One thing I’ve learned about working with Hugh McCormick over the years is that if he says he has a good story, he has a good story. So even if the next thing that comes out of his mouth after he says that sounds totally bizarre, I can trust that he knows what he’s talking about. Like, for instance, if he says, “It’s about people using stuffed animals as therapy pets.” I had never even heard of this; I’m not even completely clear on how real animals work as therapy pets, beyond the obvious, so this was definitely a leap.
If it’s a new concept to you, too, I recommend you read his cover story on the phenomenon. It is, in typical Hugh style, quirky and entertaining while at the same time delivering a serious look at something that is changing people’s lives for the better.
I think this whole Health and Fitness issue delivers a much-needed dose of positivity at a time when we all have anxiety about both. There’s also Drew Penner’s story about gyms opening up in the pandemic—which is of course a sentence no one thought I’d be writing back in March of 2020, when gyms were among the businesses bearing the brunt of the lockdowns.
One more important note: This is the last week to vote for the Best of Santa Cruz Awards, so don’t wait! Go to goodtimes.sc and cast your ballot now!
This is a wonderful article. I am very proud to say I am a longtime friend of Vincent Tuzzi and his wife Margie. He is a very talented musician, and it was nice to read about the history of the UCSC beginnings. I have no doubt the “Sergeant of Arms” and the UCSC will inspire another generation (of masters and beginners) to feel the magic of music through the uke.
— Barbara Peters.
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GOOD IDEA
SEALS WITH A KISS
Valentine’s Day is on the horizon, and we have an activity for couples and singles and everyone in between to get in the mood—Año Nuevo State Park will be holding a viewing for the public to see hundreds of northern elephant seals during the peak of their breeding season. You can spend more than three hours enjoying the trails, and asking experts any and all questions you might have. Tickets are $75, and all proceeds go to educational programs and the park improvements. Learn more at coastsidestateparks.org/seal-adventure.
GOOD WORK
SHEEPING WELL
More than 60 years ago, John Moncovich and his friends organized a barbecue in Watsonville to raise funds for charity. This barbeque grew to become an annual event, dubbed the Spring Lamb BBQ, that has raised over $2 million for charities over the years. Earlier this month, John’s son Bill Moncovich announced that the BBQ will distribute $50,000 to the American Cancer Society and $25,000 to Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services. To get involved in this year’s BBQ, or if you have questions, contact 831-728-1773.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Play is a child’s work, and this is not a trivial pursuit.”
At the same time that the pandemic upended the local economic landscape, it also increased our focus on mind and body health. But with all the tight restrictions on gyms that began in March of 2020, it’s often been hard to even get a workout in during the pandemic.
With that in mind, it might seem like a crazy time to open a gym. But three budding fitness entrepreneurs in Santa Cruz are betting that our drive to boost our health is here to stay.
‘MAD’ ABOUT HEALTH
Case-in-point is a planned Scotts Valley fitness studio from Santa Cruz resident Peter Malek, slated for 262 Mt. Hermon Road.
The tech engineer secured the rights to launch the first MADabolic franchise in all of California.
He explains it’s concerned with “Momentum,” “Anaerobic” and “Durability” workouts—a concept developed by former pro hockey players Brandon Cullen and Kirk DeWaele.
“I think it’s going to bring something that’s really needed,” he says.
While some people were able to achieve new health heights during the last couple years, others who were in good shape found themselves losing ground, he notes.
“Folks had a hard time disciplining themselves to keep those healthy habits,” he says. “Keeping yourself in the best shape that you can is absolutely one the best defenses for living a longer, stronger life.”
Malek’s already scored the necessary permit from the Scotts Valley Planning Commission for his Hangar at Skypark location, next to an ice cream shop, a gift boutique and a taproom.
The drywall is in and painted, and next up is the bathroom and shower tile.
Malek, who has a personal training certificate through the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association, grew up playing sports and got involved in high-intensity activities like CrossFit and Ironman over the years.
Malek says the MADabolic model works for both top-notch athletes as well as less-experienced individuals, because it balances pushing yourself and resting.
According to municipal documents, the business plans to operate from 5:30am-7:30pm weekdays and 8am-noon on weekends.
The studio expects to hire four people and offer hour-long classes, with a maximum of 20 people in each session.
And while Malek saw a pandemic-sized brick-and-mortar opening and went for it, he also used the coronavirus pandemic as a chance to do some reflecting, too.
He catalogued his own fitness thinking in a book he just published with New Degree Press called #PerFORM: The Path to Becoming Unstoppable and Achieving Fulfillment.
“It was a validation of sorts—and a self-realization,” he says, explaining how writing the book helped clarify his decision to launch the business. “The book is a testament to me finally taking that leap of faith.”
Malek hopes to open by the end of February.
Ain’t High-Falutin’
Over in Soquel, James Smith, the new owner at Lola’s Fitness Gym—Strive in its pre-pandemic life—says he could’ve gotten involved in another, more profitable enterprise.
But after years as a professional poker player and in the casino world, he was excited by the prospect of running a business that actually helps people.
“I’m thinking, ‘Why make people fat, when I could make people skinny?’” he says. “I thought it would be a good idea to get into something that would help people get healthier.”
Gyms have been one of the pandemic’s hottest potatoes, with every jurisdiction seemingly taking a different view of just how “essential” the industry is, and whether vaccine mandates and masking requirements should apply. In June 2020, 24 Hour Fitness filed for bankruptcy and closed a quarter of its locations, following on the heels of Gold’s Gym’s Chapter 11 move the previous month. Meanwhile, at-home exercise options like Peloton have seen surges in demand, although even that sector’s faced rocky roads.
So, was Smith perturbed by the coronavirus landscape?
“Actually, I didn’t take it into consideration,” he says. “In a short-range scope, obviously it’s a pain in the ass. In the long-range scope, I don’t think it’s going to be something we’re going to be worried about.”
The small, no-nonsense neighborhood workout space is able to do what even many corporate players cannot: provide 24/7 access.
With three levels and about 200,000 square feet of space, there are plenty of ways to get the blood pumping on-site; but there are no showers—and there’s definitely no fancy juice bar.
“It’s not a high-falutin’ gym,” Smith says. “Girls and guys come in, and they work out.”
But when he took over at 4061 Soquel Dr., he didn’t raise prices, either.
They also offer a discount for firefighters, police officers, registered nurses and emergency responders.
Smith says he’s dedicated to making sure the people who use his facility feel safe and comfortable at whatever hour they decide to drop by.
Since he opened late last year, Smith says he’s already seen members make serious progress.
“It gives me a sense of accomplishment if I can help people,” he says. “That’s one of the positive benefits that comes from me owning a business like this.”
Capitola’s Agility Boulders is building a community of indoor climbers. PHOTO: AGILITY BOULDERS
Climbing Ambition
Down the road at Capitola’s Agility Boulders, John Hester has seen a community of indoor climbers start to thrive, even amid the constant ebb and flow of pandemic protocols.
He co-founded the bouldering gym with his partner, Shirley Yang.
They’d actually been looking at starting something before the pandemic started, and at first it seemed like it might throw their dream into jeopardy. But in the end, they say they were encouraged to extend towards their next crimper handhold by supporters.
They pushed on through several difficult sections, like only being allowed to schedule a single building contractor in the space at a time.
“We have amazing landlords that really believed in our vision and wanted this climbing gym—this community center—to be part of the area,” Hester says of their startup, which opened last year at 1404 38th Ave. “We’re all craving a little bit of community.”
Because bouldering doesn’t rely on the ropes-and-harnesses tag-team approach, like traditional climbing gyms, social-distancing is a cinch, he says. You climb without wearing protective gear up to 15 feet, and if you fall, you land on a padded surface.
It can also be quite the mental workout, too, he adds.
“We tend to call the line you climb ‘boulder problems,’” he says. “You have this cryptic path that you want to figure out.”
In fact, they reconfigure a segment of grips each week—turning the entire gym over in six. And their hand chalk options help maintain the antiseptic environment.
“The community’s been growing,” he says, noting it’s common to hear people cheer each other on as they scale the walls. “It’s a hell of a lot of fun. It’s a very engaging activity.”
In a world in which social distancing is the norm and hugs are hard to come by, it’s important to have a friend you can count on. Even if that friend isn’t technically real.
With her bright blue eyes, whip-smart style and easy smile, most people probably wouldn’t peg 36-year-old Santa Cruz native Jennifer Wentworth as someone who’s been hospitalized more than 200 times. But for many grueling years, Wentworth’s Bipolar-1 disorder (with severe manic episodes, terrifying voices, delusions of grandeur and violent psychosis) sent her to the inpatient psychiatric unit an average of once a month. She found herself trapped in a vicious and ongoing cycle—one that she believed would never end.
”Sometimes I’d get out of the psych unit, and they’d send me back just a few days later. 250 times,” says Wentworth. “I was locked in restraints for hours on end—just for thinking I was the second coming of Jesus Christ. They allowed me to pee myself. They put me in isolation for 14 hours for not wanting to take my meds. The hospital always traumatized me more than helped me. But that was home.”
Today, “Jen Jen”—to her friends and loyal, loving husband Brent—has a real home. A domicile free of restraints, medical gowns, locks, fences, trauma or abuse. It’s been close to three years since Wentworth’s last hospitalization. She calls it a “miracle.”
So what changed? How did Wentworth suddenly reach stability and true recovery for the first time in her adult life? Well, it involves some cotton, and a whole lot of fur.
Light-brown, with a crimson heart on his right foot and a bit of a tummy, Drew is Jen’s favorite bear. She says that he reminds her of another, real-life Drew—an old friend and bishop at her former church.
Wentworth’s number two, Ryan, is a tiny, cream-colored stuffed bear. He’s named after another one of her closest friends, who was close to her during her years living in the dry heat of Arizona.
Then there are Brandon (brown) and Tyler (white), who are buddies and usually travel as a team. And Parker, who proudly wears a black bowtie.
Each of Wentworth’s bears is named after one of her close friends, people she dearly loves and misses.
“The stuffies have really helped me stay stable. They have become powerful, and amazing coping skills,” says Wentworth. “When I feel alone and can’t be around a friend, or when I need their love and support, I’ll hold onto that teddy bear. It’s like giving that person a hug. I started carrying Drew two years ago, and I haven’t been in the hospital since.”
Where Wentworth goes, her bears follow. She takes them to classes, support groups, even to Starbucks for her daily caffeine fix. When symptoms of her bipolar disorder spike and she is struggling, she turns to her fuzzy friends for comfort and support. On occasion, she even talks to her bears like they are real people, telling them how she feels.
Wentworth gets a few raised eyebrows and curious looks, but in the end, she’s not embarrassed in the least.
“I definitely have people look at me, but I don’t feel self-conscious at all, actually,” she says. “I’ve had so much trauma in my life that anything that helps me self-soothe and makes me calm, I’ll happily do. If you have bipolar disorder, you need to find things that make you feel good. If you need to hold a teddy bear, that’s perfectly OK.”
Drew, Ryan, Brandon, Tyler and Parker have helped Wentworth immensely. They’ve worked wonders to ease her mania, dampen negative self-talk, quiet voices, soothe anxiety and eliminate depression. The teddies happily provide the comfort and emotional support she needs, right when she needs it. They are always there for her, even if her “real” friends are thousands of miles away.
“When it comes to hearing voices and having psychosis, [the bears are] something physical in front of me—that comforts me. And for anxiety that’s associated with mania or depression, it’s helpful as well. Providing contact, and touch,” says Wentworth. “I guess it’s like carrying around a security blanket. I actually used to do that as a child.”
The seed of Wentworth’s stuffed-therapy-bear idea was planted two years ago while taking a DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) class. She learned about the power of touch—by far her favorite of the five senses—and how to harness it. Today, her soft and supple crew of teddy bears are solid and steady things she can hold.
Rates of anxiety, depression and other types of mental illness are up during these pandemic days of self-quarantine and social isolation. Folks are desperately craving and seeking out connection and touch—Zoom meetings aren’t going to cut it.
But ever wonder why hugs feel so good? Light touch, stroking, pressure on the skin, general warmth and hugs activate thousands of somatosensory nerves in our grey matter, releasing a flood of a magical little hypothalamic nonapeptide called oxytocin.
Secreted by the brain’s sensory nerves in response to an array of interactive behaviors, oxytocin is linked to numerous positive effects—including stress (cortisol) reduction, enhanced general well-being, even a decreased sensitivity to pain. In the long term, it’s known to have anti-depressant effects and even decrease the symptoms of autism, Asperger syndrome and mental illnesses like schizophrenia.
The Covid-19 outbreak is causing a parallel epidemic of loneliness, fear and anxiety. Children and grownups alike, are struggling to build and maintain relationships. So what can you do if your oxytocin levels are in the gutter, and you can’t hug someone?
You can hug something.
It turns out that oxytocin, the brain’s key player in social closeness, trust and meaningful connections, doesn’t discriminate. The hormone can be sent free, allowed to do its majestic dance, in a number of different ways.
Pet owners, and their pets each experience significant spikes in oxytocin levels when they frolic and play. And when a pet mom or pet dad caresses or strokes his or her fur baby, even more of the chemical is sent skittering throughout the brain. Paying attention to our pets will give us waves of pleasure, and mellow us the heck out.
Real pet ownership is associated with reduced blood pressure, cholesterol and anxiety. It also positively impacts the body’s ability to cope with chronic conditions like dementia, heart disease and even cancer. And since oxytocin decreases the release of cortisol, human-pet relationships are accompanied by decreased stress levels.
South African clinical psychologist Fairuz Gaibie contends that when we stroke or cuddle anything, even a doll or teddy bear, that is soft, cushiony and comforting, oxytocin is released. Gaibie contends that a simple plush toy can have life changing effects—lowering your body’s stress level, enhancing your overall wellbeing and leaving you feeling soothed, calmed and at ease.
While close to two-thirds of U.S. households care for real, breathing, fur babies, providing for a cat, dog or iguana can get overwhelming. Stuffed pets are fantastic fallbacks if you can’t have or care for a real one. They produce therapeutic effects akin to their flesh and blood counterparts, and don’t slobber, destroy, bark or require years of behavioral and potty training.
The truth is that anything—even a rock—can hold sentimental and symbolic meaning. And if oxytocin is involved, all the better. A bear, a doll or a puppet … in the end, the object of our affection doesn’t really matter. What’s really important are the emotions, memories and feelings it conjures. And the emotional support it provides.
As “transitional objects,” plush pets give children an oh-so-important layer of security and comfort when they are away from their adult caregivers. Young ones are able to adapt to serious developmental challenges, experiment with their autonomy and independence, and handle unfamiliar environments. Children come to rely and depend on their stuffies—to the point where their entire sense of safety and security is imbued in their favorite bear or doll. Their stuffed friends become way more than just toys.
NOW FOR GROWN-UPS
While it’s common for kids to carry around and sleep with their teddy bears and other stuffed friends—associating them with safety, home and positive experiences—a large contingent of grown-ups actually bond with and interact with stuffies, too. In fact, more than 40% of adults interact with their stuffed animals on a regular basis, according to a recent OnePoll study.
Ellen Adams, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) on Santa Cruz’s Westside, has been in practice for more than 20 years, and has utilized stuffed-animal therapy.
“In my previous practice, I had stuffed therapy pets in my office that my clients could hold during a session,” says Adams. “I found that they would have a calming effect. Some folks would hold them close and find them comforting—calming and centering.”
For those who have difficulty expressing their feelings, Adams says stuffed animals can “open a door.”
“Stuffed pets are helpful in the office for sure. People who are emotionally frozen could relax,” she says. “One client had a really hard time showing emotions at all, but when she held onto my floppy little rabbit, she could cry—and she could feel. She let herself break down.”
We truly live in the golden age of stuffies—thanks eBay! You can buy a bear rocking the uniform of your favorite football team, a bright-pink manatee wearing a top hat, or a stuffed pig with wings that kind of reminds you of your dear uncle Jimmy. The possibilities are endless. There are a handful of companies out there that will build one-of-a-kind stuffed therapy pets for you; they can even painstakingly create squishable versions of your favorite (living or dead) canine or feline friends.
A few firms will take it a step further, engineering surprisingly realistic robotic versions of your favorite pup or kitty, complete with “barkback technology,” “vibrapurr,” built-in sensors and brushable fur. Pet your new robo-stuffie in the right spot, and they’ll roll on their backs and emit a soft purr or moan.
HISTORY OF STUFFED ZOOLOGY
We’ve got it good, but it’s worth noting that children and adults weren’t always so blessed in the squishy-and-supple toy department. Before the 20th century, soft toys were rare. It wasn’t until the 1890s—when a diminutive, wheelchair-bound German entrepreneur named Margarete Steiff began marketing her handcrafted elephant (and then mouse and rabbit) pincushions to the kiddies in her neighborhood—that soft toys actually became a thing.
When Steiff’s animal creations, made of felt and cloth and filled with lambswool, started to fly off the shelves of her humble storefront (outselling the then-fashionable-felt-underskirts she was accustomed to making), she rolled the dice and began to produce them full-time.
Steiff saw the potential of a market that had never previously existed. She and her then-tiny company applied for a groundbreaking patent in 1892 “for making of animals and other figures to serve as playthings.” In each subsequent year, production, sales and the number and variety of toys at Steiff rose higher. Kids flocked to the “Felt Toy Factory” where Steiff’ displayed an ever-growing-army of stuffed playthings, and parents ordered from a colorfully printed catalog. A toy empire was born, one that popularized the teddy bear, paved the way for modern toys like Cabbage Patch Kids, transformed tea parties and normalized human/stuffie interaction. Steiff’s cute and innocent animal-shaped pincushions forever changed the way that children, and many adults, play.
PLAY BACK
Play, especially for adults, is an underrated concept. In the age of social media, Candy Crush and Grand Theft Auto, many of us have simply forgotten how to slow down, shut off, chill and just be. Instead of viewing life as a series of obstacles and a point-obsessed competition, sometimes we need to stop and smell the roses—or at least the musk of our favorite stuffed friend—once in a while.
With stuffies, there are no goals. No points, coins or power-ups. They allow us to explore and make sense of the often brutal and chaotic world around us. Akin to a Jackson Pollock painting, stuffed pets allow us to tap into our inner selves, and to paint with our instincts and emotions.
“No one is too old to have stuffed friends,” says Wentworth. “If it makes you feel calmer, peaceful and improves your mental health I’m all for it! With all the fear in the news and in our world, the need for stuffed therapy pets is greater than ever.”
“I’m not in the best frame of mind to talk about policing right now,” says Dr. Ginger Charles when I call. She sounds tired.
We’re scheduled to discuss some of the new police reform laws that went into effect at the start of this year. A number of police reform laws were introduced in 2020, following George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police. Two years later, three California laws aim to hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct, limit police use of violence at protests and create a more comprehensive education for incoming police officers.
But, as is common in discussions about police reform, perspectives on the effectiveness of these laws vary depending on who you are talking to.
That’s why I reached out to Dr. Charles. If anyone is familiar with the inner workings of police departments and how to change police culture, it’s her. She is a retired police sergeant, served 27 years as a police officer and works with police departments across the country. Now, she is the chair of the Criminal Justice program at Cabrillo College, where she teaches prospective police officers.
“I’m just rather disappointed in where we’re at,” Dr. Charles continues. “There’s so much that needs to change in policing. Sometimes, I just feel like we’re beating a dead horse trying to get some of those changes done.”
Dr. Charles thinks these new reform laws are a decent starting point, but she also believes they don’t get at the root of the problem. Take Assembly Bill 89 (AB-89) for instance, which raises the age requirement for police officers from 18 to 21 and requires officers to have higher education degrees by 2023.
“When I served as an officer, I served in an agency that didn’t require any kind of degree and then I served at one that required a four-year degree,” Dr. Charles says. “There are still the same disciplinary problems at both.”
LIMITING POWERS
When former Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills knelt next to Santa Cruz City Councilman and former Mayor Justin Cummings at a protest organized in recognition of Floyd’s murder, Cummings had no idea the significance people would draw from that moment.
Pictures of Chief Mills taking a knee next to Cummings, who was at the time Santa Cruz’s first Black mayor, began circling the internet.
“That was not planned,” Cummings says. “All of a sudden, as Chief Mills and I were talking, people started taking a knee, like a domino effect. And so we took a knee together.”
But just an hour and a half away, protests in Oakland were turning violent, with activists and law enforcement coming to a head. So shortly after Mills’ kneeling was covered in news outlets across the state, Oakland issued a call to its neighbors: it needed reinforcements. Responding to what’s known as a Mutual Aid Call, Mills sent Santa Cruz police officers to Oakland.
“We watched as Mills knelt in solidarity, but then he authorized and sent police officers to Oakland,” says community organizer and activist Thairie Ritchie, who has organized multiple protests in support of Black Lives Matter in Santa Cruz County. “At a time when Oakland PD was firing tear gas and violently arresting demonstrators.”
AB-48 limits police use of chemical agents, rubber bullets and other less-lethal weapons at protests unless someone’s life is in danger, and requires departments to release reports on how they use these weapons. One way this will help law enforcement, Cummings says, is that it will standardize police departments’ responses during protests.
“When mutual aid is called upon, there can be different rules of engagement for different departments,” says Cummings. “Oakland’s approach to dealing with protests is very different from Santa Cruz’s approach. What this will do moving forward is set baseline expectations.”
Some departments argued that law enforcement should continue to be able to use these less-lethal weapons according to their discretion, says Cummings, who was a representative on the League of California Cities Public Safety Committee. The committee makes recommendations on policies that go to the state legislature.
“I was surprised the bill passed,” says Cummings. “It was very controversial and the body has a lot of current and former law enforcement agents on it.”
But on the other side, reform activists say this bill doesn’t go far enough, because it still gives police the authority to take violent measures.
“It gives the police officers the power to serve as the overall judge of a scenario,” says Ritchie. “They get to define what’s a life-threatening situation.”
NEW MINIMUMS
Dr. Charles thinks that in order for police departments to change, police culture needs to change. But how do you change the culture of policing within a department?
“The key is, how are these folks mentored and supervised?” says Dr. Charles. “Until you change the upper echelon, and have them really looking at what they’re doing, it’s really going to be tough to change this field.”
That’s why she thinks AB-89 misses the mark. The bill raises the age requirement for officers to 21, a change that won’t have much of an effect locally—both Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart and Santa Cruz Interim Police Chief Bernie Escalante say it’s been years, if not decades, since they’ve hired someone under 21.
More importantly at a local level, the bill requires new officers to have a higher education degree and establishes a “modern policing” degree program that mandates courses in psychology and ethnic studies. Despite the strides it might make in educating incoming officers on inequities and social justice issues, Dr. Charles thinks its effectiveness in changing police behavior is limited.
“Let’s say we do this modern policing degree, and we send these wonderful educated young police officers into this culture that hasn’t changed,” says Dr. Charles. “And see them change within mere months, as they try to get along within this culture, and it undoes everything that we have tried to do.”
Ritchie also pointed out that the bill might have unintended consequences when it comes to diverse candidate pools. Studies show that a larger percentage of white Americans obtain higher education degrees compared to minorities. Paired with rising costs of tuition and the burden of student debt, Ritchie wonders if this bill will deter minority communities from pursuing a profession in law enforcement, at a time that he thinks is critical to encourage minorities to join law enforcement.
“The issue of policing is, for me, that a lot of officers often come into communities that they have no knowledge of, and have no sense of identity or connection to,” Ritchie says. “Police departments hiring more people from communities of color is a primary way to solve this issue.”
Meanwhile, law enforcement officials worry that this educational requirement might diminish the overall pool of law enforcement candidates. Santa Cruz County has seen three police chiefs retire or change departments in the past year, and both Hart and Escalante tell GT they are concerned that this bill will strain recruitment efforts during a time when law enforcement agencies across the country are facing a mass exodus.
But Cummings thinks there might not be a direct correlation with education. In fact, four other states already have bachelor’s degree requirements for police officers—Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey and North Dakota—and 18 other states require at least some college. Also, the Bureau of Labor Statistics challenges the narrative that police departments are hemorrhaging police officers: From 2019 to 2020, the number of people working at local police departments and sheriff’s offices decreased by less than 1%.
Hiring concerns aside, Dr. Charles maintains that police officers who are aware of social justice issues and practice less violence exist in departments with leaders who value those practices.
“It’s a good start, but it also kind of gums up the entire situation here,” says Dr. Charles. “Here we have these laws that are being introduced, without some kind of accountability for leaders to look at how they are actually policing.”
Decertifying Police Officers
When Hart has tried to discipline or fire a law enforcement officer for misconduct, his attempts have been reversed.
Santa Cruz’s Civil Service Commission, which hears and rules on appeals filed by state, county and local government employees, is very pro labor, Hart says. On a number of occasions, Hart has tried to fire a ‘problem employee,’ only to have the commission veto the move.
“They’re very hesitant to allow me to either discipline or terminate an employee who’s had a lot of problems,” Hart says. “And so for the state to be able to come in and take care of that I think could have value to a lot of police agencies across the state.”
He is referring to Senate Bill 2 (SB-2), which creates a process for stripping law enforcement officers of their badge if they engage in serious misconduct, including excessive force, racial bias and dishonesty.
Hart says the bill would prevent officers who resign and are fired or disciplined for misconduct from switching departments and continuing to carry a badge and gun, an issue he says he is happy will be resolved. With SB-2 going into effect this year, California is now on par with the 46 other states that have similar legislation that prevents abusive officers from switching jobs.
While Hart supports the bill, dozens of law enforcement groups, including the California Association of Highway Patrolmen and the California Peace Officers Association opposed the legislation.
The bill requires Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a nine-member Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board by the end of the year. The board will be made up of two law enforcement officers, one civilian oversight attorney and six members of the public who would review misconduct allegations and recommend whether the officers qualify for decertification.
The California Peace Officers Association said that while they support decertification of abusive officers, SB-2 creates an unfair process to do so, by allowing six members of the public without police experience to weigh in on law enforcement issues.
Escalante agrees that there are many situations law enforcement officers face that require split-second decisions—situations that members of the public can only judge from an outsider’s perspective.
“The fear of having to make a split-second decision and being criminally prosecuted for it? That’s a problem,” says Escalante.
Ritchie says he’s happy that police will be held, to a degree, accountable for misconduct. He thinks accountability is the first step toward establishing more trust in the community—with an emphasis on the ‘first step.’ In order for minority communities in particular to regain trust in law enforcement, police reform laws must continue to be passed at the legislative level, he says.
“As things started reopening, I think people started losing attention to some of these important policing issues,” says Ritchie. “But we can’t lose momentum, we really need to keep pushing, and keep pushing.”
As the pandemic rolls into its third year, online learning is still a drag—even at the university level. Student eyes are glazed over with permanent screen fatigue, and lectures that might have been inspiring in person don’t always come across the same way on a computer.
But with Covid-19 cases continuing to rise around the globe, does it make sense to bring students back on campus? UCSC has struggled with the question for months; despite offering about two-thirds of its courses in-person last fall, the university announced early this month that it would be postponing its resumption of in-person classes for the Winter 2022 quarter until Jan. 31. Previously, only the first two weeks of the term, until Jan. 17, were slated to be online.
The decision, said senior campus administrators, would allow students who live in university dorms and apartments to space out their arrival dates over the ensuing two weeks and would coincide with the date when all students in the UC system are required to have received a Covid-19 vaccine booster. The target date also lies beyond the point at which some epidemiological models say the current Covid-19 wave will peak in Santa Cruz County. All eight undergraduate UC campuses have adopted similar plans to resume in-person classes on Jan. 31.
“When we first announced remote instruction for the start of winter quarter, we expected to see an increase in positive cases,” said UCSC Chancellor Cynthia Larive in a statement sent to the student body on Jan. 6, “but the rate at which this variant is spreading requires us to update our plans.”
Testing at an on-campus facility run by molecular diagnostic company Fulgent Genetics resumed in earnest on Jan. 2, netting a positivity rate of about 5% averaged over the days leading up to the announcement. As of Jan. 20, the campus’s seven-day positivity rate is 5.10%, down from a high of 6.81% on Jan. 13—and well below the county’s overall rate, which sat at 13.1% on Jan. 18.
Students moving back onto campus are required to take Covid-19 tests within 48 hours before and after they arrive—and continue to test every two weeks if vaccinated, or every four days if not.
The idea, says university spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason, is to make sure that campus services remain operational, under the assumption that a certain number of students and faculty members will inevitably test positive throughout the quarter.
“We are recognizing that Covid is not going away,” Hernandez-Jason says. “Our objective right now is to make sure that we can keep the campus operational, which means avoiding having a critical mass of employees go out ill and need to isolate.”
Hernandez-Jason adds that in the weeks since the Jan. 6 announcement, the campus has expanded the number of beds it maintains for students isolating after positive test results from about 200 to 250, and will soon hire an additional firm to bolster its testing capacity.
But on a practical level, what the move back in-person will look like remains uncertain. In a Jan. 19 email sent to UCSC faculty and teaching assistants, campus executive vice chancellor Lori Kletzer outlined a process where instructors could petition to keep their courses remote for the remainder of winter quarter if they are in a group particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 infection. Kletzer said that department chairs would announce what courses would continue to remain remote by Jan. 28, unless stated otherwise.
This leaves many of UCSC’s approximately 17,000 undergraduates—about half of whom live on-campus—with more questions than answers about how Winter 2022 will shape up. Derek Tran, a second-year psychology major and education minor, moved to Santa Cruz earlier this month after having solely attended online lectures for the past year and a half. So far, the experience hasn’t been rewarding for him.
“You know, I’m a sophomore now, and so I should have an idea of what I really want to be studying,” Tran says. “I came into college to figure that out, but going to classes online hasn’t been a great venue for that.”
Tran is one of a handful of undergraduates currently being housed by the university at hotels in downtown Santa Cruz while they quarantine or isolate. The experience has been isolating, to say the least; he said that it’s been impossible to make friends through his remote lectures. He was optimistic about having a more normal college experience for the first time this quarter, but is much more apprehensive now, after all the changes.
“Being here but not having classes in-person is kinda like being behind a glass wall, if that makes sense,” Tran says. “But having to go in-person midway through the quarter, that seems like it would be pretty overwhelming for me.”
The union that represents some 1,600 County of Santa Cruz employees has averted a strike after hammering out a tentative agreement during all-day negotiations Monday.
The agreement between Service Employees International Union Local 521 and the County came on the cusp of a day of demonstration that was set to begin at 7am Tuesday.
The tentative agreement will now be voted on by union members in the coming week and then go to ratification by the County Board of Supervisors, the union stated in a press release.
“We are extremely proud to have stood resilient throughout our negotiations,” said SEIU Local 521 President Veronica Velazquez. “We strongly believe this agreement is an important step towards meeting the critical recovery needs of our community and workers.”
The new three-year agreement includes across the board wage increases totaling 9%, pandemic hazard pay and important contract language to begin addressing staffing turnover and high vacancies, union leaders say.
“We are grateful to have reached a tentative agreement with SEIU Local 521 on a new contract and avert a strike,” County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios said in a prepared statement. “Many in our community depend on the county to help meet their needs and those of their families, and assuring that we can continue providing high-quality services without interruption is in everyone’s best interests.”
The union represents employees who work in numerous sectors of the county, including public health nurses, social workers, cooks, custodians and public works employees.
Union leaders said that workers have faced staffing shortages that leave them overworked and put their departments at risk
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Author Helen Hunt Jackson said that one component of happiness is “a little less time than you want.” Why? Because you always “have so many things you want to see, to have and to do” and “no day is quite long enough for all you would like to get done before you go to bed.” I propose you experiment with this definition in the coming weeks. According to my astrological analysis, you will have even more interesting assignments and challenges than usual—as well as a brimming vitality that will make it possible for you to accomplish many but not all of them. Your happiness should be abundant!
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Born under the sign of Taurus, Ethel Smyth (1858–1944) had considerable skills as a composer of music, an athlete, an author, a passionate lover and an activist working for women’s rights. She was successful in all of them. I propose we make her one of your role models for the coming months. Why? First, because she did more than one thing really well, and you are now primed to enhance your versatility, flexibility and adaptability. Second, because she described a formula for high achievement that would suit you well. She said, “Night after night I went to sleep murmuring, ‘Tomorrow I will be easy, strong, quick, supple, accurate, dashing and self-controlled all at once!'” (PS: I suggest you make “supple” your word of power in 2022.)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): According to author Olivia Dresher, “Feelings want to be free. Thoughts want to be right.” Well, then, what about intuitions? In a sense, they’re hybrids of feelings and thoughts. They’re a way of knowing that transcends both feelings and thoughts. When intuitions come from the clear-seeing part of your deep psyche rather than the fear-prone part of your conditioning, they are sweet and fun and accurate and humble and brisk and pure. They don’t “want” to be anything. I’m pleased to inform you, Gemini, that in the coming weeks, your intuitions will be working at peak efficiency. It should be relatively easy for you to distinguish between the clear-seeing and fear-prone modes of intuition.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): “If you are going to do something wrong, at least enjoy it,” wrote humorist Leo Rosten. I offer his counsel to you right now because I want you to have fun if you wander away from your usual upstanding behavior. But may I make a suggestion? As you depart from normal, boring niceness, please remain honorable and righteous. What I’m envisioning for you are experiments that are disruptive in healthy ways, and dares that stir up interesting problems, and rebellious explorations that inspire beauty and truth. They’ll be “wrong” only in the sense of being mutinies against static, even stagnant, situations that should indeed be prodded and pricked. Remember Bob Dylan’s idea: “To live outside the law, you must be honest.”
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo actor Anna Kendrick bragged, “I’m so humble it’s crazy. I’m like the Kanye West of humility.” I’d like to see you adopt that extravagant approach to expressing your magnificence in the coming weeks. I hope you’ll add another perspective to your repertoire, too—this one from Leo actor Mae West. She exulted, “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” Here’s one further attitude I encourage you to incorporate, courtesy of Leo author Rachel Pollack: “To learn to play seriously is one of the great secrets of spiritual exploration.”
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Sammy Davis Jr. (1925–1990) was multi-talented: an actor, singer, comedian and dancer. One critic described him as “the greatest entertainer ever to grace a stage.” He didn’t think highly of his own physical appearance, however. “I know I’m dreadfully ugly,” Davis said, “one of the ugliest men you could meet. But ugliness, like beauty, is something you must learn how to use.” That’s an interesting lesson to meditate on. I think it’s true that each of us has rough, awkward, irregular aspects—if not in our physical appearance, then in our psyches. And yet, as Davis suggested, we can learn to not just tolerate those qualities, but use them to our advantage. Now is a favorable time for you to do that.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “It is the nature of love to work in a thousand different ways,” wrote the mystic Saint Teresa of Avila. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’re due to discover new and different ways to wield your love magic—in addition to the many you already know and use. For best results, you’ll have to be willing to depart from old reliable methods for expressing care and tenderness and nurturing. You must be willing to experiment with fresh approaches that may require you to stretch yourself. Sounds like fun to me!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “If you are drilling for water, it’s better to drill one 60-foot well than 10 six-foot wells,” advised author and religious scholar Huston Smith. He was using well-drilling as a metaphor, of course—as a symbol for solving a problem, for example, or developing a spiritual practice, or formulating an approach to psychological healing. The metaphor might not be perfectly applicable for everyone in every situation. But I believe it is vividly apropos for you and your current situations.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A well-worn proverb tells us, “All good things come to those who wait.” There’s a variation, whose author is unknown (although it’s often misattributed to Abraham Lincoln): “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left behind by those who hustle.” I think that’s far more useful advice for you in the coming weeks. I’d much rather see you hustle than wait. Here’s a third variant, which may be the best counsel of all. It’s by author Holly Woodward: “All good things come to those who bait.”
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Author Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote, “To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization.” I agree, which is why I authorize you to add “Saint” to the front of your name in the coming weeks. There’s an excellent chance you will fit the description Stowe articulated. You’ll be at the peak of your power to elevate the daily rhythm into a stream of subtle marvels. You’ll be quietly heroic. If you’re not fond of the designation “Saint,” you could use the Muslim equivalent term, “Wali,” the Jewish “Tzadik,” Buddhist “Arhat” or Hindu “Swami.”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Since the iconoclastic planet Uranus is a chief symbol for the Aquarian tribe, you people are more likely to be dissenters and mavericks and questioners than all the other signs. That doesn’t mean your departures from orthodoxy are always successful or popular. Sometimes you meet resistance from the status quo. Having offered that caveat, I’m happy to announce that in the coming weeks, your unique offerings are more likely than usual to be effective. For inspiration, read these observations by author Kristine Kathryn Rusch: “Rebels learn the rules better than the rule-makers do. Rebels learn where the holes are, where the rules can best be breached. Become an expert at the rules. Then break them with creativity and style.”
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean author Juansen Dizon tells us, “Don’t find yourself in places where people have it all figured out.” That’s always good advice, but it will be especially germane for you in the coming weeks and months. You need the catalytic stimulation that comes from associating with curious, open-minded folks who are committed to the high art of not being know-it-alls. The influences you surround yourself with will be key in your efforts to learn new information and master new skills. And that will be an essential assignment for you throughout 2022.
Brandon Armitage is making some of the best wines around. On a recent visit to the tasting room, my husband and I went through a flight of complex and interesting wines, even trying a few over and over because they were so good.
Hospitality is the name of the game at the Armitage tasting room. Sarah, who loves pouring samples and filling glasses to the brim for customers, generously shared her food from next door’s Akira. We sat next to a couple on a high-rise table who did the same thing—asking us to try a few pieces of their sushi. There is always a good vibe at Armitage—and having Akira Sushi next door is a boon, for sure. The restaurant’s bold flavors pair well with Armitage’s fine wines.
Armitage’s 2020 Rosé of Pinot Noir falls into that category. This coral-hued beauty is upbeat, fresh and a cut above most rosés found on supermarket shelves. Its aromas and flavors of strawberry, rhubarb, watermelon and rose petals attest to this. And it’s only $19.60.
Those in the know are aware that Brandon Armitage farms superior grapes on the old Alfred Hitchcock estate in Scotts Valley. Tiny Winery concerts are held on the sweeping property during the warmer months and private events on Saturdays.
Armitage Wines, 105c Post Office Drive (between Starbucks and Akira), Aptos. 831-708-2874. armitagewines.com.
Bread & Butter Prosecco
Bread & Butter Wines makes a good Prosecco for under $15. This balanced bubbly is produced in a small Italian town and delivers lively notes of ripe apple, pear and white peach. And, as they say on their website, this wine is easy to pop, so don’t overthink it! Bread & Butter Wines are also made in Napa. Another of their wines I recommend is the 2019 Merlot for $15.99. 3105 Silverado Trail, Napa. 833-332-7323. breadandbutterwines.com.
It may sound like a cliché: starting as a dishwasher, working tirelessly through the ranks and eventually becoming a restaurant owner. But the truth is that it’s a feat few accomplish. Ernesto Garcia is one of those few.
In 1982, the Jalisco, Mexico transplant was hired as a dishwasher for Ristorante Italiano. A dozen years later, Garcia graduated to prep cook. From there, he moved to line cook and then kitchen manager. In 2010, he became a head chef—and also took over as owner.
Garcia’s longtime passion for Italian cuisine is apparent in every layer of pasta, ricotta, meat and red sauce that makes up Italiano’s lasagna. Meanwhile, the cioppino (available weekends only) is a succulent seafood bounty, and the housemade tiramisu is worth making room for. Then there’s the popular frozen baked potato: an original concoction made of cookies and cream ice cream and some other sweet ingredients.
Ristorante Italiano is open 4:30-8:30pm (until 9pm Fridays and Saturdays) and closed Tuesdays. Garcia dished about his meteoric rise through the ranks and the most inspiring moment he’s had as a chef.
What compelled you to become a restaurant owner?
ERNESTO GARCIA: I started as a dishwasher and discovered my passion for Italian cuisine. When I had the opportunity to become owner, I wanted to do it because it really motivated me to share my love for food with others and just continue to make people happy. And being owner, I was also inspired to showcase my creativity and be able to include my family in my journey.
What sparks your culinary creativity?
One night when I got the opportunity to create my very own special. It was a very busy night, and it was the first time that I had gotten to put a dish on special. I chose Salmon Florentine because we had a lot of salmon that night, and I personally love that dish. I was the one cooking it throughout the night, and we sold over 80 dishes. There was something about everyone enjoying what I had made that made me feel really good. It is the feeling you get when you know you’ve made other people happy.
555 Soquel Ave., Ste. 150, Santa Cruz. 831-458-2321. ristoranteitalianosc.com.
Sunday night, downtown Santa Cruz. A balmy January evening and the promenade on Pacific Avenue is teeming with people—lots of families with kids hoping for a fun, inexpensive dinner. Among the possibilities is Snap Taco, where brightly colored booths, spacious sidewalk seating and a menu priced to entice are all spread out like a winter fiesta. I phoned in my order and went down to pick it up. The newly hungry downtown strollers were checking out the menu or taking home orders, and I felt sorry for the very efficient sole person trying to tend bar, take orders and retrieve carry-out from the kitchen. Nonetheless, it went fairly swiftly and when we opened our meals at home the incredible aromas made us happy even before the first bites.
Here’s what we got for under $30: a massive Grilled Chicken Bowl (NBA-sized) filled with baby lettuces tossed with crisp tortillas, slices of yam, shredded cabbage, huge chunks of grilled chicken breast, cherry tomatoes, pinto beans, all sprinkled with shredded queso fresco cheese and quinoa. Colossal is the word that comes to mind ($13). With the one-bowl meal came containers of lime-driven vinaigrette and chimichurri sauce, which I added to various chunks of chicken. Cilantro danced in and out of each bite. The taco chips absorbed the surrounding sauces and flavors, and frankly I got stuffed trying to finish half of this bowl. Meanwhile, we sampled an order of four quesadillas with avocado, big slabs of flour tortilla filled with melted cheese to please our inner child ($6.95). Nobody doesn’t love a quesadilla, and these were yummy.
But the major hit of this meal turned out to be the shredded pork carnitas taco, sweet with pineapple marinade, perched on a corn tortilla (this was our GF dish). Cabbage, cilantro, salsa and lime added even more zing to the tender, intensely flavored pork. With this dish we had containers of pinto beans and brown rice ($3.50 each), exactly what you want with your carnitas (at $3.95 the deal of the decade). One of the great things about the Snap Taco menu is that you can customize your order. For example, on the Grilled Chicken Bowl, you can add pork belly, or an extra portion of chicken (for a few dollars more). Or on the carnitas taco, you can choose to add sour cream, or avocado, or specify, no salsa, no pickled red onion, you get the idea. In other words, you can truly have your order modified to your taste! Now that students are back, Snap Taco is one of the obvious pitstops—lots of big flavors for not much money. This place has family dining nailed too, and the people-watching from the sidewalk seats is terrific. Snap Taco lets kids under 12 dine free on Sundays after 5pm. That’s food for thought. Snap Taco, 1108 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Closed Tu-Wed. Open Thurs-Mon 11:30am-9pm.
Winter WineIndefatigable wine maestro Jeff Emery simply can’t make a ho-hum wine, and I am especially enjoying his Quinta Cruz Tempranillo right now with cool weather dinners. Bearing the Quinta Cruz label (the sister brand to Emery’s flagship Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard), the 2015 San Antonio Valley Tempranillo manages the almost impossible balancing act of assertive rounded flavors—star anise, blackberry—and light 12.8% alcohol. Harvested from Monterey County’s Pierce Ranch, these grapes, thanks to the skillful winemaker, have created a wine of appealing complexity. Great with pork, pasta and grilled chicken. $22 at Shoppers, New Leaf and the winery tasting room in the Ingalls St. Surf City Wineries location. santacruzmountainvineyard.com
The union that represents some 1,600 County of Santa Cruz employees has averted a strike after hammering out a tentative agreement during all-day negotiations Monday.
