Santa Cruz residents will weigh in on whether to implement a half-cent sales tax, following Tuesday night’s city council decision to approve the measure for the June ballot.
The sales tax, if voters approve it, would generate an estimated $6 million in additional revenue for the City at a time when it faces a looming budget deficit.
This is the second time in less than a year that the council has discussed a sales tax increase. In June of last year, it failed to unanimously approve a similar tax measure, missing the deadline to place the proposal on the November ballot. The council needed unanimous support so it could declare a fiscal emergency, but Councilwoman Sandy Brown declined to support the measure. Until the council discussed including City workers in its living wage ordinance, Brown said she could not support the measure.
This time around, Brown was on the Ad Hoc Committee in charge of drawing up the details for the measure, along with Mayor Sonja Brunner and Vice Mayor Martine Watkins.
Being a part of the process, Brown told GT, helped shift her opinion on supporting the measure. More importantly, she sees the City making a greater commitment to ending homelessness and supporting City workers in a way that she didn’t before.
The City is also in dire need of new revenue sources, Brown acknowledged during Tuesday’s meeting. According to the staff report, the city took a $21 million hit to its General Fund in the past two years, and even with around $14 million in federal aid, the City’s long term expenses—infrastructure maintenance and the expansion of services for the growing coastal community—will drain cash reserves by 2028 if no additional funding sources are identified or costs are cut.
Covid-19 and the CZU Lightning Complex fires are to blame for most of the City’s losses, according to the city. Transient Occupancy Tax revenue, the tax that visitors pay on hotels and vacation rentals, dropped by 33% over the pandemic, and Admission Tax revenue from recreational events plunged 97%. To address these shortfalls, the City froze hiring, encouraged early retirements and cut most City staff pay by 10%.
Still, even as budget projections estimate that revenues will begin to recover as the pandemic begins to loosen its grip on everyday life, the City is approximately $6 million short of a full bounce back.
In a random public poll at the beginning of the year, 61% of people supported the measure, down around 9% from when the City conducted the poll in April 2021. Respondents said that the City’s most pressing issues are the lack of affordable housing, homelessness, wildfires and the City’s water supply.
These are all possible areas that the revenue collected from the tax could be spent toward, but the City has yet to determine exactly how the money will be distributed. In April, the council will deliberate how it would spend the funds should voters approve the increase.
Items that will be exempt from the tax include groceries, prescription medicine, diapers and feminine hygiene products.
“We all know that we may need an additional revenue source in the near term,” said Councilwoman Donna Meyers. “Otherwise, we’ll be looking at some very, very difficult decisions very, very soon.”
The Santa Cruz City Council on Tuesday adopted a three-year Homelessness Response Action Plan, which focuses on establishing permanent housing and expanding existing shelter services while closing temporary and unsanctioned camps within the city such as the Benchlands.
The report was the first of what will be a quarterly homelessness response programming update to the council.
The plan combines mental health and other services and encourages non-law enforcement response when possible, for an around-the-clock alternative emergency crisis response program.
“The action plan represents a shift, really moving to a more integrated and holistic approach to the city’s homelessness response, moving from being reactive and looking at temporary fixes to be more proactive and working toward permanent and sustainable solutions,” said Santa Cruz Homelessness Response Manager Larry Imwalle. “It balances individual needs with managing community impacts—that’s the overarching frame that’s really guiding this.”
In addition, city officials plan to work with other jurisdictions and nonprofits to identify 20 new locations for sheltering.
“To be successful and impact this issue really takes the entire community,” Imwalle said.
A large part of Tuesday’s discussion was how the City will spend $14 million it received recently from the State Legislature to help address its growing problem with homelessness.
The approved plan proposes the following spending:
$3 million for funding a shelter at 125 Coral St., including acquiring an existing business at that address
$1.9 million for repairs to a shower facility at the Housing Matters shelter at 117 Coral St.
$500,000 for pre-development work for a navigation center and other improvements on the Coral Street campus
$1.09 million for pallet shelters, which are small, portable, easy-to-assemble single-story units
$1.04 million to fund safe parking services
$1.3 million for increased sheltering
$2.4 million to increase services at the Armory
The money will also go toward funding new positions such as mental health specialists and resource and land management that will cost upwards of $1 million. That is a significant shift from the previous homelessness response, which is described as “an amalgamation of decentralized work spanning 12 City departments.”
Also included in the plan is the protection and restoration of natural areas that have been impacted by unsanctioned encampments, to enforce existing environmental protection regulations and pursue new regulations that would further protect habitats.
Already, Santa Cruz-based Housing Matters is working with the City and the County of Santa Cruz to provide an additional 120 shelter beds in the form of Pallet Shelters.
The plan also seeks to establish safe parking programs, including parking restrictions on City streets between midnight and 5am, a new residential permit program and the restriction of discharging sewage or gray water on streets or in storm drains.
It will also create a waste disposal program for people who live in recreational vehicles and provide storage spaces for people experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness nationwide grew exponentially during the Covid-19 pandemic. In Santa Cruz County, the number of emergency shelter and transitional housing beds reached a peak of 1,008 beds, more than doubling the pre-Covid shelter capacity.
And without a solution, the problem stands to get worse, as state and federal funding for Covid-19 responses expires or runs out.
The one-time allocation from the state will cover the bulk of the first-year costs with implementing the Action Plan—estimated at $14.5 million—with the remainder being drawn from Community Development Block Grants, American Rescue Plan Act funds and the City’s General Fund.
Because the one-time funding will pay for one year of the new positions, city officials will have to seek new revenue sources to keep them, Imwalle said.
“This is probably the most challenging issue in our community, and one of our biggest responsibilities,” he said. “So it’s going to require ongoing investment.”
The issue will return to the council in May, when they will further hammer out details of the plan.
THE GHOST OF PAUL REVERE WITH EARLY JAMES Since 2011, the Maine trio has shared stages with Jason Isbell, Bela Fleck, The Avett Brothers and other like-minded musicians who embrace an Americana salad tossed with bluegrass, folk and rock. Meanwhile, after watching two seconds of Early James perform, the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach decided he needed to produce the singer-songwriter’s debut, Singing For My Supper. $20/$25. Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test required. Wednesday, March 9, 8pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. moesalley.com.
TOUBAB KREWE WITH REED MATHIS & ELECTRIC BEETHOVEN The instrumental Asheville, North Carolina jam band’s music is primarily informed by some of Africa’s most extraordinary talents, including Ali Farka Toure, Orchestra Baobab and Salif Kei. As an extended member of the Grateful Dead family, bassist Reed Mathis has toured with Billy & the Kids, The Rhythm Devils and the Mickey Hart Band throughout the years. Inspired by the Dead’s uninhibited risk-taking, Mathis’ new project fuses two very different musical styles: Beethoven with, well, everything else. $17-27. Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test required. Friday, March 11, 8pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. moesalley.com.
CORB LUND WITH LAUREN MORROW Cowboys, stories of unruly frontier saloons and subdued realities of modern family ranches fading away, Corb Lund’s 2020 record Agricultural Tragic embraces the roots of his rural Albertan upbringing and the rich content that unfolded near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. No Depression readers voted the LP one of the “50 Favorite Roots Music Albums of 2020.” $15/$19. Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test required. Saturday, March 12, 8pm. Felton Music Hall, 6275 CA-9, Felton. feltonmusichall.com.
MARTY O’REILLY & THE OLD SOUL ORCHESTRA WITH ZELMA STONE “It’s not about where a [blues song] goes, it’s about the headspace and drive,” Marty O’Reilly says. “People like Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker could play the same chord for five minutes and not have it sound repetitive because their heart is in it.” It’s that sensibility that drives O’Reilly’s third record, Signal Fires, with the Old Soul Orchestra, made during the pandemic. $20/$25. Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test required. Saturday, March 12, 9pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. moesalley.com.
GRATEFUL SUNDAYS On Sundays after 5:30pm, you can count on hearing Grateful Dead classics like “Tennessee Jed” and “Wharf Rat” resonate on the section of Main Street adjacent to Michael’s on Main. It’s comforting in a way. Longtime local musician and Deadhead Matt Hartle is the man behind the weekly tribute. Joined by musicians with matching reverence for the San Francisco band that’s been embedded in the fabric of life for so many folks around the world, Hartle simply plays back the tunes that guided so many on long strange trips. $15/$20. Sunday, March 13, 5:30pm. Michael’s on Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. michaelsonmainmusic.com.
ISRAEL VIBRATION AND KAVAH JAH “Legendary” isn’t something ascribed to just any group, but Israel Vibration deserves it. Rising to become one of the most dynamic Jamaican roots reggae outfits wasn’t as easy as using the natural vocal abilities that Skeley Spence and Apple Gabriel are blessed with. It took endurance. Poverty, polio and several years of singing on the streets in exchange for dinner eventually led to opportunities opening for Bob Marley, then came a record deal. Since 2012, fellow Jamaican Kavah Jah has honed his style as he shared the stage with everyone from Junior Reid to Steel Pulse. A decade into his career, his forthcoming full-length LP is highly anticipated. $35/$40. Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test required. Saturday, March 13, 9pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. moesalley.com.
SEVENDUST, ETRARCH & DEAD POET SOCIETY It didn’t take long for Atlanta-based hard rockers Sevendust to crash the mainstream. Following the release of their 1997 self-titled debut, the outfit sold millions of records worldwide, scored a Grammy nod and earned a trio of gold-certified albums. Not shabby. $27.50-$35. Sunday, March 13, 7pm. The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz.
THE HOT SARDINES On Welcome Home Bon Voyage, the jazz collective delivers a hot plate of covers and originals as they “effortlessly channel New York speakeasies, Parisian cabarets and New Orleans jazz halls.” $47.25. Monday, March 14, 7pm. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. kuumbwajazz.org.
COMMUNITY
BOOKSHOP SANTA CRUZ PRESENTS: DARA HORN The King Lecture Series promotes and explores the dialogue between faiths. Award-winning author Dara Horn will discuss her recent release, People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present. $23. Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test required. Wednesday, March 9, 5:30pm. UCSC Merrill Cultural Center, 641 Merrill Road, Santa Cruz. bookshopsantacruz.com.
DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ ANTIQUE FAIRE On the hunt for a unique item? Rather not go online to get it? Find everything from vintage clothing to Bakelite to “Crazy Daisy” Pyrex mixing bowls. Looking for an out-of-print Johnny Thunders vinyl? How about a mid-century American lamp for your nightstand? You never know what you’ll find! Sunday, March 13, 8am-5pm. Lincoln St., Downtown Santa Cruz. 831-476-6940.
GROUPS
BEGINNER YOGA FOR QUEER BODIES (REMOTE) Thisbeginner yoga class is taught by certified practitioner Silas Littlefield (he/him) and designed especially for queer and trans bodies. Registration required.Free. Thursday, March 10, 6-7:15pm. is****@uc**.edu.
GANJA YOGA SANTA CRUZ Cannabis, yoga and community come together to relax and elevate your soul. Javi’s classes blend slow vinyasa flow, chill vibes, grounded spirituality and a touch of Latino spice. All levels welcome, weed welcome (vapes only), masks optional. Free (first class). Thursday, March 10, 6pm. Green Magic Yoga, 738 Chestnut St., Santa Cruz. greenmagicyoga.com/ganja-yoga-santa-cruz.
WOMENCARE ARM-IN-ARM This cancer support group is for women with advanced, recurrent or metastatic cancer. Meets every Monday on Zoom. Free. Registration required. Monday, March 14, 12:30pm. 831-457-2273. womencaresantacruz.org.
OUTDOORS
WEST CLIFF FOOD TRUCK SERIES A favorite for locals and tourists. Beautiful views and tasty eats! It doesn’t get better. Get outside and soak in the sunshine. The parking lot is close to many excellent picnic areas to relax and enjoy the scenery. Free. Friday, March 11, 4-8pm. Lighthouse Point, 701 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. in**@br****************.com.
GRAY WHALE COVE TRAIL WALK State Park Docents lead a two-hour hike along the scenic Gray Whale Cove Trail at McNee Ranch at Montara. Get your blood pumping alongside the spectacular California Coast. Pre-registration required. Saturday, March 12, 10am-noon. Rio Del Mar State Beach, 110 Aptos Beach Drive, Aptos. santacruzstateparks.as.me.
SANTA CRUZ POLAR PLUNGE Make a splash with costumed friends. Plungers can dive into the water all the way, take a quick dip or stay completely dry. Whatever your preference, the scene is fun and it all benefits the Special Olympics, Northern California. Plungers must raise a minimum of $125 to participate, but everyone is invited to watch on. Saturday, March 12, 10am-1pm. Rio Del Mar State Beach, 110 Aptos Beach Drive, Aptos. p2p.onecause.com/santacruzplunge.
“The more fucked up the world is, the better it is for art,” John Dwyer says. “There’s always plenty of fodder, especially right now—just look at what’s going on in [Ukraine]. A million songs can be written based on the last week alone. Art comes from struggle.”
But Dwyer doesn’t need a fucked-up world to inspire content; he teems with music, so much so that he’s had to form more than a dozen different bands throughout the last 25 years to contain the hundreds of songs that sweat out of him.
Osees is the original, and the center of Dwyer’s musical universe, even with the band’s actual name perpetually in flux. The earliest known iteration of Osees, OCS, is an acronym for either Orinoka Crash Suite or Orange County Sound, depending on Dwyer’s mood. OCS became the Oh Sees, sometimes billed as the Ohsees, and then the Thee Oh Sees moniker was left unchanged for about a decade before the ants in Dwyer’s pants led to the 2020 alteration Osees, which is where it stands—for now.
Osees is a trip inside Dwyer’s head, an extension of influences like Fangoria and Heavy Metal magazines (Dwyer is still a proud subscriber of the latter),and the sonic soup forever in motion. From lo-fi garage rock and psychedelic long-form jams to proto-metal, jazz fusion and straightforward punk, it’s just as hard to classify the Osees as it is for Dwyer to focus on one project at a time. During our conversation, he’s simultaneously overseeing a locksmith, plumber and painter working on what will be the new studio for his longtime label, Castle Face Records, located in Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock area.
The studio, just like most projects that the multi-talented, high-energy musician tackles, has a lot of moving parts—the undertaking is admittingly costly and largescale. Still, Dwyer subscribes to an “If we build it, they will come” philosophy.
“Hopefully, a bunch of people will use this joint at some point,” he says. “My brain is a little scattered.”
Anyone whose mind and body move with the velocity of a cheetah is bound to feel scattered now and again, but the 47-year-old knows no other reality. Over 25 studio albums, a library of self-crafted music videos and the growing roster of musicians on Castle Face Records equate to many 18-hour days. And that doesn’t include Osees’ touring schedule. Even when touring was on hold during the pandemic, the Providence, Rhode Island native says he was more productive than ever. At the top of the list of his accomplishments: Castle Face’s release of Australian post-punk outfit Exek’s new record.
“I was working on so much stuff that my head was up my ass,” Dwyer says. “I read a lot, a lot of YouTube tutorials—learning how to animate—lots of shit like that. Lots of weed smoking. Probably more dope than I ever had [smoked] in my whole life—just bananas. That probably kept me from ending up in a McDonald’s and flipping out.”
The lifetime DIYer didn’t need Covid lockdown as an excuse to do everything he’s always wanted to do. Dwyer’s the kind of dude who doesn’t wait around for someone to show him the way. He just teaches himself.
Dwyer built the Osees’ “Anthemic Aggressor” music video using clay and wood. The result: the cockpit of a spaceship that cruises from galaxy to galaxy as a pair of alien pilots get stoned as they take in the otherworldly wonders of deep space. It’s an ideal aesthetic for a 10-minute psychedelic jam that sounds like Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew making love to Pink Floyd’s Pipers at the Gates of Dawn as early Rush watches in the corner.
The miniature set that Dwyer constructed was auctioned off for $1,000, which went to the nonprofit Elizabeth House, a haven for homeless pregnant women.
“Some lucky kid in Iowa or Ohio has that fucking travesty in his house now!” Dwyer says.
Much of Osees’ more recent work is informed by pioneers of early jazz fusion alongside Miles Davis, including guitarist John Mclaughlin. On Osees’ “Face Stabber,” Dwyer emulates Davis’ extended trumpet riffs from records like The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions. Ironically, Davis approached trumpet like an electric guitar in that era.
Dwyer also used the last couple of years to flex his improvisational muscles and feed that jazz fusion adoration. He released five different improvisational records, under five different band names—Witch Egg and Endless Garbage, to name a couple—featuring tons of talent, including electric pianist Ben Boye, saxophonist Joce Soubrian and, most notably, TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone, who was in Dwyer’s bands Bent Arcana and Moon Drenched. Again, all these groups came together between 2020 and 2021, except for Bent Arcana.
But does Dwyer ever find time to sleep?
“I sleep like a baby,” he says. “I work mostly during the day; it used to be always at night—probably different choices of drugs. This is my job. So, I’m pretty fortunate. I have a pretty insane work ethic, too—that’s my natural high.”
Osees play Friday, March 18, at Cocoanut Grove, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz. 8pm; $35 plus fees. Covid vaccine or proof of negative test required. folkyeah.com.
If you think too hard about birthdays, they can seem pretty arbitrary—let’s face it, our bawling, wrinkly debut wasn’t anybody’s best day. For adults, the celebration of that date tends to be more of a way to mark time and sometimes get presents than an occasion loaded with meaning.
But for Ginny Mitchell, this birthday is different. For one thing, the Santa Cruz singer-songwriter will be doing a retrospective birthday show at Michaels on Main on Friday, March 18. She’ll play songs from all the phases of her career, which has wound through folk and rock, country and bluegrass, jazz and swing—with many combinations of genres along the way. And she’s bringing an all-star band of local musicians to the stage for this retrospective, including AJ Lee, Patti Maxine, Lisa Pollack (aka Lisa P), Steve Palazzo, Daniel Thomas, Katethe Hostetter, Sharon Allen, Jimmy Norris and Matt Bohn. You could say that this show is as much a celebration of her bond with these friends as it is of Mitchell herself—and in some cases, they go way, way back.
“Steve Palazzo and I went to high school together at Santa Cruz High,” says Mitchell. “I taught him his first D chord. We went on tour together back in the ’80s. And I have a photograph of me and Patti when we did this little gig, I was all of 17, 18—we were just babies, singing at the Poet and Patriot.”
Of course, Mitchell has only formed a bond more recently with the younger players, like Lee. She’s floored by Lee’s talent, and is reminded of someone like Alison Krauss, who played on Mitchell’s first CD, Wild Rose, in 1993. And she thinks mainstream success is in Lee’s future.
“My prediction is that AJ Lee is going to break through, like Sarah Evans broke through, like Molly Tuttle is breaking through,” she says. “There’s something that I recognize in AJ that I haven’t seen in others. She’s got it. Whatever ‘it’ is, she’s got it.”
Even Mitchell herself is kind of blown away by the group that’s come together for this show.
“We had a rehearsal last night, and I sat there and looked around me, and I thought, ‘These people are just so amazing,’” she says.
This birthday bash is also significant because it comes at a time that Mitchell is feeling a creative resurgence. The last decade has seen some dark days—she and her husband Marty Collins had to close their innovative production studio the Digital Media Factory in 2013, after Collins—a two-time cancer survivor at the time—suffered a medical catastrophe in 2012 during what was supposed to be a routine surgery. In the aftermath, he was put on a respirator and not expected to survive. But he defied the odds for several years and even returned home and regained his ability to breathe without a ventilator. However, he passed away in 2016.
It took years for Mitchell to get to a place where she felt she could be creative again. It was her siblings who encouraged her to return to performing and writing.
“I thought, ‘I can’t do it. I don’t have the energy for it,’” she remembers. “But I started playing music with different friends of mine. I realized I got a charge out of that. It was like, ‘I remember this feeling.’ The music just brought me back to life. It’s always been that way for me, ever since I was a kid. But this time, as an adult, it was everything.”
Now, she’s writing and recording songs again, and ready to decide what’s next.
“It just takes some time to sort of heal a little bit,” she says. “I’ve found myself in a place where I can really look forward. It’s the first time in my life, really, where I thought, ‘Okay, well, what am I going to do? Where am I going now?’”
Ginny Mitchell’s Birthday Bash will be held on Friday, March 18, at 6:30pm at Michael’s on Main, 2591 South Main St., Soquel. $50 ticket includes dinner and show. For tickets, go to michaelsonmainmusic.com.
At a time when the character and personality of Santa Cruz is under assault by greedy developers and monied interests seeking to gentrify and homogenize our city with a seemingly endless number of high-density, urban-inspired, high-rise building projects, the “Quote of the Week” that appeared in the March 2 issue of GT is appropriate and bears repeating: “There may have been a time when preservation was about saving an old building here and there, but those days are gone. Preservation is in the new business of saving communities and the values they embody.“
This is not the first time Santa Cruz has been under siege. The effort to industrialize the city in the early ’60s was thwarted. Plans to turn Lighthouse Field into a convention center were halted by citizen involvement. There is still plenty of Santa Cruz to save. We don’t have to stand by and watch it sold off to the highest bidder.
Michael Funari
Santa Cruz
This letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@go*******.sc.
RTC Commissioners: You were appointed—not elected—as regional commissioners of California transportation policy to administer state funding to implement that public policy. In your RTC roles, your duties are to serve as trustees of the ways and means of developing better public transportation, not as local politicos buffeted by the winds of parochial interests.
You have one job: administer public funding to improve our public highways and transportation systems, and plan for and carry out that work. No more, no less.
The California Transportation Commission bought us a functioning railroad, 32 miles long, connecting with the intrastate mainline at Pájaro. This strategic asset was acquired for the RTC to maintain, improve and develop for public railroad purposes.
We commend your staff’s planning for a paved rail trail for pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair users, hand-cyclists and others alongside the tracks as an ancillary part of our railroad infrastructure. That makes perfectly good sense—it’s an adjunct way for all people to access the planned electric passenger rail vehicles, and it can be used for local personal walking, biking, adaptive cycling and more. We’re already enjoying the two completed rail trail segments. Thank you!
However, we cannot emphasize too strongly: The only legitimate priority use for the Santa Cruz Branch railroad corridor is for purposes of a public railroad—rail trail included. And if some further right of way acquisition is necessary to augment the rail trail, then so be it. It is your staff’s responsibility to plan for that, prepare for it, and fund it. We expect our RTC commissioners to support that work. Let’s get the job done.
No matter how much money the adversaries of the public trust put into their misguided campaign pressuring the RTC to tear out the tracks and build a “linear park” there instead, we urge you: Do not be deterred. No matter how much the anti-rail Greenway ballot initiative may attract political capital, you must not be influenced by it. You serve a greater purpose, and we support you in that.
Counter-productive planning for a so-called “interim trail” replacing the rails is not a responsible option.The “interim” would be interminable. That unreasonable alternative would vitiate the RTC’s public railroad purpose entirely. Among other harms, it would preclude our firefighters’ desired ability to respond to wildfires by use of the public railroad, according to officials from six local fire protection districts.
We know that doing what needs to be done isn’t easy! But we also know, and we hope you know, that where there’s a will, there’s a way.
We believe that funding to rebuild the railroad bridges is surely available if we apply for it and pursue it diligently. We need to be aiming for a well-functioning public railroad.
Please, do your job. Our grandchildren will thank you.
This letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@go*******.sc.
I’m amazed at how Consuelo Alba and her partners have built the Watsonville Film Festival up into such an impressive organization over the last decade. I remember walking around the Fox Theater in Watsonville with her years ago as she told me what she envisioned for the WFF—not just film screenings, but cultural events that would bring the community together. Even as I thought, “It’ll take forever to develop this plan,” I was swept up in her energy and enthusiasm.
Clearly, it didn’t take forever, because their annual Day of the Dead celebration is already one of the county’s most beloved events. I’ve seen some great films at the WFF, but even more important to me are my memories of having a blast at their Frida Fest celebration a few years ago.
So that’s why, despite my relief that the WFF was able to survive and even thrive virtually over the last couple of years of the pandemic, I’m so happy to see them return to an in-person event this year. The WFF really does bring the community together, just like Alba originally promised. I think when you read Johanna Miller’s cover story on the event in this week’s issue, you’ll see that they haven’t lost a step. They can show a Hollywood crowd-pleaser like Real Women Have Curves one night, and then Fruits of Labor—a documentary about a Watsonville teenager trying to figure out her future while doing farm work—on another. The common denominator is heart, and I think that is what’s really at the core of Alba’s vision.
STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
A shot from Beach Hill last week shows the recently cleared site that was La Bahía. Photograph by Mathew E. Simpson.
Submit to ph****@go*******.sc. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.
GOOD IDEA
READY TO ROLE MODEL
Senderos, a non-profit that teaches Latino culture and history to Santa Cruz youth, hosts a Latino Role Models conference each year for students and their families. This year’s virtual conference on Saturday, March 12, will hold workshops and a panel on how Latino students can achieve their higher education and career dreams. The keynote speaker is Dolores Huerta, the civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers labor union with Cesar Chavez. Sign up at: tinyurl.com/latinosmodels2022.
GOOD WORK
COST OF LIVING
A federal judge recently gave the green light for the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District (PVHD) to buy Watsonville Community Hospital, which was at risk of closure. Now, PVHD is raising money to complete the purchase of the city’s only hospital. On Sunday, PVHD announced the launch of its fundraising campaign, with Watsonville-based berry company Driscoll pledging $1.75 million to match all donations to the effort made by May 1. Donations can be made at PVHDP’s website at PVHDP.org.
It has been 75 years since Dave Ferrari first opened “Ferrari the Florist” on Pacific Avenue in Downtown Santa Cruz.
It was 1946, just after the end of World War II, and the shop quickly gained a reputation for its quality flowers, window displays and friendly customer service.
Through its extensive history, Ferrari Florist, as it’s now called, has persisted—and remained important in the lives of Santa Cruz County customers.
“They’re all so loyal,” says Brian Piazza, who now owns the store with wife Marilyn Piazza. “They go gaga over Ferrari. They all have stories to tell—historic stories, from long before I was involved.”
The Piazzas purchased the longstanding business in 2016 after it had gone up for sale. They knew of its legacy, plus the shop had arranged the flowers for their own wedding more than three decades prior.
Since gaining ownership, Brian and Marilyn have expanded Ferrari’s reach by opening satellite locations in Scotts Valley and Watsonville. The stores sell mainly locally grown flowers and plants, and they also aim to be environmentally sensitive, working with local organizations to create arrangements to attract butterflies, honeybees and other pollinators.
Brian says that the 75th anniversary felt “surreal.”
“We’re trying to get our minds around it,” he says. “Owning a business that has been around for so long … it’s incredible.”
The Piazzas are in the midst of relocating and expanding their current flagship Santa Cruz operation on Soquel Avenue to the 100-year-old Farmers Exchange Building on River Street. Brian says he had been driving by the iconic building when he noticed it was available.
“We called the landlord, he says they’d been going through a big selection of possible businesses,” he says. “There were pot stores, mattress shops, franchises, chains. But they were being very selective about who went in there.”
When Brian pitched bringing in Ferrari, the landlord called the owner of the building, who was immediately on board.
“Apparently the owner says to them, ‘Do whatever it takes to get Ferrari Florist in there—that’s exactly who we want,’” he says. “That was nice. We didn’t have to struggle too much for it.”
The large red building, located next door to Patagonia, is triple the old shop’s space. Brian says that Soquel Avenue space is too small to meet current demand, and can be frustrating for employees who have to navigate a cramped back room.
“It’s also tucked in on a blind side of the street,” he says. “No one can really see us.”
The new store, which held its soft opening on Feb. 28, will eventually include everything from a wedding/event consultation area to a plant and garden store similar to the one at their store in Watsonville. They will hold classes in the store as well, on floral arrangement and succulent garden planting. An ADA-accessible Dutch door will act as a walk-up window for curbside pickup.
The soft opening will soon be followed by a grand opening and possible 75th anniversary celebration in the spring. The Piazzas are coming down from the hustle and bustle of Valentine’s Day, one of the busiest times of year for florists.
“It’s really exciting,” Brian says. “This business has always been about our customers. Their enthusiasm is what motivates us. It’s not about monetizing things—this is about demand. They want more.”
Despite ongoing challenges, such as the nationwide labor shortage, supply chain issues and high costs, Brian says they are excited to be moving forward with the expansion.
“Santa Cruz has been getting a lot of bumps and bruises,” he says. “Lots of businesses are moving away. For me, though, we’re investing in this community with this move. We’re one of the originals. So we’re going to stay right here.”
A decade ago, a sold-out crowd gathered at the Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville to enjoy films, promote filmmakers and celebrate the local arts community.
The first annual Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) was supposed to be a one-time event. But its success ignited interest in both organizers and South County residents who attended.
“Our motivation then was to celebrate local stories, the creativity of our community and bring people together—once,” says WFF executive director Consuelo Alba. “All of us realized, ‘There is something here. We have to continue.’ And we keep saying that every year. There is something very powerful and magical about bringing people together through film.”
The festival’s reach has continued to grow every year; a single festival has transformed into a year-round nonprofit that hosts events and works closely with other organizations, schools and businesses.
“I am incredibly proud, and grateful for our team,” Alba says, “and for everyone who has been involved in this organization for all this time, but all the new faces as well. It’s just a really, really wonderful feeling to get to this point.”
WFF’s 8th annual festival was one of the first in-person events in Santa Cruz County to be canceled when Covid-19 hit in March of 2020. So the group shifted its focus to virtual events, eventually creating its very own streaming channel in 2021.
“[Going virtual] was very hard, we had never done it before,” Alba says. “In 2020 we experimented with different formats, and then we started working with our own platform. We’ve been learning a lot in the process.”
The shift to online has resulted in WFF’s viewership expanding exponentially.
“We are reaching more people than ever,” Alba says. “Beyond Santa Cruz County, beyond Monterey Bay, even beyond California. Our program is attracting a lot of attention.”
Virtual screenings continue to be a part of this year’s festival, which kicked off Friday and runs through March 20.
Brenda Avila-Hanna, who works for WFF’s Artist Development and is a member of the Programming Team, says she is glad they are keeping some of the programming available online for free.
“We got a lot of feedback that by doing that, we addressed some other issues,” Avila-Hanna says. “Like mobility: Sometimes people cannot attend for different reasons. They might be working, or maybe there isn’t a bus route that can take them there.”
Additionally, going virtual has allowed WFF to make its Q&A sessions and other materials completely bilingual.
“We heard from people who were watching films with different generations within their families,” Avila-Hanna says. “We’re excited to continue that tradition. To have a little bit of what the festival was before, and what is shaping up to be its future.”
More than 30 full-length and short films are now available to watch for free online at watsonvillefilmfest.org. Many are locally made, via places such as Digital NEST, and a handful are set in Watsonville.
‘Tesoros,’ which will be screened at this year’s event, tells the story of a group of kids who go searching for pirate loot.
Local ‘Fruits’
One such film, Fruits of Labor, follows a Watsonville teenager named Ashley who is balancing school, applying for college and personal life while also working in local agricultural fields and factories to help support her family.
Directed by Emily Cohen Ibañez, the 2021 documentary had its world premier at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, TX last year, and has impressed audiences and critics alike across the U.S.
“I love coming-of-age stories, but I didn’t see those afforded to women of color, especially working women of color,” Ibañez says. “I wanted Ashley to be her full self as a teenager. This is an unusual film about farm labor. People are used to seeing historical icons, or very issue-driven films that focus on social ills. Sometimes what can happen is that folks of color can become stand-ins for social problems.”
Ibañez called working with Ashley and her family “compelling.”
“The love between them just jumps off the screen,” she says. “She is doing farm and factory labor, but she’s also a teen who has a sense of humor, who falls in love for the first time, going through teenage angst as well as these huge burdens she’s having to manage that no teenager should.”
Ibañez said that Ashley and her family are excited that the film will be featured at WFF.
“She’s overjoyed, it’s just really exciting. WFF is a wonderful festival, but it’s also the hometown of the film,” Ibañez says. “There is so much hometown pride with this festival, and we’re honored and excited to be part of it.”
Other films include The Mole Agent, an Academy Award-winning documentary from Chile about an elderly person who takes a job as a detective inside an assisted-living facility; and Treasures, a film from Mexico about a family who moves from the city to a small fishing town, where they connect more closely with each other, the community and the environment.
Short films include the world premiere of Watsonville-based filmmaker Gabriel J. Medina’s Disposable, which tells the story of two undocumented laborers fleeing a civil war in Mexico, who find work in the U.S. during a global pandemic, only to discover they’ve been lured into a frightening situation.
“We have an incredible lineup, the selection of films is very strong this year,” Alba says. “And most of the films are directed by women—which is really exciting, because these are important stories we rarely see.”
BACK TO LIVE
Having an in-person component to the event was also important to organizers, especially after three years without one. On March 12 at 6pm, WFF will host an opening night event at the Mello Center, screening the award-winning film Real Women Have Curves, directed by Patricia Cardoso, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The story follows a young Mexican-American woman (America Ferrera) on the cusp of adulthood.
“It is a really important American indie film,” Alba says. “It was very influential. It broke ground in 2002 by focusing on a young Latina immigrant in L.A., on her dreams, inspirations and self-love. It challenged all Hollywood conventions at the time. Our hope is to introduce this film to a new generation of Latinas.”
The screening will include a special appearance by playwright and screenwriter Josefina López.
WFF will also introduce its first cohort of Cine Se Puede fellows at the event. Cine Se Puede, launched last year, is a fellowship aiming to support emerging local filmmakers, assisting with funding of up to $1,000 per project. Participants will learn to pitch stories, improve proposals, budgets, marketing and distribution plans and more.
Fellows will have the chance to pitch projects to experts at the festival.
“There is an amazing educational pipeline here—Digital NEST, Cabrillo, local universities,” Avila-Hanna says. “But once filmmakers try to make it professionally, they either have to leave our region and we lose all that talent or opportunity. Or they stay, but it can feel very isolating. We’re trying to change that.
Avila-Hanna says she was “very excited” about the first cohort.
“They are all incredibly talented and resilient,” she says. “Many have been working here for years, some have screened their work at the festival. We have seen them grow from students to this professional stage. They are very intentional about working in the region. They really represent the essence of our festival.”
Alba said that the seven filmmakers will be working closely with WFF and each other for the next 13 months.
“We’ll have more opportunities to support these filmmakers after the festival,” she says. “But this way, people can recognize them as the inaugural fellows.”
Avila-Hanna says that Cine Se Puede, as well as the fact that WFF is free and easily accessible to all, makes it stand out.
“Our hope is that we continue to shift the culture around film festivals,” she says. “Reimagining what they could be, with a different audience who is not traditionally catered to by these events. Reimagining who goes to walk the red carpet, who gets to connect with other filmmakers, experts.”
The festival is also collaborating with PBS’ award-winning documentary series POV, which Alba says will help promote the festival within its networks.
“It’s really exciting,” Alba says. “It’s taking our work and exposure to another level.”
Alba said she is grateful to be back in person, at least for part of the festival, to celebrate 10 years.
“We invite people to come to the [March 12] event early to reconnect,” she said. “We haven’t been able to see people in this setting for so long!”
Alba added that WFF will be taking a number of Covid safety protocols at the event.
“We take the safety of our audiences very seriously,” she says. “We have a team dedicated to making sure we know where we stand with Covid and what the health department recommends.”
Looking ahead, Alba said her hope is that WFF will help make Watsonville become a hub for filmmaking, fostering both seasoned and brand new filmmakers and allowing Latino artists to feel supported and inspired.
“My hope is that we continue our program, that we can celebrate the great stories and artistry of Latino filmmakers for years to come,” she said. “And that our festival brings people to Watsonville. We’ve always been about promoting the talent, the potential, the economic development of Watsonville. We want to put it on the map as a place to watch amazing films.”
The Watsonville Film Festival will be held March 11-20. To register for the March 12 event, find a full schedule or donate to the organization, visit watsonvillefilmfestival.org.
