Page 308 – Good Times

Monterey Bay F.C. Recruits Santa Cruz County Players

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May 3, 2022

Monterey Bay F.C. Recruits Santa Cruz County Players

It’s a crisp, sunny Tuesday afternoon and the Monterey Bay F.C. Union—the Central Coast’s new professional soccer team—is in the middle of an intense passing drill that has players riled up, yelling for the ball and fighting for position on the pitch.

Among them are midfielder Adrian Rebollar and forward Walmer Martínez, the latest pair of Santa Cruz County players to make it to the professional ranks.

Martínez, a 23-year-old Santa Cruz native, was the club’s first-ever signing. He says it’s an honor to be such a big part of the team’s historic inaugural season back at his old college stomping grounds of Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB).

“I’ll grow up and be able to say that I was the [first] signing,” he says. “It makes me the happiest guy, because it’s on my home turf. I grew up playing here in this area.”

Rebollar, a 22-year-old from Watsonville, was the second Santa Cruz County native and CSUMB player to join the Union. After signing with the team, the first thing he thought about were the numerous early morning workouts and solo training sessions that helped him get to his first pro deal.

“I want to say it was like a relief, but at the same time I was proud of myself,” he says. “For the most part I was proud I reached what I wanted to do and now I’m living my dream.”

The United Soccer League (USL) announced last year in February that Monterey Bay Football Club was its newest member of the USL Championship—which is one division below Major League Soccer, the top league in the U.S.

Both Martínez and Rebollar will be sharing their dreams with their respective communities on Saturday when Monterey Bay F.C. will debut the newly remodeled Cardinale Stadium at the CSUMB campus in the team’s first-ever home match. They play the Las Vegas Lights F.C. at 7pm.

The stadium was once home to the Fort Ord Warriors, a former semi-pro football team comprised of military service members, and has served as the site of CSUMB graduations. But after an $11 million infusion from Monterey Bay F.C., the 6,000-seat stadium will be unrecognizable to most.

“Everyone’s so excited, especially for me,” Rebollar says. “I’m very proud to represent the 831 community. I’m big about where I’m from, Watsonville. I hope I get to see as many people as I can, because we’re playing for our fans and our community ultimately.”

Different Paths

Rebollar and Martínez have played together since they were in their teens. Martínez went to Soquel High School and Rebollar attended Watsonville High School, but neither played for their respective schools. Instead, they opted to play for the Santa Cruz Breakers Academy, a local competitive travel squad.

Their friendship developed while at CSUMB, and their games did, too.

Martínez starred at Cabrillo College before transferring to CSUMB, where he finished second all-time in assists (16) and fifth in goals (17). In his senior season in 2019, Martínez had the second-best attacking season in Otters’ men’s soccer history, recording 13 goals and 33 points.

Rebollar joined CSUMB in 2017, appearing in 63 matches—60 starts—in four seasons. He notched 16 goals and 14 assists with the Otters, including seven game-winning scores.

Rebollar scored a career-high seven goals in 1,394 minutes in 2021. He recorded a career-high eight assists in 2019, which was good for the third-best season mark in the program’s history.

Martinez’s true breakout year would be 2021. He not only scored his first pro deal, signing with the Hartford Athletic—the only pro soccer team in Connecticut—of the USL Championship, but he was also selected for the El Salvador National Team. He made his international debut for La Selecta in a 7-0 win against the U.S. Virgin Islands on June 5, 2021.

He scored his first international goal three days later in a 3-0 victory against Antigua and Barbuda. Martínez has gone on to make 16 appearances for the side while recording two goals.

Martínez played at the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup and saw action in the final stage of FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifying, competing against the United States, Mexico and Canada.

When Monterey Bay F.C. announced they had acquired Martínez via transfer, club president Mike DiGiulio said that his homecoming signified “the beginning of the Union as we continue to bring athletes here to make Monterey Bay their home.”

Rebollar’s path to the pros was a bit different. After graduating from CSUMB in 2021, he was among dozens of prospects that trained with Monterey Bay F.C. throughout the offseason and into camp. The team announced his signing a day before its inaugural match on March 12. Union lost 4-2 to Phoenix Rising F.C., but Rebollar scored his first professional goal.

“From what I’ve seen, it really doesn’t matter what path you take,” Rebollar says. “It’s all about what you do in the path that you go through. As long as you put the work in, you kind of set yourself up for success.”

Fitting In

Monterey Bay F.C. coach Frank Yallop says both Martínez and Rebollar have soaked up everything around them over the past two months.

“They are really, really great pros,” he says. “They’re brand new to that, but they work hard, they want to learn, they’re everything I like in young players—and the greatest news is that they’re local guys, which is fantastic, too.”

Yallop says that Rebollar has done well since earning his way onto the team; he says the young forward is full of energy and always on the go.

“[Rebollar’s] got a ways to go with his final pass and stuff we’re talking to him about, but you can’t get a better kid for attitude,” he says.

Along with the one goal, Rebollar has a 68.6% passing accuracy, while on defense he’s had three interceptions and one tackle.

Yallop says he’s looking forward to developing this group, and Martínez has been a big part of playing well.

Martínez has yet to score, but he has an outstanding 80.5% passing accuracy. On defense, he has eight clearances, six tackles won, four interceptions and two blocks.

“I just love his energy, I love the way he plays,” Yallop says about Martínez. “I think he’s got a bright future. We’ve had a tough start to the season, but it’s kind of expected with a lot of away games in a row, which is never easy. I don’t care who you are.”

Rebollar knows it’s rare to transition from the collegiate level to the pros while staying close to home. He says it’s helped him ease into the next level, taking away some of the nervousness of having to move away.

“I just think that’s helped me develop a little quicker to the speed of play and kind of the culture in the professional environment,” he says.

Both have had the opportunity to meet people on the team who come from different cultures. Rebollar says he is learning new traditions from his teammates and has already picked up some Japanese from Jiro Barriga Toyama, who is from Japan. Seku Conneh is from Liberia, Robbie Crawford is from Scotland, and both Simon Dawkins and Sam Gleadle are from England.

Martínez says the key is figuring out how to unite players from all of these backgrounds to create a bond, a Union.

“We come here and we unite, we share those stories and we become a family,” he says.

Martínez plans to have a big barbeque in the near future and is hoping everyone brings a traditional dish for an international-style potluck. Rebollar has already shared his mom’s homemade food with his teammates, and says he’s also looking forward to taking his teammates to the taco trucks in his hometown.

“It’s all about learning, being very open to what other people are used to,” he says. “Getting out of your comfort zone as well and trying something new.”

He’s mostly thrilled to learn from his comrades, and as one of the youngest players on the team, he keeps an open mind.

“I want the criticism. I enjoy when my teammates and my coaches tell me if I’m doing something wrong and what I can do better,” he says. “It can be frustrating sometimes having someone tell you something, but at the end of the day they’re looking out for me and they want me to get better. I appreciate that.”

Bright Future

Monterey Bay F.C. is heading into Saturday’s game with a 1-6 record. Martínez says it’s been a developing year for the new club and he believes they’re going in the right direction.

“I feel like the team is coming together, the facilities are coming together and we’re starting to see the bigger picture,” Martínez says.

In many ways, Monterey Bay F.C. is starting from scratch. Along with rebuilding the stadium, the club had to rebuild its roster. Coach Yallop says most USL Championship squads use their academies to recruit local players, but because they’re a brand new club, they don’t have that option.

Yallop played 13 years in England along with stints in Major League Soccer and the Canadian national team. He also spent 13 years as a head coach in the MLS, including two championship seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes. Most recently, Yallop has been integral to the growth of the USL Championship, serving in coaching and leadership positions with Phoenix Rising F.C., Fresno F.C. and Las Vegas Lights F.C.

Yallop says it takes years to build a second team or a youth club, especially one that could serve as a pipeline for players in the future. Monterey Bay F.C. doesn’t have anything planned for this season, but the coaching staff is working on helping players take that path to the pro level. Assistant coach Ramiro Corrales, a Salinas native and former Earthquakes player, has already tapped into the pool of talented players in the Salinas area.

“My mind is on that—really capture this area and have a conveyor belt to the first team playing in the stadium, which will be fantastic for any sort of 8-to-10-year-old right now,” Corrales says. “If we get a system in place, then he could end up like a Walmer or Adrian.”

Monterey Bay F.C. plays Saturday, May 7, 7pm. Cardinale Stadium, CSU Monterey Bay, Seaside. montereybayfc.com.

Policy Brings Transparency to Santa Cruz PD’s Military Weapon Inventory

Aiyana Moya

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May 3, 2022

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Policy Brings Transparency to Santa Cruz PD’s Military Weapon Inventory

Santa Cruz Police Chief Bernie Escalante says there wasn’t a particular “rhyme or reason” that prompted him to apply for the BearCat, the police department’s SWAT armored combat vehicle, in 2015. Escalante, who was announced as Santa Cruz’s next Police Chief on April 26, says that he simply saw the vehicle as a practical investment, one that would save lives.

The BearCat, a hulking 17,550-pound tank on four wheels that the department calls an “Armored Personnel Carrier vehicle with entry apparatus attached,” was a controversial acquisition at the time. Protesters filled the Santa Cruz City Council chambers in response to the council’s decision to accept a grant for the armored vehicle. At the same time, protests were still erupting across the nation in response to the 2014 killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, by a police officer.

Seven years later, the BearCat is still a source of contention.

The vehicle was brought up again during the most recent city council meeting, as they discussed the implementation of Assembly Bill 481, a new state law that went into effect at the beginning of the year. The law, which requires police departments to publicly disclose all of their military-grade weapons, is part of a broader effort to increase transparency and accountability within police departments. It also requires departments to draft a publicly available military-weapons-use policy, to give an annual report on all costs related to the military weapons and to get a sign-off from councilmembers before purchasing new military weapons, among a few other requirements. SCPD’s policy was unanimously approved by the council.

During the council meeting, the police department listed the BearCat, chemical agents like tear gas and four high-caliber guns during its presentation, among other items. It didn’t list its inventory of AR-15s, because those semi-automatic rifles—a weapon known as an “ArmaLite” rifle that has been used in some of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings—do not fall under the state’s military-grade classification. The council moved to classify AR-15s as military weapons moving forward.

Many people showed up to decry the use of the armored vehicle and AR-15s, and urged the city council to dispose of them.

“This is not 2015, when maybe there was something in someone’s mind that said the militarization of the police was not a bad idea,” Tim Fitzmaurice said.

Across the county, police departments have been coming into compliance with AB 481, prompting some citizens and council members to renew calls for demilitarization of police departments. Members of the public across the county say that at the heart of this law is an effort to demilitarize police, and city leaders should act with that intention.

Escalante says that these weapons are critical for officers to safely do their jobs, and that there really aren’t reasonable alternatives.

“I’ve been here for 25 years. We’ve had all of this equipment for the last 25 years,” Escalante says. “I feel confident and proud to say that because of the layers of policy that already exist, we’ve been able to resolve complicated situations without the use of lethal force because of these tools.”

Policy is King

Dr. Ginger Charles, a retired police sergeant and chair of the Criminal Justice program at Cabrillo College, says that having military weapons isn’t as much of a concern as the policies in place that guide their training protocol and use.

“Having a BearCat, for instance, isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” says Charles. “But there should be such a narrow, narrow margin as far as when it’s deployed. There should be really strict guidelines about that, and there should be extreme training in regards to using that, too.”

Escalante says that the police department must issue a report every time the BearCat leaves its facility, even just to get gas. Its deployment must be based on the specific circumstances of a critical incident, and will only be driven by a trained officer.

While officers don’t have to complete a certain number of hours of training, they do need to be versed in standard safety protocols. And there are exceptions: if there was an emergency where the BearCat was critically needed, any officer could drive it, Escalante says. In 2021, the BearCat was deployed 19 times: 11 of those times were for maintenance and training reasons.

Charles says that, importantly, an agency must be very transparent about why they have the weapons they do, and why they think they’re needed. According to Charles and Escalante, crime is on the rise, and officers are leaving departments because of it. They say these weapons help keep officers and the public safe, and that limiting access to them would make it harder to retain officers.

“I would say that officers would feel less safe if they don’t have access to these tools,” Escalante says. “They are already not being provided with the proper tools and equipment and technology that’s available to the industry.”

Still, for some, that reasoning isn’t sufficient.

When it comes to transparency within the police department, Executive Director for the Center for Nonviolence Silvia Morales is all for it. Yes, she supports the police department disclosing military weapons, but she also wants something that is perhaps just as important: to understand how police departments arrive at the decision that such weapons are needed.

“The process used to determine what equipment gets acquired needs to be clearly presented to the public, and is essential moving forward,” says Morales. “The police department needs to spend more time and resources looking for nonviolent ways of policing, rather than purchasing high-powered weaponry.”

Capitola Increases Outdoor Dining Permit Cost

Aiyana Moya

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May 3, 2022

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Capitola Increases Outdoor Dining Permit Cost

Capitola’s temporary outdoor dining program isn’t going anywhere any time soon—at least for restaurants that can afford new fees recently approved by Capitola City Council.

On April 28, the city council voted to once again extend its temporary outdoor dining ordinance first enacted in 2020 that was set to expire this month. But this time, the extension comes at a price to local restaurant owners.

Restaurants that want to continue to provide outdoor dining through the city’s temporary program must make a $500 deposit and pay the city $1.25 per square foot of its parklet in monthly rent. There are 18 restaurants participating in the program. Those that choose to continue the program will have their permits extended until two months after the city’s proposed permanent ordinance receives approval from the Coastal Commission.

“We’re still in recovery,” said local business owner Doug Conrad, who called in during Thursday’s meeting. “The rent right now, we can’t afford that.”

As pandemic restrictions have eased, the city has tried to implement a new permanent outdoor dining ordinance, one that will charge restaurant owners $34,000 per year and provide stricter design standards for outdoor parklets. But this endeavor has been delayed by bureaucratic slowdowns.

In December, Capitola sent its draft ordinance to the Coastal Commission for approval. Since then, it has gone back and forth with the agency, and it could be another four months before the commission gives Capitola the go-ahead for its permanent program.

In the meantime, Capitola continues to lose an estimated $7,587 per month, as a byproduct of restaurants using the city’s coveted parking spaces to provide outdoor seating to customers. Restaurant owners can ask questions and weigh in on the prototypes for parklets during a Zoom meeting on May 11 at 10am.

Those interested can email Community Development Director Katie Herlihy at kh******@************ca.us.

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology: May 4-10

Rob Brezsny

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May 3, 2022

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Poet Jennifer Willoughby writes, “I am so busy. I am practicing my new hobby of watching me become someone else. There is so much violence in reconstruction. Every minute is grisly, but I have to participate. I am building what I cannot break.” I wouldn’t describe your own reconstruction process during recent months as “violent” or “grisly,” Aries, but it has been strenuous and demanding. The good news is that you have mostly completed the most demanding work. Soon the process will become more fun. Congratulations on creating an unbreakable new version of yourself!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z tells us, “Don’t ever go with the flow. Instead, be the flow.” Here’s what I think he means: If we go with the flow, we adjust and accommodate ourselves to a force that is not necessarily aligned with our personal inclinations and needs. To go with the flow implies we are surrendering our autonomy. To claim our full sovereignty, on the other hand, we are wise to be the flow. We should create our own flow, which is just right for our unique inclinations and needs. I think this is the right approach for you right now, Taurus. Be the flow.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The Italian language used to be a dialect spoken in Tuscany. That area comprises less than eight percent of the country’s territory. How did such a dramatic evolution happen? Why did a local dialect supersede other dialects like Piedmontese, Neapolitan, Sicilian and others? In part, it was because three potent 14th-century writers wrote in the Tuscan dialect: Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio. Another reason: Because Tuscany is centrally located in Italy, its dialect was less influenced by languages in France and other nearby countries. I offer this as a metaphor for you in the coming months. One of your personal talents, affiliations or inclinations could become more influential and widespread—and have more authority in your life.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Always strive to be more interested than interesting,” said actor and activist Jane Fonda. That may not be easy for you to accomplish in the near future, dear Cancerian. Your curiosity will be at peak levels, but you may also be extra compelling and captivating. So I’ll amend Fonda’s advice: Give yourself permission to be both as interested and as interesting as you can imagine. Entertain the world with your lively personality as you go in quest of new information, fresh perceptions and unprecedented experiences.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “When in doubt, act like God,” proclaimed Leo singer-songwriter Madonna. I wouldn’t usually endorse that advice. But I’ll make an exception for you Leos during the next three weeks. Due to a divine configuration of astrological omens, you are authorized to ascend to new heights of sovereignty and self-possession—even to the point of doing a vivid God impersonation. For best results, don’t choose an angry, jealous, tyrannical deity to be your role model. Pattern yourself after a sweeter, funnier, more intimate type of celestial being.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): My Virgo friend Amanda told me she felt tight and overwrought. She was overthinking and on the verge of a meltdown. With a rueful sigh, she added, “I adore anything that helps me decompress, unwind, simmer down, stop worrying, lighten up, compose myself and mellow out.” So I invited her to take deep breaths, close her eyes and visualize herself immersed in blue-green light. Then I asked her to name influences she loved: people, animals, natural places, music, books, films, art and physical movements that made her feel happy to be alive. She came up with eight different sources of bliss, and together we meditated on them. Half an hour later, she was as relaxed as she had been in months. I recommend you try a comparable exercise every day for the next 14 days. Be proactive about cultivating tranquil delight.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Author Anne Lamott is renowned for her tender approach to expressing her struggles with addiction, depression and other tribulations. One of her supreme tests was being a single mother who raised her son Sam. In this effort, she was her usual plucky self. Anytime she hosted playdates with Sam’s young friends at her home, she called on the help of crayons and paint and pens and clay and scissors. “When we did art with the kids, the demons would lie down,” she testified. I recommend a comparable strategy for you in the coming days, Libra. You will have extra power as you tame, calm or transform your demons. Making art could be effective, as well as any task that spurs your creativity and imagination.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “My heart has developed a kind of amnesia, where it remembers everything but itself,” writes Scorpio poet Sabrina Benaim. If you suffer a condition that resembles hers, it’s about to change. According to my astrological analysis, your heart will soon not only remember everything; it will also remember itself. What a blissful homecoming that will be—although it may also be unruly and confounding, at least in the beginning. But after the initial surprise calms down, you will celebrate a dramatic enhancement of emotionally rich self-knowledge. You will feel united with the source of your longing to love and be loved.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Just because things hadn’t gone the way I had planned didn’t necessarily mean they had gone wrong,” writes Sagittarian author Ann Patchett. Her thought may be helpful for you to meditate on. My guess is that you will ultimately be glad that things didn’t go the way you planned. God or your Higher Self or the Mysterious Forces of Destiny will conspire to lead you away from limited expectations or not-big-enough visions so as to offer you bigger and better blessings.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Novelist Jane Austen (1775–1817) confessed she was a “wild beast.” Really? The author who wrote masterfully about the complex social lives of wealthy British people? Here’s my theory: The wild beast in her made her original, unsentimental, humorous and brilliant in creating her stories. How is your own inner wild beast, Capricorn? According to my reading of the astrological omens, now is an excellent time to give it fun, rich assignments. What parts of your life would benefit from tapping into raw, primal energy?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian poet Jack Gilbert wrote, “I lie in the dark wondering if this quiet in me now is a beginning or an end.” I don’t know how Gilbert solved his dilemma. But I suspect you will soon be inclined to pose a similar question. In your case, the answer will be that the quiet in you is a beginning. Ah! But in the early going, it may not resemble a beginning. You might be puzzled by its fuzzy, meandering quality. But sooner or later, the quiet in you will become fertile and inspirational. You will ride it to the next chapter of your life story.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The genre of poetry known as haiku often relies on unexpected juxtapositions. Critic R. H. Blyth observed, “In haiku, the two entirely different things that are joined in sameness are poetry and sensation, spirit and matter.” I suspect your life in the coming weeks will have metaphorical resemblances to haikus. You will be skilled at blending elements that aren’t often combined, or that should be blended but haven’t been. For inspiration, read these haikus by Raymond Roseliep. 1. in the stream / stones making half / the music. 2. horizon / wild swan drifting through / the woman’s body. 3. birthcry! / the stars / are all in place. 4. bathwater / down the drain / some of me. 5. grass / holding the shape / of our night. 6. campfire extinguished, / the woman washing dishes / in a pan of stars.

Homework: You can now make a change that has previously seemed impossible. What is it? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

Sling & Stone Wines’ 2019 Paloma Creek Cab Scores High

Josie Cowden

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May 3, 2022

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Sling & Stone Wines’ 2019 Paloma Creek Cab Scores High

Sling & Stone Wines is an up-and-coming winery that is already making high-quality vino and scoring high ratings from Wine Enthusiast. When I tried the 2019 Paloma Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($45), I was impressed by its robust, intriguing and tasty flavors. Awash with dark fruit and aromas of black currant, tobacco, cedar, toast and coffee, it’s also fermented with 4% Viognier “to enhance color and naturally balance the wine’s chemistry.”
This Cab is the result of Francisco (aka Junior) Bañuelos’ hard work and dedication. Bañuelos works for Odonata Wines’ Denis Hoey (read my April 27 column for more on Odonata). In 2014, Hoey happened to stop at the Bañuelos family’s gas station, where Junior worked. Bañuelos expressed his deep interest in winemaking, so Hoey gave him a job—he also offered to teach him the art and science of winemaking.
Eight years later, Bañuelos is producing wine under his own label, Sling & Stone. He still loves working at Odonata, and the learning continues.
Sling & Stone Wines (inside the Odonata tasting room), 645 River Road, Salinas. slingstonewines.com.

Sones Cellars and Tanuki Cider’s Newtown Noir

Robby Honda of Tanuki Cider and Michael Sones of Sones Cellars—both in Santa Cruz—have made a vibrant apple-grape co-ferment of 71% Newtown Pippin apples and 29% Pinot Noir grapes—they call it Newtown Noir. Both the apples and grapes were grown in the Pajaro Valley in Watsonville.
Newtown Noir Open House and Release Party, Sunday, May 8, 2-7pm. HOME, 3101 N. Main St., Soquel. homesoquel.com.

Mother’s Day Reminder: Sunday, May 8

Treat your mother to some local wine, or take her wine tasting. There are so many terrific wineries. Visit scmwa.com for a list. Or, buy her something beautiful and local that she’ll treasure forever, like Annieglass’ sustainable, handcrafted decor. The factory and store are located in Watsonville. annieglass.com.

Bruster’s Brings Rich and Creamy Goodness to Aptos

Andrew Steingrube

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May 3, 2022

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Bruster’s Brings Rich and Creamy Goodness to Aptos

Even though Anjelica Yee graduated from Humboldt State with a degree in Wildlife Conservation, she’s running an ice cream shop that her grandfather bought on a whim. Yee has worked in the restaurant industry since she was 16, so she makes an ideal GM for Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, which opened a couple months ago in Aptos.
The signature ice cream made on-site daily is known for its rich and creamy texture. Also, the ice cream served is no more than six days old to ensure freshness.
Yee says Cookies and Cream is the most popular flavor. Still, some of the boundary-pushing options, namely Chocolate Mudslide—with dark chocolate ripples, marshmallows and Oreo crumbles—are also crowd-pleasers. Other flavor favorites include Southern Banana Pudding (white chocolate sauce and Nilla wafers) and Jamaican Me Crazy (made with coconut ice cream, fudge ripples and buttered almonds). As a vegan, Yee takes pride in serving multiple “legitimately good” oat milk-based vegan ice cream options—they also do Italian ice and sorbet.
Hours are 12-9pm every day. Yee gave GT the scoop on oat milk ice cream and how a Wildlife Conservation degree influences her work.

Tell us about your vegan ice cream.

ANJELICA YEE: It’s made with oat milk, and when I first tried it, I couldn’t believe it wasn’t made with dairy. I’ve had a lot of vegan ice creams, and I’m not biased, but our oat milk ice cream is the best I’ve ever had. It’s addicting; every day I work, I fight the urge to not eat some, but I usually give in. It’s super creamy and sweet, but not too sweet, has no weird aftertaste, and a non-vegan would probably think it had dairy.

From a Wildlife Conservation degree to ice cream is quite a switch.

Although not directly related to what I’m doing now, my education shaped my worldview of human consumption as a whole. I am seeking to reduce our waste as much as possible and hopefully eliminate single-use plastics and shipping waste. Ideally, we have the goal of sourcing more of our ingredients locally and re-thinking how we serve our product. I would even one day love to have a policy where if people bring in their own spoon and/or cup, we give them a discount. Our goal at the end of the day is to make not only our guests happy, but also the Earth.

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, 150 Rancho Del Mar, Aptos, 831-226-1034; brusters.com

Santa Cruz Mountains’ Farmers Markets Lowdown

Christina Waters

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May 3, 2022

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Santa Cruz Mountains’ Farmers Markets Lowdown

Nothing whets the appetite for summer like a full-bodied farmers market, and the Scotts Valley Farmers Market is opening up at a new location, the Boys and Girls Club off Scotts Valley Drive. Every Saturday until late November, regional farms and food entrepreneurs will raise their tents and fill their stands in the new Scotts Valley market space with incredible fruits, veggies, meats, breads, eggs, seafoods and gorgeously crafted food items. There will be a Strawberry Shortcake Giveaway on opening day, May 7; indulge in fresh strawberries with whipped cream stacked on top of irresistible Beckmann’s Bakery shortbread. There will also be free mini ice cream cones from Penny Ice Creamery from 11am-1pm. Art activities sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club will pop up, along with a market hunt featuring prizes orchestrated by Santa Cruz Public Libraries. New this year, Hidden Fortress Coffee sells breakfast favorites like pancakes, French toast, bacon and sausage alongside their full espresso bar menu. Stop by this Saturday and see what’s new and fresh.

And don’t forget the Felton Farmers Market every Tuesday 1-6pm up in the spectacular redwood setting, with live music, food trucks and a dazzling array of fresh harvests. The Market Match program helps EBT (CalFresh) users stretch their dollars. May is CalFresh Awareness Month and Santa Cruz County, along with Second Harvest Food Bank, are sponsoring a double match special for the month. A $10 swipe with an EBT card equals $30 in tokens for food and fresh produce at the market in May. Now that’s a good deal! This is the perfect time of year for strawberries, asparagus and green garlic. See you at the market.

The Truck Stops Here

A tip from a foodie friend sent me over to the Cruz Kitchen and Taps scene (formerly Saturn Cafe) to see what the creators of Drunk Monkeys were up to. It gave me a chance to catch some of the latest graphic artwork by the edgy Louise Leong, one of my former UCSC students, who is a very hot designer. Her work, along with that of other locals such as Janet Allinger and Marie Gabrielle, has been reproduced on the table tops in the circular dining space. Otherwise, so far, Cruz Kitchen is a decor-free industrial space with a bar in the back, a flat screen TV and big grey booths. Cruz Kitchen co-owners Dameon Deworken and Mia Thorn are running ambitious breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, and from the looks of it, the eggs specialties and the lunch sandos might be obvious choices. Beef short ribs and fish tacos looked appetizing as I placed my carryout dinner order. At home we found the most to enjoy in the fish tacos of two blackened white fish filets, topped with a zippy citrus and jalapeño slaw on corn tortillas ($16). Each bite was nice and fiery. Big flavor. An order of quinoa salad ($12) contained plenty of arugula and large wedges of red beets, some queso fresco but not much in the way of quinoa. Miso-honey mustard on top of an entree of braised pot roast ($26) hit the wrong flavor notes—too sweet. Mashed potatoes surrounded everything including asparagus, hidden under a canopy of potatoes and sticky sweet miso-mustard. The journey from food truck to full-service restaurant was not built in a day. Clearly more fine-tuning is in store for the recently opened eatery across from the Laurel Street hotel-in-progress. We’ll watch with interest to see how Cruz Kitchen shapes up.

Cruz Kitchen and Taps, 145 Laurel St., Santa Cruz. Monday and Thursday, 11am-8:30pm; Wednesday, 4-8:30pm; Friday and Saturday, 11am-9:30pm. Closed Tuesdays. cruzkitchenandtaps.com.

Bernie Escalante Named Santa Cruz Chief of Police

Local News

Todd Guild

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April 29, 2022

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Bernie Escalante Named Santa Cruz Chief of Police

Bernie Escalante’s ascension to the top position comes seven months after he was named interim chief.

City Manager Matt Huffaker made the announcement Friday morning, praising his “depth of law enforcement experience, high ethical standards and knowledge of our community.”

“Bernie understands the unique challenges that the City of Santa Cruz and the dedicated officers of the Police Department face every day,” Huffaker stated.

In making the decision, the city conducted a citywide survey that garnered more than 400 responses.

Mayor Sonja Brunner said she appreciated that Escalante is a Santa Cruz local, having grown up in the Central Coast city.

“He has grown up in Santa Cruz and is highly respected in our community and within the Police Department,” Brunner stated. “We heard from our community that integrity, experience and a deep understanding of our City are important characteristics.”

Escalante has been with SCPD for 25 years, beginning as a community service officer in 1996. He was promoted to patrol soon after that, and, in 2003, became a sergeant.

He has served as a property crimes detective and a tactical team leader, among other assignments.

Escalante became lieutenant in 2009, where he managed the Investigations Division and led the Emergency Services Unit Tactical Team and the Neighborhood Policing Unit. He was appointed Deputy Chief in February 2020.

Escalante grew up on Santa Cruz’s west side. He attended Santa Cruz High, where he played football, basketball and baseball. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from San Francisco State University, where he continued to play baseball. Escalante earned a master’s degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership from the University of San Diego. He completed the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Law Enforcement Command College in 2014.

Escalante says he hopes to address staffing shortages at the department, which were caused in part by the pandemic when recruitment and hiring were frozen for a year.

Currently, the department is budgeted for 94 officers and now has 88. Some of those, however, are injured, on field training programs, or are otherwise not on assignment, he said.

The shortages are exacerbated by the lengthy recruitment and training process that can take more than one year and can impact the department as it struggles to fill shifts.

“I really believe that your men and women need to be physically and mentally well if you expect them to perform at a high level in the field and deal with these really complicated situations,” Escalante said. I want to get our organization staffed where they are not feeling like they are drowning every day.”

The department must also grapple with the increasing population of homeless residents throughout the city and the mental health and addiction issues that plague the region.

“Although we’re a little city, we’re busy with big-city issues,” he said. “At some point, we need to truly sit down and evaluate what our organization should have versus what it does have.”

This is not Huffaker’s first appointment of a local to a leadership position. He appointed Jorge Zamora as Watsonville Police Department’s new chief in December.

“Both Zamora and Escalante have a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing our communities,” Huffaker said. “Like Zamora, Bernie has developed strong relationships in the community and has a keen understanding of the department’s needs. I’m confident his Santa Cruz roots and leadership approach will serve the community well.”

Fresh Vision for Santa Cruz County Libraries

Local News

Drew Penner

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April 29, 2022

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Fresh Vision for Santa Cruz County Libraries

When the Boulder Creek library reopens on May 7, it will feature a completely revamped children’s area, community room updates and a new teen section. The stained-glass window will remain a showpiece, and there will be an art gallery as well as a pleasant reading space by a fireplace.

Investing in the physical is an important part of strengthening the world of literacy in the county, according to Santa Cruz Public Libraries head librarian Yolande Wilburn.

Because, as far as she’s concerned, the book-lending and digital materials institution she oversees may have limited resources, but can wield outsized influence.

“As the library, we provide information resources and educational services to the community,” says Wilburn, who is new in her role as of January. “But we’re also connectors.”

That’s why she’s pushing for a policy update at the next Joint Powers Authority Board meeting, May 5, that would open robust new facilities being built with Measure S money to community groups. She’s hoping it will pave the way for initiatives similar to ones she’s championed in California—and further afield.

Organizations could use rooms to teach evening classes. Nonprofits could have a rendezvous point to set residents up with services.

“There’s no reason for us to reinvent the wheel,” she says. “I’m really looking forward to inviting our partners into our space.”

Wilburn started her professional bibliophile journey through the page program at the Chicago Public Library.

That’s where she started the Innovation Lab, which established a “maker space” within the urban library.

To this day CPL still runs introductory workshops and an “open shop” so people can flesh out their ideas on their own or for patrons to embark on collaborative endeavors.

The Innovation Lab tapped into the expertise of outside groups to facilitate technical programming, she explained.

“We’re not the experts in how to use a laser cutter,” she says, adding the library can be a point of contact with other educational pathways. “We’ll connect you up with a college that’s nearby.”

She took a job as a supervising librarian at the Higher Colleges of Technology, in Dubai, where she worked for about a year.

Although the country doesn’t have the same tradition of institutional libraries, the region has been going through somewhat of a new Islamic Golden Age.

For example, while she was there, the Emirate of Sharjah was in the process of providing millions of books to families through a home library project.

“Literacy rates there are really low,” she says. “The sheiks realize that there’s a need to educate people if you want successful communities long-term.”

Upon returning stateside, Wilburn took a job in the heart of South L.A., at the A.C. Bilbrew Library, between Watts and Gardena.

The facility houses the African American Resource Center, established in 1978, and serves as a fountain of knowledge about Black history in the country.

While there, the low-rise minimal modernist structure underwent an upgrade, which she says was sorely needed.

Soon she moved almost straight west to the brand-new Manhattan Beach library. Like Santa Cruz, it’s sited on the cusp of the Pacific, in a community famously visited by Duke Kahanamoku during surfing’s nascent age.

The second floor of the glass building offers a direct view of orange sunsets over inky blue waves.

“I got to christen it,” she says. “That’s a beautiful library.”

While administering the Nevada County Community Library system, she met current Scotts Valley City Manager Mali LaGoe. Wilburn was convinced of the need to fix up the Truckee branch, as well as other libraries in the vicinity.

The two got the ball rolling on a process to establish a multi-municipality effort toward improvements.

“I really pushed to renovate and remodel our libraries,” she says. “I worked closely with Mali as we explored the ‘joint powers’ possibility.”

She headed back down to SoCal for a two-year stint in Torrance as the city’s top librarian. There she was in charge of six branches, a $7 million budget and a circulation of 658,246.

Wilburn says she’s excited to be at the helm of Santa Cruz Libraries, with Measure S renovations chugging full steam ahead—albeit with some supply-side hiccups.

“The people of Santa Cruz County are really committed to building and refurbishing their libraries,” she says. “I’m really thrilled to be here.”

She says it’s important to be conscious of changes in the way people interact with libraries.

“People use the space differently,” she says. “We want to be able to provide some quiet spaces, but we have to be aware that people learn in different ways.”

The Scotts Valley Branch, a former roller rink, is currently under construction. It was supposed to be finished around February, but delivery delays—for things like acoustic dampeners and exterior materials—have pushed back the timeline.

“We’re hoping that we can get occupancy in mid-to-late-May,” Wilburn says, adding there will probably be contractors adding finishing touches until June. “Then, we will be able to move into the building and put materials on the shelves.”

Long-delayed Housing Now Faces Environmental Concerns

Tony Nuñez

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April 29, 2022

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Long-delayed Housing Now Faces Environmental Concerns

A group is planning to file a complaint to the California Attorney General’s Office against the city of Watsonville and the County of Santa Cruz for advancing a housing project that they say will create an environmental hazard for its future residents and a massive liability for the city.

The Watsonville Committee Against Toxics plans to file the documents with Rob Bonta’s office in the coming days. Their complaint, according to committee member Lisa DuPont, will claim that the jurisdictions’ approval of plans for Hillcrest Estate—a long-delayed, 144-unit housing development off Ohlone Parkway—is out of compliance with several mandates of the Environmental Justice in Local Land Use Planning Act, and is putting the future residents’ health at risk by allowing the developer to bury roughly 20,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil in a cement-capped pit on the 13-acre property.

A 2021 report from a consultant contracted by developer California Sunshine Development LLC found that the top two feet of soil on the site of the former vehicle junkyard contained varying amounts of lead, arsenic, cadmium and other fuel-based contaminants. Some of these toxins were found at levels that greatly exceeded various environmental and government standards.

Watsonville City Council approved a development agreement for the project at its Tuesday night meeting that will allow Sunshine Development to move forward with the project in five phases, so long as it can gain final approval from the county’s Department of Environmental Health.

The agreement will allow the developer to sell off the homes—29 of which will be reserved for low- and moderate-income residents—in waves as it completes the project over four years. However, it will also pass on the responsibility of maintaining the pit to the homeowners through the forthcoming homeowners association, a move that critics say could saddle the future residents with a seven-figure bill if the pit ever fails and the contaminants spread into the nearby slough or sicken residents.

Councilmembers Jimmy Dutra and Rebecca Garcia voted against the development agreement.

A rejection from the council on Tuesday would not have halted the project, which has been a thorn in the side of the elected leaders since it first surfaced in 2018. It would have only meant the homes could not have been sold in waves over the course of the construction.

Over the past five years, the development has faced heavy pushback from neighbors concerned about increased traffic, had troubles with securing funding and changed names (it was previously Sunshine Vista) and project managers, multiple times.

It first received approval in 2018, and council gave the developers a two-year extension in 2020.

The development team returned to the council last year to propose a major change to the soil remediation plan. Instead of excavating, hauling and disposing of the top 2-foot layer of soil, the developer proposed removing only the top six inches and burying the remaining 18 inches in the cement-sealed pit.

The council approved that plan in a 4-3 vote.

The developer has maintained that without this concession the project would not be financially viable, that the plan meets all of the county and state health requirements, that soil capping is an EPA-recognized action to remediate properties and that no homes or fields will be built over the pit—a road and a basketball court will be built on top of it, according to the site plan.

But various environmental groups and neighbors say that the city has approved the creation of a de facto toxic waste dump, and that the pit—and its retaining walls separating the contaminated soil from the slough and homes—is bound to fail in a catastrophic earthquake.

About a dozen people spoke to the council about the issue on Tuesday, and all of them opposed the project. Some, like DuPont, were speaking against the development for the first time. For others, the meeting was the latest chapter in a long-running battle.

Like many residents in the Sea View Ranch neighborhood, Noriko Ragsac has spoken against the development multiple times over the past five years, first raising concerns about additional traffic and loss of green space if the project would be approved. But Ragsac and other Sea View Ranch neighbors maintain that their issue is not with housing being constructed.

“We do want housing,” Ragsac said after the meeting. “We want that project to be built, but safely.”

The majority of the council said that they trust the county’s judgment on the remediation plan, that Watsonville was in dire need of new homes available for purchase and that this was the latest ploy from nearby neighbors to stop the development.

“They don’t want people to move in,” said Councilman Eduardo Montesino, who oversees the area of the city where the development is taking place. “Even if we get the perfect conditions, they’ll still find other avenues to say ‘no.’”

Councilman Francisco “Paco” Estrada echoed Montesino and said that Watsonville was a town of “haves and have nots,” highlighting the rift between homeowners and those struggling to buy a house under current skyrocketing home prices—many of the latter being people of color. He also asked those in attendance to visit the California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s website and view the agency’s map of sites that have undergone remediation. That list of local properties includes the Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz, which was once a leather tannery.

“Building housing here is already tough enough and this false dichotomy that we have to pick between safety and housing, is ridiculous,” he said. “The year is 2022. I think technology has gone far enough where we can do both, where we can do housing and we can do it in a safe way where it will not affect people’s health.”

Councilwoman Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, who was not on the council when it approved the new soil plan last year, said that because of restrictions on outward growth as a result of an “urban limit line” approved by Watsonville voters in 2002—the same limits a group is trying to extend through 2040 in the November election—that the council must move forward with infill housing projects when they come before them.

“If we are asked to have housing, and we are asked to build within our housing limits, and this is what is available, then I’m going to say we have to build with what’s available within our lines,” she said.

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