The entire year is filled with orchestral music that is both accessible and thrilling.
Long-standing local favorite La Perla Del Pacifico has been a jewel of the Watsonville dining scene for the last 35 years. Non-seafood options abound as well.
The Cotoni lived here. The Cotoni people were here for over ten thousand years—they really had it made. Then it ended with the arrival of the Spanish. And here we are.
Community Bridges has joined six other nonprofits in an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals to block Trump's efforts to strip billions in funding.
Image Crafters meets every month to “salute the art and craft of photographic prints and how they can freeze time encapsulating emotions, landscapes, and stories
