Page 406 | Good Times

Report Shows Law Agencies Aligned

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December 16, 2021

All of the county’s four city police agencies—and the Sheriff’s Office—have similar policies when it comes to use of force and releasing of information to the public, according to a report released in November by the Criminal Justice Council of Santa Cruz County.

The report—thought to be the first of its kind nationwide—examined policies and procedures of Capitola, Santa Cruz, Watsonville and Scotts Valley police departments, in addition to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department.

The main takeaway, according to Sheriff Jim Hart, is that most departments’ policies are aligned with each other, which he says is a rarity among counties and a sign that the county’s law enforcement model is on the right track.

“You don’t see many or any other counties where all of the police agencies are able to come to the table and have this level of agreement on policies,” Hart says. “It’s a very unique situation that we have here, and I think it serves our people well.”

According to the report, all the law enforcement agencies prohibit controversial tactics such as chokeholds, as well as neck and carotid restraints. All are required to use de-escalation techniques before using force, and require “less-lethal” force before using deadly force. In addition, all require a warning before lethal force when it is safe to do so.

While only some departments have dedicated units with mental health workers paired with officers, all would support efforts to create such a unit.

The report also shows that only Santa Cruz Police Department reports complaints against its officers to the public or elected officials and that Capitola and Scotts Valley police departments do not publish public requests for information under the public records act.

All, however, release footage from officer-worn body cameras in officer-involved shootings.

The report also looked at which agencies have independent auditors, or any other type of independent oversight, and found that only SCPD has either.

None use facial recognition technology, and all say they require implicit bias training for their officers.

Only Scotts Valley does not have policies in place regarding the acquisition of surveillance technology. Chief Steve Walpole explained that the small department has not yet had the funds to purchase such technology, and that it would develop policies before that occurred.

“I was proud of the work everyone did,” Walpole says of the report. “It was open and honest. All of us in the law enforcement community have to work together to do their job. There is not one agency that can do everything they need to do without the help of other agencies.”

Supervisor Zach Friend—who chairs the CJC—called the report “in-depth analysis of local police agency policies and procedures—in particular around use-of-force.”

The purpose, Friend says, is to see where there is alignment, where there are gaps and where there are opportunities to improve.

He adds that the goal is not to necessarily have a standardized set of policies across jurisdictions.

“Local agencies and the communities they serve may have reasons why they have specific policies, don’t have specific policies or have policies that differ from other agencies within the county,” he says. “The CJC focuses discussions on prevention and intervention as well as reentry programs—rather than simply a suppression model.”

The council, for example, has held a conference on the role of women and girls in gangs and worked with school districts, nonprofits and others on intervention and prevention programs to reduce youth involvement in gangs in general.

The CJC is made up of local police chiefs, the county sheriff, the chief probation officer, the district attorney, leadership of two local nonprofits, two local judges, the public defender and the county superintendent of schools, among others.

Next year, the focus will be exclusively on behavioral health and the criminal justice system, Friend says.

To see the report, visit bit.ly/3GJC2BN.

More Updates to the Santa Cruz Mixed-Use Library Project

Aiyana Moya

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December 16, 2021

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More Updates to the Santa Cruz Mixed-Use Library Project

Santa Cruz’s mixed-use library project received yet another round of updates this week, and while the changes were well received by most at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, opposition to the project remains.

The city of Santa Cruz has been working on updating its decaying library since voters approved Measure S in 2016, an initiative that provided funding for library renovations across the county. The original plan for the update was to build five stories of parking above a new library.

But now, the city plans on building a two-story library with 310 parking spaces, adjacent to an 85-foot affordable apartment building. The construction would happen at the parking lot on the corner of Cedar and Lincoln streets, the site of the popular weekly downtown farmers market.

“When I was first campaigning for City Council, I’d heard that the site would have a six-story parking garage,” said Councilman Justin Cummings, who told voters he opposed the initial project while running for office in 2018. “But what’s before us today, I feel like it’s a really big improvement.”

The updates modify a few elements of the master plan that the City Council approved in June 2020. Jayson Architecture, the firm hired by the city to design the project, collected suggestions from the public to create the library’s new design during a series of workshops held in October.

The new plan, approved unanimously by the City Council at Tuesday’s meeting, increases the affordable housing units from 50 to a minimum of 100 and decreases the parking by 90 stalls. The vote also approves new design elements, like a green roof and an adjacent roof deck, and expands the library to accommodate a daycare facility.

“The city’s thoughtful and proactive approach, and incorporation of community input, in designing the library mixed-use project has entirely paid off,” said Emily Ham, the executive director of the Santa Cruz County Business Council.

Her sentiment was echoed by multiple callers, who praised the library’s new design elements and additional affordable housing units.

But some voiced concerns that have long followed the proposal: what would the construction mean for the future of the weekly farmers market, and why won’t the city simply renovate the existing library at 224 Church St.?

One group called Our Downtown, Our Future is collecting signatures to bring these issues to the voters as a ballot measure. Our Downtown hopes to make Lot 4, the lot that the mixed-use library would build affordable apartments on, the permanent location for the downtown farmers market. The group also wants the city to remodel the current library, a plan that both the Downtown Library Advisory Committee (DLAC) and Downtown Library Subcommittee found would be costly and limit the project.

But some have also questioned Our Downtown’s true intentions, wondering if the ballot initiative is simply a way to block affordable housing and dictate where it belongs. John Hall, one of the organizers of the initiative, has maintained that Lot 4 simply makes for a better location for the farmers market.

Should the ballot initiative collect enough signatures and be approved by Santa Cruz voters in the November 2022 election, the library project would have to stop, City Attorney Tony Condotti confirmed.

For now, the project will have one final round of feedback before it will begin construction. It could be completed sometime in 2025, the city says. People will have two more opportunities to give input and contribute to the library’s final design elements at meetings that will be posted at the library’s project website.

Prescribed burns

Environment

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December 15, 2021

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The atmosphere at most broadcast prescribed burn sites feels calm and professional. Crews begin arriving early in the morning to check conditions and set up. At a briefing—usually around eight o’clock—the group reviews the prescription and their individual roles.

They conduct a small test fire in the middle of the area. If the fuel burns well, the group sends a request to the regional office for permission to put fire on the ground. The burn itself begins around 10 and runs until mid-afternoon, when the crews begin shutting it down.

A couple of the engines stay behind to patrol the area overnight. The next morning, a smaller group comes back out with foresters to evaluate the area. Once everything has been cold and out for a while, the burn is officially done.

Most controlled burns end without incident. But occasionally, conditions change and things get out of hand. Such was the case at the Estrada Fire in Corralitos in late October.

Wind picked up and sent fire over the lines just as CAL FIRE was starting to shut it down. 148 acres burned before firefighters got the blaze under control.

The unit came under fire on social media for conducting a burn at all on a warm fall day. But Rich Sampson, the Vegetation Management Division Chief for the Santa Cruz County Fire Department, says the day’s conditions fit the bill when they started working.

“Conditions changed,” he says. CAL FIRE critiqued and debriefed after the Estrada fire, but they will not conduct a formal internal review.

“It happens from time to time on fires,” says Sampson. “That’s why we go heavy on the resources.”

There’s a lot of pressure to conduct burns, he says. Millions of acres of land need management to prevent catastrophic wildfires. But conditions must align in just the right way to make it possible.

A narrow window

Air quality, winds, temperature and moisture all determine whether a burn is possible. If conditions are too dry and hot, a fire becomes dangerous. But when the land is too wet, fuel won’t ignite or burn efficiently.

“There is a lot of work that goes into it ahead of time—a lot of environmental review and planning in terms of what will be required in order to implement a burn,” says Angela Bernheisel, CAL FIRE San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit division chief.

“If anybody thinks it’s just like, we wake up in the morning and say, ‘Oh, I think I’ll just go burn today,’ that’s not how it works,” she says. “There’s a lot of planning and thought that goes into it before any fire ever hits the ground.”

CAL FIRE makes prescriptions for specific plots of land years in advance. When conditions look promising, they choose a plan and start making preparations. But the implementation has to stay flexible.

“We only have about a 25% chance of it actually happening when we plan on it,” says Sampson. Sometimes, the winds change. Other times, resources get pulled to a different fire. At the start of November, a planned week of prescribed fires in Wilder Ranch ended early after rains soaked the brush.

“We’ll make four or five attempts to try to do a burn—say in the fall or in the winter when the conditions are what we want—before it actually happens. Or we have to wait until the next year,” he says.

In recent years, climate change and large wildfires have made it harder to find good windows.

“You need to be in prescription,” says Bernheisel. “So, if climate change is creating conditions that are hotter and drier for longer periods of the year, then it might be more difficult to find that time period when you would be in prescription.”

When conditions do line up, the unit also needs enough people and equipment to manage the fire.

“Because of how bad the fires were this summer around the state, the resources that we had to conduct the fires were gone most of the year on wildland fires,” says Sampson.

“Some years, we just can’t put fire out on the ground because it’s too dry and the field conditions are outside of their prescription or our resources are all gone,” he says. “And so that just pushes more of the pressure to other years, when the conditions are better or resources are available.”

A changing landscape

New developments further complicate matters. Sampson says using fire used to be a “completely different situation.” There were hills where crews could burn a few thousand acres without worrying.

“But now, you go look at some of these areas that used to be vacant, and there’s homes out there,” he says.

“There’s power lines going through areas where it used to be just bare hillsides.”

Fire has existed both as a natural part of the landscape and for management in Santa Cruz County for millennia.

“The ancestors of the Amah Mutsun tribal band were using intentional fire as a tool for many thousands of years,” says Sara French, the director of development at the Amah Mutsun Land Trust.

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust currently works with CAL FIRE on prescribed burns at the Soquel Demonstration State Forest.

CAL FIRE mostly uses prescribed burns in Santa Cruz County to complement or enhance other management strategies, like fuel breaks.

“So we’re not just relying on prescribed burns to do the whole job,” says Bernheisel. “We’re using it as one of the tools to do the job.”

“But conditions are going to continue to get worse and worse,” says Sampson. “The question is, can we put enough on the ground to make a difference and help out? To go ahead and reduce some of the danger?”

Measure U Extension Committee Submits Signatures

Local News

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December 15, 2021

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Measure U Extension Committee Submits Signatures

WATSONVILLE—About two dozen organizers packed into the Watsonville civic offices on Monday afternoon to turn in the signatures needed to put an extension of a landmark ballot measure before Watsonville voters next year.

Measure U, approved by voters in 2002, put restrictions on where, when and how Watsonville could expand in an effort to protect the sloughs and rich farmland that surround Santa Cruz County’s southernmost city. But some of the protections are set to expire in 2022 and the rest will expire five years later.

The Committee for Planned Growth and Farmland Protection over the past six months gathered some 3,100 signatures from registered Watsonville voters to put the item on next year’s ballot.

The coalition of environmentalist and agriculture industry leaders created for the sole purpose of extending Measure U through 2040 only needed to submit roughly 2,200 signatures—or 10% of Watsonville’s voting body—to the Watsonville City Clerk’s office before Dec. 15.

The signatures must now be verified by Watsonville City Clerk Beatriz Vazquez Flores.

Former Watsonville Mayor Betty Bobeda, who brought the initial petition forward more than a year ago, said that the fact that they surpassed that mark by nearly 1,000 signatures showed there is overwhelming support for the extension.

“The people of Watsonville don’t want urban sprawl,” she said. “They want preservation of farmland.”

The renewal will be on what should be a contentious and lengthy election day ballot that will feature several Watsonville City Council races and a battle over the county supervisorial seat that oversees most of Watsonville, the 4th district.

Committee leader Sam Earnshaw says that the group will now try to build support for the extension, an effort that he expects will ramp up after the June 7, 2022 primary. While he doesn’t expect it will be difficult to win over Watsonville voters—he said they already had their say in 2013 when they overwhelmingly voted against Measure T—a bigger fight will be trying to convince the Watsonville City Council to support it.

The local elected leaders have been largely critical of the measure’s impact on the city when discussing the item during public meetings. Some City Councilmembers have gone as far as calling the committee’s claims about Measure U “propaganda” and others have said that there are racist overtones in their stance against allowing Watsonville—a community with a large Latinx population with several people who cannot vote—to expand in order to build more housing and attract more employers.

Earnshaw, however, says that Measure U has been good for Watsonville and that the city’s urban line limits should stay where they are to limit urban sprawl and encourage developers to renovate blighted areas and underused parcels within city limits. The farmer turned environmentalist also cites a citywide survey in which 95% of respondents said the city should create additional jobs and housing near already existing infrastructure to help preserve natural and agricultural land.

“It’s not like there aren’t any [vacant and underutilized parcels] in Watsonville,” Earnshaw said. “Focus on that, and then you got 2040 when you can try to go for some farmland again.”

Watsonville Leaders Cry Foul Over Proposed Congressional Redistricting

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December 15, 2021

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Watsonville Leaders Cry Foul Over Proposed Congressional Redistricting

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to send a letter to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission demanding it not split Watsonville from its fellow Santa Cruz County cities in the upcoming congressional redistricting.

The letter, penned by outgoing Mayor Jimmy Dutra, came to the City Council as an emergency item at the end of its final regularly scheduled meeting of the year.

Dutra wrote the letter in response to the proposed redistricting map released on Dec. 13 which moved Watsonville from the 20th Congressional District overseen by Jimmy Panetta to a new district that includes Gilroy, Morgan Hill, East San Jose, San Benito County, Salinas, Gonzalez, Greenfield and King City.

The coastal area to the west of Watsonville, including La Selva Beach and Pajaro Dunes, would stay in the 20th District. So, too, would Corralitos and the other communities just to the north of Watsonville.

“This is unacceptable,” Dutra said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We belong with the rest of Santa Cruz County. We belong with the rest of Monterey County. And we belong with Jimmy Panetta being our congressional leader.”

Watsonville, the letter states, has “little to no common voices or interests” with the other communities it is placed with in the proposed map.

“The Counties of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz have shared interests and characteristics that define them as a community of interest,” Dutra wrote. “All three counties have a shared economy in agriculture, media markets, culture and history.”

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission, a 14-member group made up of five Republicans, five Democrats and four people not affiliated with either of those two parties, must approve a final map by Dec. 23 and that map must be certified to the Secretary of State by Dec. 27.

The commission is holding a handful of meetings in the days leading up to Dec. 23.

If the proposed map is accepted, the Monterey Bay Area would be split among two congressional districts, a move that local elected leaders say would be “devastating” to Watsonville’s voice and sidetrack several multi-county projects in the works.

Chief among those projects, argues Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend, is the Pajaro River Flood Control Project, which this year took a major step forward after decades of stagnation thanks to federal leadership.

Friend, whose 2nd District oversees parts of Watsonville, also sent a letter to the commission in opposition to the proposed map. In the letter, Friend argues that carving out Santa Cruz County’s southernmost city from the 20th District would largely dilute its say at the federal stage.

“The unfortunate thing is that Watsonville has faced attempts to dilute its voice before—with a precedent-setting Supreme Court case ensuring that the residents of Watsonville would have a seat at the table,” he wrote. “In Gomez v. the City of Watsonville, the plaintiffs argued that the at-large elections system in Watsonville used for City Council elections was unconstitutional and violated the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. At the time, even though Latinos in Watsonville made up half of the city’s population (it’s significantly higher now)—no Latinos had been elected to the City Council since the city’s incorporation.”

He continued: “This proposal for the new Congressional district brings forth many of the same concerns—diluting Watsonville’s voice on the federal stage and, in particular, diluting the voices of Santa Cruz County farmworkers, non-native speakers and first-generation residents.”

Members of the public can also submit comments to the commission, and Dutra and the City Council implored Watsonville residents to do so.

For information on the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, visit wedrawthelinesca.org.

Things To Do in Santa Cruz: Dec. 15-21

GT Staff

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December 15, 2021

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A weekly guide to what’s happening.

ARTS AND MUSIC

CELTIC TEEN BAND PROGRAM Teenage musicians ages 12-19 play in an ensemble, developing musicianship, flexibility, and musical creativity. Participants work on music from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Norway, Sweden and the United States, in addition to modern and more quirky pieces. Instruments welcomed include fiddle, viola, flute, tin whistle, pipes, cello, upright bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo, dulcimer, autoharp, ukulele, Celtic harp, accordion and percussion. Students must have at least two years of experience on their instrument and must be able to read sheet music and chord symbols. The group meets twice a month Wednesday afternoons from 3:30-5pm at the London Nelson Center with fiddle teacher John Weed. Cost is free-$10 per session on a sliding scale. Potential students are welcome to come for a session and see if they like it—no obligation! More information and registration at CommunityMusicSchool.org/teenband. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 3:30pm. London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE MOVIES Film buffs are invited to join us online every Wednesday night at 7pm to discuss a currently streaming movie. For more info, please visit our webpage: https://groups.google.com/group/LTATM.

NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCE Join us for our annual Santa Cruz Nutcracker performance! Featuring dancers from all ages and backgrounds, we’ve come together to offer you this spectacular show. Many members of our beloved staff, including Studio Director Shannon Chipman and ballet teacher Vicki Bergland, performed in the original Santa Cruz Nutcracker Production. Even more, they continue to dance and teach to this day. Invite in the holiday spirit and come enjoy Tchaikovsky’s iconic score with our talented dancers, right in Cabrillo’s Crocker Theater. Friday, Dec. 17, 10am. Saturday, Dec. 18, 10am. Sunday, Dec. 19, 10am. Cabrillo Crocker Theater, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos.

THE SANTA CRUZ CHORALE PRESENTS CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHORALE We are happy to let you know that, in spite of Covid-19, we are planning to have our “Christmas with the Chorale” concerts—of course with a few changes to ensure safety. The choir members are all vaccinated, we’ll be singing with masks, and the audience must also be masked and vaccinated. In addition, the concert will be shorter than usual, with no intermission, and since the size of the audience will be smaller than can fill Holy Cross, you’ll have to order your tickets early! But even with these limitations that are unpleasant for all of us, you can be sure, there will be no limitations to the beauty of the program! Beginning with what is some of the oldest known Christmas music, Gregorian chant, we will sing music from centuries past, and right up to compositions from modern times. We will again be joined by the Monterey Bay Sinfonietta, and of course we will also perform favorite carols from around the world. We are very much looking forward to finally seeing you again, and to sharing with you the joy of Christmas music. Saturday, Dec. 18, 8pm. Sunday, Dec. 19, 4pm. Holy Cross Church, 210 High St., Santa Cruz.

TOMÁSEEN FOLEY’S A CELTIC CHRISTMAS For the 26th season, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas brings traditional Irish musicians and dancers to enthralled audiences across the country. At its center is native Irish storyteller, Tomáseen Foley. A Celtic Christmas springs from the infinitely rich treasury of Ireland’s cultural heritage: a re-creation of a night before Christmas in the West of Ireland in the 1940s, before the advent of the motorcar, the television, and the telephone. In this recreation of age-old tradition, neighbors bring their fiddles, tin whistles, flutes, bodhráns, uilleann pipes; and, perhaps most important of all, their unshakeable sense of community, for a night of traditional music, song, dance and of course storytelling. The show’s music director is a Grammy Award-winning guitarist and Santa Cruz resident William Coulter, an internationally recognized master of the steel-string guitar. Friday, Dec. 17, 7:30pm. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz.

WHEN WE PAINT OUR MASTERPIECE: THE ART OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD COMMUNITY Learn how the members of the Grateful Dead and the global Deadhead community took inspiration from one another in creating an image-rich, worldwide art practice that, like the band’s music, scrambled perceived standards and norms. The creative works presented in When We Paint Our Masterpiece reveal a world full of variety when it comes to design practices, international traditions, visual icons, and vernacular art forms. There has been space for all of these patterns and visions in the community of fans and fellow artists that blossomed around the band, and that community of creators continues to thrive today. This exhibit explores the mutual appreciation among fans as well as between fans and the band. Free. McHenry Library, UCSC, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. Through December 22, 2022.

COMMUNITY

ADVANCE DIRECTIVE INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS WATSONVILLE Our individual sessions are perfect for people who are ready to complete their Advance Directives, with support. Schedule a one-on-one appointment to complete your Advance Directive. We will share copies of the necessary forms and walk you through filling them out, step by step. To make an appointment, please call 831-430-3000 and ask for Vanessa Silverstein. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 10am-1pm. Hospice of Santa Cruz County, 65 Nielson St., Watsonville.

COMMUNITY DRUMMING WITH JIM GREINER IN PERSON Percussionist/Educator Jim Greiner will conduct the next in his monthly third Friday series of community drumming sessions at the Inner Light Center in Soquel in person from 7-8:30pm. Doors open at 6:45pm. The cost is $10. Masks and social distancing requirements will be honored. Jim makes it fun and easy for people from all walks of life to play drums and hand percussion to release stress, to uplift and energize yourself, and to reinforce positive life rhythms through percussion playing. Friday, Dec. 17, 7-8:30pm. Inner Light Center, 5630 Soquel Drive, Soquel.

COMMUNITY PILATES MAT CLASS Come build strength with us. This very popular in-person community Pilates Mat Class in the big auditorium at Temple Beth El in Aptos is in session once again. Please bring your own mat, small Pilates ball and theraband if you have one. You must be vaccinated for this indoor class. Suggested donation of $10/class. Thursday, Dec. 16, 10am. Tuesday, Dec. 21, 10am. Temple Beth El, 3055 Porter Gulch Road, Aptos.

CUÉNTAME UN CUENTO Acompáñanos para una hora de cuentos, actividades y canciones en español. Este programa es para niños de 0-8 y sus familias. La hora será miércoles a las 4:30pm. Nos reuniremos en el porche exterior. Cuéntame un Cuento se llevará a cabo en Capitola durante el período de construcción de Live Oak. En caso de mal clima, se cancelará la hora de cuentos. Join us for Spanish Storytime, activities, and music! This program is best suited for kids ages 0-8 and their families. Storytime takes place on Wednesday at 4:30pm. We will meet on the outside porch. Storytime will take place at Capitola during Live Oak’s construction period. In the event of bad weather, storytime will be cancelled. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 4:30pm. Capitola Library A Santa Cruz City County Public Library Branch, 2005 Wharf Road, Capitola.

DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ MAKERS MARKET Come on out and support local makers and artists at the Downtown Santa Cruz Makers Market every third Sunday of the month on Pacific Ave at Lincoln St. We are now on the 1100 block of Pacific Ave. between Cathcart St. and Lincoln St. near New Leaf and alongside so many amazing downtown restaurants. Support local and shop small with over 30 Santa Cruz County artists and makers! Don’t forget to stop in and visit the downtown merchants and grab a bite to eat from the downtown restaurants. Remember to social distance as you shop and wear your mask. If you’re not feeling well, please stay home. There will be hand sanitizing stations at the market and signs to remind you about all these things! Friendly leashed pups are welcome at this free event! Sunday, Dec. 19, 10am-5pm. Downtown Santa Cruz Makers Market, Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz.

FARLEY’S CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND From Saturday, November 27 to Friday, December 31 (except when it’s raining), Farley’s Christmas Wonderland will be open. A walk-in Christmas display located in the midtown of Santa Cruz, this exhibit is very traditional: lots of Christmas trees, garlands, sleighs, an elf village, a miniature village, and a log cabin that Santa uses for his rest stops. There is also a fairy grotto with two waterfalls and fairies that can be viewed on special nights. Also, on those special nights, it even snows! Donations are welcome. 108 Seaview Ave., Santa Cruz. farleys-christmas-wonderland.com.

GREY BEARS BROWN BAG LINE Grey Bears are looking for help with their brown bag production line on Thursday and Friday mornings. Volunteers will receive breakfast and a bag of food if wanted. Be at the warehouse with a mask and gloves at 7am. Call ahead for more information: 831-479-1055, greybears.org. Thursday, Dec. 16, 7am. California Grey Bears, 2710 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS TRAIN A seasonal tradition returns to Santa Cruz with the Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train. Vintage excursion cars, adorned with thousands of colorful lights, roll through city streets past homes of Santa Cruz. First-class private coach cars can also be reserved for groups up to 50 people. Availability is limited so book in advance. Roaring Camp Railroads, 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton. Runs through Dec. 23. Schedule and tickets at roaringcamp.com.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS 2021 The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation and the Agricultural History Project presents Holiday Lights 2021 at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Holiday Lights is a half-mile drive-through experience at the fairgrounds of spectacular lighted holiday displays. See giant Christmas trees twinkling with lights, Santa, reindeer, snowmen, lighted tunnels and more. New this year are two evenings of walk-through holiday lights on Friday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 4 in conjunction with the Heritage Holiday Craft and Gift Fair. Tickets will only be available at the gate for these two evenings, and ticket gets you admission to Holiday Fair Shopping, too. For drive-through tickets (Thursday, Friday, Sunday), go eventbrite.com/e/holiday-lights-tickets.

KNITTING AT THE FELTON LIBRARY Join us every Monday afternoon at the Felton Branch for a knitting party. All you need to do is bring some yarn and knitting needles. All ages are welcome. Monday, Dec. 20, 12:30pm. Felton Branch Library, 6121 Gushee St., Felton.

TOY TRAINS 2021 Get whisked away into the whimsical world of toy trains and enjoy the 16th year of this beloved annual pop-up exhibit at the Museum of Art & History (MAH). Members of the Golden State Toy Train Operators will be on hand to once again share their amazing collection of toy trains at the MAH. First things first, we encourage you to be and stay safe. We are still living during a pandemic. Masks required when viewing the train display. 12-6pm Thursday, December 16-Sunday, Dec. 19. Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz.

WINTER FAMILY DAY 2021 Enjoy free admission to all our current exhibitions, plus the Toy Trains display in the Atrium all day! Drop in from 2-4pm to make a button and create seeds of growth to welcome in the new year. Sunday, Dec. 19. Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz.

GROUPS

ENTRE NOSOTRAS GRUPO DE APOYO Entre Nosotras support group for Spanish speaking women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets twice monthly. Registration required, please call Entre Nosotras 831-761-3973. Friday, Dec. 17, 6pm. WomenCARE, 2901 Park Ave., Suite A1, Soquel.

S+LAA MENS’ MEETING Having trouble with compulsive sexual or emotional behavior? Recovery is possible. Our small 12-step group meets Saturday evenings. Enter through the front entrance, go straight down the hallway to the last door on the right. Thursday, Dec. 16, 6pm. Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center, 2900 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz.

WOMENCARE ARM-IN-ARM WomenCARE Arm-in-Arm Cancer support group for women with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic cancer. Meets every Monday, currently on Zoom. Registration is required, call WomenCARE at 831-457-2273. All services are free. For more information visit womencaresantacruz.org. Monday, Dec. 20, 12:30pm.

WOMENCARE MINDFULNESS MEDITATION Mindfulness meditation for women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets the 1st and 3rd Friday, currently on Zoom. Registration required please call WomenCARE 831-457-2273. Friday, Dec. 17, 11am-noon.

WOMENCARE TUESDAY SUPPORT GROUP WomenCARE Tuesday Cancer support group for women newly diagnosed and through their treatment. Meets every Tuesday currently on Zoom. Registration required, call WomenCARE 831-457-2273. Tuesday, Dec. 21, 12:30-2pm.

WOMENCARE: LAUGHTER YOGA Laughter yoga for women with a cancer diagnosis. Meets every Wednesday, currently via Zoom. Registration is required, please call WomenCARE at 831-457-2273. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 3:30-4:30pm.

OUTDOOR

HISTORIC RANCH GROUND TOUR Discover what life was like a century ago on this innovative dairy ranch. This hour-long tour includes the 1896 water-powered machine shop, barns and other historic buildings. The vehicle day-use fee is $10. For more information, call 831-426-0505. Spaces are limited and early pre-registration is recommended. Attendees are required to self-screen for Covid-19 symptoms when pre-registering. Masks and social distancing are also required at all programs. Saturday, Dec. 18, 1-2pm. Sunday, Dec. 19, 1-2pm. Wilder Ranch State Park, 1401 Coast Road, Santa Cruz.

Kelly Finnigan Brings Retro Soul, Coated in Mistletoe, to Moe’s Alley

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December 15, 2021

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Kelly Finnigan Brings Retro Soul, Coated in Mistletoe, to Moe’s Alley

Soul revival singer-songwriter and Monophonics lead singer Kelly Finnigan was sitting around one day listening to the Sacred Four’s old gospel-funk song “Someone’s Watching You.” The “someone” is meant to refer to God—it’s a religious song, after all. Suddenly, a thought popped into Finnigan’s head—if he tweaked the lyrics, it could be about Christmas.

“I know who else is watching,” Finnigan recalls thinking. “I was in such a mode of Christmas, where my brain was at, a lightbulb just went on.”

Finnigan had Christmas on the brain because he was working on a Christmas album. It was something he talked about doing for years, but didn’t get the time to do it until the pandemic shut down live music. He spent the spring and summer of 2020 obsessing about Christmas, and released the album A Joyful Sound in November of 2020. “Santa’s Watching You” was one of the tracks.

He was hoping to perform the album in its entirety last year at the UC Theatre in Berkeley, but with Covid cases on the rise, the show was a no-go. This year, he debuts the Joyful Sound live show in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and right here in Santa Cruz at Moe’s Alley on December 16. He’s hoping it will become an annual tradition.

Christmas music can be very polarizing; there are those who can’t get enough of it, and those who loathe walking into Walgreens anytime during November and December. Finnigan is hoping to appeal to both groups. Or at least he hopes the Christmas-music haters give A Joyful Sound a chance. They are all original tunes, with the few covers being old obscure soul songs transformed into Christmas songs, as is the case with “Santa’s Watching You.”

“I like Christmas music—it’s not always done the way I like it,” Finnigan says. “I wanted it to feel like Kelly Finnigan made a true record for himself that is Christmas music. I didn’t want it to make people who know my music look at me sideways and be like, ‘What’s this guy doing?’”

Indeed, the record sounds much in the vein of Finnigan’s prior solo old-school-soul-style record The Tales People Tell.

When Finnigan imagined doing a Christmas record, he wasn’t picturing Bruce Springsteen doing “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” or Mariah Carey singing “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” He thought back to the records his family would listen to when he was a child, by artists like Ray Charles, Mahalia Jackson, BeBe and CeCe Winans and Rotary Connection. He wanted to make a Christmas album in that tradition, “when it was new and exciting to make Christmas music with pop artists, jazz artists and blues artists. They were figuring out they could do this. There was an excitement to the creative process. And that comes through in the performances,” Finnigan says. “Whereas it became popularized. Sometimes those efforts sounded phoned in. Like a producer picks the songs and a singer comes in and just banged that out.”

A Joyful Sound is an emotive, feel-good soul record about Christmas that occasionally dips into the sadness of the season, while maintaining an uplifting tone. “Waiting on the Big Man” is about dreading Christmas because of past trauma attached to the holidays. It also encourages people to focus on love and not on how much they spend on presents.

“This can be a tough time for people, especially what was going on in 2020. There’s some very positive-vibey tunes. But I wanted to not be overly joyous given that this is also a tough time of year for a lot of people,” Finnigan says.

Finnigan is really looking forward to these four shows, and hopes he can hit more cities next year. It’ll be a lot like his normal show—in other words, great live soul coming from a nine-piece band—but with Christmas lyrics.

“I’m not going to dress it up too much. Just playing through the record. Just trying to bring a really good vibe,” Finnigan says. “I’m sure a lot of people that like my music don’t like Christmas music, and maybe I can convince them to come to the show and convert them. It’s just soul music, but I’m singing about Christmas.”

Kelly Finnigan will play at 8:30pm on Thursday, December 16 at Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. (831) 479-1854.

Santana Vocalist Andy Vargas to Host Benefit Show at the Rio

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December 15, 2021

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Santana Vocalist Andy Vargas to Host Benefit Show at the Rio

Music means everything to Watsonville native Andy Vargas. It also became his career in 2000, when he started touring as Carlos Santana’s vocalist—a dream come true.

But Vargas understands that he had help achieving his goals. His father, Javier, always supportive, was a big part of that help. So, in 2015, Vargas started the Andy Vargas Foundation in San Bernardino, with the intention of helping under-privileged kids the way he was helped.

“Music, my whole life, has kept me focused on my dreams. I’ve been very lucky,” Vargas says. “I believe you have to give it to keep it. My dad gave me that love and that inspiration. He passed it on to me. I’m passing it on to my kids.”

The foundation helps kids by giving them access to equipment and mentorship, as well as providing an education in songwriting, and teaching them how they can find work in the music industry. It also provides financial support via scholarships to continue their higher education in the arts.

In 2018, the San Bernardino program ended, but he brought on his dad and expanded operations into Watsonville. In late 2019, he opened a new program in Southern California, and during the pandemic he and his dad started working with students on Zoom.

Vargas will be bringing several students to the Rio’s stage at his benefit show on Dec. 18, and he’ll perform with his band. Javier will also perform, along with other special guests like Ozomatli. This performance will not only showcase the skills Vargas’ students have acquired, but will raise awareness for his organization and raise much-needed funds for the Andy Vargas Foundation scholarship program. Fundraising efforts were down during the pandemic, so they have a lot to make up for.

Vargas has a vision for how he wants the academy to expand. He’s hoping next year to start a mariachi academy in Watsonville, led by his father. But for now, he’s trying to make sure that the normal operations are fully funded.

“I’m very grateful to be able to have one of my favorite groups, Ozomatli, on stage with us,” Vargas says. “I hope everyone comes and supports our students and sees a great show.”

The “Love is What We Need” Andy Vargas Foundation benefit concert starts at 6pm on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $40. (831) 423-8209.

Letter to the Editor: Solar Loansharking

Letters to the Editor

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December 15, 2021

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Letter to the Editor: Solar Loansharking

I have solar panels on my home here in Ben Lomond, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without a solar loan. The loan is dependent upon there being some type of ROI on the panels–mainly the ability to sell power back to the grid.

Why are CA utilities—led by PG&E—trying to kill this incentive?

PG&E is proposing a $90 per month “solar connection fee” and an 80% reduction in the amount they reimburse solar owners for their excess energy during the day. A vote is scheduled for this week with the CPUC. Please encourage your readers to visit savecaliforniasolar.com and sign the petition to save rooftop solar!

Reuben Ly

Ben Lomond

This letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@*******es.sc.

Letter to the Editor: Commons Sense

Letters to the Editor

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December 15, 2021

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During my lifetime, I’ve lived in Mexico for three years and spent a month traveling in Spain, experiencing the value of a town square, a welcoming public space that brings community together. Like a living room, a central plaza is a place where people pause in their busy lives to relax, share ideas, celebrate special occasions, play and be entertained, together.

It is an established fact that well-designed and cared for public plazas bring life and vibrancy to a town center, providing a democratic meeting space—an outdoor community center. In this uncertain era of Covid and emerging variants, access to a public outdoor gathering space would be of exceptional value, as we are advised to socialize outdoors as much as possible.

The importance of an outdoor venue to bring people together in our downtown was understood by those who reconfigured the MAH, designing a relaxed outdoor gathering space that immediately filled with conversation, music, food—a joy to walk by, but not the large open public space that a downtown commons would provide.

Imagine walking through our downtown streets in the shadow of the slated-to-be-built many-storied concrete apartments, condos, and maybe a behemoth luxury hotel, blocking sun to meet friends or business associates or just sit on a bench in an open tree-lined park-like plaza with children playing. Imagine tourists (and locals!) looking over the town square weekly event calendar for ways to engage during their visit and perhaps finding outdoor movies, concerts and dances, a cultural festival, an antique fair, a farmer’s market or two!

I recall many years ago, walking from my home down Lincoln St, heading downtown on a weekend and encountering—to my great surprise and delight—a large gathering on the farmers market lot with a stage and food booths, music and speakers, all in Spanish—a joyful gathering of our Oaxacan community. A community commons would provide a permanent place to celebrate and know the rich cultures in our community, a place to gather for a rally after a march, a place for youth to speak out about their future.

Yes, we need to retain and restructure our library per our vote for Measure S in 2016, knowing we have the option to build an extension over the adjacent parking lot. Yes, we need bona fide low-income housing built on or over the many downtown city-owned lots. Yes, we must fill our (verified) unfilled parking lots while developing strategies to mitigate our dependence on cars. Yes, we are obliged to do our part to cut carbon emissions in recognition of the catastrophic threat of global warming.

Yes, yes we must create a welcoming, attractive outdoor community space on our one large open area in the heart of our downtown that will meet our human need to gather in community—to create, to celebrate, to advocate, to play—safely—in this uncertain age of climate catastrophe and pandemics.

With vision and wise leadership, we can have it all.

Sheila Carrillo

Santa Cruz

This letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originals—not copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@*******es.sc.

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Report Shows Law Agencies Aligned

More Updates to the Santa Cruz Mixed-Use Library Project

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A narrow window

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Measure U Extension Committee Submits Signatures

Watsonville Leaders Cry Foul Over Proposed Congressional Redistricting

Things To Do in Santa Cruz: Dec. 15-21

ARTS AND MUSIC

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Kelly Finnigan Brings Retro Soul, Coated in Mistletoe, to Moe’s Alley

Santana Vocalist Andy Vargas to Host Benefit Show at the Rio

Letter to the Editor: Solar Loansharking

Letter to the Editor: Commons Sense

Report Shows Law Agencies Aligned

More Updates to the Santa Cruz Mixed-Use Library Project

Prescribed burns

Measure U Extension Committee Submits Signatures

Watsonville Leaders Cry Foul Over Proposed Congressional Redistricting

Things To Do in Santa Cruz: Dec. 15-21

Kelly Finnigan Brings Retro Soul, Coated in Mistletoe, to Moe’s Alley

Santana Vocalist Andy Vargas to Host Benefit Show at the Rio

Letter to the Editor: Solar Loansharking

Letter to the Editor: Commons Sense