Free Will Astrology

Astrology

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January 13, 2026

ARIES March 21-April 19

Japanese Zen master Hakuin (1686–1769) painted with astonishing vigor well into his 80s. When asked his secret, he said he treated each brushstroke as if it were his first. He approached the ink and paper with a beginner’s inspired innocence. I propose that you adopt a version of Hakuin’s practice. Dive into your familiar routines with virgin eyes. Allow your expertise to be influenced by surprise. As for the mastery you have earned, may I suggest you use it as a launching pad for enthusiastic amateurism? Being skilled is wonderful. Being skilled and willing to experiment like a newcomer? That’s the high art of perpetual combustion, an Aries specialty.

TAURUS April 20-May 20

In 1971, NASA’s Apollo 15 mission delivered a new asset to the moon: the Lunar Roving Vehicle. This battery-powered “moon buggy” enabled astronauts to explore farther from their landing site than ever before. They gathered a record haul of rock and soil samples and a deeper understanding of the lunar surface. I think you Bulls would be wise to get your own equivalent of that moon buggy. The apt metaphor here is enhancing your ability to extend your reach and explore beyond the familiar. In the coming weeks, I hope you will seek access to tools, allies and freedoms that expand your range. Use them to push into new territory and scout around for intriguing valuables.

GEMINI May 21-June 20

Are you ready to unveil the half-hidden, half-beautiful truths you have been keeping tucked away? I think you are. You might shake, sweat and second-guess yourself right up until the moment the pivotal moment arrives. But then, I predict, you will zone in on how best to carry out your sublime assignment. The perilous blessings or radiant burdens you’ve been hoarding like secret treasures will finally spill out of you in just the right ways.

CANCER June 21-July 22

A hermit crab finds a new shell not because the old one was bad, but because the creature grew. A similar urge stirs in you now: an instinct to relocate your sensitivity and tenderness into roomier housing. You don’t have to abandon your favorite people or situations. Just ripen and update your containers so your emotional intelligence can flourish even more. Maybe revise your work rhythms. Dream up new bedtime stories. Be braver in declaring your needs. Your ongoing transformations could be a bit bumpy, but mostly healing and cherished. Give them the spaciousness they require.

LEO July 23-Aug. 22

Poet Jack Gilbert wrote, “We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure but not delight.” Here’s what I think he meant: Pleasure is easy to access, available in many transactions. But delight requires courage. We must be undefended enough to be astonished and elated. Here’s the potential glitch for you Leos: You sometimes feel inclined to perform your joy; you make your happiness into entertainment for others to be inspired by. But true delight is riskier and more real. It comes when you forget to curate yourself because you’re too enchanted to remember you’re being watched. Your next assignment: Conjure up three moments of private delight that no one but you will see.

VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Many of you are renowned for your precision, but that’s just half the story. The more complete truth is that when you are most robust, you’re a connoisseur of refinement. Your careful edits can transmute muddles into medicines. Your subtle fixes may catalyze major corrections. Here’s my bold declaration: You are now at the height of your Virgo powers. I hope you wield them with utter flair and finesse. Make everything you touch better than it was before you touched it.

LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22

Some astrologers work without ever glancing at the night sky. Their bond with the planets lives mostly through abstract ideas. To balance that approach, Daniel Giamario developed a more hands-on approach to astrology. In his retreats, students trek into wild country, far from city lights, and spend the dark hours watching the dance of the heavenly bodies. He teaches that cosmic energies can be sensed through our beautiful bodies as much as they can be understood by our fine minds. In the weeks ahead, I invite you to infuse all your explorations with that spirit. Learn through direct encounters, not just through concepts and recycled reports.

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21

English is my first language. I love how its wild, hybrid, restless qualities enable me to express myself. I never grow weary of exploring its limits and discovering new ways to use it with flair and care. But I am also very grateful that my horoscopes are translated into Italian, French, Japanese and Spanish. I am supremely blessed to have editors who turn my idiosyncratic prose into language that non-English speakers can enjoy. It’s one of the great gifts that life has given me. In the coming months, Scorpio, I will be wishing and expecting a similar bonus for you: Help and support in expanding your ability to reach further in your self-expression.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Your intrepid spirit is most likely to find exciting adventures if it’s exquisitely prepared. While I love your daring spontaneity and experimental expansiveness, I hope that in the coming weeks you will work hard to support them with good planning and rigorous foresight. Be imaginative and disciplined, wild and calculating, irrepressible and solidly responsible. If you heed my advice, you could break your previous records for making marvelous discoveries in the frontiers. PS: Treat wonder like a muscle. Flex it daily—with gratitude.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Sandcastles are good reminders of how temporary everything is. We build them on the damp edge of the shore after the tide recedes, and then they crumble when the sea rolls back a few hours later. Let’s make the sandcastle your power symbol for the months ahead. In doing so, I don’t mean to imply that your certainties will be demolished. Rather, it’s my way of urging you to enjoy and capitalize on the ever-changing nature of all things. In fact, I believe that knack should be one of your specialties in the coming months. As the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh told us, we should be grateful for impermanence because it keeps every possibility alive.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18

During World War II, the United States faced a natural rubber shortage and funded research into synthetic substitutes. The effort was partly successful, but there were also failed experiments. Among these was a substance that later became a popular toy named Silly Putty. It sold millions of units and made its marketer wealthy. I suspect a metaphorically similar breakthrough is looming for you, Aquarius: an unplanned discovery that holds unforeseen value. You may soon have your own “Silly Putty moment”—an invention, idea or situation that is technically a detour from your original goal but still delivers a gift. So keep your curiosity loose and your judgment soft. Don’t dismiss the byproducts of your efforts. Some diversions may reveal themselves to be the magic you didn’t realize you needed.

PISCES Feb. 19-March 20

I suggest you try an “as-if” exercise, Pisces. Here’s what I propose: Enjoy a five-day period visualizing what your life would be like if you stopped saving yourself for a mythical future—including both the positive and negative aspects. Instead, envision yourself spending the coming months doing exactly what you yearn to do most, gleefully and intensely pursuing your sweetest dreams and prime mission. During this sabbatical, you will refrain from invoking excuses about why you can’t follow your bliss. You will assume that you are attuned with the heart of creation. You will act as if you are a joy specialist who adores your life.

Homework: What’s an underdeveloped side of you that would be fun to develop? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

Supervisors Approve Draft BESS Plan

Brad Kava

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January 13, 2026

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Rules would give local control to controversial facilities

By Todd Guild

Of The Pajaronian

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday moved forward with proposed rules aimed at regulating large-scale battery energy storage systems, which if approved in November would allow the controversial facilities in unincorporated areas while giving county officials some oversight when they are built.

The draft ordinance would amend the county’s General Plan and County Code to allow battery energy storage systems, or BESS, under a new combining district. The proposal applies outside the coastal zone and generally targets facilities near existing electrical transmission substations.

The board also directed staff to begin environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act and referred the proposal to the county Agricultural Advisory Commission and Planning Commission for review and recommendations.

The draft ordinance is a response to board direction given during a Nov. 18 meeting, when supervisors asked staff to strengthen standards related to public safety, agricultural land protection and emergency response.

Tuesday’s discussion did not directly address a proposed BESS facility on Minto Road in Watsonville.

County staff have warned that if supervisors do not establish a framework of local rules, developers could bypass county permitting and apply through a state process instead.

That could allow the developers to ignore rules such as Measure J, a 1978 voter-approved growth-control measure that limits development of agricultural land.

“It’s a pretty challenging decision for us to make and it’s a pretty challenging topic for us to work on, especially given the fact that this is another instance where a lot of local control has been removed by the state,” Supervisor Justin Cummings said. “Where if we don’t try to work together as a community and figure something out, the state’s just going to approve it, and we don’t know what that would look like.”

Among the proposed requirements are 300-foot setbacks from residences, limits on noise, additional access for first responders, on-site containment for runoff, security measures and a dedicated water supply.

Developers would be required to use the best available technology, conduct soil and water testing before and after construction, and submit a decommissioning plan addressing battery disposal.

The proposal also includes agricultural mitigation requirements when facilities are sited on farmland. That would include a 3-to-1 replacement ratio for agricultural resources.

Cummings also requested a provision that would require the board to approve new owners when facilities are sold. He said that rule would help prevent companies with poor safety records from taking over local projects.

Cummings referenced Vistra Corp., the company that owns the Moss Landing battery storage site where a fire on Jan. 16, 2025 burned for days and sent a massive plume of toxic black smoke into the air.

“Vistra doesn’t have that good of a record, and we don’t want to have a company like that come in,” he said.

Under the draft rules, developers would also be required to pay for project-related costs, including road and drainage upgrades, emergency response equipment and first responder training. The ordinance would require financial guarantees to cover potential hazardous incidents.

County officials described energy storage as an essential part of California’s shift away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Battery energy storage facilities store electricity for use during peak demand and outages.

About 10 people addressed the board, many expressing concern about BESS facilities being placed in the county.

Karell Reader of Corralitos asked supervisors to consider families that could be impacted.

“You need to feel when you vote that the ordinance that you are shaping—the future that you’re shaping—is something where you would want to buy a house next to an energy storage facility, or you would want your children or grandchildren to be raised there,” she said.

From Beach to Bach

Performance

Christina Waters

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January 6, 2026

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An intriguing short program of little-known music, by even lesser-known composers. That’s what we expect from Espressivo—our feisty, “intense” chamber orchestra—and that’s what we got last month.

Beginning with witty opening remarks by ace bassoonist Neil Fairbairn, the concert performed Gordon Jacob’s Suite for Bassoon and String Quartet.

Edgy and dreamy, the four movements moved through atmospheric sounds like a Lawrence Durrell novel. Modernist phrasing—think mellow Stravinsky—with flashes of Benjamin Britton and even topnotes of Cole Porter, the Jacob piece gave full showing to Fairbairn’s rich and precise bassoon work, accompanied by the shimmering violins of Shannon D’Antonio and Adam Bolanos Scow, the velvet viola of Rebecca Dulatre-Corbin and plangent cello of Kristin Garbeff.

Next, with introductory overview by Lars Johannesson, Espressivo offered Theme and Variations for Flute and String Quartet, op. 80 by another rare composer: Amy Beach, whose work proclaimed a sequence of small, poetic ideas. Highly romantic, inflected with bits of Mahler, the Beach piece again showcased the precision of phrasing, and intonation between the magic flute and strings.

The final piece in this concert—by Baroque-era French composer François Devienne—changed the color moods completely. A Mozart doppelganger, written for flute clarinet and bassoon, the vigorous shimmering trio sprinted up and down a shower of arpeggios, especially tight tension and harmonics between flute and exceptional work by clarinetist Erica Horn. The excellent acoustics of the old-school German Cultural Center hall helped make this an unexpected triumph.

Espressivo in Winter

The chamber orchestra’s Jan. 17 Winter Concert, led by guest conductor Alan Truong, will feature music by Jean Francaix (known for chamber and ballet music), Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (composer of eclectic opera and chamber pieces) and Romanian composer Georges Enescu—not household names but distinctly tantalizing and engaging composers, exactly the sort of rare masters the intense musicians of Espressivo enjoy reviving. Note the new time—4pm—so that the busy professionals involved have time to drive to Las Vegas for their evening gig.

A Monterey County native, Truong grew up playing with local bands and orchestras, then Oberlin Conservatory and ultimately took a degree in conducting at Juilliard. Still marveling that someone from a Chinese family background can become a conductor, Troung admits.

“I’d like to just be a conductor who is a positive contribution to my community, working with all sorts of musicians. I’m not someone who has a goal like leading the Vienna Philharmonic” he said

Truong recalls, “The chance to conduct with Espressivo came about after a conversation with Lars Johannessen. I saw it as an opportunity I should not pass up. For example, the Chamber Symphony of Georges Enescu doesn’t require a lot of players, but it does require a lot of intense focus, and a great deal of virtuosity, not just in the playing of the instruments, but in terms of the sensibility. So I had to make sure that this was on the program. And then we built the rest around it.

“At first glance,” Truong continued, “one could look at this program and call this concert ‘Art of the Chamber Symphony,’ given the sandwiching of Jean Francaix’s ‘Dectet’ between George Enescu’s and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s respective ‘Chamber Symphonies.’ This genre of composition is ironic because one now expects a symphony, and that depth must be delivered by a mere 12 musicians on stage,” says Truong who considers Enescu one of Romania’s greatest musicians.

“Wolf-Ferrari accepts the challenge of endeavoring to match the scale of a symphony, which is accomplished with bold lines and a big helping of virtuosic piano playing. The work captures the sensibilities of the composer at 25, yet to become one of the most widely performed operatic composers in the world.”

Completing this program of jewelbox works is Françaix’ “Dectet,” or “Dixtuor.”

Truong muses, “The composer Maurice Ravel acknowledged a particular gift in Françaix as a boy: curiosity. There are moments in this piece that make one feel as if you are there with the composer, improvising the piece on a keyboard in real time. Pure freedom in music while making it look easy!”

Passionate music mavens can prepare for this feast, which will be served at 4pm on Jan. 17 at Peace United Church in Santa Cruz and Jan. 18 at First Presbyterian Church of Monterey. Tickets: espressorch.org.

Organ and Keyboard

Artistic director Jörg Reddin conducting musicians during a baroque performance — **KEYBOARD MOMENTS** The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival season gets launched Jan. 31 with a fundraiser featuring Artistic Director Jörg Reddin on the organ. Photo: Contributed

The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival season gets launched Jan. 31, 4pm, at Calvary Episcopal Church with an opening fundraiser featuring Artistic Director Jörg Reddin on the organ with the Santa Cruz Brass Quintet. The Baroque Festival’s opening concert on Feb. 8 features maestro Reddin performing two newly discovered and authenticated Bach masterpieces, BWV 1178 and 1179, at Holy Cross Church. A spectacular premiere of these long-buried works. scbaroque.org

Those who love outstanding and elegantly performed piano music—and who doesn’t?—should have tickets for an afternoon with Van Cliburn medalist Jon Nakamatsu at 2pm on Feb. 1 at Cabrillo College’s Samper Hall. Part of the Santa Cruz Symphony’s smartly curated Musician Series concerts. santacruzsy m phony.org

Free Will Astrology

Astrology

Rob Brezsny

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January 6, 2026

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ARIES March 21-April 19

The mystics drone on endlessly about letting go. But I’m here now to praise the art of holding on fiercely, tenderly, with full commitment. Some treasures deserve your passionate grip. Some people warrant your loyal devotion. Especially in the coming months, dear Aries, I invite you to devote yourself to your exciting dreams with ardent intensity. No surrender! Relentless perseverance! Uncompromising faith in the beauty and truth you love! What looks like stubbornness to outsiders will actually be fidelity to a vision others can’t yet see.

TAURUS April 20-May 20

As far back as the 19th century, daredevil college students in the UK have reveled in the practice of “night climbing.” They clamber up chapels, spires, towers and bridges under cover of darkness. Why? Mainly for adventure, mischief and altered perspectives. In the coming months, Taurus, you may be ready for your own symbolic version of night climbing. If that sounds fun, seek out vantage points you’ve never accessed. Experiment with possibilities you’ve dismissed as off-limits or outside your range. Be safe, of course, but also be joyfully exploratory. I bet the view from the frontiers will change you in inspiring ways.

GEMINI May 21-June 20

In the coming months, I’m confident you will see and understand subtleties that most people miss. You’ll be a maestro at tuning in to nuanced subtexts in conversations and hidden openings in stale situations. Everyone else may assume that familiar situations will never change, but you will have the power to tease out creative possibilities. You might even decode seemingly contradictory truths with such aplomb that you surprise yourself. Use this superpower with as much kindness as you can, Gemini. Some discoveries may tempt you toward clever mischief, but I hope that instead you will choose inspired guidance. Your expanded spectrum, if spiced with compassion, can consistently reveal your next leap.

CANCER June 21-July 22

The honeyguide bird of Africa has a lucrative arrangement with humans. It calls out to honey-hunters, leading them through brush to wild beehives built into trees. The people harvest the honey, and the bird eats the leftover wax and larvae. This cooperation is passed down over generations and benefits both species. Let’s use this as a metaphor for your future in 2026. You will have extra power to notice where mutual benefit is possible, even with unexpected allies. They may be able to guide you toward resources you couldn’t find alone, and you will have value to give in return. Keep an ear out for signals that say, “Come with me, and we’ll both gain.”

LEO July 23-Aug. 22

The cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris took years to build. Work began in 1163 and continued till 1345. Generations of architects, masons and artisans contributed to the project, and those who began it didn’t live to see it completed. Yet they labored with devotion, trusting that the holy beauty they facilitated would endure beyond their lifetimes. I hope you’re inspired by this story, Leo. It’s an apt metaphor for you. In the coming months, you could and should lay stones for creations you may not see fully accomplished for months or even years. I encourage you to redefine and refine what faith means to you, and summon it in abundance.

VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Ready to decommission your inner censor? Interested in dropping the mask, relaxing your guard and rewilding your gorgeous but slightly inhibited self? That’s what I recommend. Here are ways to fully enjoy the liberating grace period of the coming months: 1. Don’t deny yourself pleasures that would be healthy to indulge. 2. Shed taboos that were smart safeguards once upon a time but are no longer. 3. Re-evaluate why you treat certain fun activities as questionable. 4. Be brightly compassionate toward aspects of yourself you regard as wounded or inferior. 5. Be receptive to rebellious urges.

LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22

In 1839, French artist Louis Daguerre perfected the daguerreotype, an early type of photography. The images were so detailed that you could count the threads in a subject’s clothing. The only downside: They required minutes of perfect stillness to capture. A slight twitch or squirm could blur the picture. People held their breath and resisted the urge to fidget, hoping to preserve the magic moment. In this spirit, Libra, let’s make the long exposure your power metaphor during the coming months. The most useful truths will reveal themselves best if you give them time to develop. In conversations, resist filling every silence. In projects, don’t rush the pace. Have patient fun lingering on the threshold as the mysteries coalesce and clarify.

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21

In 1907, Scorpio artist Pablo Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. It was a work so radically different from his earlier art and from the era’s norms that even his friends were stunned. Some called it ugly; others, incomprehensible. Yet the painting became a foundation of Cubism and reshaped modern art. Dear Scorpio, I suspect you may be on the verge of your own “Les Demoiselles” phase in 2026: unveiling novel approaches and innovative changes so original that they rattle comfortable assumptions. Don’t be discouraged if the initial responses don’t bring you appreciation. The root-shaking breakthroughs you’re consorting with may take others a while to recognize and welcome.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21

You Sagittarians are often drawn to teaching. You have a predilection and a passion for sharing what you have learned from your adventures and explorations. Many of you also possess a related gift: helping people make the journey to where enlightening lessons can best occur. You have a knack for opening their minds and clearing the way so they can awaken to new ways of seeing and imagining the world. I hope you will provide both of these blessings in abundance during the coming months. Your ability to inspire and educate will be at a peak.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19

The coming months are ripe for sacred audacity: boldness with a conscience and courage guided by kindness. Imagine you’re a Benevolent Initiator, whose superpower is to kindle beginnings without causing disruption and unease. Practice brilliant, incremental nudges and tweaks rather than grand interventions. If you’re hesitating to say what needs to be said, deliver a modest version now and a stronger one later. Make gradual momentum your ally. Homework: Identify a future scene you want to generate and take three elegantly simple steps toward it.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18

Safety isn’t the opposite of adventure. It’s the infrastructure that lets adventure be expansive. Keep that in mind in the coming months, Aquarius. You will be wise to cultivate cozy bravery. You should relax deeply and nurture your strength. Build the support system for your future boldness. Then, in the second half of 2026, you will be well-prepared to launch a phase of experimental fun and exploratory learning. For best results, surround yourself with love and care. Decide who best supports you and make it attractive for them to support you.

PISCES Feb. 19-March 20

High in the Andes Mountains, farmers have for centuries made chuño, a freeze-dried potato that can last for years. They leave the potatoes outside overnight to let the freezing temperatures draw out the water. In the daytime, the strong sunlight and dry mountain air evaporate residual moisture. By this process, a perishable food becomes a long-lasting staple. I propose we make the chuño your symbol of power, Pisces. The coming months will be an ideal time to build reserves. I hope you will turn what you have grown and developed into resources that will nourish you well into the future. Homework: I dare you to give yourself a pep talk about a daring possibility. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

Letters

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

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January 6, 2026

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PLAIN TRAIN FACTS

2025 finally put real numbers and reality on the table for the Coastal Rail Corridor, and it’s clear why an Interim Trail is not just reasonable, but necessary.

This year, the RTC released the multi-year Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail (ZEPRT) Study, advanced Interim Trail design through Live Oak, Capitola, and Aptos, keeping the trail in the rail corridor and preserving critical grant funding. Capitola rightly demanded the RTC honor Measure L, reinforcing that voter intent still matters.

The final release of the ZEPRT Study made one thing undeniable—the costs are unfeasible on such a small community:

— $4.283+ BILLION to build

— $41 MILLION per year just to operate one rail line

That annual cost is roughly half of Santa Cruz Metro’s entire countywide operating budget, to run a single rail line that largely duplicates existing Metro bus routes. As proposed, passenger and freight rail simply aren’t fiscally achievable, especially when Metro’s bus-in-aux-lane improvements are expected to deliver travel times within about a minute of what the $4.283 billion train was projected to achieve.

Yet rail proponents such as Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail and Trail (FORT) and even Roaring Camp continue to muddy the waters by demanding unusable tracks remain in place using rail fillers, preserving the appearance of rail while blocking straightforward trail construction while also creating an unsafe trail condition with slick metal rails next to high-traction rubber which will increase falls if installed over long distances. This doesn’t advance rail. It delays a trail and puts over $100 million in CTC trail grants at risk.

If rail supporters want to spend the next 20 years planning a more realistic, affordable rail solution, that’s fine, but take it out of the critical path to progress. What makes no sense is holding the community hostage to a $4.3B project with no funding plan while preventing a trail people can use now.

How you can help:

— Join mailing lists at sccgreenway.org and trailnow.org to stay up to date.

— Speak up at RTC meetings in support of the Interim Trail

— Email RTC commissioners and demand design work continue. A list can be found at linktr.ee/coastaltrail where you can simply pledge your support for the interim trail design.

— Hold the RTC and Capitola City Council accountable to Measure L

— Talk to friends and neighbors about the benefits of the interim trail

— Call out delay tactics when you hear them at community meetings and events or see them on social media

2025 showed that progress is possible—but only if the public holds elected officials accountable and demands that the RTC pursue buildable solutions rooted in fiscal reality and implementation urgency.

Jack Brown | Aptos

MLK CELEBRATION

Once more, NAACP Santa Cruz County is planning an MLK March for the Dream. This year it will be on Monday, January 19, 2026, beginning at 10 am in front of Santa Cruz City Hall at the Black Lives Matter mural.

Thank you for helping us get the word out by publishing the attached press release or writing your own article on it. Our president Elaine Johnson will be happy to speak with you.

Jane Sooby | Secretary, NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch #1071

Animal Instincts

Dining Reviews

Mark C. Anderson

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January 6, 2026

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What’s your favorite animal? For this zoophile, it’s an impossible question, one on the level with: What would be your last meal?

But Napoleon Dynamite had the right idea with his lion and tiger mix, “liger.” Maybe there’s a way to stuff the ballot, covering more than one inspiring creature.

With that in mind, I hereby submit my favorite animal: Bad Animal (1011 Cedar St., Santa Cruz), because it’s three organisms in one. A universe-traversing used book store with a penchant for, per its website, “the wild side of the human animal”; an uncommonly curated natural wine bar, flowed by co-owner and ++ palate Jess LoPrete; and a restaurant that can claim partial credit for three of the coolest Santa Cruz restaurants in recent memory.

For the record, those three (in chronological order) are: Bookie’s Pizza (1315 Water St.), as pizzaola-creator Todd Parker was BA’s first chef; The Midway (1209 Soquel Ave.), which came to life after chef Katherine Stern served as BA’s first culinary artist-in-residence; and Hanloh Thai (brick-and-mortar in process), which was resident #2 and earned a place on the LA Times’ Best 101 restaurants.

Now Bad Animal is returning to its original in-house bistro production—debuting this Friday, Jan. 9—with a familiar soul running the show.

Chef Nick Hahn arrives fresh off a year at Michelin-starred n/naka in Los Angeles, but before that he worked with Hanloh at Bad Animal as chef de cuisine.

He’s looking to energize what Bad Animal’s social media calls “a very Santa Cruz take on the current Parisian bistro scene” with influences born of his Korean-Brazilian heritage. One dish he’s workshopping takes classic mussels and pancetta in white wine with shallots and adds a captivating kimchi-gochujang chili compound butter.

When asked what he’s most excited to do upon his return to Bad Animal, Hahn doesn’t overthink it.

“To be able to tap into the amazing produce and seafood available in Santa Cruz,” he says. “And to cook the best food possible for the people of Santa Cruz!” badanimalbooks.com

BRAND NEW FEELING

With 2026 here, some foodiesphere progress comes with a new law to provide a little more sanity for Californians who order through delivery apps such as DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub. Under Assembly Bill 578, food delivery companies must give customers full refunds to their original payment methods when orders are tardy, screwed up or unconsummated (instead of a credit), and—gloriously—also must deploy an actual person for customer support. Delivery apps also have to share an itemized breakdown of pay and fees, and can’t use tips or gratuities to offset driver base pay.

QUICK ’N’ YUMMY

Venus Spirits Cocktails and Kitchen’s Rio del Mar outpost (131 Esplanade, Aptos) has a promising new chef in Sarah Bargetto, an alum of celebrated Trestles (316 Capitola Ave, Capitola), and her new menu includes additions like braised short ribs with leek-infused potato purée, and smoked salmon mousse on house focaccia, venusspirits.com/vsckbeachside…As of this week, the commercial crab season has begun on Monterey Bay! (The recreation season launched a few days previously.) Hallelujah, hwildlife.ca.gov…The best new-to-me “epicurean” news of the year so far: CuppaPug is a real business in England, with the operating idea that customers can sip coffee, hang with a “grumble” of pugs and support pug rescue efforts, cuppapug.com…William James: “I will act as if what I do makes a difference.”

Downtown Deli-ciousness

Foodie File

Andrew Steingrube

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January 6, 2026

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Patty Zoccoli’s journey to becoming co-owner of long-standing locals’ favorite deli began in the early ’80s, when she was hired at Zoccoli’s as a lettuce chopper. She ended up finding not only a career but also a husband, meeting Craig Zoccoli. His grandfather founded the now iconic business in 1948. Six months before the 1989 earthquake, Patty, Craig and his brother Russell became owners.

Patty describes the deli’s ambiance as traditional old-school Italian, the original hardwood floors pairing with charmingly stuck-in-time décor. The menu burgeons with soups, sandwiches, pastas and salads, a blend of Italian and American deli classics. Patty says the top-selling sandwich is the chicken pesto with roasted red peppers and Swiss cheese. Her personal fave is the Castroville Italian—with artichokes, salami, prosciutto, pepperoncini and provolone cheese—and the shrimp salad sandwich also has strong local lore.

Send-worthy salads include potato, macaroni and chef’s salads; handmade daily soups are headlined by the heritage minestrone, and pasta selections include ravioli and lasagna. Beer and wine are among assorted beverages, and desserts start with a classic family recipe blondie chocolate chip cookie bar as well as rice crispy treats and tiramisu.

What’s the secret to being in business for almost 80 years?

PATTY ZOCCOLI: Providing warm and personalized customer service and always treating our guests as family. We are also generational; the business itself is in its fourth family generation and many of our customers and their families have been coming here for several generations as well. And when it comes to the food, we put paramount importance on quality and making everything we possibly can from scratch. We care deeply about what we serve, and the love is evident in the smiles on our guests’ faces.

Tell me about your great staff.

We consider our employees extended family; a lot of them have been with us for 25 years or more. I myself am one of them. Starting as an hourly employee over 30 years ago and now being an owner, I’ve experienced both sides. We hire a lot of students and young adults as their first job. Many have stayed with us, and others have gone on to other professions and have come back to tell us how much this job set them up for success.

1534 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-423-1711; zoccolis.com

PV Arts Comes Home to the Porter Building

A&E
Art

Tarmo Hannula

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January 6, 2026

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PV Arts Comes Home to the Porter Building

Pajaro Valley Arts is home again at the historic Porter Building in downtown Watsonville. After wrapping up a final show, “Mi Casa es Tu Casa 2025,” at the Sudden Street location, the local grassroots art organization is busy remodeling the two-story 1903 building as a permanent home.

PV Arts board member Wendy Aiken said the Mi Casa show was a powerful ending to their decades-long run at the Sudden Street location. The next show, opening Jan. 13, will be at the Porter Building, where PV Arts got its start in 1986.

Major changes have already been completed, including new but temporary gallery lighting, new flooring, fresh paint in some areas, a new tool room, a kitchen/break room, classrooms, workshops and offices, with more to come.

“Major donations helped us get the lights, the paint and the flooring,” said PV Arts Executive Director Miriam Anton. “Even though it’s not our final vision, we still have funds to raise to make way for things like a new gallery space along the hallway upstairs. We were never intending to do a full remodel upstairs, but things change as you go.”

Anton said that in order to save money, they decided to close the 1,200 square-foot Sudden Street Gallery and operate solely out of the 12,000-square-foot Porter Building, which has been designated as an Historical Trust Landmark.

Plans also call for replacing toilets and sinks and making the rooms upstairs into artist studios, workshops, a conference room and even choir practice space.

According to the Historic Walking Tour document provided by the city, the Porter Building was part of the 1903 building boom in Watsonville. Designed by famed architect William Weeks, it was built for John Porter, one of the early pioneers of the Pajaro Valley.

When it was complete, it housed a post office and was also the first building to have a central steam heating system. In recent years it served as classrooms and office space for Ceiba College Preparatory Academy and Watsonville/Aptos/Santa Cruz Adult Education.

PV Arts is preparing for its first show in 2026, an annual member’s exhibit titled “Welcome Home.” Curated by Jim Turner, the exhibit will feature 148 artists.

“Welcome Home” runs Jan. 13–Feb. 21 at 280 Main St., Watsonville. An artist reception will take place 1–3pm on Jan. 17. New hours are Tue.–Sat., 11am–4pm. pvarts.org.

Local Photographer Captures International Attention

A&E

Lucille Tepperman

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January 6, 2026

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Local Photographer Captures International Attention

WINNING SHOT A photograph of Tundra, up for adoption at the SPCA, took the bronze in an international photo contest. Photo: Rebecca E. Hall

Santa Cruz nature photographer Rebecca E. Hall was shocked when she won a prestigious award in Paris for her work shooting a picture of a dog.

Her black-and-white photo of Tundra, a puppy up for adoption at the Santa Cruz SPCA, won in the prestigious 2025 Px3 Paris Photography Awards.

With only a few years working the lens of her DSLR Pentax, Hall’s photography has been gaining wall space and recognition nationally and internationally, with several of her shots winning awards and honorable mentions in 2025.

“I practice every day, but I still wasn’t expecting to be placed in a big competition. This is the first time I’ve placed in something so big,” Hall says.

Winning Hall the Bronze award in Nature/Domestic Animals, “Tundra” was showcased with other winners of the 2025 Paris Photography contest, appearing in an on-screen projection and presentation at the 24b Gallery in Paris earlier this fall.

Taken with a Pentax DSLR through the plexiglass of the SPCA kennel door, Hall’s picture of Tundra draws the viewer in.

Black-and-white portrait of a dog named Tundra photographed at the Santa Cruz SPCA — **TUNDRA** a rescue dog photographed at the Santa Cruz SPCA, won a bronze award at the 2025 Px3 Paris Photography Awards. Photo by Rebecca E. Hall.

“She takes time, and that’s what you have to do with animals,” says Alison “Ali” Talley, executive director of the Santa Cruz SPCA shelter. “You can’t pressure them to smile. Hall has that knack for taking her time and making the dog comfortable.”

She volunteers every Monday at the SPCA to photograph the new arrivals up for adoption.

Picking up a camera in 2022 for the first time was a game-changer for Hall, who has been living with cancer since she was 25. Connecting with nature and local wildlife has improved her emotional and psychological state.

“Now I have something to focus on when I’m struggling. I can lose myself in beauty and life. It’s really powerful,” Hall says.

Originally from just outside of London, Hall moved with her family to the Bay Area when she was 5. After growing up in the Bay Area, she moved to the Aptos hills. Her surroundings bring her peace and inspiration as she continues to combat stage IV breast cancer. Now at 40, she is holding steady and doing well.

“Photography gave me something to believe in,” Hall says. “Something to enjoy learning and crafting.”

Hall picked up photography during the pandemic, learning the basics by watching how-to videos on YouTube, and reading articles on photography techniques.

She discovered that being in nature was healing. She also found that she recuperated more quickly from her treatment sessions when she was outside and in nature.

The wilderness of the Central Coast was her sanctuary, the camera her witness to its beauty. Hall spent hours and weeks observing a family of California quails and came to notice the parents would switch off in their role of guardian.

One day after a chemo infusion treatment, Hall was feeling pretty rough. She ventured into her family’s garden and backyard to a nearby meadow. and captured the most glorious shots. A male quail, and father, is perched high up on a wild rosemary shrub, an oak moth hovering in the golden hue of the blurred background. This captivating photograph, titled “Guardian Angel,” won Grand Prize Runner-Up in the National Wildlife Federation’s 2024 Garden for Wildlife Photo Contest.

And then the quail went international, receiving honorable mention in Nature/Wildlife in the 2025 Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Paris Photography Awards).

“For so long my identity was all about being a cancer patient. I feel like the win is for me,” explains Hall, “having transitioned from a cancer patient who enjoys photography to a photographer who lives with cancer. It feels like I’m on the right path.”

Discover more work by the artist at RebeccaHallPhoto.com or on Instagram: @RebeccaHallPhotography. To support the local SPCA’s pet adoption program, visit spcasc.org.

Things to do in Santa Cruz

Things To Do This Week

GT Staff

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January 6, 2026

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THURSDAY 1/8

PUNK

PINFALL Pinfall might have just celebrated their first anniversary as a band, but one would never be able to tell after listening to their four-song EP, Figure Four. The songs are tight, neatly written and solidly built, expected from a band that would have more years under their belt. There’s a definite, nuanced humor in pop punk that seems to have been lost to most bands, but Pinfall manages to find the line and rail grind it. This is gonna be an old-school Santa Cruz punk show with newcomers SC Riot on the bill with veteran wrestling punks The Randy Savages in a trifecta of madness that only the Blue Lagoon can contain. MAT WEIR

INFO: 9pm, Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 423-7117.

FRIDAY 1/9

FAIR

FUNGUS FAIR A celebration of all things fungi, the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair is a three-day event filled with fantastic food, demonstrations and informative speakers. A mix of scientific exhibitions and artistic installations, fungi will be arranged in a beautiful re-creation of their natural woodland habitat. Visitors diving into the vast world of these peculiar organisms are reminded that bread, cheese, beer and wine owe their existence to fungi. With a touch of whimsy, the fair takes everyday fungi and spins them into educational narratives, offering up new fun facts, culinary delights and more. Goes until Jan. 11. SHELLY NOVO

INFO: 8am, London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz. $10-$15. 420-5030.

SINGER-SONGWRITER

CHUCK BRODSKY With the exception of a trio of records he released in the final years of the 20th century, Chuck Brodsky has long been the model of the independent, do-it-yourself artist. It’s just that now, the music business as a whole is catching up with his approach. He crowd-funded his last four albums, the most recent of which is 2022’s Gravity, Wings, and Heavy Things. He’s a singer/songwriter who pens heart-on-sleeve songs with a social conscience, but he’s equally likely to serve up an original tune about baseball. Brodsky possesses a keen wit that sets him apart from the pack. BILL KOPP

INFO: 7pm, Ugly Mug, 4640 Soquel Drive, Soquel. $30/adv, $40/door. 477-1341.

PUNK

SWINGIN’ UTTERS Punk rockers Johnny Peebucks and the Swingin’ Utters started in Santa Cruz in the late ’80s, and shortened their name to Swingin’ Utters. Their classic working-class punk sound found an audience in the SF Bay Area scene, and then around the world. They’ve had a break now and then to raise families, there’ve been lineup changes, with frontman “Peebucks” their only original member, but they’ve continued to draw a crowd (and a mosh pit) through the ebbs and flows of punk’s popularity over three decades. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN

INFO: 8pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.

SATURDAY 1/10

HIP HOP

BERNER Rapper Berner is defined by underground grit with mainstream ambition, West Coast narratives and hazy production. His verses weave street tales with introspective moments, chronicling struggle and success. With a raspy flow and an alignment with the spirit of Bay Area rap, he creates atmospheric tracks that blend gangster rap and modern trap. His discography is vast, and dozens of projects feature rap legends like Bun B and Wyclef, Chris Brown, and Wiz Khalifa. An entrepreneur at heart, his ventures go beyond music, featuring street clothing lines with FreshKo and Cookies. Switching between street anthems and contemplative cuts, Berner mixes hustler narrative with genuine reflection. SN

INFO: 9pm, Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $49-$99. 713-5492.

FOLK

DUO QUARTET The name might seem confusing, but it’s accurate: Two members of this group—guitarist Nina Gerber and multi-instrumentalist Chris Webster—have worked as a musical duo for decades. Guitarist Jeri Jones and multi-instrumentalist Pam Delgarno have played music together for the same number of years. Now the four have teamed up as the Duo Quartet, bringing together two vast repertoires of original and well-chosen cover material that spans folk, jazz, pop, Americana and blues. Their shows make the most of versatility, with quartet, duo and solo numbers figuring into the harmonic and lively mix. BK

INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $30. 427-2227.

INDIE FOLK

RAINBOW GIRLS A group of young people sharing a house while going to college in Southern California, a house known as The Rainbow House, decided to start a weekly open mic night in their home. Playing music together and separately, every week, the Rainbow House mic eventually morphed into a band, and Rainbow Girls was born. They put in some serious road miles, busking and couch surfing around Europe, and now they meld their instruments and three harmonizing voices like family as heard on their latest album, 2024’s Haunting. KLJ

INFO: 9pm, Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 479-1854.

MONDAY 1/12

LITERARY

ADINA MERENLENDER Adina Merenlender’s already go-to guide for California’s natural history (The California Naturalist Handbook) is now updated with new images, expanded discussions and new insights on stewardship. Natural history and science are not just for those with related degrees. With this journal and practice, anyone can help build ecosystem resilience so the native species can thrive. The book highlights the importance of diversity and inclusivity in outdoor spaces and within conservation messaging. It covers topics such as geology, native plants and animals, conservation biology, and the effects of pressing environmental issues. These topics are presented through the voices of naturalist leaders, who include women, Indigenous peoples and naturalists of color. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE

INFO: 7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free, 423-0900.

TUESDAY 1/13

GUITAR

MIKE DAWES It’s truly amazing how versatile the guitar can be. The same instrument can deliver the flesh-ripping buzz for metal songs or climb the melodious scales of arpeggios. Folk, jazz, cumbias and so much more can be played on these strings. It’s even more amazing when in the hands of someone truly great who can play all these styles with ease. Englishman Mike Dawes is that musician. Join him for one night only at an all-seated show in the Santa Cruz Mountains as he performs an intimate night of music from around the world and time. MW

INFO: 8pm, Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9, Felton. $30. 704-7113.

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

THURSDAY 1/8

PUNK

FRIDAY 1/9

FAIR

SINGER-SONGWRITER

PUNK

SATURDAY 1/10

HIP HOP

FOLK

INDIE FOLK

MONDAY 1/12

LITERARY

TUESDAY 1/13

GUITAR