Ram’s Gate Winery’s 2021 Rosé Gleams with Character

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September 6, 2022

Ram’s Gate Winery’s 2021 Rosé Gleams with Character

Ram’s Gate’s stunning Sonoma property features a tasting room as impressive as its wines, and their 2021 Sonoma Coast Rosé is one of its best. Ram’s Gate says its wines are inspired by love of food and community.
“They are an expression of varietal character and the joy of our favorite meals and celebrations.” Fresh and compelling, this is an ideal wine to have on hand as we move into fall. The 2021 Rosé ($38) is a blend of Grenache and Pinot Noir, which gives it a delightful pink hue. With its flavors of melon, strawberry and white peach, winemaker Joe Nielson describes it as a “restrained fruit salad.” Balanced and truly delicious, this Rosé is gorgeous. I invite you to experience it through rose-colored glasses!
Ram’s Gate Winery, 28700 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, 707-721-8700; ramsgatewinery.com.

An Evening with Friends

An Evening with Friends is a shout-out to all the wineries that donated to the upcoming Hospice of Santa Cruz County fundraiser. Silver Mountain is always a huge supporter, along with Alfaro, Stockwell Cellars, Ser Winery, Pelican Ranch, Sarah’s Vineyard, and Equinox.
Sunday, Sept. 18, 5-8pm at Seascape Golf Club, 610 Clubhouse Dr, Aptos. Email ev****************@**************uz.org for tickets.

Greek Festival

Opa! The Greek Festival returns, celebrating all things Hellenic, including Greek cuisine, music and dancing.
Friday, Sept. 9 and Saturday, Sept. 10, Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church, 223 Church St., Santa Cruz. Free; livelikeagreek.com.

Santa Cruz County Fair

First, make a beeline for the well-groomed sheep, pigs, cows and goats. Wine and beer are available, and the variety of food, including the not-to-be-missed deep-fried artichokes, is immense.
Wednesday, Sept.14-Sunday, Sept. 18 at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville; santacruzcountyfair.com.

Riva Delivers Updated Seafood Classics with an Ocean View

Andrew Steingrube

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September 6, 2022

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Riva Delivers Updated Seafood Classics with an Ocean View

Ryan Koehler’s background varies in the restaurant industry and geographically. He was born into a military family in Maryland and moved around a lot, living not only across the country in states including Alaska, Hawaii and Colorado but also overseas in Korea. He eventually moved to Santa Cruz to live close to family and six years ago became the general manager of Riva on the Santa Cruz Wharf. And he has over 25 years of experience in restaurants, having worked his way up the ladder from serving to bartending to management in small mom-and-pop joints, fine dining, hotels and everything in between. Koehler takes pride in breathing life into an established business, defining the atmosphere as “pleasant with enthusiastic service,” the ambiance accentuated with wood tones and panoramic windows to optimize the view.
The menu specializes in seafood with Italian and Mexican influences, and they also offer vegetarian options and a few meat items. The surf ’n’ turf steak and shrimp taco are hits, as are the cioppino and calamari, and they are also known for their broiled oysters with red diablo, Verde and guacamole sauce options. Dessert choices are highlighted by gelato, which Koehler says even Italians love. He spoke to GT recently about his upbringing and what sets Riva apart.

How has your past influenced your hospitality career?

RYAN KOEHLER: Living—not just vacationing—in so many different places has really given me an appreciation for many diverse cultures. It’s added to my care and concern for people, which is a critical component of hospitality and is very genuine for me—and growing up in a military background ingrained in me a relentless work ethic, which is also critical in restaurants. I’ve found that food really has that kitchen table effect, bringing people together and allowing for human connection.

What makes Riva a cut above?

It’s a lot of little things that add up to make a sizable difference. Not only do we have world-class views, it’s also the warm and comfortable atmosphere that is highlighted by the work of talented local artists that adorn the walls and that we curate ourselves. We also have uniquely delicious food served in big portions for very reasonable prices. And our service staff loves working here and is genuinely excited to have our guests in front of them.

Riva Fish House, 31 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, 831-429-1223; rivafishhouse.com.

Top Chefs on the Move Around Santa Cruz County

Christina Waters

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September 6, 2022

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Top Chefs on the Move Around Santa Cruz County

Thanks to the intrepid fisherguys of Ocean2Table, you can whip up some dreamy mahi-mahi tacos at home. The rich and delicious fish is now going for $25/lb, and all you need to do is pop on over to the getocean2table.com page and begin shopping. California halibut, starry flounder, dorado (aka mahi-mahi), are among the fresh catches now available. But of course, there’s much more on this appetizing site. Check it out.

Bread Prophecy

The outstanding bakery devised by wünder-baker Avery Ruzicka and chef David Kinch is planning to open a new location in Santa Cruz this autumn on the Westside. That’s all we know for now, but if you’ve ever stopped by the mothership in Los Gatos, or swooned over the beautiful pastries from Manresa that regularly stock the displays at Verve coffee shops, you know to stay poised and ready!

More New News

Turns out that Katherine Stern, longtime chef at La Posta, and current chef at Bad Animal, will be leaving in mid-September to take her expertise to her own dining room (something many of us have fantasized about her doing for several years) next door to the Rio Theater. Where once there was Oyunaa’s Mongolian Cuisine, there will now be a new dinner house featuring Stern’s vibrant stylings. Meanwhile, going into Bad Animal will be a new Thai cookery called Hanloh. Could this be the restaurant revitalization we’ve all been waiting for? Hope so.

Venus Pie Trap

Yes, it is a clever play on the name of that carnivorous plant we all used to tinker with in junior high botany classes. But it’s about to become much much more. I’m convinced that distiller and hospitality entrepreneur Sean Venus stays up nights dreaming up new extensions to his delicious empire, because now there’s one more reason to thank Venus, and that’s the new pie, coffee and pizza place right next door to the still brand-new Venus Beachside, the posh saloon and dining place facing the beach at Rio del Mar. Venus Pie Trap is deeply interested in pies, pies as in the sort with sweet and savory fillings; pies as in pizza pies, especially the New Haven-style pizza Sean Venus recalls from his Connecticut childhood days. So that means we’ll be able to sample such New Haven pies (I still need to check out the exact definition of “New Haven” pie) as the clam and garlic variety, and many others. The new beachfront Pie Trap will source pies from Oakland’s Edith’s Pie (so we don’t have to make the oft-challenging drive up to Oakland), pastries from the awesome Manresa Bread and bagels from Holey Roller. Coffees will come from Santa Cruz fave 11th Hour. So essentially you can make a single all-day stop at Rio del Mar. Arrive in the morning for coffee and pastries, lunch on a New Haven pizza slice and then slide on over to the Venus cocktail outlet right next door for drinks and some aquatic theme dining. Thank you Sean.

Venus Pie Trap, Tuesday-Sunday, 7am-3pm; 113 Esplanade, Aptos. venuspietrap.com.

Big Basin Grenache

I love Grenache. Love the grape, love the color, love the gorgeous flavor. And Big Basin Vineyards founding winemaker Bradley Brown makes as good a Grenache as you’ll find. So you’ve got plenty of reasons to stop by the glamorous downtown tasting room, at the foot of Pacific & Cooper for a vertical flight of these lovely wines. $45 flight. Club members receive 50% off flight.

Thursday, Sept. 15, 4-9pm. 525 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. bigbasinvineyards.com.

New CZU Fire Book Aims for ‘Hope and Healing’

California News

Christina Wise

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September 5, 2022

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New CZU Fire Book Aims for ‘Hope and Healing’

Two years ago, the CZU Lightning Complex fires erupted, leaving 86,500 acres charred between the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Mateo County. More than 1,490 structures were lost, and more than 900 homes in Santa Cruz County burned. In Big Basin, 97% of the 18,000-acre forest burned, and thousands were forced to flee their homes with whatever they could grab. Some folks had go-bags packed and ready; others were caught by surprise and escaped with just the clothing they had on their backs.

The trauma of the event touched every resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Scotts Valley as homes were evacuated, businesses were closed and the start of school was delayed—all of it during a pandemic that raged across the country.

Jo Romaniello is a marriage and family therapist who lived near Big Basin in the Forest Springs neighborhood, also known as The Acorns. Romaniello says a third of homes in his neighborhood were torched, and their water system was severely damaged.

“We didn’t return home for almost six months due to the state refusing to lift the no-use order for our water,” Romaniello says.

After the danger subsided, Romaniello created a Facebook group, “Boulder Creek and the CZU Fire Book Project.” Locals impacted by the fire were welcomed to share their stories, and the fledgling idea grew into a book that just dropped in August.

The People Not the Fire: Stories of Resilience is the result of a collaborative effort between Romaniello, co-editors Taylor Kimble and Lisa Manak-Brown, and story and photo submissions from locals throughout the San Lorenzo Valley. Every story is gripping, and each photo captures the tragic scenes cemented in the victims’ memories.

“We wanted to avoid any controversy and create a book for hope and healing,” says Romaniello. “I decided that we needed something for healing, so I invited people to contribute their stories.

Romaniello says that the participation on the page “mushroomed” a few weeks into the process.

“I found that a lot of folks wanted to participate. Taylor contacted me and wanted to support the project, so she and I worked together to communicate with residents,” Romaniello says. “Some wanted to be interviewed and have their stories written down by others; some wanted to write their stories themselves, and we welcomed them all. About a year into it, Lisa joined in, so for the last year, the three of us worked on the project.”

Kimble is a writer and freelance editor and knew she wanted to contribute to the project.

“I was training to be an editor at the time and felt I could help support Jo’s idea,” says Kimble. “As we were collecting the stories, there was such a range of feelings—some of them were funny, some were heartbreaking and some were inspirational.”

Kimble’s home on China Grade was spared, but many of her neighbors lost theirs. Kimble reached out to Manak-Brown to join the team.

“I’m a middle school teacher by trade, and I’ve always been eager to go on a new adventure with my writing,” says Manak-Brown. “I saw the Facebook group page and wondered how I could support the project. I ran into Taylor, and she said she was part of the book creation and invited me to join in.

“It was wonderful to participate in the project, not just because I wrote my own story, but since all the proceeds are going to our local volunteer fire departments, it’s benefitting others. Plus, it’s helping others heal by writing their stories and sharing them. I’m now looking for a new life in writing.”

Of all the stories in the book, Manak-Brown says the most compelling and impactful one was from Gemma Locatelli.

“I couldn’t imagine what she had gone through, losing her property,” says Manak-Brown through tears. “People do not understand the danger she was in—hearing a man scream while trying to move horses from her property, abandoning her vehicles and met with a wall of flames as she tried to escape. The horror she endured is unimaginable.”

While residents shared their stories, a local business went a step further. HeartMath LLC, a Boulder Creek-based company that focuses on personal wellness through “heart intelligence,” not only provided training and respite for firefighters during the CZU blaze but also paid for participants in the book to receive a copy.

“Their generosity was overwhelming, and we’re so grateful for their support,” says Romaniello.

Ultimately, says Kimble, the book is one of hope.

“Out of all of the turmoil people have endured, each story had something hopeful to share, whether it’s the regrowth of plants or preparing for next time or bonding with strangers. Community is a huge part of this book,” says Kimble. “There are so many situations that can destroy a community, but it was a relief to see how the opposite happened—the fire brought people together in a unique and valuable way.”

‘The People Not the Fire: Stories of Resilience’ is available on Amazon. All proceeds go to the Santa Cruz Mountains’ volunteer fire departments.

Watsonville High Students Challenge Dress Code

Local News

Todd Guild

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September 5, 2022

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Watsonville High Students Challenge Dress Code

In the coming weeks, Watsonville High School students will join forces with administrators, teachers and parents to hammer out a new dress code that will promote campus safety and encourage a modicum of decorum while allowing students to express themselves through fashion.

But the school year did not start on such a cooperative note.

Instead, on the Friday before school started students found that a new dress code had already been created for them—without their input—and contained rules, they found unnecessary.

The students banded together, circulating a petition among their peers, talking to school administrators and addressing the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees.

The school listened.

The new rules—more restrictive and specific than previous ones, students say—seemed to focus on what female students could wear, says junior Bella Umeki-Martinez. Some rules included limiting shorts and skirts to a minimum of 5 inches and banning sheer tops, underwear worn as outerwear, strapless shirts and shirts that show midriffs.

“It was mostly targeting women and the female body,” Umeki-Martinez says.

The code also banned baggy pants and belts hanging below the shirt hem. In addition, hats with red or blue made the list, as did black, red or blue rosaries.

Law enforcement officials say that criminal street gangs are known to identify with those colors, but the students say such a rule is misguided since most gang activity doesn’t occur on campus.

“We felt a bit that it was criminalizing our students,” Umeki-Martinez says. “I understand they want to keep us safe, but the only problem was that it wasn’t communicated effectively. We know we live in an area where there is more gang activity than other schools, but it felt that they were saying any student who wears red or blue must be affiliated. That’s how it came off to us.”

Alvaro Felix, 16, agreed and added that the policy against rosaries appeared to attack the Latinx and religious community.

“We thought targeting religion was inappropriate, considering this is America,” he says.

Indeed, federal courts have ruled that banning students from wearing rosaries infringes on their First Amendment rights to express their religion.

Several local high schools, including Soquel, Aptos and Pajaro Valley, also feel that preventing students from wearing colors associated with criminal gangs helps curb potential violence. However, there is little empirical evidence supporting such a notion.

“I don’t think it’s ever been a school problem,” Felix says. “It doesn’t involve colors. It never has.”

Morielle Mamaril, 17, the school’s associated student body co-president, says that policies going after what students wear do not address the fundamental problem surrounding gangs in schools. Instead, she says, the school should dig deeper, offering expanded counseling services and other help.

Worries about the particulars of the dress code aside, Felix says that students’ main concern was that they were not included in the creation process.

“More inclusivity is exactly what we needed,” he says. “There’s only one way to really fix this issue—and that’s with the student body and the parents and the community. The fact that they are taking student input, we deeply appreciate that.”

Senior Fernanda Jordan says that many students felt they were being treated like children, particularly the admonition in the code prohibiting bare feet.

“Because at the end of the day, we are young adults, and we know not to come to school without shoes,” she says.

Watsonville High Principal Clara Fernandez says that the new rules will be more student-centered while focusing on keeping them safe.

“Ultimately the goal is to have a dress code that is appropriate, and that does not discriminate against any particular viewpoint or result in any disproportionate application based on student gender or sexual orientation,” she says. “Hopefully, we can come together and create an equitable and well-implemented dress code where students feel that they have the right to self-expression while keeping safety at the core, because that’s really what the intent is.”

While the controversy was growing in the first days of school, Assistant Principal Jeff Daucher added fuel to the fire with comments about the dress code he made to the students.

In a recording made by a student posted to social media, Daucher could be heard asking what message female students send to their male counterparts with what they wear.

He also says in the recording that girls who wear clothes showing their midriff should first have “abs,” Umeki-Martinez says.

That reaction from a school official disturbed many students.

“When he sees a girl wearing an outfit like that, it’s like an invitation for boys and him to make advances,” she says. “It was the message behind the dress code which the students were upset by.”

PVUSD officials are not commenting on the matter since it involves personnel issues. In a letter sent to parents, district officials say that Daucher’s statement “was not aligned with our community beliefs.”

“I have spoken to the individual to ensure they understand the impact of the statement, and we are committed to ensuring that we continue to address comments that could disrupt the learning environment,” the letter read.

In advance of the upcoming talks, students are invited to fill out an online survey to help participants shape the new policy.

“Now we can move forward and create better change in the future,” Umeki-Martinez says, adding that she hopes the new model of creating school-wide policy could inspire other schools to do the same. “We could see a very positive change collectively.”

Watsonville Hospital Begins Operations Under New Ownership

Local News

Todd Guild

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September 1, 2022

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Watsonville Hospital Begins Operations Under New Ownership

Thursday marked the end of an era—and the beginning of a new one—as Watsonville Community Hospital officially became a public entity, to be controlled by a local board of elected representatives.

The purchase followed a months-long fundraising campaign—the largest in Santa Cruz County history—that netted donations from more than 450 people and organizations ranging from $5 to $7.5 million.

“This milestone illustrates what is possible when we all rally around a common cause and underscores how the people of the Pajaro Valley—and beyond—deeply care for this community,” says Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Board Vice Chair Jasmine Nájera. “The completion of the transaction represents an exciting step for the future of the Hospital, which is now well-positioned to meet the ongoing needs of the community and patients it serves.”

Late last year, the Pajaro Valley Health Care District Project (PVHDP) announced its intentions to purchase the hospital and place it under local leadership. That announcement came soon after hospital officials declared bankruptcy and said it was facing closure unless a buyer came forward.

The Project also found help along the way from Sen. John Laird and Assemblymember Robert Rivas, who led the creation of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District with Senate 418. The legislators also secured a $25 million appropriation from the state to support the purchase.

With the sale, the hospital has successfully emerged from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.

In a short press conference at the hospital on Thursday, CEO Steven Salyer said that he saw the hospital’s dire financial picture when he joined in July 2021 under the previous owners. As bankruptcy approached, he says he met members of PVHDP, and realized he shared a vision of a nonprofit running the hospital.

“When I explained my vision to them they made it very clear that they had this vision for a long time,” he says.

One of his first orders of business, he says, is making sure WCH is paid the same as surrounding healthcare providers. The trouble, he says, is that the hospital is in the 25th percentile nationally in the amounts it receives.

“Everybody around us is getting paid more—a lot more—for the same types of services,” he says.

County Cuts Ties with Boulder Creek-Based Waste Hauler

Local News

dpenner

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September 1, 2022

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County Cuts Ties with Boulder Creek-Based Waste Hauler

A Boulder Creek trash and recycling collector that hadn’t been paying the money it owed the County of Santa Cruz—or keeping up with regulations—has lost the right to work in Santa Cruz County.

The owner of Kunz Valley Trash, 66-year-old Jack Kunz, says he’ll now be forced to drive to San Mateo County to build his business after officials brought the hammer down.

“We got behind in our payment to the County, partly because of Covid, partly because of the CZU fire and partly because of some medical issues that my wife had—several surgeries and three near-death experiences in the hospital,” he says, adding he had a mild heart attack in April. “They had an excuse to get rid of us, and they used it, basically.”

Kunz was off the route as of Aug. 1, and some customers faced significant increases. They’re switched to San Jose-based GreenWaste Recovery, the company already contracting with the County.

Summit Waste & Recycling, another small outfit serving mountain residents, may also pick up some of Kunz’s former clients. However, according to the County’s director of community development and infrastructure Matt Machado, they’re not obligated.

He says the County’s been attempting to get Kunz to pay up and to stop breaking state laws—like the one that says you have to pick up refuse weekly.

“Jack wasn’t compliant with the old law and was even further away from compliance with the new law,” he says, referencing the new green waste mandate, Senate Bill 1383, which came into force in January.

Kunz admits he hasn’t been above board with everything and says he never understood why “weekly” collections were required.

With the surgeries, hospital stays and the dire economic landscape, he says he didn’t have the time to complete all the paperwork he’d agreed to submit to the County.

For example, he collects between 40-60 “tags” monthly. The tags are supposed to be sent in, but he says he doesn’t have enough time.

According to Kunz, while he hasn’t furnished the County with the official forms, the tags are all listed on the monthly checks he claims to be filing.

Machado says the County has not received its dues.

“It’s been three years where he has not paid his franchise fees, nor has he been compliant with state or local laws,” he says.

The way Kunz sees it, the County saw a vulnerable small business owner and is swooping into hand over his around 500 customers to GreenWaste, who—because they charge more—fork over more cash to the government.

But the County says it didn’t know Kunz had that many customers because the company hasn’t been sharing its data.

Kunz says that some addresses had been paying $5.95 a month, noting their regular 35-gallon rate is $6.50 per bin.

The County says if Kunz had been doing weekly pickups like they’re supposed to, that $6.50 per week rate wouldn’t be far off from GreenWaste’s pricing—it charges $24.62 per month for 20-gallon service, $33.99 per month for 32-gallon service, $67.89 per month for 64-gallon service and $101.77 per month for 96-gallon service (with recyclables and organics included).

GreenWaste was handed a business with monthly revenues estimated at approximately $20,000, County and Kunz officials say. The franchise fee rate is 10%, Kunz notes.

In addition to getting hit with base rate increases, former Kunz customers living in difficult-to-access areas can also expect to be dinged with more fees.

While Kunz would drive up meandering roads for no extra cost, GreenWaste will charge $14.38 a month—although they’ve agreed to reduce this by 27% until they figure out what expenses this entails.

Kunz has long prided itself on being able to go where GreenWaste’s bigger, bulkier trucks could not.

“We went right to their house,” Kunz says. “Our business plan was we only charged you for what we picked up. Every garbage company in the world would tell you we’re leaving money on the table.”

But while GreenWaste has been purchasing more agile vehicles, Kunz says he spent so much money repairing one truck that he could’ve bought two new ones.

Machado says because Kunz relied on the County’s Ben Lomond transfer station—which doesn’t accept certain recyclables, including some types of paper—GreenWaste can keep more items out of landfills.

“Waste diversion is a huge deal,” he says, referencing the increased contamination scrutiny coming from China, which had been laxer about the quality of recyclables it would accept. “Recycling is complicated today because of some of the worldwide policies.”

Kunz says it wasn’t uncommon for trash and recycling to get jumbled up in his truck, but he claims the County isn’t as green as it pretends to be.

He says he was charged around 75% extra during a dump run on Nov. 3 last year because a 3,360-pound load of trash was contaminated by accident with concrete siding that was supposed to be recycled.

And yet, he says he saw a piece of heavy equipment push the wall material in with the rest of the garbage—instead of organizing it in the recycling pile.

“They just left it in there,” he says. “I’m telling you; they did not take it out of the pile and put it where it belongs.”

Machado says he doubts that happened.

Public Weighs in on Sheriff’s Office Auditor

Local News

Aiyana Moya

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September 1, 2022

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Public Weighs in on Sheriff’s Office Auditor

At a community meeting on Aug. 30, county residents gave feedback on what they hoped for from the new Independent Sheriff’s Auditor (ISA) position. Many echoed the same sentiment: In addition to an ISA, a civilian oversight committee is needed to bring transparency and accountability to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

In January, the Board of Supervisors unanimously moved to hire an ISA. Sheriff Jim Hart brought forward the recommendation to hire a neutral third-party auditor for his agency. His recommendation comes two years after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1185 into law, a bill that allows every California county to create an official watchdog group or individual to oversee sheriff’s offices.

Currently, the Santa Cruz Police Department is the only law enforcement office within Santa Cruz County that has an independent auditor to investigate claims of abuse, misconduct or public complaints.

The ISA will be responsible for investigating complaints from the public regarding the Sheriff’s Office, looking into use-of-force instances and auditing the department’s investigations. The meeting was held to collect ideas from the public on the details of the ISA position, like the scope of the ISA’s responsibilities, and when and how he or she would get involved with the Sheriff’s Office, among other responsibilities.

Deputy County Administrative Officer Melodye Serino said the County will use the feedback to develop a Request for Proposals and start accepting applications for the ISA.

The public comment portion of the meeting lasted over an hour, pushing the meeting past its 7:30pm end time. The comments largely reiterated similar desires: For the ISA to have subpoena power, for the Sheriff’s Office to front costs associated with the ISA position, for there to be oversight into the jails and for the ISA to work in conjunction with a civilian oversight committee.

Serino continued to reiterate that this meeting was only intended to gather input on the auditor and that the Supervisors had already unanimously limited oversight to a single police auditor.

“I want you to understand that my direction from my bosses is to go forward with the inspector general model,” Serino said. “OK. So that doesn’t mean that that might not change in the future.”

Many callers also spoke to the lack of public transparency within County jails, and the troubling reports and incidents that have happened at the jails in the past decades.

“I know that numbers in the jail are tracking upward, there’s an inadequacy of medical and mental health care, unclear ICE cooperation levels, lack of independent investigations into jail deaths and injuries and information,” said Cassandra Gazipura, a public defender and member of the Sheriff Oversight Committee, who also presented at the meeting. “The conditions inside the jail that are often not made public, and they need to be.”

In June of 2021, Santa Cruz grand jury released its “Justice in the Jail” report, which found the need for more public transparency and oversight, among other management and resource issues. This report came after inmate deaths at the Main Jail and criminal conduct including sexual assaults by correction officers.

“One thing that’s historically important about the jail is that the public doesn’t get any information about what happens in the jail,” said one caller. “There has been some atrophying in services and facilities. There should be public hearings, civilian oversight, and the auditor should be independent from law enforcement. Otherwise, we’re just doing what’s been done before.”

Serino says she and her team hope to present the public’s input at one of the Board of Supervisors meetings in October.

Caltrans Proposes ‘Bold’ Renovation of Downtown Watsonville

Local News

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September 1, 2022

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Caltrans Proposes ‘Bold’ Renovation of Downtown Watsonville

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the City of Watsonville are on the cusp of beginning a 10-year endeavor that will completely reshape the city’s major arterial road.

Caltrans has committed to a $25 million renovation of its roughly seven-mile thoroughfare of Highway 152 that starts at the Highway 1 Main Street exit, flows through Watsonville’s downtown corridor and continues to the Holohan Road-East Lake Avenue intersection.

The project seeks to improve pedestrian and bicycle accessibility and safety for the Santa Cruz County city that between 2013-2019 has consistently ranked among the fifth highest in the number of pedestrian collisions for cities with a population of 50,001 to 100,000—it topped the California Office of Traffic Safety Crash Rankings twice in that time.

The majority of the alterations to the thoroughfare will come in downtown Watsonville, and the biggest change is a so-called “road diet” that will remove at least one lane on Main Street from Freedom Boulevard to East Beach Street.

The Watsonville City Council heard the news during a study session of its Tuesday meeting.

For those following along with the city’s recent long-range planning, various aspects of the project will be familiar. According to Watsonville Principal Engineer Murray Fontes, Caltrans is basing its renovations on concepts included in four plans developed by the city over the past five years: the Downtown Complete Streets Plan, Vision Zero, the 2030 Climate Action & Adaptation Plan and the Downtown Watsonville Specific Plan.

Those documents addressed various issues relating to the city’s future, and they all have a common theme: Changing downtown Watsonville from a car-centric expressway to a pedestrian-friendly destination where a person can live, shop, play and eat without having to hop in a car.

Fontes acknowledged that the plan, especially the reduction of lanes on Main Street, will be a tough sell for some people.

“Implementing [the road diet] will require changes in our transportation lifestyle. They will take time to implement and see the results,” Fontes said. “During the process, some may question our choice. But if we see it through, the results will be transformative as our downtown community will become the safe vibrant area that we are seeking.”

The city council took no action on the item on Tuesday, but it will be asked to vote on a resolution supporting the project at its Sept. 13 meeting. If the city council approves that resolution, it will signal to the state that the city is in favor of investigating the project.

Caltrans will have a litany of tasks it must accomplish before it can break ground. This includes a yearlong public outreach period, the preparation of environmental documents and the creation of detailed designs. Fontes says all of that could take some 10 years to complete.

“Ten years seems like a lifetime,” said Councilmember Eduardo Montesino.

To which Fontes responded: “[Caltrans doesn’t] want to oversell. If it goes faster, it goes faster. But they recognize that transformative projects may need to work at their own schedule … But I think if we said ‘hurry up,’ I think they’d try to accommodate us.”

Along with the road diet, the planning documents the city has completed also call for separated bike lanes, parklets and widened sidewalks, and for changing the traffic patterns on Beach Street and Lake Avenue from one way to two-way roads.

Fontes said the city is currently conducting a traffic study as a final piece for the Downtown Watsonville Specific Plan to measure what impact the road diet and other changes will have to other streets. In addition, Caltrans is expected to conduct its own traffic study and environmental impact reports before moving forward with the changes.

Many of the councilmembers echoed Fontes in saying that it could be difficult to convince residents that these changes would ultimately benefit the community. Councilmember Jimmy Dutra asked questions about the possibility of a group coming forward with a ballot measure to halt the project, and Mayor Ari Parker said that she worried many Watsonville residents are “very concerned of change.”

Councilmembers Lowell Hurst and Vanessa Quiroz-Carter both said the proposed changes would be an exciting way for Watsonville to step into the future and reactivate what was once a thriving downtown area.

“I think it’s very bold of Caltrans and our staff to propose these changes knowing that change is hard and that it’s difficult to project the future as well,” Hurst said. “Yeah, there will be some naysayers on this in lots of ways, but there will also be lots of voices that have not spoken yet.”

Things to Do: Aug. 31-Sept. 6

GT Staff

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August 31, 2022

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ARTS AND MUSIC

ACOUSTIC SISTERS: MIMI FOX AND PAMELA ROSE The new Bay Area duo, featuring jazz and blues singer Pamela Rose and world-renowned jazz guitarist Mimi Fox, is more than a celebration of the remarkable women in jazz and blues; it’s a celebration of remarkable people in jazz and blues. Fox is known for fusing bebop with soul up and down the fretboards. Meanwhile, Rose’s swing-meets-soul vocals have taken her all over the globe. Together, the duo’s acoustic project—immersed in early blues, folk and original material—is lively fun that commands attention. $31.50/$36.75; $18.50/students. Thursday, Sept. 1, 7pm Kuumbwa, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. kuumbwajazz.org.

ROCKY BAILEY BIRTHDAY BASH WITH BOOM DRAW Legend has it that the Kingston, Jamaica native Rocky Bailey has emceed every reggae show in Northern California—and beyond. Boom Draw will pay tribute to that claim, which might be impossible to prove or refute, with their multi-generational lineup that features talent with lofty resumes: all the players have backed internationally known reggae artists on tour and in the studio. The all-star outfit comprises musicians from beloved Santa Cruz and Bay Area reggae institutions, including Pure Roots, the Rastafarians, Dub Congress, Inka Inka and the Sugarbeats. Boom Draw comes armed with a mission: Rock dancefloors with classic songs from reggae’s formative years. $10. Thursday, Sept. 1, 7:30pm. Michael’s on Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. michaelsonmainmusic.com.

GINNY MITCHELL, GARY BLACKBURN AND MORE A night of some of Santa Cruz’s finest singer-songwriters features Americana-roots musician Ginny Mitchell, who’s been a friend to just about every local musician. At this point in her career, the two-time cancer survivor has nothing else to prove. San Joaquin Valley native Gary Blackburn has fronted Blackburn-Dadd Band, Trigger Happy, Fools Paradise, the Western Flyers and UTURN. However, the most natural variation of his musical vision comes out in his solo work—an intimate blend of everything, old and new, that inspires him. $10/$12 plus fees. Friday, Sept. 2, 8pm. Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. feltonmusichall.com.

THE FOUR EYES, HOD AND THE HELPERS AND THE TENDERLIES If there is a list of best album names, the Four Eyes’ 2007 Five Songs About Videogames (And One About Something Else) should be on there somewhere. But the big news surrounding the garage rockers: It’s been nearly 20 years since they last performed in Santa Cruz, their hometown. It’s also a chance at redemption: The bandmembers agree that their final show in Santa Cruz before moving to Sacramento in 2004 was “disappointing.” Meanwhile, Hod Hulphers, the singer-songwriter namesake of the freak-folk outfit Hod and the Helpers, says, somewhat cryptically, of his band’s music, “there’s an empathetic pathos, a self-conscious bitterness rare in modern songwriting.” The Tenderlies round out the lineup with music best described as an orphaned child of The Zombies and The Pretty Things. $10/$12. Saturday, Sept. 3, 8pm. The Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. thecrepeplace.com.

GROUNDATION WITH GHOST ROCK There’s a good reason that reggae royalty, including Israel Vibration, The Abyssinians and The Congos, regularly calls on Groundation to collaborate. For more than 20 years, the California roots reggae collective has stuck to their “no digital” philosophy. The band only uses analog instruments and recording equipment—no tricks, just a lot of talent. Their 2022 release, One Rock, marks the group’s tenth album, and nine new tunes fueled by complex arrangements that ooze with moving melodies. $30/$35 plus fees. Sunday, Sept. 4, 9pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. moesalley.com.

TAB BENOIT WITH JD SIMO While the list of awards Tab Benoit has received throughout his three-plus decades is long, the number of all-star musicians who have worked with the Houma, Louisiana native, including Junior Wells, Dr. John, Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, Allen Toussaint, Kim Wilson, Jimmy Thackery, Charlie Musslewhite, would take up a page. There’s just something about the Grammy-nominated guitarist’s stark variation of swampy Delta blues that singer-songwriters gravitated to—the same goes for his millions of longtime fans. $30/$35 plus fees. Monday, Sept. 5, 8pm. Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. feltonmusichall.com.

LESS THAN JAKE AND BOWLING FOR SOUP WITH CLIFFDIVER AND DOLL SKIN It’s a mid-90s pop-punk—with a sprinkling of ska—extravaganza. Pez-obsessed trio Less Than Jake’s 2003 Anthem might be considered the most successful record of their career, but it’s their distinctive style, showcased in tunes like “Liquor Store” and “My Very Own Flag” off their full-length debut, Pezcore, that put the Gainesville, Florida goofballs on the map. Around the same time, Wichita Falls, Texas’ Bowling for Soup, was sprouting a massive fanbase thanks to their own brand of eccentric power-pop hits like “Girl All the Bad Guys Want” and “High School Never Ends.” $34.50/$40. Tuesday, Sept. 6, 7pm. The Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. catalystclub.com.

COMMUNITY

FIRST FRIDAY: ‘FIRE’ From ecology to preparedness to recovery, September’s First Friday is all about fire. Experts will lead various interactive outdoor exhibits and activities in the “fire” field. There will be traditional fire-making demos with Alex Tabone; Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast co-author Christian Schwarz will also be on hand. Free. Friday, Sept. 2, 5-8pm. Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, 1305 E. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. santacruzmuseum.org.

TRIBUTE TO THE BEGONIA FESTIVAL Organized by the Capitola Art and Cultural Commission, Capitola Historical Museum and Capitola Beach Festival, celebrate and share memories from 65 years of the Begonia Festival with historical memorabilia and much more. There will be a variety of entertainment, including the Capitola Ukulele Club, swing music courtesy of the Little Big Band and Te Hau Nui Hula and Tahitian Dance. Free. Saturday, Sept. 3 and Sunday, Sept. 4, 10am-4pm. Various locations in downtown Capitola. capitolachamber.com.

EL MERCADO RETURNS TO RAMSAY PARK The Community Health Trust’s farmers’ market returns to Ramsay Park in the parking lot in front of the skate park. The location might have changed, but the message is still the same: El Mercado aims to “decrease food insecurity and improve access to health-promoting resources for Pajaro Valley families.” Free. Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2-6pm. Ramsay Park, 1301 Main St., Watsonville. pvhealthtrust.org/el-mercado.

GROUPS

WOMENCARE ARM-IN-ARM This cancer support group is for women with advanced, recurrent or metastatic cancer. The group meets every Monday and is led by Sally Jones and Shirley Marcus. Free (registration required). Monday, Sept. 5, 12:30pm. WomenCare, 2901 Park Ave., A1, Soquel. 831-457-2273. womencaresantacruz.org.

OUTDOORS

MOUNT MADONNA CAMPFIRE PROGRAMS: NIGHTTIME NEIGHBORS Visit the amphitheater near the ranger station, where a guest speaker from the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center will take you on an educational journey about a wild nocturnal buddy that goes “bump in the night.” Please note that there will be no actual campfire. Free. Saturday, Sept. 3, 6pm. Mount Madonna County Park, 7850 Pole Line Road, Watsonville. visitgilroy.com/event.

GREAT TRAIN ROBBERIES Witness 75-minute reenactments of shootouts between prominent law enforcement officers and infamous desperados of the 1880s aboard the Redwood Forest Train as it chugs up Bear Mountain. Caution for those sensitive to loud noises. $44.95; $29.95/children 2-12. Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Sept. 3-5, 10am-5pm. Roaring Camp Railroads, 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton. roaringcamp.com.

Email upcoming events to Adam Joseph at least two weeks beforehand.

Or, submit events HERE.

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ARTS AND MUSIC

COMMUNITY

GROUPS

OUTDOORS