Page 571 | Good Times

Dragon Archway Honors Former Santa Cruz Chinatown

Tarmo Hannula

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November 6, 2020

Dragon Archway Honors Former Santa Cruz Chinatown

As a crane hoisted four sections of a large mosaic-covered water dragon into place Sunday atop a colorful concrete gateway at an entryway to San Lorenzo Park, new life was pumped into a forgotten chapter of Santa Cruz history.

Renamed the Chinatown Bridge by the Santa Cruz City Council in 2019, the dragon archway is stationed at the Front Street entrance to the popular pedestrian and bike bridge that crosses the San Lorenzo River and leads into San Lorenzo Park. It was created to recognize and honor the final Chinatown in Santa Cruz that once thrived along the west side of the San Lorenzo River.

“I think it looks fabulous,” said George Ow Jr., a supporter of the project who said he lived in Chinatown as a young boy with his family. “I can hardly take my eyes off it. So many thanks to artist Kathleen Crocetti and concrete artist Tom Ralston. He wrote the book and artistic concrete work. This is truly a great way to show off their talents.”

Crocetti constructed the 21-foot dragon in the backyard of her Watsonville home. Ralston, over several months, built the ochre-colored archway.

“I’m ecstatic,” Ralston said Sunday as he stood back to view the freshly-installed dragon. “This is a vision come true. So much energy and special care went into this, like the bronze work of Sean Monaghan and the solar panels by Tony Amor at Day One Solar.”

The Coastal Watershed Council championed the project.

In a statement, the CWC said: “The CWC views the bridge renaming and the public art piece as a key step in realizing Santa Cruz’s vision of a healthy, welcoming and fun San Lorenzo River.”

Crocetti’s mosaics are installed in numerous locations around the county, from the massive ongoing Watsonville Billiante project in downtown Watsonville to the Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz and on area bridges and riverwalks.

“I was very nervous about the installation today,” Crocetti said. “It sure helps to be married to an engineer. It came off without a hitch thanks to this amazing crew. It looks simply beautiful. It’s an honor and a privilege to have been asked to take this project on. This is 10 steps up for me in my artistic career.”

Kathy Mintz, public arts manager of the city of Santa Cruz, was on hand Sunday for the event.

“This is the best gift to our community right now, especially in this trying time when we need something positive,” she said. “So many people don’t know of this important part of our history. Hopefully, this is the sort of thing that will invite the public to explore and learn about Chinatown and the history revolving around it.”

Ralston added that the archway will also feature poems in Chinese characters in stainless steel plaques that will be powder coated in red in addition to brass plaques that will read in Chinese script: Chinatown Santa Cruz. The lettering will be lit by solar-powered Chinese-style lanterns. Photos created in brass of Ow’s family and the story of Chinatown will also be mounted on the archway.

“These lanterns will light up every night,” Ralston said. “I think this monument is worthy of any city in the world.”

A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony will be staged in the spring.

Historians and authors Sandy Lydon and Geoffrey Dunn, Michael Corcoran of Moonshine Cabinetry, Arts Council Santa Cruz County and the Department of Economic Development also added to the project.

UPDATED 11:20am, Nov. 9, 2020: This story has been updated to reflect the correct location of the former Chinatown. We regret the error.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to Reopen on Limited Basis

Todd Guild

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November 5, 2020

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Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to Reopen on Limited Basis

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will become the first amusement park in California to reopen after Covid-19 restrictions shuttered them statewide earlier this year, Boardwalk spokesman Kris Reyes said.

Rides such as the famous Giant Dipper, which have sat dormant for months, will once again resume their roaring, whirring and spinning.

Boardwalk officials decided in early March to shut down the rides after Covid-19 began spreading around the world.

The reopening came after state health officials moved Santa Cruz County to the less-restrictive Orange Tier of Covid-19 restrictions on Oct. 27, meaning many businesses could resume and increase their operations.

But the news came with caveats: Only Santa Cruz County residents will be able to access the ride area, and they must make a reservation for one of two sessions of two hours each. Tickets cost $25, and only 500 people per 2-hour session will be allowed.

This is the first time in the Boardwalk’s 113-year history that it has charged admission and restricted access, Reyes said.

But there is good news for those who live outside county borders, Reyes said: The food vendors, shops and some outdoor games will remain open to the public, as will the miniature golf course in Neptune’s Kingdom and Boardwalk Bowl.

Rides will operate on weekends only, although public sections of the Boardwalk will remain open daily. They will open to people from outside the county when the county moves to the least restrictive tier of the state’s four-tier reopening plan, Reyes said.

Boardwalk reopening details:

Reservations are required to enter the ride area. It is open for two sessions from 12-2pm and 3-5pm.
Tickets are $25, and guests will receive a 25-point MyBoardwalk card good for rides and games. Rides cost from 4-7 points.
Season Pass Members with a Santa Cruz County zip code will receive free admission and rides, but reservations are required.
All guests inside the dedicated ride area will undergo a Covid-19 health screening and have their temperature checked before entering the ride area.
All areas of the Boardwalk, Neptune’s Kingdom and Boardwalk Bowl will be following new health and safety protocols, including requiring masks.
For more information, visit beachboardwalk.com.

Prop and Hot Race Calls: Californians Waive Labor Law for Uber and Lyft

GT Staff

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November 5, 2020

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Prop and Hot Race Calls: Californians Waive Labor Law for Uber and Lyft

California’s app-based corporate luminaries just waged the most expensive state ballot measure campaign in U.S. history—and it paid off big time, allowing those companies to thwart the will of all three branches of California government.

By approving Proposition 22, voters allowed companies such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash to avoid a 2019 California labor law that would have required them to treat drivers, shoppers and similar gig workers as employees.

Nor was that the only instance in which a well-financed and aggrieved industry appeared to have persuaded voters to overrule lawmakers. Voters also rebuffed Proposition 25, blocking a cash bail ban that state lawmakers passed in 2018 that otherwise would have driven the state’s bail bond industry out of business.

Legislators also opted to ask voters to reinstate affirmative action by placing Prop. 16 on the ballot, yet it trailed in every pre-election poll, By the morning after, it was defeated.

On two other measures, California voters continued to distance themselves from the state’s tough-on-crime approach of prior decades. They passed Proposition 17, giving people on parole the right to vote, and they voted down Proposition 20, opting not to increase penalties for shoplifters and probation violators.

California voters also haven’t changed their minds much since 2018. Again this year, they rejected a measure that would let cities expand rent control, Prop. 21, and another, Prop. 23, that would have slapped kidney dialysis clinics with new regulations. The Associated Press called these state ballot props within a few hours of the polls closing.

Here’s what we don’t yet know: Pretty much everything else.

California voters are used to waiting for their results. Even before the threat of viral contagion convinced state lawmakers to send every active registered voter a ballot in the mail, three out of four voters did so.

But this election—like everything else this year—is different.

An unprecedented surge in early voting means California should be able to count a larger chunk of its ballots earlier than usual. That surge, plus the president’s habitual denigration of voting by mail, has flipped the script: This year the first returns were thought to favor Democratic candidates and causes.

That plus the global pandemic, a president who has repeatedly insisted that he may not accept the certified results of the election, and sizeable minority of California voters who said they believed the election wouldn’t be held fairly and transparently.

So, yes, uncertainty abounds.

Of the other tidbits of certainty we have, none are particularly surprising:

Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden and his running mate, California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, won the vast majority of votes in the state.
The California Senate and Assembly will remain firmly in Democratic hands.
Turnout across the board was high.

If some of that sounds a little bit vague, it’s because there are lots of questions we still don’t have clear answers to. Below are a few of the big ones.

Congress: Is the blue wave here to stay?

Two years ago, California voters cut the state’s Republican congressional delegation in half. Propelled by anti-Trump fervor, voters in longtime GOP bastions—Orange County, suburban San Diego and the Central Valley—replaced seven of the state’s 14 Republican House members with Democrats.

The question: Can those members, now with records to defend, hold their ground? Or put another way: Was the blue wave just a one-off? Or a long-lasting realignment?

In at least a few districts thus far, the new blue hue seems to have left a permanent mark.

Katie Porter, a prominent House progressive representing a district where Republicans still narrowly outnumber Democrats, won easily.
Josh Harder in Merced beat back a challenge from Republican Ted Howze, who lost the endorsement of the GOP establishment over a series of racist social media posts.
Mike Levin of Orange County also was maintaining a strong lead over GOP challenger Brian Maryott.

The three most contentious Democratic trophies from 2018—Harley Rouda and Gil Cisneros in Orange County and especially TJ Cox in Kings County—looked to be in potential peril as counting continued.

In 2018, a few races weren’t called for at least a week after the polls closed. Less than three hours after the polls closed, Cox fell behind former Rep. David Valadao. Given the expected blue hue of the early vote, that spelled trouble for the Democrat seen as the most vulnerable of the Democratic newbies.

The two parties are also still waiting on what might be the most potent symbolic battle of all: Congressional District 25. That’s the Simi Valley district where Democrat Katie Hill handily unseated a Republican incumbent only to step down after nude photos and rumors of her affair with a campaign staffer were leaked online. Democrats had teed up Hill’s successor in Assemblywoman Christy Smith, but she lost the special election in a May contest against Republican Mike Garcia.

Smith, with the backing of Democrats from across the state and county, has spent the intervening months trying make sure Garcia’s stint in Congress lasted no longer than eight months. “As a California state Assembly member who was declared the victor nine days after Election Day in the last cycle, I know how incredibly important it is to let the process play out and let the county officials do their thing,” Smith said at a press conference earlier in the evening.

The propositions: $780 million—what was it good for?

We know California is big and expensive. But of the top 10 most expensive campaigns in state history, four were this year. The total mountain of money raised for and against the 12 statewide proposition campaigns hit about $780 million.

Even among this year’s colossal money sucks, one of them was not like the other. Yes on 22, the campaign funded by Uber, Lyft and Doordash, spent more than $200 million — almost a third of the money spent by either side of any of the state ballot campaigns.

Alex Stack is spokesperson for Yes on 15, the split roll measure that would increase property taxes on large commercial properties. As the election concluded he sounded almost wistful: “In terms of state measures throughout the country, we’re the second highest in terms of spending on both sides. We could have been first.”

The fate of Prop. 22 will likely be a cautionary tale about the role of money in politics. Its success will offer another confidence boost to big businesses and organized labor hoping to fund an end-run around legislation and court rulings they don’t like.

And Trent Lange, president of the California Clean Money Campaign, doesn’t expect 2020’s record of $780 million to last long.

Even if it’s not a sure thing, “deluging voters with often misleading information” to win a particularly valuable state policy will always tempt well-financed special interest groups, he said. “It’s likely to get worse every election.”

The legislature: Dems will still run Sacramento, but which kind?

No matter the outcome, Democrats will still hold commanding majorities in both the state Senate and Assembly. Even if Republicans were to win all of their target seats and keep the ones they’re defending—and preliminary results suggest that’s unlikely—Democrats would still hold more than 70 percent of seats in both chambers.

What isn’t clear: just how large next year’s Democratic supermajorities will be and what kind of Democrats they’ll include.

Another sizable blue wave would send more GOP incumbents across Central and Southern California into involuntary retirement. That would bolster the chamber’s Democratic ranks—and its representation of moderate suburbia.

The most expensive of these contests was the tussle for Senate District 29. In 2016, Democrat Josh Newman won an upset in this once-solidly Republican stretch of Los Angeles and Orange County. In the summer of 2018, he was recalled and replaced by his former opponent, Ling-Ling Chang.

But some of the most contentious legislative fights are taking place within the Democratic Party. The outcomes could do more to reshape the politics of the Capitol than any of the partisan face-offs:

In Stockton, a win by business-backed Carlos Villapudua over San Joaquin County Supervisor Kathy Miller would expand the party’s “mod caucus” in the Assembly.
If incumbent Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer is picked off by the more moderate Efren Martinez, that would be another win for business. It would also serve as a reminder of the changing ethnic composition of this section of south Los Angeles which is now roughly 75 percent Latino. Jones-Sawyer’s election night double-digit lead spells a likely win for the progressive caucus—and the California Democratic Party establishment that rushed to the incumbent’s defense.
In San Francisco, state Sen. Scott Wiener, the most prominent voice in the state in support of more housing development, fended off a 25-year-old Democratic Socialist, Jackie Fielder. Wiener’s allies in the building industry, wary of an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-like upset, spent the last few months bolstering his campaign.

Ben Christopher covers politics and elections for CalMatters, a nonprofit nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

County Distributes More Than $600K in Health Equity Grants

Todd Guild

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November 5, 2020

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County Distributes More Than $600K in Health Equity Grants

The Santa Cruz County Public Health Division announced last week that it has awarded $619,900 in health equity grants to 20 organizations to help address disparities among populations impacted by Covid-19.

The funds come from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“Although the virus that causes Covid-19 does not discriminate, inequitable access to health and social resources can impact some communities more than others,” Mimi Hall, director of the Health Services Agency, said in a press release. “The effects of poverty, unemployment and inadequate access to affordable housing and other basic needs makes it more difficult for communities to seek healthcare, stay home from work, quarantine when needed, and sustain resiliency for themselves and their families.”

The awards range from $5,000-$70,000 depending on the scope of the organization’s work.

Grantees were chosen based on their plans to support those most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and address issues that contribute to health inequities, County Health Department spokeswoman Corinne Hyland said.

According to Hyland, Covid-19 has revealed stark inequities in the health and economic security of California’s communities, with particularly alarming disparities based on race and ethnicity. In Santa Cruz County, the Latinx population makes up more than half of all Covid-19 cases, while only being one-third of the overall population.

Awards are representative of the geography of the virus, with the majority of funds going to South Santa Cruz County.

CARES Act Health Equity Grant Awardees:

Cabrillo: Student Health Services
City of Watsonville: Watsonville Campesino Appreciation Caravan
Coastal Watershed Council: Watershed Rangers
Community Bridges: Elderday & Family Resource Collective
Dientes Community Dental Care: Integrated Dental Care for Our Community
Easter Seals Central California
Encompass Community Services (PPE4CC)
Family Services Agency of the Central Coast
HOPE Services: Multiple programs
Jacob’s Heart
Janus
Pajaro Valley Prevention & Student Assistance, Inc.
Physicians for a Healthy Central Coast
Salud Para La Gente: Community Health Center
Santa Cruz Community Health Centers: Cradle-Career
Santa Cruz Community Ventures: Familias Con Mas: SEEDS
Second Harvest: Esperanza Community Farms
Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center: Community Programs/Diaspora Project + Community Connection thru COVID
Teen Kitchen Project
Watsonville Law Center

Parks Commission Recommends Removal of Washington Bust

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November 5, 2020

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Parks Commission Recommends Removal of Washington Bust

The Watsonville Parks and Recreation Commission at its Monday virtual meeting recommended the City Council remove the George Washington bust from the City Plaza.

The recommendation, put forth by Commissioner Jessica Carrasco, deviates from that of Parks and Community Services staff, which proposed that the bust stay put, and that a “bilingual plaque that outlines a broad historical perspective” about the nation’s first president be added. Staff reached that recommendation from the feedback it received during a month-long community survey in which 60% of more than 1,200 respondents said they wanted it to remain in the historic park.

But a little less than two dozen community members who spoke during the meeting questioned whether the survey was a complete count of the community. The majority of the commission also did not believe the survey represented the community’s views on the bust, and instead sided with those in attendance.

“If we don’t listen to the people and the community, then what are we doing?” asked Commissioner Paul De Worken.

Commissioners Frank Barba and Abel Sanchez voted “no” on the recommendation. Wayne Hayashibara did not vote.

Carrasco said the bust should not be destroyed, but simply moved to another location and that the bilingual plaque be added.

It is unclear when the City Council will decide the statue’s fate. Parks and Community Services Director Nick Calubaquib said city staff would work with the incoming Mayor to schedule the item in early 2021.

Seventeen people spoke for the removal of the bust at Monday’s meeting, two were against its removal and three were indifferent.

Those in favor of its removal said the bust has turned into a symbol of white supremacy and racism since a cry of “white power” reportedly rang out during a rally organized by supporters of the statue in July. In addition, a photo of a person flashing an “OK” hand gesture, which the Anti-Defamation League has said can sometimes be associated with white supremacy, surfaced from that rally.

Support for keeping the bust, several attendees said, was a vote for white supremacy.

“Know that if you are siding with keeping the bust, that you’re siding with a race,” Ome Garcia said.

Commissioner Ana Hurtado-Aldaña said the city has not yet condemned the actions from the July rally, and called on local leaders to do so soon.

Commissioner De Worken was also critical of leadership, and accused the City Council of “hiding” from the issue and the conversation of race because of the election.

Commissioner Sanchez said that the removal of the bust would not end racism, and that he was concerned the issue has only sowed further division in the community. He said that support for keeping the statue did not equate to support for white supremacy.

“I really do wish that we could remove this statue and eradicate racism…but the fact is that its (removal is) not going to get rid of [racism],” he said.

Part of a $100,000 gift from the Alaga Family Estate as a dying wish of Lloyd F. Alaga, the bust has called the City Plaza home since 2001. The council unanimously approved the gift from Alaga in 1999, using $70,000 to create the bust and the rest to help restore the fountain in the park. Alaga also donated $200,000 to the Watsonville Public Library.

For nearly two decades it has sat mostly unnoticed at the park nestled into the center of the city, but debate around the bust began as several monuments to historic figures across the country were removed as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement.

At least three online petitions—both in favor of and against the bust—were circulated prompting city officials to bring the item to the commission for a “study session” in early August. The majority of the commission voiced its support for removing the bust, and called for the issue to be agendized by the City Council.

But the city instead circulated the online survey to gather more community input and held a town hall late last month to release the survey’s results.

People on both sides of the issue felt equally as strong about their stance, according to the survey results.

The majority of respondents who want the bust removed said it is a symbol of white supremacy and racism. They also said that it does not reflect the values of the community and that President Washington’s support of the genocide of indigenous people and ownership of slaves were also reasons for it to be removed.

Those who want to leave the statue in its place said in the survey that it honors President Washington’s actions that created and improved the country and that it is a reminder of the country’s history that should not be removed.

Geri Simmons at Monday’s meeting urged the commission to honor the results of the survey.

“The people have spoken,” she said.

But others picked apart the survey because it failed to gather key demographics of respondents such as age and race—two telltale signs of the changing times and beliefs, say those in favor of removal of the bust.

Several in attendance also said some community members did not feel comfortable filling out the survey because it required too much personal information such as a cell phone number and home address. The “digital divide” also tainted the results of the survey, those in favor of removal said.

Cima Collina Winery’s Noteworthy 2015 Chardonnay

Josie Cowden

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November 4, 2020

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Cima Collina Winery’s Noteworthy 2015 Chardonnay

It came as a surprise to many when Cima Collina Winery announced it was closing its doors at the end of last year.

Winemaker Annette Hoff Danzer made a name for herself in the wine industry—consistently turning out noteworthy wines, especially Chardonnay. But when owner Dick Lumpkin passed away, the winery closed.

Cima Collina’s 2015 Chardonnay is still plentiful in local stores. Grapes are harvested from the reputable Tondre Grapefield in the Santa Lucia Highlands—known for its glacial soils and receiving the right amount of sun during the day and cooling fog in the evening. The results reveal in the wine’s rich aromas of tropical fruits and flavors of vanilla, baking spices and pineapple. This Chardonnay is a very good buy for $18 at New Leaf. I have seen it other places for around $30, so snap it up if you find some for a reasonable price.

It’s good news that Garrett Bowlus, winemaker and owner of Albatross Ridge Wines, has taken over the space occupied by Cima Collina in beautiful Carmel Valley. I first tasted Albatross Ridge’s excellent wines a couple of years ago at their small tasting room in Carmel Village, which Bowlus has expanded to include an outdoor deck. With the addition of Cima Collina’s tasting room, Albatross now has greater presence in the area.

Albatross Ridge Wines, Dolores Street between Ocean and 6th avenues, Carmel-by-the Sea. 831-293-8896. Albatross Ridge Tasting Cottage, 19 E Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. albatrossridge.com.

Evening of Wine and Roses

Those familiar with the longstanding Evening of Wine and Roses event will not want to miss it. This annual fundraiser for the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust will be an online program this year. Check out the terrific auction items—bidding runs until Nov. 10—and visit pvhealthtrust.org/wine-roses-2020 for info.

True Olive Connection

Although True Olive Connection has closed its store on Lincoln Street in Santa Cruz, owner Susan Pappas continues to sell online their splendid assortment of olive oils, vinegars, Olivella skin care products and more. Learn more at trueoliveconnection.com.

Things To Do in Santa Cruz: Nov. 4-10

GT Staff

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November 4, 2020

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Because many in-person events across Santa Cruz County have been canceled or postponed during the pandemic, Good Times is compiling a weekly list of virtual events hosted by local nonprofits, artists, fitness instructors and businesses. To submit your virtual event, send an email to ca******@*******es.sc.

ARTS AND MUSIC

11TH ANNUAL MORTON MARCUS POETRY READING Join the 11th annual Morton Marcus Poetry Reading, featuring honored guest Morgan Parker. Poet Gary Young will host the program, and the evening will include an announcement of the winner of the Morton Marcus Poetry Contest (recipient receives a $1,000 prize). The Morton Marcus Poetry Reading honors poet, teacher, and film critic Morton Marcus (1936–2009). Marcus was the 1999 Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year and a recipient of the 2007 Gail Rich Award. He taught English and Film at Cabrillo College for 30 years, was co-host of the radio program “The Poetry Show,” and was co-host of the television film review show, “Cinema Scene.” Nov. 12, 7pm. Register at: ucsc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cIV7oLUBTL67MuXifqdrnw.

GARDEN OF HOPE SANTA CRUZ FASHION SHOW The Garden of Hope Santa Cruz Fashion Show celebrates survivorship on its 11th anniversary. The American Cancer Society’s 11th Annual Garden of Hope Santa Cruz Fashion Show includes a silent auction, and the event will feature our cancer survivors as models, a few words from a American Cancer Society’s funded Researcher, and a brief memorial to honor cancer victims. We will also honor our donors and sponsors, without whom we cannot function. Once again, our host emcee will be Zach Friend, Santa Cruz County supervisor. To date, the gala event has raised nearly $1 million for American Cancer Society patient services, research, education and advocacy. The event will be held on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1pm with live entertainment. The silent auction registration will begin on Friday, Nov. 6 and close at 5pm on Sunday, Nov. 15. This will be a virtual event, so participants can participate from the comfort of their own homes via Zoom. This will allow participants the ease and time to bid on their favorite items! For more information, to donate and to register, visit: acssccr.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/2020SantaCruzFashionShow/tabid/1132511/Default.aspx

THE ART OF DYING WELL BOOK DISCUSSION Are you prepared for life’s final journey? Using “The Art of Dying Well” by Katy Butler as a guidebook, Vanessa Silverstein from Hospice of Santa Cruz County will lead a discussion exploring end of life planning to create peace of mind for ourselves and those we leave behind. A free copy of the book will be provided to the first 20 people who register. Thursday, Nov. 5, 5:30pm. To register visit: bit.ly/wpljourney.

MOVIES AT THE MAH: COCO Kick back and enjoy Movies at the MAH presented in partnership with Westside Video. Through the fall we will be screening films that inspire and help us grow through this moment together. Following our month-long series of events for Día de los Muertos, the MAH and Westside Video have teamed up to share the heartwarming 2017 animated film, “Coco.” So grab a drink or snack at the Market and join us in Abbot Square! Space is limited to allow for adequate physical distancing on the patio. There is no pre-registration required, drop-by when you can but, if possible, we recommend you arrive early to ensure you have a seat. Thursday, Nov. 5, 7pm. Learn more: santacruzmah.org/events/movies-nov.

SHE ADVENTURES FILM TOUR VIRTUAL SCREENING This collection of the most inspirational, heartwarming and entertaining films celebrates women in adventure from independent filmmakers around the globe. The She Adventures Film Tour includes a unique selection of films of varying lengths and styles covering topics relevant to women in the outdoors who aren’t afraid to get dirty in their pursuit of adventure. Our aim at the She Adventures Film Tour is to build a community who support adventurous women. By showcasing and celebrating the female adventurous spirit, we hope to make women in the outdoors more visible. But She Adventures isn’t just for women. She Adventures is for all of us to celebrate diversity and inclusion and the inspiring ladies of the adventure world. Presented by the Rio Theatre. Nov. 12-22 only. Once you start viewing the program you have 48 hours to finish watching it or until midnight on Nov. 22, whichever comes first. Learn more: riotheatre.com/events-2/2020/11/11/she-adventures-film-tour.

CATAMARAN ART SHOW AT R. BLITZER GALLERY Starved for real live artwork? Then don’t miss the Seventh Annual Catamaran Show at the R. Blitzer Gallery, featuring a curated array of original artwork from Linda Christensen, David Ligare, UCSC alumna Julie Heffernan, Frank Galuszka, Noah Buchanan, Joao De Brito and Philip Rosenthal. While you’re there don’t miss artworks by Robert Blitzer, Alan Sonneman, Rand Launer and handmade stringed instruments by luthier Charles Sutton. Open now through Nov. 27. Tuesday and Thursday noon-5 pm or by appointment. Strict Covid-19 protocols followed (masks, five or six people at a time, social distancing). R. Blitzer Gallery, 2801 Mission St., Santa Cruz. 831-458-1217.

CLASSES

FALL/WINTER BASEBALL CLINICS These clinics have an emphasis on fun while working through drills to improve infield and outfield work, hitting, pitching, and athleticism. Players learn the foundational skills needed to become better ball players, athletes and young adults. We’ll bring the joy of baseball to life by playing mini games and creating friendly competition! Join us every Sunday for a full hour and a half of baseball! Clinics are held indoors and outdoors and will take place rain or shine. Three player minimum required for class to take place. Six player maximum cap for each class. Sundays at noon. Learn more: paradigmsport.com.

SALSA SUELTA IN PLACE FREE ZOOM SESSION For all dance-deprived dancers! Free weekly online session in Cuban-style Salsa Suelta for experienced beginners and up. May include Mambo, ChaChaCha, Afro-Cuban Rumba, Orisha, Son Montuno, Cuban-Salsa. Ages 14 and up. Thursdays at 7pm. Contact to get Zoom link: salsagente.com.

TECH TALKS: WHAT’S NEW ON IOS 14 Learn about the privacy and productivity features and settings available to you with the new iOS 14 on the Apple iPhone. Join us virtually as we demonstrate the iOS 14 highlights—enabled on the iPhone’s newest operating system. iOS 14 is compatible with the iPhone 6s and later. It is recommended that you download iOS 14 beforehand if you wish to participate in the active demonstrations. Thursday, Nov. 5, 11am. Register now: santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/7215778.

NAMI FAMILY-TO-FAMILY CLASS NAMI’s Family-to-Family Class is an eight-week educational program for family and friends of adults with mental health challenges. Learn about how to support your loved one, gain valuable communication and coping skills, and become educated on the latest mental health research. Class is led by two trained volunteers with lived experience caring for someone with mental health conditions. Sign up online and learn more at namiscc.org/family-to-family.html. Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm.

CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION WEEKEND EXPRESS CLASS This Saturday and Sunday virtual class from Dominican Hospital is intended for expectant mothers and their labor support team. Focus will be on the birth process, including the stages of labor and when to go to the hospital. Non-pharmaceutical coping techniques for pain, including breath work, mindfulness practices, supportive touch and positions for labor and birth, along with standard hospital procedures, pain medication options, medical interventions, cesarean birth, postpartum recovery, newborn procedures and breastfeeding basics. In this class, we will actively practice positions and coping techniques for pain, so please be dressed for movement. Please register for the PEP class session. Only after you have completed this process, the Zoom meeting information will be provided to you via email prior to your class. Classes run 1-5:30pm on these days: Nov. 14-15 and Dec. 19-20.

COMMUNITY

EVENING OF WINE AND ROSES Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley announces its annual fundraising event, An Evening of Wine and Roses. This will be a virtual event, Friday, Nov. 6, at 6pm, including an online auction from Nov. 2-10. With each purchase of an auction item and/or Wine and Roses Experience, funds go to support Community Health Trust programs and services of fostering health and equity for all in Pajaro Valley. No fee required to register, and all purchases support Community Health Trust. Wine and Roses Coupon Book for purchase of $50 each. Enjoy discounts at the eateries you’ve come to love at Wine and Roses throughout the entire year.

TALES TO TAILS GOES VIRTUAL SCPL’s early childhood literacy program, Virtual Tales to Tails, has moved to a new time slot: Mondays, 3:30-4:30pm. At the end of your school day, hop online and have fun reading at your own pace to an audience of therapy dogs, cats and other guest animals. Have math homework? Good news! Your furry audience would also love to learn how to count, add and subtract. Register online. Registrants receive reminders, links to the live program, and fun (educational) activities to complete and have showcased on future sessions Learn more at santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6764938.

GROUPS

VIRTUAL YOUNG ADULT (18-30) TRANSGENDER SUPPORT GROUP A weekly peer support group for young adults aged 18-25 who identify as transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, agender, or any other non-cisgender identity. This is a social group where we meet and chat among ourselves, sharing our experiences and thoughts in a warm, welcoming setting. Our meetings will be held on Discord during the shelter-in-place order. For more info, contact Ezra Bowen at tr***@*************er.org.

LGBTQNBI+ SUPPORT GROUP FOR CORONAVIRUS STRESS This weekly LGBTQNBI+ support group is being offered to help us all deal with stress during the shelter-in-place situation that we are experiencing from the coronavirus. Feel free to bring your lunch and chat together to get support. This group is offered at no cost and will be facilitated by licensed therapists Shane Hill, Ph.D., and Melissa Bernstein, LMFT #52524. Learn how to join the Zoom support group at diversitycenter.org/community-calendar.

OUTDOOR

FISH AND CHIPS: TRACKING TUNAS AND SHARKS IN OUR BLUE SERENGETI The Earth’s oceans cover the majority of the surface area of our planet, yet our understanding of the marine ecosystem is limited. Dr. Barbara Block, Professor of Biology in Marine Sciences at the Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station, presents her (rock-star level, pioneering) work studying tunas and sharks across our global oceans, enabling proactive fisheries management and conservation. Part of the Center for the Blue Economy Speaker Series at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Free, open to public, no registration required. Online via Zoom. Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6pm. Learn more: go.miis.edu/sustainability. For questions, contact Rachel C., Center for the Blue Economy, cb*@**is.edu, 831-647-4183 (leave message to receive call back).

SUSTAINABILITY, SYSTEMS THINKING, AND WELL-BEING: GIVING VOICE TO DATA Oregon is the only state in the union with a vision for the consumption of materials extending to 2050 that is ratified by the legislature and supported by the Environmental Quality Commission. The Vision expands the charter of the solid waste management to examine material consumption and the associated environmental burdens from a system wide perspective. This expanded view, referred to as systems thinking or life cycle approach, uncovers environmental hotspots within the material flows that support economic activities. This unique state-level charter combining research, long term strategic outlook, and policy perspective is well-placed to identify options to reduce environmental and social hotspots related to consumption in the States. Speaker: Mr. Minal Mistry, Business Initiatives Lead, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Part of the Environmental Justice and Sustainability Speaker Series at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies; Free, open to public, no registration required. Online via Zoom. Thursday, Nov. 5, 12:30pm. Learn more: go.miis.edu/sustainability. For questions, contact Rachel C., Center for the Blue Economy, cb*@**is.edu, 831-647-4183 (leave message to receive call back).

TIBETAN SOUND HEALING MEDITATION OUTDOORS Sound healing is a sacred and powerful meditative practice that has grown enormously in popularity in recent years. Come join a small, socially distanced, outdoor gathering in our meadow. Let Kalden’s soothing sound meditation bring ease to your nervous system and aid in the expression of positive feelings such as peace, joy and connectedness. Sunday, Nov. 8, 4pm. Learn more: landofmedicinebuddha.org/events.

ASTRONOMY ON TAP Members of the UCSC Astronomy Department will be hosting a virtual “astronomy on tap,” an accessible, engaging, free science presentation on topics ranging from planets to black holes to galaxies to the beginning of the Universe. This week we’ll be discussing fast radio bursts with Sunil Simha (UCSC) and Jay Chittidi (CU Boulder), mysterious interstellar eruptions likely related to neutron stars. In 2007, astronomers discovered a peculiar class of objects now called fast radio bursts (FRBs). These events emit light at radio wavelengths for less than a few milliseconds, yet can release as much energy as our Sun does in a day. We will talk about the discovery of FRBs, our current understanding of these mysterious events, and a new method that uses FRBs to measure the distribution of matter in the universe. Thursday, Nov. 5, 6:30pm. Watch at: youtube.com/watch?v=1MLDxRQZlzA.

SEA CHESS CHARITY TOURNAMENT The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is hosting its first online Sea Chess Charity Tournament to benefit conservation efforts of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary. The event will feature two tournaments, with an additional Simultaneous Exhibition against Grandmaster Sahaj Grover. There will be a $15 admission fee for the 5 Rounds G15 Rapid event, and a $10 admission fee for the 5 Rounds G3 + 2 Blitz event. Alternatively, a $20 flat fee will get you admission to both tournament events. There will also be a separate $15 entrance fee for the Simultaneous Exhibition against GM Sahaj Grover. Prizes will be awarded for each of the different event types and will include chess lessons by Woman International Master Charlize van Zyl, GM Sahaj Grover, National Master Gjon Feinstein, and International Grandmaster Ilya Smirin. IGM Ilya Smirin was ranked 13th highest in the world and was the winner of the World Open Tournament in 2014 and 2015. All funds raised during this event will go towards supporting the Monterey Bay Sanctuary’s BayNet, Team OCEAN, and Whale Disentanglement programs. Saturday, Nov. 7, 9am. Learn more: montereybayfoundation.org/event/sea-chess-charity-tournament.

THE STORY OF PLASTIC, FILM SCREENING AND DISCUSSION

Catch the film screening via individual email link sent to registered attendees, watched any time prior to discussion. Join the community discussion Monday, Nov. 9, 7-8pm via Zoom. Registration required. Register at: eventbrite.com/e/the-story-of-plastic-individual-film-screening-and-group-discussion-tickets-120660600103.

Find the Zoom link for discussion and all other details at: middlebury.edu/institute/events/story-plastic-individual-film-screening-and-community-discussion-11-09-2020. For questions contact: Rachel C. at cb*@**is.edu, visit centerfortheblueeconomy.org, or call 831-647-4183 (leave message to receive call back).

Farm-to-Table Menu Complements Craft Beers at Discretion Brewing

Andrew Steingrube

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November 4, 2020

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Farm-to-Table Menu Complements Craft Beers at Discretion Brewing

Hidden just off 41st Avenue in Soquel is Discretion Brewing, housed in a chic modern industrial building.

Owners Rob and Kathleen Genco opened it in 2013, saying they wanted to be a part of the brewery-and-beer market boom here in Santa Cruz, and to create a family business that was sustainable and gave back to the community. They are open for dine-in food and beer from 12-7pm Wednesday-Monday, and for beer only from 12-5pm on Tuesday. GT caught up with Rob, who shared his thoughts on the business, beer, and food.

What are some of your most popular beers?

ROB GENCO: Our flagship beer is our Uncle Dave’s IPA. It’s a well-balanced IPA with a malt-balanced flavor, a hint of peppery spice that comes from the rye, and fruity herbal hop aromas. It recently won a bronze medal in the category of English IPA at the Great American Beer Festival, which is the most prestigious beer contest in the world. We also have our Shimmer Pils, a refreshing German-style pilsner that is crisp and has a balanced hoppiness. In our barrel-aged program, one beer we feature is the Three Fawns. It’s a Belgian-style triple-aged in American bourbon barrels, and has a boozy warmth, redolent of vanilla, black pepper, and honey along with soft berry notes.

How would you characterize the menu?

Santos Majano owns the restaurant side of the business, and his menu focuses on farm-to-table, locally sourced, and exquisitely prepared gourmet meals. Every week, his menu changes—recently he has featured chili-fried rice with egg, cauliflower, roasted carrots, chives, house pickles, nori, and toasted sesame seeds, with an optional pork belly addition. He has also done a pan-roasted local halibut, with butternut squash purée, bok choy, and Calabrian chili butter sauce. Another recent dish he featured is an autumn squash risotto, with maple-glazed carrots, roasted mushrooms, arugula, toasted pecans, and Parmigiano Reggiano.

What’s the best thing about your outdoor beer garden?

From the beginning, we planted our garden with edible plants, fruits and vegetables, so it’s a living garden that changes with the seasons. We have about 12 tables out there, with sunny and shady spots, and with the soft textures of plants and redwood stumps. We have also recently more than doubled the space of the outdoor beer garden to support safe Covid-19 dining.

2703 41st Ave., Suite A, Soquel. 831-316-0662, discretionbrewing.com.

Opinion: Nov. 4, 2020

Steve Palopoli

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November 4, 2020

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EDITOR’S NOTE

There are so many annual events that are completely off the table for 2020, and if you’d asked me back in the spring—as it was becoming all-too-clear that this pandemic would be disrupting every aspect of our lives for the foreseeable future—I would have thought Pivot was going to be one of those casualties. I mean, the eye-popping annual event as we knew it checked every box for Covid-19-era impossibility: a huge live event attended by hundreds of people, with a cast of dozens of designers, artists, runway models and event organizers working together to stage a uniquely Santa Cruz version of a fashion show. At best, I would have figured they’d be able to put together some kind of virtual version.

I would, however, have been seriously underestimating Tina Brown and Rose Sellery, who created Pivot as a successor to Santa Cruz’s long-running and always cutting-edge FashionART show. Somehow they managed to take this most undoable of events and not only turn it into a film—which is cool in itself—but keep the live aspect by showing it as a drive-in event. How did they do it? Well, Wallace Baine explains that in this week’s cover story.

To bring this kind of energy and innovation to the ongoing slog known as “adapting to the pandemic” is not just admirable, it’s a real gift to the community that made Pivot a success in the first place, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. We all need this right now. Thank you, Tina and Rose.

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

DeCinzo Cartoons Unacceptable

Re: “Toon Out (GT, Oct. 28)” We, as leaders of the Santa Cruz Jewish community, want to express our views regarding a number of cartoons by DeCinzo that had been posted on the Trail Now website and have since been removed. One of these cartoons was reused in a video from a local candidate, who also removed it. Both parties have apologized to the community, and we accept their apologies.

There is no room in our public forum for this offensive discourse, whether it be by cartoon or any other type of communication. Whether consciously or unconsciously, DeCinzo employs classic anti-Semitic tropes against a political candidate in these cartoons, depicting him hunched over with an enlarged nose and carrying bags of money. One only needs to search “anti-Semitic cartoons” to see scores of depictions in the Library of Congress just like this used by the Nazis.

We find DeCinzo’s work dangerous, offensive and unacceptable.

We have been seeing a rise of anti-Semitic incidents across our country. In 2019, there were 2,107 anti-Semitic incidents, which included deadly attacks by gunmen at a synagogue in Southern California, a New Jersey kosher grocery store and a stabbing at a rabbi’s home in New York.

Given this disturbing trend, members of the Jewish community are legitimately disturbed and frightened by the use of these caricatures. We therefore call for their complete removal from the public domain, we ask everyone to refrain from reposting and sharing them for any reason, and we issue our fervent plea for a return to civil discourse based on the merits of issues rather than personal attacks.

We cannot tolerate hatred against anyone in our community. We must stand up against racism, anti-Semitism hatred against the LGBTQ community and immigrants or any other form of hatred that causes harm to members of our community.

Rabbi Paula Marcus, Rabbi Shifra Weiss-Penzias | Temple Beth El

Missing DeCinzo

Re: “Toon Out”: Thank you for your informative article about Steven DeCinzo.

I sometimes wonder where he went to when canceled by the Sentinel. His work was a real gift to all of us.

When I moved to Santa Cruz eight years ago, I really enjoyed his editorial cartoons in the Santa Cruz Sentinel (which is now hedge-fund-owned and only a skeleton of its former self).

I was surprised sometimes to read letters to the Sentinel editor criticizing DeCinzo’s cartoons, which I felt demonstrated consistently wonderful satirical wit and a perceptive ability to show how “the emperor has no clothes.”

Marc Manger, MD | Live Oak

Reject Mean-Spirited Campaigns

The Santa Cruz County Democratic Party believes in equality, liberty, and justice for all – the right of a woman to choose her own future; the right to fair treatment in the criminal justice system; the right to excellent public education; the right to affordable housing; the right to clean air, water and protected natural resources; access to health care and the right to live without fear of hate crimes or gun violence.

We are very concerned with mean-spirited campaign tactics and condemn hateful words and deeds.

We proudly support John Leopold for County Supervisor, Nancy de la Pena for Superior Court Judge, Kristen Petersen for Capitola City Council, Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and Martine Watkins for Santa Cruz City Council, Jack Dilles for Scotts Valley City Council, Felipe Hernandez for Cabrillo College Trustee, Maria Orozco for PVUSD Trustee, and Bruce Daniels and Tom LaHue for Soquel Creek Water Board.

Coco Raner-Walter | Chairperson, Santa Cruz County Democratic Party

ONLINE COMMENTS
Re: Housing Crisis Solutions

I am shocked at how you have diminished and insulted the legitimacy of Don’t Bury The Library, an organized campaign of hundreds of residents who have worked tirelessly for almost four years to have the downtown branch restored, renewed, upgraded and modernized—which is what voters were led to believe would happen if they voted yes on the ballot measure.

First, as though to belittle our organization, you refer to us as a “club.” Then you diminish our legitimate, multiple concerns about the misuse of Measure S funds approved by voters, by saying our primary concern is that we love the library where it is. Yes, we want the library where a library has been for 116 years, an integral part of the City’s Civic Center. We also want transparency in government and that did not happen with the behind close doors plans for a parking garage and library package obviously made as soon as the June 2016 votes had been counted. Maybe even sooner.

— Jean Brocklebank

The lack of housing is endemic of all of California. And the issue has been driven by the lure of low wage workers. Mostly from south of the US border. Businesses can hire these workers for less and treat them with less respect than they would US. People lured by better wages than in their home country are happy to weather the abuse. With 2.5 million of them in California it is no wonder that we have a lack of housing yet with only 125k homeless it would only take a reduction of 10% off them to provide twice as many homes needed to house all of our homeless. If businesses were better discouraged not to break the law it would be easier to balance the needs of our poor with our housing providers. People should direct our energies were it will do the most good. Push for increased penalties on businesses whom hire and abuse these workers as well as reducing the ease and incentive for workers to migrate here. This is the quickest way to provide housing for those of us whom need it most.

— Chelsea Wagner

Re: Sean Arlt Shooting

Thank you for following up on the Sean Arlt tragedy. It was a killing that did not need to happen. As a member of the city council in 2018, I recall that yes, indeed, the will of the council was to hire a full-time social worker as part of our negotiations with the family. This unspeakable tragedy has been so difficult on the Arlt family and on the police who were involved in the shooting. My thoughts and prayers go out to them. City Manager Martín Bernal’s continued obfuscation on this issue—along with many others, like his misdirected wrong-headed efforts towards our burgeoning homeless population, not directing resources to assist over-taxed councilmembers trying to perform their job, and protecting the now $750,000 golf course deficit—wreaks of incompetence at the highest level of local government. Incidentally, Bernal, who is unelected and the highest paid city bureaucrat, had long ago worn out his welcome in the city of Santa Cruz, but once the pandemic began, instead of being shown the door, he was booted up another notch to become the crisis “Czar” and is in now in charge of our city’s pandemic response efforts. Go figure.

— Chris Krohn

OP-ED
Ken Doctor’s False Narrative

By Dan Pulcrano

In times when the “fake news” slur is deployed with regularity to discredit the media’s reporting, maintaining a news organization’s credibility is a baseline responsibility. So what does it mean if a journalistic enterprise’s founding mission is based on a bald-faced lie?

Media pundit Ken Doctor has raised $2.5 million by shopping a false narrative that Santa Cruz is a “news desert”—a community without reporting, one that’s uninformed and parched for news. It is anything but.

For decades, Santa Cruz County has been a hotbed of competitive newspapering. Even with print’s well-documented decline, Santa Cruz defies the trend, supporting multiple sources of local information.

Although its newsroom staffing has suffered under the ownership of a Manhattan hedge fund, Santa Cruz still has a daily newspaper—unlike many communities of its size. The weekly of which I’m publisher, Good Times, has triple the daily’s circulation and this year was selected as the best weekly in the state, winning the California Journalism Awards’ coveted General Excellence Award.

But wait, there’s more. The county is also home to Watsonville’s 152-year-old Pajaronian, which back in the day won a Pulitzer Prize and has been modernized since its purchase by Good Times last year. Likewise, the Press Banner, serving the communities of the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Lorenzo Valley, continues a proud 60-year legacy. Tiny Aptos, Doctor’s hometown, has competing community newspapers. And the all-digital Santa Cruz Local has gained traction with solid reporting and a bootstrapped community engagement model.

To characterize Santa Cruz as a news desert insults the amazing work being done by local writers and editors who have been covering devastating wildfires and an unprecedented health crisis under the most adverse conditions ever.

How did the Knight Foundation and the Google News Initiative take Ken Doctor at his word that Santa Cruz was a community that was without civic reporting? As they spend hundreds of millions on news experiments around the world, it’s difficult to do due diligence and fact check every claim of news desertification in grant applications.

These well-intentioned media funders are trying to help save local news, but instead could wind up destroying the last of the authentic community voices.

Lookout Local imports expensive Big City talent, such as the Chicago Sun-Times’ top editor. Doctor has also used his fat checkbook to raid the talent of local newsrooms, including Good Times and the Santa Cruz Sentinel, at a particularly fragile time, as newspapers struggle to survive the worst-ever advertising drop with so many businesses closing or operating at reduced capacity.

I’ve watched digital news sites with similar funders cozy up to special interests rather than hold them accountable. They generally cover the obvious stories—such as crimes, press releases, dining news and scheduled government meetings—while chasing search terms in hopes of boosting traffic. They sometimes lock their premium content behind a paywall and use advanced tools cooked up in media labs to monetize their content.

The albeit idiosyncratic nature of a small business-supported news model ensures independence, a variety of voices and is sustainable provided there isn’t subsidized competition to divide the traffic, drive up costs, strip-mine talent and undermine the marketing channels on which local businesses depend.

Independent local media has historically given voice to emerging journalists rather than get in bidding wars for established marquee names. Our company, which traces its origins to Santa Cruz in the 1980s, invests in the communities where we operate. We buy and renovate old buildings, start Restaurant Weeks, Burger Weeks and Beer Weeks to help the local restaurateurs, and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for nonprofits through our Santa Cruz Gives initiative.

If Mr. Doctor wants to make a genuine social contribution by erasing news deserts, he should take his millions and move to a real one. There are 188 counties in America without a local newspaper, according to the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media at the University of North Carolina School of Journalism and Media.

Of course, that would take some real pioneering.

Most of them are poor and landlocked, too far away to listen to the seals bark on West Cliff Drive or gaze over pinot noir vineyards in the Corralitos hills.

Dan Pulcrano is the publisher of Good Times and the CEO of the alternative media group Weeklys.

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Submit to ph****@*******es.sc. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.

GOOD IDEA

THERE’S A MAP FOR THAT

The CZU Lightning Complex fire is contained, but the damage may not be over. Santa Cruz County has released its debris flow evacuation map, highlighting where officials anticipate there could be bad mudslides this winter. Following the 2017 Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County, debris flows in Montecito caused 23 deaths. There will likely be evacuations this rainy season. The county urges residents of the area to check out the new Debris Flow Hazard Risk Map, at community.zonehaven.com.

GOOD WORK

NO SCARY SURPRISES

In line with social distancing guidelines, downtown Santa Cruz saw a relatively quiet Halloween this year. From the night of Saturday, Oct. 31, through the early morning hours of Nov. 1, the Santa Cruz Police made 10 arrests: nine for public intoxication and one for carrying an illegally concealed knife. Officers also gave out seven infraction citations, all of them punitive triple-fine violations enacted for the holiday. A police press release indicated that there were around 4,000 people downtown, a far smaller crowd than in years past.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
-James Baldwin

Annual Pivot Fashion Show Shapeshifts for Movie Event

Wallace Baine

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November 3, 2020

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Annual Pivot Fashion Show Shapeshifts for Movie Event

For most people, fashion in 2020 means flannel PJ bottoms (with or without booties), that one Cornership tour T-shirt you’ve had since 1998, and the one collared top used exclusively for Zoom meetings. And, of course, masks. Lots and lots of face coverings—designer masks, branded masks, disposable masks, homemade masks, statement masks.

The fashion industry, too, has adapted to the pandemic era. Take, for example, the work of fashion designer and wearable-art maven Tatiana Elliston, one of several artists featured in Pivot in the Pandemic, the film version of the annual art show presented by the Santa Cruz-based fashion presenter Pivot: The Art of Fashion.

Elliston is presenting a new line of apparel in which the face covering is part of the garment.

“It’s a design element,” says the Peninsula-based artist. “I was thinking of the comfort of the wearer. Every time we go for a walk these days, we carry these masks with us. But in my jackets—warmer for cold weather, or lightweight for times like now when it’s really hot—the mask is always near the face. It has a zipper. You just unzip it and, if you need it, it takes a fraction of a second to put it on. You zip it up and it covers your face. I wanted it for myself, and that’s why I made it.”

Elliston, like many independent designers, has been stuck at home in her sewing room for the past several months as she and her family have been in self-imposed quarantine. That has enhanced her already strong commitment to use “upcycled” materials—that is, reusing fabric and other material designed for other purposes.

“I literally didn’t leave the house for months,” she says. “We were just going through all our existing fabrics, trying to use whatever materials we could find in my garage or my friends’ garages.”

The result are bespoke pieces that address not only the necessity to wear masks, but also reflect the prevailing mood of 2020.

“I do black, brown, and gray,” she says of the selection of colors of her masked jackets. “That’s my mood right now.”

Pivot in the Pandemic, the film in which Elliston’s new designs are featured, is itself an adaptation to the pandemic. Led by designer/artists Tina Brown and Rose Sellery, Pivot has for years built a Santa Cruz-based fashion industry on the basis of a live runway show. As veterans of the long-time FashionART show held at the Civic Auditorium every year, both Brown and Sellery knew about building buzz and creating inspirations for designers through the medium of a runway show, either at the Civic, the Rio Theatre, or the hallways of the Wrigley Building.

The Covid-19 shutdown obviously changed all that. Suddenly, the Pivot fashion show, a beloved touchstone for Santa Cruz’s creative class, was no longer possible under pandemic protocols. The solution? A movie.

Tina Brown says the idea came from something similar that Pivot was forced into with the FashionTEEN show that was scheduled for April, just a few weeks after the original shelter-in-place order.

“These kids had been working on these pieces,” says Brown of the spring teen fashion show, “and many of them were already finished. And we kept thinking, ‘How can we make this happen?’ So, we had them video themselves with their designs, and we made a virtual show.”

It was only later, when they were discussing the larger Pivot show scheduled for the fall with staffers at Arts Council Santa Cruz County, that the idea was first floated to make a Pivot movie.

“Well,” says Brown, “we originally said, ‘No, Pivot is a much bigger production. It would be much harder and more expensive to do that.’ But two weeks later, we went back and said, ‘You know what, I think we can do it.’ It was either do that or do nothing.”

Of course, as a live event, a movie can be just as problematic as a runway show—unless it adopts the drive-in model. Pivot at the Pandemic will be screened twice, on Nov. 7 and 8, at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s makeshift drive-in at the Boardwalk’s River Street parking lot. After that, the film will be offered as a pay-per-view event online on Pivot’s website, pivot-artfashion.com.

The film, says Brown, is something more than a pre-recorded version of the regular runway show. It was shot at two Santa Cruz County locations: the closed Rispin Mansion in Capitola, and in the store Curated By the Sea on Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz.

“There’s no real runway,” says Brown. “It’s more that we have set up scenarios for each designer. It’s going to be a kind of fashion/art exploration, but it’s not necessarily models walking down a catwalk.”

The film format allows viewers to get a closer look at some of the designs than they would normally be allowed at a runway show.

“There is a little bit of a narrative,” says Brown. “We interviewed the artists and designers and when we shot their segments, we got to talk to them about their inspirations, or how they came up with their designs, or something else about their work. And that’s exciting, too, because you don’t normally get to hear the artists talk unless you hang around after the show and talk to them in person.”

Pivot, like FashionART before it, has cultivated a stable of familiar names of fashion artists and wearable-art designers widely known in Santa Cruz and throughout the Bay Area. Many of them will be part of the Pandemic film, including the vivacious and playful Charlotte Kruk, famous for her dazzling candy-wrapper dresses, and I.B. Bayo, the African-born designer known for his unique blend of traditional African motifs and contemporary styles.

Other familiar names include Lily Marotto, Ellen Brook, Ruby Roxanne, and Rose Sellery, who—besides acting as one of the show’s co-directors—is also one of its most high profile wearable-art visionaries. Missing from this year’s show, alas, is Santa Cruz’s finest avatar of out-there fashion: the Great Morgani.

On top of the known names, there are a handful of first-timers as well, including artist Peter Esparza, showcasing his designs inspired by Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Sudnya Shroff, an artist aiming to spark a dialogue about racism through her use of color. Others showcasing their work are Teri Pelio, Lisa Agliano, Carol Lee Shanks, Rachel Conable and Rigel Hunter, Stephanie Metz, Matthew Molcillo, and Carrie Eheler.

And, yes, most of the designs feature some kind of take on the Covid-style face covering.

“Some did it tongue-in-cheek,” says Brown. “Others were really beautiful, where the mask matches the gown. Bayo did a beaded mask. The designers would all match them up with the best outfits, which is really kind of cool, because (masks) are really going to be a new fashion accessory. Somebody told me, ‘I can’t believe we’re doing this.’ And I was like, ‘Hey, it’s just another accessory, just another way to have fun with your fashion.”

Tatiana Elliston’s design turns a sweatshirt into a mask-ready garment, with a zip-up neck piece that reaches the nose. “It’s up to people what they will buy,” she says, “but we’re looking for a way to (cover the face) with the most comfort and convenience.”

Pivot in the Pandemic will be released just days after a traumatic national election and toward the end of a year of pain and uncertainty for people throughout Santa Cruz County and the entire country. Brown says that Pivot is trying to make what they do a part of how people cope with and transcend a difficult time.

“We’re really trying to push the importance of art right now,” she says. “We all need art in this moment, in trying to deal with all the things going on, between Covid-19, natural disasters, the division in the country. All of that stuff is affecting everybody, and we felt we needed to do this. These wearable art pieces are really exploring how people feel during the time, how we’re figuring our way out of it, and how things are going to be in the future. All of that expression is good for people to see. People need something fun to watch.”

Pivot in the Pandemic will take place Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7-8. Gates open at 6pm. Showtime is 7pm. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Drive-In, 400 Beach St., River Street parking lot, Santa Cruz. $40 per car (with up to five people in one car). Learn more at: pivot-artfashion.com.

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

Congress: Is the blue wave here to stay?

The propositions: $780 million—what was it good for?

The legislature: Dems will still run Sacramento, but which kind?

Evening of Wine and Roses

True Olive Connection

ARTS AND MUSIC

CLASSES

COMMUNITY

GROUPS

OUTDOOR

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

GOOD WORK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK