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Santa Cruz Restaurant Week: Menu Favorites and Navigating Tough Times

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October 20, 2020

Santa Cruz Restaurant Week: Menu Favorites and Navigating Tough Times

For local restaurants, this year has been challenging at best. Dine-in was not an option for several months, which meant going to takeout only—or even closing completely (raise a glass to 99 Bottles, Gilda’s, Cremer House, et al.).

Outdoor dining was the first step back, and more recently reduced-capacity indoor dining has provided another lifeline. But restaurants operate on razor-thin margins under normal circumstances, and many are still struggling with no end to the pandemic in sight.

Enter Santa Cruz Restaurant Week (SCRW). While it’s true that “more important than ever” is now reaching a “we’re all in this together” level of overuse, the truth is that this showcase for our community’s dining scene is actually more important than ever. There is no more waiting until the time is right to support our Santa Cruz dining ecosystem—if we don’t get out and show our love for our favorite restaurants, we very well may lose them.

Many locals are ready to do that; others don’t yet feel entirely comfortable being out to dinner, even outdoors. With that in mind, SCRW has adapted for the age of social distancing with options for both dine-in and takeout.

To introduce you to this year’s SCRW participants and what they’re offering for this week of fine dining, we let them tell their stories, both about how they are navigating these uncertain times, and what they are most excited about on this year’s menu. So without further ado, here are the chefs, owners and staff of your SCRW restaurants, in their own words.

What are you most excited about on the Restaurant Week Menu?

“New to the menu are items that we will be featuring regularly, such as the artichoke soufflé and blackened ahi appetizers. And for dessert, we’re doing a housemade berry cobbler with cornmeal crust and vanilla ice cream.”

–Ben Kralj, executive chef/general manager at Back Nine Grill and Bar

“All of the menu is exciting to me, especially the local halibut that is pan-roasted and has heirloom tomatoes, pickled red onions, and fresh arugula. The dish comes with a choice of side, either Parmesan creamy polenta, whipped potato, or mushroom risotto. It is finished with a basil, garlic, and lemon olive oil and a little Parmesan for added flavor.”

-Jesus Espinoza, executive sous chef at Chaminade

“It’s kind of like asking ‘Who’s your favorite child?’, but I would say the truffle mushroom ravioli which is made by Bigoli, a local pasta company. The sauce is housemade; it’s a garlic cream sauce with bacon, tomato, sweet peppers, summer squash, and Parmesan cheese.”

-Paul Cocking, owner at Gabriella Café

“Our homemade meatballs are always a hit as an appetizer. And our gourmet pasta is a favorite of many as well. For dessert, our housemade and traditional cannolis are delicious.”

-Tracy Parks-Barber, co-owner of Kianti’s

“It is a really nice opportunity to come back to a little bit of normalcy and try something new. For sure the lobster and crab ravioli, with a prawn bisque ragout sauce. We’re also bringing in black truffles from Italy, and we’ll serve a special black truffle pizza.”

-Matteo Robecchi, manager of Tramonti

“The pumpkin-seed stew. It has a tomato-based sauce with collard greens and is seasoned with salt and pepper. It really brings out the flavor of the pumpkin seeds. Most people don’t realize how tasty they are.”

-Akindele Bankole, owner of Veg on the Edge

“The caramel apple cheesecake. It has a walnut crust and is a caramel cheesecake topped with caramelized apples and candied walnuts, finished with a rosemary whipped cream.”

-Jesikah Stolaroff, owner/executive chef at Vim

“A chance to be able to showcase our food to the public. Our beef short ribs are amazing, they’re boneless Kalbi-style and served with mashed potatoes and house veggies. We will also feature a fresh local catch, served with Asian rice and vegetables.”

-Michael Harrison, owner of Michael’s on Main

“The homegrown kale salad, with marinated onions, avocado, and a lemon soy vinaigrette. The short ribs are braised with chocolate coffee stout and served with a jalapeño spoon bread, which is almost a cross between cornbread and risotto. For dessert we have a flourless chocolate cake with honeycomb candy crumble.”

-Trevor Bridge, general manager at Costanoa

“The veal scallopini: it has a light tomato sauce with olive oil and capers, and comes with polenta and a spring mix salad. It’s a dish you don’t usually find here in Santa Cruz.”

-Giovanbattista Spanu, owner/chef at Lago di Como

“We are most excited to introduce our offerings to Santa Cruz; it is our first time doing Restaurant Week. People really love our Hawaiian barbeque pork sliders. We smoke the pork in house and have a unique housemade barbeque sauce as well. We are also offering our Makai burger, served with a housemade pineapple jalapeño chutney.”

-Peter Drobac, co-owner of Makai

“The seasonal and local food, and all the local organic fruits and vegetables. We’re serving specialties like wild-caught Alaskan salmon, wild-caught coconut shrimp, and a grass-fed beef dish. We also use Ayurvedic healing spices: The moment you eat our food you feel better, nourished and healed.”

-Ayoma Wilen, owner/executive chef at Pearl of the Ocean

“To let the hotel guests and locals alike try Sanderling’s in a different way than they’re used to. We’re serving local-caught black cod coming with sunchokes, braised kale, and a celery apple slaw. I’m also excited for Auntie Julie’s cake, coming with persimmons and dates, and a spiked cream similar to eggnog. It kind of has that holiday warmth.”

-David Baron, executive chef at Sanderling’s

“The scallops: It’s a killer deal, and they should be really delicious. They are served with preserved lemon and wild mushrooms. It will be a rich and creamy dish but have a lovely freshness. Also the endive salad, coming with shaved fennel, fall fruit, and pecans. It will have a nice balance between the bitter greens and the fall fruit.”

-Dede Eckhardt, wine shop manager at Soif

“We make a sautéed calamari over spaghetti, with garlic and white wine, served in a spicy tomato sauce. We also serve a riccioli pasta, which comes with mushrooms, Italian sausage, and marinara sauce.”

-Marco Paoleppi, owner of Sugo Italian Pasta Bar

What is the biggest challenge you’re facing during the pandemic?

“The lack of customers, that’s the biggest thing. At first people weren’t allowed to come out, then the fires hit, and with all the ash in the air people didn’t want to dine outside. But now people are coming back. We have expanded our outdoor seating and have two heated outdoor garden patios.”

-Jean-Pierre Iuliano, chef/owner at Café Mare

“To be honest, it’s the uncertainty, the not knowing what is going to happen next. This has been not just for us, but for everyone I can think of—there is no certainty. And for restaurants, we set up outside but then it was smokey and then it was hot, and we weren’t sure when we could seat inside. The uncertainty in not knowing where we’re going next, what is and is not allowed beyond a month or two, is really, really difficult.”

-Patrice Boyle, owner of La Posta

“Not meeting our normal revenue and not being able to have our regulars inside the restaurant. We’re hoping for a recovery from the pandemic and to get back to normal business volume. We’re very grateful to the local customers; their loyalty has kept us open.”

-Jay Dib, owner of Mozaic

“Initially it was the challenge of creating an outdoor space that reflected the uniqueness of our indoor space. From there, the challenges were staffing appropriately and learning to adapt to the constantly changing protocols, such as indoor dining or lack thereof. It’s what I call the ‘Covid Coaster.’”

-Liza Corona-Wadstein, general manager at Hula’s

If Kicking Out the Homeless Doesn’t Work, What’s Next?

Jacob Pierce

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October 20, 2020

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If Kicking Out the Homeless Doesn’t Work, What’s Next?

This is part five of a series on the health impacts of homelessness. Part six runs Nov. 4. —Editor

At 27 years old and homeless for the third time, Mark Matthews was spending his nights in a parking lot on the corner of Laurel and Front streets until Santa Cruz police and city workers broke down the encampment at the beginning of October.

Downtown outreach workers handed out phone numbers about shelter options, but when he tried calling those numbers, Matthews learned that there weren’t enough beds for everyone who had been staying at the camp, he says. So Matthews moved his tent up to the San Lorenzo River levee just around the corner from the parking area, known as Lot 27. He fully expects Santa Cruz officials to move him and his friends again soon. He just doesn’t know when.

“It’s almost like they forgot about us again,” says Matthews, who lost his job in March, just before Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns began their economic damage.

Matthews says that between the pandemic and the chaos created by recent fires, his current bout of homelessness has been his toughest yet.

Last month, an executive order from City Manager Martín Bernal announced the Lot 27 sweep, citing social distancing problems, “nuisance” conditions and food handling violations by the volunteer group Food Not Bombs, which was serving hot meals. Food Not Bombs has since set up across the street, in Lot 23. The city has since granted Food Not Bombs a permit to stay through at least the end of October.

Meanwhile, a few tents remain on the levee paths, known as the San Lorenzo Riverwalk. They aren’t without impacts, says Greg Pepping, the executive director of the Coastal Watershed Council.

Pepping explains that it creates a dirtier river when such camps go unmanaged, meaning that they don’t have bathrooms, places to wash up or trash pickup. He also says that when campers block the path, it deters others from enjoying the beauty of the river.

“It’s a public path. And we don’t have a solution for homelessness,” he says. “I hope we can keep a bike and pedestrian path open for everybody, not for a few people.”

ROAM AT LAST

Santa Cruz City Manager Martín Bernal says that, given the large unsheltered population, police officers and parks officials often end up moving homeless people and their impacts from one part of town to another.

“What we end up doing is herding people from one place to another—which is not a solution,” Bernal tells me as he stands outside the new managed homeless camp at San Lorenzo Park, just after wrapping up a tour of local parks with other local government officials.

That approach creates an ever-shifting calculus: If law enforcement breaks up one encampment, will the aftermath just create a bigger headache somewhere else?

Recent fire evacuations have already pushed many homeless residents out of the Santa Cruz Mountains and into the city of Santa Cruz. Additionally, it’s unclear how the destruction of 900 homes in a county already dealing with a housing crisis will affect homelessness. Not only that, but the threat posed by fire risk prompted the city to push homeless residents out of the meadow-laden Pogonip greenspace, Bernal says.

Although it’s surrounded by unsanctioned camps, the San Lorenzo Park Benchlands’ newly managed encampment—overseen jointly by the city and Santa Cruz County—is, by all accounts, going well. As the Oct. 9 tour wraps up, a man walking his bike stops by to thank everyone who made the camp a reality. “This camp is helping me out a lot. I’m 62, true-born American. I just want to get off the street,” he says.

But the current setup won’t last forever. Honestly, it may not last much longer.

The county is spending temporary coronavirus relief money on the camp. Also, the camp will have to move elsewhere once the rain starts, as it is in a floodplain.

BE RESOURCEFUL

In her closing remarks as the tour wraps up, Santa Cruz City Vice Mayor Donna Meyers pleads with government leaders to step up and bring in more resources.

She points her remarks mostly toward state Assemblymember Mark Stone and congressman Jimmy Panetta, who are both in attendance. But her overall message is clear—that Santa Cruz is doing its fair share of helping and managing the homeless, and then some.

Supervisor Ryan Coonerty, a former Santa Cruz mayor, speaks next, and he stresses that the county is also already doing a lot, having doubled the number of shelter beds locally in the past six months.

The past few recent years have been marked by city and county officials trading barbs as they try to shift responsibility for homeless issues to one another, but that’s not happening now, they say. As staffers and elected officials trickle out of the park following the tour, I awkwardly insert myself into Meyers and Coonerty’s conversation. They both tell me that the keys going forward will be a different approach to problem-solving and an even higher level of collaboration between the city and the county.

Both Meyers and City Manager Bernal stress that many homeless services are currently centered in the city of Santa Cruz, and they feel that creates challenges. The city, however, could be getting more services before long, per the recommendations laid out by the Community Advisory Committee on Homelessness, which suggested there be a new homeless navigation center in Santa Cruz’s Harvey West neighborhood.

Bernal says he supports that approach. But he also thinks there should be additional navigation centers in Mid-County and in South County, something he thinks he remembers reading in a recent Santa Cruz County plan.

Santa Cruz County spokesperson Jason Hoppin tells me the county’s plan actually calls for just two navigation centers, one in the northern end of the county and the other at the county’s southern end.

Phil Kramer, executive director of the Housing Matters shelter and services campus, says what’s clear is that people who live outside are struggling.

In a statement to GT, Kramer explains that he sometimes wonders if a lack of community or political will is limiting the rollout of further services. In any case, he says it’s time for everyone to step up and pitch in.

“All I know is that we have hundreds of people sleeping outside right now all over town and winter is coming and everyone needs to step up and do more. Every agency, every community member, everyone,” he states. “The status quo is so harmful to both the people sleeping outside and to the community dealing with the impacts of so many people sleeping rough all around the community. Write to elected officials and tell them that you don’t want unmanaged camping scattered all over the place. Tell them you want people sleeping outside to have a safe, healthy, managed place to go—and that you want the safe, managed sites to be in thoughtfully-selected sites that will work for the housed and unsheltered residents in our community. And then, when a site is proposed in your neighborhood, say, ‘Let’s manage it well and make it work.’”

Additional reporting by Mat Weir.

How Physical Space Shaped the Sound of Local Quartet Majk

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October 20, 2020

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How Physical Space Shaped the Sound of Local Quartet Majk

Initially, the members of local quartet Majk just got together to play a gig that cellist/vocalist Alexis Hawks had booked but didn’t have a band to perform.

When they rehearsed, each brought some of their own tunes, working together to arrange them as a four-piece. Right away they saw there was something special about the group. They not only wanted to keep it going, but also to make sure there was a permanent document of the music.

“We were making really magical music, and there were moments where it was like, ‘Are we going to be a forever band?’” says vocalist/pianist Kelly Koval. “We all agreed that we couldn’t just let it disappear into the ether.”

It was a long process, but last month, four years after that initial gig, Majk released its debut self-titled album. It’s a gorgeous, lush blend of instruments and vocals—sort of Americana, but not quite. The group often plays slowly, using empty space whenever possible.

Through those four years, the album remained the centerpiece of the band. They even stayed selective about when they’d play shows. They faced numerous hurdles over the course of completing the album, but the extra time it took also allowed them to make it exactly how they wanted.

“It was always like, ‘Majk will not be complete until there is an album.’ So we had to do it,” Koval says. “There were so many life events—weddings, deaths, and pandemics, being separated while traveling. Our songs went through evolutions. We recorded them one way three years ago. We listened back and thought, ‘I’m not sure if that’s how they should be set in stone forever.’”

Visually, the group looks like a string band. Though Americana, chamber and folk are influences, the music goes in some pretty unexpected directions. Part of what makes Majk unique is the way the musicians let everything blend together and use the vocals as another instrument. They also mix in a fair number of pop elements as well, while keeping it highly emotive.

Some of this overlapping of instruments evolved from rehearsing in a tight space. They would literally crowd around each other in a small circle, touching each other’s knees, giving them a tactile sense of there being no individual member, just a single musical entity.

“The space shaped the sound,” Hawks says. “I think we were often focused on what the song needed over what we wanted to play. Does what you’re adding serve the song? A lot of them come off as pretty minimal.”

Their sound really came together when they worked on the album.

“When we were recording, things would change pretty drastically. That whole process was really important to finding the true essence of what each of those songs were supposed to be,” says bassist Jeff Kissell. “I think that mindfulness was baked in from the beginning.”

But the process of documenting these songs, more than anything, was its own kind of journey. Not only were they polishing these songs, they were stripping them down until the core emotions revealed themselves.

“A lot of our music is about expressing some deep emotion we’re trying to convey. A lot of times, when we’re working out a song, we’re trying to get to that essence of, ‘What’s the feeling behind the song?’” says guitarist/vocalist Mathew Harmon. “I don’t know if that’s something we talk about logically. I think a lot of this music is subtle and some of it is even melancholy, but it’s about expressing these deep emotions that we all go through and trying to find a way sonically for us to all be in that together, and share it through song.”

For more information on Majk, go to majk.hearnow.com/majk.

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology: Oct. 21-27

Rob Brezsny

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October 20, 2020

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Free will astrology for the week of Oct. 21

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “I’ve been told that nobody sings the word ‘hunger’ like I do,” testified Aries chanteuse Billie Holiday. She wasn’t suggesting that she had a stylish way of crooning about fine dining. Rather, she meant “hunger” in the sense of the longing for life’s poignant richness. Her genius-level ability to express such beauty was due in part to her skillful vocal technique, but also because she was a master of cultivating soulful emotions. Your assignment in the coming weeks, Aries, is to refine and deepen your own hunger.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author Renata Adler expresses my own feelings when she writes, “Hardly anyone about whom I deeply care resembles anyone else I have ever met, or heard of, or read about in literature.” I bet if you’re honest, Taurus, you would say the same. It’s almost certainly the case that the people you regard as worthy of your love and interest are absolutely unique. In the sense that there are no other characters like them in the world, they are superstars and prodigies. I bring this to your attention because now is an excellent time to fully express your appreciation for their one-of-a-kind beauty—to honor and celebrate them for their entertainment value and precious influence and unparalleled blessings.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “If you cannot find an element of humor in something, you’re not taking it seriously enough,” writes author Ilyas Kassam. That’s a key thought for you to keep in mind during the coming weeks. Levity and joking will be necessities, not luxuries. Fun and amusement will be essential ingredients in the quest to make good decisions. You can’t afford to be solemn and stern, because allowing those states to dominate you would diminish your intelligence. Being playful—even in the face of challenges—will ensure your ultimate success.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I’m hoping the horoscopes I wrote for you in late August helped propel you into a higher level of commitment to the art of transformation. In any case, I suspect that you will have the chance, in the coming weeks, to go even further in your mastery of that art. To inspire you in your efforts, I’ll encourage you to at least temporarily adopt one or more of the nicknames in the following list: 1. Flux Luster 2. Fateful Fluctuator 3. Shift Virtuoso 4. Flow Maestro 5. Alteration Adept 6. Change Arranger 7. Mutability Savant 8. Transition Connoisseur.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “When one is a stranger to oneself, then one is estranged from others, too,” wrote author Anne Morrow Lindbergh. “If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others. Only when one is connected to one’s own core, is one connected to others.” In bringing these thoughts to your attention, Leo, I don’t mean to imply that you are out of touch with your deep self. Not at all. But in my view, all of us can benefit from getting into ever-closer communion with our deep selves. In the coming weeks, you especially need to work on that—and are likely to have extra success in doing so.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): My cosmic tipsters told me that you will be even smarter than usual in the coming weeks. As I scoured the heavenly maps, I detected signs that you have the potential to be a skilled code-cracker, riddle-decipherer and solver of knotty problems and tricky dilemmas. That’s why I suggest you express gratitude to your beautiful brain, Virgo. Sing it sweet songs and tell it how much you love it and find out which foods you can eat to strengthen it even more. Now read Diane Ackerman’s description of the brain: “that shiny mound of being, that mouse-gray parliament of cells, that dream factory, that petit tyrant inside a ball of bone, that huddle of neurons calling all the plays, that little everywhere, that fickle pleasuredome.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I vote in American elections, but I’ve never belonged to a political party. One of my favorite politicians is Bernie Sanders, who for most of his career has been an Independent. But now I’m a staunch advocate for the Democrats. Why? Because Republicans are so thoroughly under the curse of the nasty, cruel, toxic person known as Donald Trump. I’m convinced that it’s crucial for our country’s well-being that Democrats achieve total victory in the upcoming election. In accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to do your personal equivalent of what I’ve done: Unambiguously align yourself with influences that represent your highest, noblest values. Take a sacred stand not just for yourself, but also in behalf of everything you love.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity,” said fashion writer Diana Vreeland. Here’s how I interpret that: People who care mostly for their own feelings and welfare, and who believe they’re more important than everyone else, are boring and repellent. But those who enjoy looking their best and expressing their unique beauty may do so out of a desire to share their gifts with the world. Their motivation might be artistry and generosity, not self-centeredness. In accordance with cosmic potentials, Scorpio, I invite you to elude the temptations of narcissism as you explore benevolent forms of vanity.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Yes, do let people see you sweat. At least for now, be forthright and revelatory. Let people witness your secret fire, your fierce tang, your salty tears and your unhealed wounds. Hold nothing back as you give what you haven’t been able to give before. Be gleefully expressive as you unveil every truth, every question, every buried joy. Don’t be crude and insensitive, of course. Be as elegant and respectful as possible. But make it your priority to experiment with sacred vulnerability. Find out how far you can safely go as you strip away the disguises that have kept you out of touch with your full power.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Between 2008 and 2017, Southern California had two sizable earthquakes: 5.5 and 5.1 on the Richter scale. But during the same period, the area had 1.8 million small quakes that were mostly too mild to be felt. The ground beneath the feet of the local people was shaking at the rate of once every three minutes. Metaphorically speaking, Capricorn, you’re now in a phase that resembles the mild shakes. There’s a lot of action going on beneath the surface, although not much of it is obvious. I think this is a good thing. The changes you’re shepherding are proceeding at a safe, gradual, well-integrated pace.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): No American woman was allowed to earn a medical degree and practice as a physician until Aquarian-born Elizabeth Blackwell did it in 1849. It was an almost impossible feat, since the all-male college she attended undermined her mercilessly. Once she began her career as a doctor, she constantly had to outwit men who made it difficult for her. Nevertheless, she persisted. Eventually, she helped create a medical school for women in England and made it possible for 476 women to practice medicine there. I propose that we make her your patron saint for now. May she inspire you to redouble your diligent pursuit of your big dream. Here’s your motto: “Nevertheless, I’m persisting.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I fear my expression may not be extravagant enough, may not wander far enough beyond the narrow limit of my daily experience, so as to be adequate to the truth of which I have been convinced.” You’ll be wise to have a similar fear, Pisces. According to my analysis, you can generate good fortune for yourself by transcending what you already know and think. Life is conspiring to nudge you and coax you into seeking experiences that will expand your understanding of everything. Take advantage of this opportunity to blow your own mind!

Homework: Name five things you do to make yourself feel good. Then think of another thing to add to the list. freewillastrology.com.

Savoring Sensuous and Inventive Flavors at Sawasdee

Christina Waters

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October 20, 2020

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Savoring Sensuous and Inventive Flavors at Sawasdee

A takeout dinner perfumed with spices and inspired by culinary expertise—that was our wonderful Thai meal from Sawasdee.

Every time I taste food from this fine kitchen I wonder why I don’t feast on these sensuous curries, stir-fries, and inventive salads more often. (For the record, I have no excuse.)

The absolute destination dish from Sawasdee has got to be the plump, tender house dumplings ($9.95). Each large dumpling involves a layering of pork and shrimp infused by garlic and ginger, wrapped in transparent wonton and joined by a sensational sauce (possibly soy-based) filled with sweet and spicy mystery. One bite and we realized we could have made a complete dinner on a double order of these fabulous dumplings, which—like every item in our Sawasdee meal—tasted wonderful at any temperature.

White wine, for example the refreshing Birichino Malvasia Bianca we had on hand, is great with Thai food, although beer is probably its natural partner.

Our two other entrees pretty much summed up my personal favorites in this cuisine. One was a country-style red curry (without coconut milk) loaded with attitude, spices like red chile and cinnamon, and robustly-sliced vegetables ($11.95). Along with carrot, bell peppers, mushrooms and string beans, the curry arrived with our requested extras, cubes of outstanding tofu, plus thin slices of pork. Yes, Sawasdee lets you have exactly what you want, even the counterintuitive combo of tofu and pork.

We ladelled our curry into bowls filled with nutty brown rice ($2.50) and enjoyed the sensation of lips growing slightly numb. The other favorite was silver noodle salad ($11.95), a large portion of transparent bean thread noodles tossed with ground chicken, mint leaves, cilantro, plump shrimps and a wicked good, spicy lemon dressing. I have always loved this disarming combination of silky cool noodles and fiery sweet/hot dressing. The flavor intensity grows with each bite, and like everything Thai it is absolutely addictive.

Sawasdee’s huge menu is packed with exciting food, food that tastes like perfume and suggests a bit of consciousness alteration. It’s frankly fun to eat: The eyes have as much to do as the taste buds. Next time, in addition to those outrageous dumplings, we’ll work our way through the rest of the curries.

5050 Soquel Drive, Soquel. Open daily 11am-9:30pm, and until 10pm Friday-Saturday. sawasdeesoquel.com.

Trends of the Times

This is the sort of inspired win-win alliance destined to pop up more frequently. A winery tasting room, in this case Ser, has joined up with a fine restaurant, Cafe Sparrow, to maximize opportunities for wine and food pairings in the heart of Aptos Village. You can now enjoy indoor tasting of the intriguing wines made by Nicole Walsh, along with a menu of foods ranging from cheese plates, crabcakes, and pork belly appetizers, to Caesar salad, seared ahi, and the infamous Sparrow Burger.

Ser staff will order your food and it will be delivered to you at the tasting room, Thursday-Saturday from 4-7pm. Not all tasting rooms have their own kitchens, but they all have access to fine dining in their neighborhood.

10 Parade St., Suite B, Aptos. Thursday-Friday, 3-7pm; Saturday-Sunday, noon-7pm. serwinery.com/tasting-room.

Vineyard Visit to Muns

Go vineyard tasting on Sunday, Oct. 25, surrounded by the freshly harvested Pinot Noir and Syrah vineyards of Muns, overlooking Monterey Bay. Make a reservation for your choice of seating times. Spectacular wines; spectacular setting.

25600 Loma Prieta Ave., Los Gatos. 408-234-2079, munsvineyard.com.

Why Some Santa Cruz Candidates Aren’t Door-Knocking in 2020 Election

Jacob Pierce

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October 19, 2020

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Why Some Santa Cruz Candidates Aren’t Door-Knocking in 2020 Election

Compared with previous cycles, political campaigning has been a little different in the 2020 election.

The novel coronavirus that spurred the Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 218,000 Americans since February. And, of course, all that is happening in spite of the shutdown measures, including in Santa Cruz County, where the disease has killed 23 people and led to 181 people being hospitalized.

In the race for Santa Cruz County’s 1st District supervisor seat, none of that has stopped each of the two candidates from walking precincts to connect with voters. However, both incumbent Supervisor John Leopold and challenger Manu Koenig have been donning masks, knocking on doors and backing up several feet before anyone answers. Voters have been eager to talk, Koenig explains. “We’ve found that people are really receptive,” he says.

Leopold, for his part, says that about 90% of the times he knocks on a door someone answers it. Some voters will put a mask on before answering; some do not, he says. Others ask him to simply leave the political literature on the doormat, so they can read it later. “It’s a very unusual campaign. Obviously in the times we’re in, everything’s unusual,” Leopold says.

The pandemic has caused politicians at all levels to change how they run. At the national level, organizers cancelled a recently scheduled presidential debate because of President Donald Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis. On the other side of the presidential race, the campaign to elect Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced Oct. 1 that it would resume precinct walking in some swing states. The news came after months of putting many aspects of in-person campaigning on hold.

In the Santa Cruz City Council race, the pandemic created a split in terms of strategy. Councilmember Martine Watkins—a former mayor, who’s running for reelection—is one of six candidates who decided not to knock on doors this year.

She says she takes no issue with other politicians who took different tacks, but she made her call jointly with her family and with her campaign staff.

“We’re really trying to lead with public health and safety in that way and try to respect people’s space,” Watkins says.

Meanwhile, three other City Council candidates have, in fact, been knocking on doors.

City Councilmember Sandy Brown, nonprofit executive Kayla Kumar, and nonprofit media director Kelsey Hill have all been traversing neighborhoods in an effort to get to know voters face to face. Like Leopold and Koenig, they say they’ve been masking up, keeping their distance and picking up positive feedback along the way from interested voters. The door-to-door efforts have been rather limited, compared to other years, though, Brown says.

Hill says she thinks many Santa Cruzans are experiencing “Zoom fatigue” from months of predominantly digital interactions.

“It feels like people have a hunger to connect with the candidates they’re voting for,” she says.

Additionally, there are five other candidates in the City Council field: grant writer Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Downtown Association Operations Director Sonja Brunner, scientist Elizabeth Conlan, homeless activist Alicia Kuhl and nonprofit executive director Maria Cadenas. Some of these candidates have been dropping off door hangers and other literature at people’s houses. But they all say they’ve decided to forgo door-knocking this election season due to concerns about limiting the spread of Covid-19.

In total, there are nine Santa Cruz City Council candidates. All of them say year’s unusual circumstances have forced them to adjust their strategies. For instance, the pandemic puts a higher premium on Zoom forums and social media, they say.

“It’s just a different campaign,” Cadenas says. “We’re doing a lot more Zooms and video calls and using social media, phone banking—whatever we can do to connect with people.”

How the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Is Surviving Tough Times

Tarmo Hannula

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October 19, 2020

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How the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Is Surviving Tough Times

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has reshuffled its offerings in hopes of dealing with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

While all of their rides have been shuttered since March, the Boardwalk has recently started holding drive-in movie nights on the corner of Beach and Third streets, near the river.

“We have sold out every date thus far, and have added additional movies to the lineup,” said Karley Pope, director of sales and promotions.

Because of coronavirus precautions, moviegoers must stay in their vehicles before and during the movie unless using the restroom.

The Boardwalk has also started up, for the month of October, “Hoppy Hours,” beer pairings at their Brews at the Beach location. Visitors can buy Bay Area craft beers paired with food prepared by the Boardwalk’s event chef.

Additionally, the Boardwalk is promoting Halloween at the Boardwalk, where children can trick-or-treat at various open food and retail locations as an alternative to traditional trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods during the pandemic.

A handful of arcade games, including Skeeball, Pac-Man, Guitar Hero, Injustice, air hockey and crane games, are open for outdoor participation.

On weekends midway games such as Milk Bottles, Ring-a-Bottle and Speed Pitch are in operation.

Pope also said some of the Boardwalk’s food and merchandise vendors are operating throughout the week.

Meanwhile, the Santa Cruz Big Trees Pacific Railroad has continued operating its train between the Boardwalk and Felton’s Roaring Camp.

Shely Stryker of Felton and her son, Jordan, 7, took the round trip with a stop at the Boardwalk over the weekend.

“We’ve ridden the train before and we love it,” she said. “I just felt it was important to support these local businesses that help keep operations like this up and running.”

For event information and to reserve your spot at the drive-in movies at the Boardwalk, visit: beachboardwalk.com/Events.

UCSC Produces Podcast About 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

A&E
Art

Johanna Miller

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October 16, 2020

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UCSC Produces Podcast About 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

Daniel J. Story was a second-grader living in the Midwest when the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck California on Oct. 17, 1989. He recalls it flashing on the news, and his teacher being worried about people she knew in the area.

But Story admits he did not know much else about the disaster—including the fact that the epicenter of the 7.1 quake was in Santa Cruz County.

“I’d always thought of it as the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake,” Story said. “There are good reasons for that; the greatest loss of life was there, for sure. But not everyone knows that it actually hit hardest right here.”

Story, the digital scholarship librarian for UCSC, is series producer of the new documentary podcast “Stories from the Epicenter,” which will be released in full on Saturday, Oct. 17, the 31st anniversary of the quake. The podcast will have 10 parts, each focusing on specific regions and aspects of the disaster, which killed 63 people and injured 3,457.

The project formed after Story was assigned to work on a special digital exhibit for the quake’s 30th anniversary last year. He was pointed toward a collection of archived audio interviews that were done in 1990 by oral history students, who had been asked to interview people about their earthquake experiences.

“It didn’t quite fit into the exhibit, but I just found the interviews so compelling,” Story said. “I thought it would be great to do something with them.”

Having a background in podcasts, Story, who had recently earned his Ph.D. and moved to the area, assembled a small team of students to work on the project. He also partnered up with the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, the Pajaro Valley Historical Association and Santa Cruz Public Libraries.

Story says, initially, the documentary was only going to be a few episodes long. But the more people he spoke with, the bigger the project became.

“I’d interview one person and they’d say, ‘This is a great idea. You should talk to this other person.’ And I couldn’t help myself … I think in the end, we ended up with just under 30 interviews—and those were just the new ones,” he said.

One archival interview in particular stood out. Barbara Garcia, founder of Salud Para La Gente, was recorded by a student in 1990. The “compelling” interview prompted the podcast team to dedicate one full episode to Watsonville.

UCSC alumna Madeline Maria Carpou took the helm of the episode, which delves into Watsonville’s complicated response to the quake, focusing on the Latinx community.

“After doing some research … it really became clear that Watsonville was the community hit hardest,” Carpou said, “and that there was a more nuanced story to tell.”

In addition to the Barbara Garcia interview, the team reached out to current Watsonville Mayor Rebecca Garcia, who recalled what she and others went through in the days, months and years following the disaster. Emergency response had been lacking, and the already critical housing shortage for the town’s immigrant population ballooned.

“Barbara and Rebecca put so much of their lives into helping the community,” Carpou said. “I could sense their frustrations in dealing with the city, the county …. It was so difficult, really like beating their heads against a hard wall. But they were so dedicated. They just kept getting things done.”

Carpou said that working on “Stories from the Epicenter” has been an enlightening experience. She, along with Digital Scholarship Student Assistant Thomas Sawano, were the primary co-producers along with Story.

“It was very collaborative,” she said. “We all came from different backgrounds, and this was our first podcast project… but it came together really well.”

A free launch event for “Stories from the Epicenter” will be held Friday at 5:30pm on Zoom, with a moderated discussion, clips from the podcast and a Q&A session. Registration is required and capacity is limited.

Story admits there have been moments when he wondered if 2020 was the right time to release the podcast. The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted many local people to draw comparisons to the earthquake and its effect on the community.

“Overall, though, I feel like it can be quite helpful to think about it,” he said. “You get a window into how people addressed these types of problems.”

Added Carpou: “It’s cathartic, in a way. We can look back and think, ‘It was awful, but we got through it.’ I think we all need to remember that right now.”

The first two episodes of “Stories From the Epicenter” are now available to stream on multiple podcast platforms. The final eight episodes will be added Saturday. For more info, visit: guides.library.ucsc.edu/DS/DSC/Projects/Epicenter.

Santa Cruz County Plans to Reshape Public Defender Office

Todd Guild

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October 16, 2020

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Santa Cruz County Plans to Reshape Public Defender Office

Santa Cruz County officials are mulling a plan to retool the county’s public defender’s office, transitioning from the current private delivery system to a public one.

The move comes as the county’s contract with Biggam, Christensen and Minslof (BCM)—which has provided indigent criminal defense for 45 years—is set to expire in 2022. Contracts for two other law firms also appointed to provide indigent criminal defense—Page, Salisbury & Dudley, and Wallraff & Associates—expire at the same time.

Under the proposed plan, a chief public defender appointed by the County Board of Supervisors would oversee public defender attorneys, all of whom would be county employees.

Private attorneys would handle conflicts, criminal appeals and post-conviction issues.

County officials say the plan would allow them to make sure the firms are living up to expectations, and would allow the public defender to work with agencies that can help clients, such as the Health Services Agency, Human Services Department and Probation Department.

In addition, bringing the public defender’s office under the county’s jurisdiction would allow it to hire 15% more attorneys, thus providing more consistent representation, county officials say.

The supervisors on Oct. 6 tabled the issue until November to give county staff time to meet with the public defenders and other “justice partners” such as the District Attorney’s Office, Superior Court Judges and the Sheriff’s Office.

The supervisors also directed staff to find a way to hire the public defenders currently employed by the three law firms.

The county budgets a total of $13 million for public defender services, which is doled out in monthly installments, said acting County Administrative Officer Nicole Coburn.

BCM is currently invoicing $631,753.16 per month for a total of just over $7.5 million. It also receives about $222,800 annually to run the Clean Slate Program.

The proposed transition comes at the recommendation of the Boston-based Sixth Amendment Center, which conducted a study of the county’s services for criminal defendants who cannot afford their own attorneys.

According to the report, the flat-fee contracts paid to the three law firms have meant that no one person or department is accountable for indigent defense services. The contracts also lack accountability measures that would allow county staff to gauge the effectiveness of the services, the report says.

The report did not accuse any of the defense firms of wrongdoing. It does state, however, that flat-fee contracts can create situations in which law firms could focus on reducing costs rather than acting in the best interests of their clients.

The current model also leads to excessive caseloads due to inadequate staffing, the report states. Defendants in felony cases often do not have continuous representation for the same reason.

In addition, the flat-fee contracts have meant that the public defender law firms have not invested in the necessary technology to manage their cases, including an integrated case management system, the report states.

Larry Biggam, who runs the law firm with his partners Jerry Christensen and Jon Minslof, said that making the transition in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions—when most trials and increasing numbers of cases are delayed—would be adding fuel to the fire.

“To put a transition into this period would be chaotic,” he said.

Bigham also wants to ensure that his staff of 26 attorneys will be hired. That is important, he said, because of the knowledge of thousands of cases and client relationships they would bring with them.

One of the biggest concerns for Biggam is a proposal to end his firm’s “good cause” termination clause—meaning county officials need a reason to end its services.

Instead, county officials are proposing an at-will contract for the public defender, under which employees may be terminated at any time for any legal reason.

County officials say such a clause allows them to hold the public defender’s office accountable for the services it provides.

Coburn said that most counties throughout California have at-will contracts for their public defenders. In Santa Cruz, the county counsel and health officer have such contracts, Coburn said, pointing out that only the Board of Supervisors has the power to terminate them.

Coburn stressed that the county has no concerns about the performance of the current public defender.

“It’s just not a best practice,” she said. “There is the potential for creating problems.”

Biggam counters that keeping a good-cause contract keeps the public defender insulated from political pressure.

“As a private law firm, we control the matter and means of providing services,” he said. “They say, ‘You’re not accountable.’ We say, ‘That means we’re independent.’ When they use the word ‘accountability,’ red flag. That means they want control.”

Coburn said the transition has been in the works since 2016. She also said the county plans to hire current attorneys employed by BCM.

“This has been under discussion for a long time in terms of trying to transition to something else so that we can prepare for the future and prepare for the succession,” she said.

Biggam acknowledges that the county has always planned to transition to a public model. But it is the way the transition has gone that concerns them.

Biggam and Christensen, along with Superior Court judges Paul Burdick and Tim Volkmann all said during the Oct. 6 meeting that the Sixth Amendment investigation and recommendations came without asking either the public defenders or the judges for their input.

“All of a sudden you have a real chance of taking and gutting a very vibrant, very together office because of your foolishness of not understanding what really goes on over here,” Biggam said.

Christensen agreed.

“We have been really marginalized from this transition process, and it is really problematic,” he said.

Judge Burdick praised the current public defenders, saying that he has never seen a problem with their services and knows no instance of reversals due to ineffective counsel.

“There is a better way to do this, and I think you can find a better way to do this if you involve the court in the process,” Burdick said.

Since the meeting, Coburn says she has reached out to Biggam and Christensen and plans on doing the same with the judges.

“We all have the same goal and that’s to strengthen the system,” she said. “We’re all focused on the future and creating the best model for Santa Cruz County.”

Exploring the California Ballot Measures: Rent Control, App-Based Drivers

The Pajaronian Staff

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October 16, 2020

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Exploring the California Ballot Measures: Rent Control, App-Based Drivers

Editor’s note: This is the third entry in a series that will explore the California propositions going before voters in the Nov. 3 election.

California voters will make a decision on 12 propositions in the upcoming election. The initiatives cover various issues, including the California tax code, rent control and voting rights. Here’s a look at three of the 12 propositions:

Proposition 20

This initiative would amend several criminal sentencing and supervision laws passed between 2011 and 2016. It would restrict parole for certain offenses currently considered nonviolent and authorize felony sentences for certain offenses treated as misdemeanors.

Law enforcement would also be required to collect DNA samples from adults convicted of certain misdemeanors.

The fiscal impact would likely be an increase in state and local correctional, court and law enforcement costs in the tens of millions of dollars annually.

Supporters of Prop. 20, led by the Keep California Safe campaign, say that the initiative closes a “loophole” in the law that allows offenders such as child molesters and other sexual predators to be released from jail early. They also say the DNA collection will aid investigators in solving rapes, murders and other serious crimes. Supporters include U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the Republican Party of California and multiple law enforcement unions.

The No on Prop. 20 group, also known as Californians Against the Prison Spending Scam, says the initiative will pull the state back into a time of mass incarceration and harsh sentencing. They say Prop. 20 could slash mental health treatment and rehabilitation—proven strategies to reduce repeat crime.

Opponents of the measure include Ana Zamora, director of prosecutorial reform for the ACLU of Northern California, former California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and Maureen Washburn, a policy analyst for the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, among others.

Proposition 21

This proposition, if passed, would expand local governments’ authority to enact rent control on residential properties over 15 years old.

Put on the ballot via a petition with more than 600,000 signatures, it would allow area governments to cap the rent increase on rental-controlled properties at 15% over the first three years of a new tenancy—in addition to any other increase allowed by a local ordinance.

It would exempt landlords who own no more than two homes.

The overall fiscal impact could translate to a reduction in state and local revenues to tens of millions of dollars per year. Depending on actions by local communities, revenue losses could vary.

Advocates say that it will help with the state’s homelessness issues and spur the creation of a coalition of elected leaders that will address the topic of homelessness.

On the other side of the issue, opponents say that Prop. 21 will deepen California’s housing crisis. Opponents say that Prop. 21 undermines the nation’s strongest statewide rent control law—capping rent increases for most properties at 5% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower—and that it will cost jobs, reduce home values and put a cap on new house construction.

Proposition 22

This measure, if passed by voters, would classify app-based drivers, such as those driving for Lyft and Uber, as “independent contractors” instead of “employees,” overriding Assembly Bill 5, passed last year. It would then provide those drivers other types of compensation and protections in place of traditional workplace benefits.

The fiscal impact would translate to a minor increase in state income taxes paid by ride-share and delivery company drivers and investors.

If passed, drivers would not receive the standard benefits and protections that businesses must provide employees such as minimum wage, overtime and unemployment insurance. Instead, they would be entitled to other compensation such as minimum earnings, healthcare subsidies and vehicle insurance.

Opponents say that those drivers should receive standard benefits and protections that other businesses have to provide employees.

Supporters say that drivers would have their choices diminished as to how much work—and when and where—they are allowed to take on if they are reclassified as employees. That would mean, supporters say, less app-based drivers on the roads, and, in turn, higher fares.

Learn more about all of the statewide ballot measures at the California Secretary of State website.

Click here to see all of our ongoing 2020 election coverage.

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Letters

Main Place

We Have Liftoff

Santa Cruz Restaurant Week: Menu Favorites and Navigating Tough Times

If Kicking Out the Homeless Doesn’t Work, What’s Next?

ROAM AT LAST

BE RESOURCEFUL

How Physical Space Shaped the Sound of Local Quartet Majk

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology: Oct. 21-27

Savoring Sensuous and Inventive Flavors at Sawasdee

Trends of the Times

Vineyard Visit to Muns

Why Some Santa Cruz Candidates Aren’t Door-Knocking in 2020 Election

How the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Is Surviving Tough Times

UCSC Produces Podcast About 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

Santa Cruz County Plans to Reshape Public Defender Office

Exploring the California Ballot Measures: Rent Control, App-Based Drivers

Proposition 20

Proposition 21

Proposition 22

Santa Cruz Restaurant Week: Menu Favorites and Navigating Tough Times

If Kicking Out the Homeless Doesn’t Work, What’s Next?

How Physical Space Shaped the Sound of Local Quartet Majk

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology: Oct. 21-27

Savoring Sensuous and Inventive Flavors at Sawasdee

Why Some Santa Cruz Candidates Aren’t Door-Knocking in 2020 Election

How the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Is Surviving Tough Times

UCSC Produces Podcast About 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

Santa Cruz County Plans to Reshape Public Defender Office

Exploring the California Ballot Measures: Rent Control, App-Based Drivers