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How to Lower the Risk from Gathering During the Coronavirus Pandemic

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June 18, 2020

How to Lower the Risk from Gathering During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday updated its recommendations for personal and social activities, giving people a playbook of how they can lessen their chance of contracting the novel coronavirus while dining at restaurants, using gyms and attending gatherings.

Though health officials at various levels of government are still discouraging gatherings between different households, Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin said there are several ways residents can lower the risk involved with gatherings.

“If families do decide to gather, there are ways to lower risk including gathering in smaller groups, gathering outdoors, wearing face coverings, and not sharing utensils or equipment,” Hoppin said. “People should be especially careful around elderly or medically vulnerable relatives. Sheltering fatigue is real, and we accept that some people are gathering with friends and family. There are ways to do that while keeping the risks relatively low.”

According to the CDC, gatherings should be hosted outdoors and hosts should provide disposable, single-use items and arrange tables and chairs to allow for social distancing.

“People from the same household can be in groups together and don’t need to be six feet apart—just six feet away from other families,” according to the CDC.

Guests should wear face coverings when less than six feet away from another person and wash their hands for 20 seconds before entering and leaving the gathering.

They should also wash their hands before serving food, though the CDC encourages guests to bring their own food and drinks to further lessen the risk of transmission.

For gatherings in which food will be served, the CDC recommends hosts identify one person to serve all food and drinks so that multiple people are not handling severing utensils.

Handshakes, hugs, kisses, fist and chest bumps should also be replaced by waves or verbal greetings, the CDC says.

The updated recommendations on gatherings came a week before Father’s Day weekend, when some people might defy county or state orders put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In Santa Cruz County, Mother’s Day weekend—and the gatherings that accompanied the holiday—was the source of four Covid-19 clusters in the Watsonville area.

In the weeks since that spike, a group of a dozen local leaders from various industries has worked with the county’s SAVE Lives campaign to educate residents of the risks of large gatherings as well as the alternatives and preventative measures they can take to lessen their chances of transmission.

For Father’s Day, the group has created a campaign that it will blast online, in print and over the airwaves through English and Spanish radio stations.

Santa Cruz Dance Community Mourns the Death of Sara Wilbourne

Wallace Baine

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June 18, 2020

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Santa Cruz Dance Community Mourns the Death of Sara Wilbourne

Tandy Beal has a hundred Sara Wilbourne stories, maybe even more than that.

Beal, the most luminous and prominent name in the Santa Cruz dance community, had a deep and durable friendship and creative partnership with fellow dancer and choreographer Wilbourne going back four decades.

For example, in the early 1980s, when Wilbourne was one of the most stalwart performers in Tandy Beal and Co., she was part of a large ensemble tackling a Tandy-esque production of The Nutcracker. Rehearsals were demanding, and, as a result, they were subject to tension and frayed nerves.

At one point, says Beal, during the famous Arabian dance in the ballet, “four dancers come out in these beautiful costumes. Then, Sara comes out, topless. It just tore the rehearsal up. And it was exactly what we needed to finish the work that we had to do. She had this ability to be incredibly elegant and old-world, almost formal, and then completely brazen and out there.”

The Santa Cruz dance community only recently learned of the death of Sara Wilbourne in early May. A few years ago, after a diagnosis of encroaching dementia, friends say, the intensely private Wilbourne retreated from public life and news of her death leaked out only gradually. She was believed to be around 70 years old.

She first came to Santa Cruz around 1980 after she and Beal met at the University of Utah. Beal recruited Wilbourne to become part of her Santa Cruz-based dance company and she followed Beal to California.

Over the next 35 years, Wilbourne was not only a central figure in the fertile local dance community, she also became an irreplaceable resource and creative force in the larger arts community, giving her focus and energies to such organizations as Cabrillo College, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre and others. She worked to connect artists with each other, and with whatever they needed for collaboration and support.

Writer and former dancer Julia Chiapella says, “Sara was so good at bringing disparate subcultures from the arts community together.”

Chiapella, who had worked with Wilbourne as a performer years earlier, was later recruited by Wilbourne to be part of a program called “Talk Dance Talk” with the late poet Morton Marcus. “She was keenly aware that we didn’t have enough people writing about dance and illuminating it in a way that could be understood,” Chiapella says. “Dance is so ephemeral and she brought Morton and myself together and created a two-day workshop in writing about dancing, what that meant, and how we could bring that ephemeral quality to the stage.”

But, before all the community activism, Wilbourne was a gifted dancer who toured with Tandy Beal and Co. in venues across the country and in Europe.

“She was a movement genius,” says Santa Cruz based dancer and choreographer Cid Pearlman, who worked closely with Wilbourne in the latter part of her career. “She brought intelligence, rigor, and humor to everything she did.”

David King, the chair of the Cabrillo College Dance Department, first encountered Wilbourne when he was her student at Cabrillo in the early 1980s.

“Sara had fire and strength,” King says. “She had a vibrant muscularity, and as a young man, I really loved being challenged to use my muscularity like she did. She was crisp and inventive, and her sense of plié made it seem like her feet were going through the floor and down into the Earth. It sounds a little Santa Cruz to say it, but she was drawing some power from the Earth. She would spark it through her fingers, change the angle of her face and suddenly, she was a new sculptural figure.”

She leaves behind a number of memorable performances. Many remember her performance in a Zen tone poem piece called The Eight Ecstasies of Yaeko Iwasaki at Cabrillo based on the poetry of Morton Marcus.

“That was when I first (became) enchanted with Sara,” Chiapella says. “It was just riveting.”

“Sara had a kind of burst energy in her dancing,” Beal says. “It was an alertness that over the years, she developed into a really strong theatrical presence. She could hold a moment and make her stillness meaningful on stage.”

Besides Beal and Pearlman, she worked with choreographer Erik Stern and with her students at Cabrillo. King left the area after taking her class at Cabrillo, then returned years later when a job opened at Cabrillo. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, Sara is still here and I get to work with her.’”

She toured with Pearlman’s company much as she did with Beal’s, working in a piece called Fire Sale featuring a quartet of dancers on an 8-by-8 square of linoleum and, later, Your Body is Not a Shark, “about the process of aging and the loss of physical presence in the world,” says Pearlman, “and how we live with the bodies that we have.”

Originally from Virginia, Wilbourne had a sense of refinement, say friends, that blended with an easy artistic sophistication. “She was bright and witty,” says King, “very sophisticated and urbane, but true to her roots as a Southern person too.”

“I knew her as someone who was very exuberant and reaching out and connecting,” Pearlman says. “One of the greatest things I got from Sara, other than dancing, was a love of knitting. Sara loved to knit. She would knit things throughout the year for her friends. That was something that I was envious about, and then I realized I could model myself on Sara and make things for people.”

Since she learned of Wilbourne’s death, Beal says she has been thinking of Sara more as a friend than an artist. “I just remember singing wild songs with her in the back of the van when we touring the country together,” she says. “Thinking about her, the art part and the friend part, just gets all mixed up.”

Wilbourne was also part of one of Beal’s master works, the magisterial Here After Here, a meditation on the afterlife that premiered locally in 2007.

“I wanted her on the third story of this massive structure we had built,” says Beal. “‘Sara, could you be up 18 feet off the ground? And I want to get a big fan blowing on you, get your clothes moving.’ And she was game. It made for a shockingly beautiful opening to see her up there that high with that ability to hold the moment.”

These days, Beal is haunted by words she had Wilbourne deliver in Here After Here, words that have, with her death, closed a loop.

“I’ve been thinking about a line that I specifically gave to her,” says Beal, “It’s a Rumi line: ‘Whoever brought me here will have to take me home.’”

Memorial Honors Fallen Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputy

Todd Guild and Tarmo Hannula

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June 18, 2020

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Memorial Honors Fallen Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputy

Hundreds gathered Wednesday for Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller’s memorial at Cabrillo College under sunny skies.

Gutzwiller, a former Cabrillo student and Aptos resident, was gunned down while on duty June 6 in Ben Lomond.

The memorial began at 7:45am with a miles-long motorcade at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk that threaded its way through Santa Cruz, Capitola and Soquel before arriving at Carl Conelly Stadium at Cabrillo’s Aptos campus.

Headed up by a double-file line of more than 80 police motorcycles, the hearse carrying Gutzwiller was then followed by a phalanx of patrol cars, special law units, a SWAT team, fire personal, paramedics, 911 dispatchers, State Parks Rangers, tow truck operators and more. Some came from as far away as San Diego, San Francisco, Fresno and Los Angeles.

“I’m proud of this community,” said Damon Bruder, who watched from the sidewalk in Santa Cruz. “This is sad, but it is necessary. I hope people realize we need our law officials—our first responders.”

Angela Farley said she felt it was “very important” to join the crowds along Soquel Avenue to watch the procession.

“I’m out here to show support for his family and those in public service,” she said. “I had to be out here to honor his sacrifice.”

Thousands of people lined the procession route. Watsonville Fire Battalion Chief Corey Schaefer said he was “proud to be in the procession.”

“Being in it was overwhelming. I’ve never been in something that size,” he said. “I was glad to see such an outpouring and public support. It was a different atmosphere; it was powerful.”

With a huge swath of uniformed officers and others covering the athletic field, Gutzwiller’s flag-draped casket, carried by a half-dozen formally attired, white-gloved deputies, was ushered onto the field by the San Jose Police Emerald Society bagpipe band. They were followed immediately by his wife, Favi del Real, their 2-year-old boy, Carter, and Sheriff Jim Hart.

Pastor René Schlaepfer welcomed the crowd and led the ceremony on a flower festooned stage.

“Today the world is undoubtedly a better place because of Damon,” he said.

He went on to emphasize that Gutzwiller was recognized for his “humor, patience, loving nature, giant heart and ever-present smile.”

Speaking of the day of the killing, Hart told the audience, “It was a bad call. But those people, what our people, our CHPs, what our deputies did that day saved many, many lives.”

Hart said that more than 40 officers responded to the incident in Ben Lomond.

Mark Ramos, a retired Santa Cruz City Fire Deputy Chief, said Gutzwiller was part of his family.

“We talked about cops, robbers, good guys, bad guys, fires, car chases and family,” he said.

Del Real described her late husband as “compassionate and caring.”

“He was always kind, loving and respectful, never so much as raising his voice at me. Never,” she said. “From the start he was always thinking about me, putting me first and making sure I was OK.”

Del Real said she’d told Gutzwiller at first she did not want to have children. That quickly changed.

“As I grew to know and love him, I wanted to have children with him,” she said through tears. “I wanted to have children because he would be their father. I knew he would be a great father … for a short time, I was able to see he wasn’t just a great father: He was amazing.”

Del Real said Carter got a scooter for his birthday last month, and Gutzwiller purchased a matching one. She remembers Gutzwiller telling her that he couldn’t wait to have father-son scooter rides.

“They were only able to have one,” she said.

Schlaepfer urged the audience to move forward with the selflessness Gutzwiller exemplified.

“We can never overcome evil with evil, only with good. So seek to multiply the good in Damon’s life into your own,” he said. “He laid down his life for his friends.”

The casket carrying the body of Santa Cruz County Sheriff Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller is carried to a memorial service at Cabrillo College on June 17. His wife, Javi, and their son, Carter (at left), are escorted by Sheriff Jim Hart. PHOTO: TARMO HANNULA

The Secret Sauce is Compassion at Veg on the Edge

Liza Monroy

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June 17, 2020

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The Secret Sauce is Compassion at Veg on the Edge

Akindele Bankole, the man behind Abbott Square’s popular plant-based outpost Veg On The Edge, is being honored with the 2020 Foodie of the Year NEXTies Award.

Originally from Nigeria, Bankole’s West African-influenced dishes and American staples are a far cry from his culinary origin story of working in fast food while attending college at Sacramento State. These days, he is most often found following his passion of preparing award-winning vegan meals.

How does it feel to win the Foodie of the Year NEXTie? Is it as a sign of things to come for the plant-based movement?

BANKOLE: I really appreciate the award. It allows us to stay focused on what we are doing and validates our values. Being given a chance to reach into people’s bodies and transform them is an awesome responsibility that deserves our focus, attention, and gratitude.

As a plant-based restaurant, there’s inherent compassion in it. We want to make sure the food is good for people and safe for other beings. With more vegetable products, you don’t run the risk of coming into contact with illnesses from animal products.

How has Veg on the Edge evolved over the past few years?

When we first opened we had just as delicious a menu, but a lot of the dishes were complicated and took a long time. Customers come for a quick bite—get in and get out—so that was not helpful to sustain the business. The menu had to be simple enough to be easily done.

It was important to us not to move to processed foods. Even doing the Beyond Meat burger, we had to take a good look at it to make the right decision. We saw the Beyond burger was a clean option so we chose to do that. We want to make sure most of our food is regular grains, greens, and legumes.

What’s your favorite dish?

The pumpkin seed stew.

Supreme Court Bans Employment Discrimination for LGBTQ Workers

Johanna Miller

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June 17, 2020

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Supreme Court Bans Employment Discrimination for LGBTQ Workers

The United States Supreme Court made a historic ruling Monday, determining employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited under federal law.

The decision is the most significant victory for LGBTQ rights in the U.S. since the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015, and some say it is even more important.

“Legalizing gay marriage … was about relationships,” said Danielle Elizalde, marketing coordinator for Pajaro Valley Pride. “This decision is just about being able to legally be who you are. It’s crazy that we’re in 2020 and barely making that a part of civil rights.”

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act banned discrimination in the workplace on the basis of religion, race, national origin and sex. Monday’s decision solidified that the meaning of “sex” in Title VII also covers sexual orientation and gender identity.

The ruling was 6-3, with Justice Neil Gorsuch, a conservative who was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump, writing the majority opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts joined Gorsuch and the court’s liberal justices in voting for the rule. Conservative justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh opposed.

“An employer who fired an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex,” Gorsuch wrote for the majority. “Sex plays a necessary and undistinguishable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.”

Prior to the decision, discrimination in the workplace toward LGBTQ workers was technically legal in much of the country. Only 21 states had specific laws put in place prohibiting such discrimination.

Elizalde said she has seen people’s racism and homophobia “emboldened” by the current political climate in recent years, and she hopes that the ruling will begin to reverse its effects.

“I hope it makes those people not feel as comfortable to spread their hatred,” she said. “Maybe the [ruling] will make them question themselves, now that it is against the law.”

City Councilman Felipe Hernandez said that the decision was a “long time coming” for both national and local communities. He hopes employers will abide by the law and notify workers of their rights.

“It is a landmark victory for the LGBTQ community,” he said. “It has handed this country hope …. People can now live their lives as who they are without fear of losing employment.”

Hernandez, a longtime ally of Watsonville’s LGBTQ community, acknowledged how the current pandemic has shut down local events, including Pride celebrations and marches. “Hopefully next year we can all come together and celebrate this huge victory,” he said.

Farm Discovery at Live Earth Sets Up Produce Distribution

Johanna Miller

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June 17, 2020

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Farm Discovery at Live Earth Sets Up Produce Distribution

Every year, Farm Discovery at Live Earth aims to reach thousands of young people to teach them about farming, nutrition and health, environmental literacy and more.

Headquartered at Watsonville’s Live Earth Farm, the nonprofit plants crops in the fall that are eventually harvested for its programs in the spring and summer.

But after the outbreak of Covid-19, the majority of those programs were canceled or postponed—leaving the organization worried about what to do with the crops.

“We knew students weren’t going to be coming to the farm any time soon,” said Executive Director of Farm Discovery Jessica Ridgeway. “We realized we needed to distribute [the food] through other means.”

On May 28, Farm Discovery announced the kickoff of new produce distribution. In partnership with Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes, Holy Cross Food Pantry, Encompass Community Services, Esperanza Community Farms and others, the organization hopes to use the produce to help feed the county’s most “vulnerable” populations.

“For people from all walks of life, access to fresh fruits and veggies could be in question,” Ridgeway said. “I think this just goes to show the importance of having a local food system. Having easy access to fresh food right in our community.”

Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes was the first organization to reach out to Farm Discovery. The group usually shops in-person at Second Harvest Food Bank—but even the food bank was “hard-up” for fresh produce.

Word got around, and soon other organizations reached out. Holy Cross Food Pantry, which had seen a big uptick in people using its program, was looking for a source. So was Encompass Community Services’ Transition Age Youth (TAY) Program, which provides services for former foster, probation placement and homeless youth. Ridgeway said that TAY was “a perfect fit” for Live Earth’s grab-and-go packages.

“It’s about keeping that fresh, healthy food coming,” Ridgeway said, “to our farmworkers, our families, our seniors … those most in need.”

Farm Discovery is doing what it can to maintain operations on a limited budget. Volunteers have been helping out with harvesting the fields, which remain active and in need of regular upkeep. Ridgeway said that cash donations, which they are still accepting, have also helped.

While the organization will not be holding its annual summer camp, it will be offering a “Summer Farm Care” program for children ages 5-12. Small groups of children from working families have signed up to spend days at the farm during shelter-in-place.

While the future is uncertain, Ridgeway said that she is glad to see Santa Cruz County stepping up in staying healthy.

“Compared to many, we’ve been lucky,” she said. “We’ve been able to keep our small farms and farmers markets going. Our community sees the need and value of local food.”

New Podcast Features Interviews with UCSC’s Arts Division Faculty

A&E
Art

Wallace Baine

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June 17, 2020

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New Podcast Features Interviews with UCSC’s Arts Division Faculty

When he was a kid in Santa Cruz, Lyle Troxell would often accompany his dad Peter Troxell to the radio studios of KUSP where Peter interviewed local artists and performers for his weekly show “In the Green Room.”

Later, Lyle would host his own interview show on KUSP, “Geek Speak,” which, in fact, has outlasted the station itself, continuing today as a podcast. Also, when he was a child, his dad and mom Diana would regularly take him to the UC Santa Cruz campus to see theater, mostly Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Then, years later, as a software engineer, Lyle worked at UCSC for 11 years, helping the university establish its Digital Arts and New Media department.

All this is to say that, when the UCSC Arts Division went looking for someone to produce a media program highlighting the work of its arts faculty—someone with intimate knowledge of radio, of the art of the interview, and of the UCSC ecosystem—they could not have designed a better candidate in a laboratory. Lyle Troxell was clearly the guy for the job.

That program is “The Art of Change,” a new podcast hosted by Troxell and featuring interviews with UCSC’s Arts Division faculty. Its purpose is to throw a little light on the work of these artists and scholars, which often escapes the attention of local audiences.

“We talk about their careers, and how they make change in the world,” Troxell says. “We’re focusing on their impact on society. All of the people I spoke with are trying to change the world in some way, really trying to have their work reflect what’s going on in society.”

The podcast’s first episode, now available, features an interview with dancer and choreographer Ted Warburton, who also happens to be the Arts Division dean and the person who originally asked Troxell to do the show. Future episodes feature dramaturge Michael Chemers and digital media/games professor A.M. Darke who, says Troxell, “looks at gender and ethnicity in society and makes games that allow a person to really look at the way they think about race and gender.”

Troxell says that he feels people in Santa Cruz are generally unaware of the arts faculty at UCSC and their past work. As an example of an internationally acclaimed artist who lives and/or works in Santa Cruz below the radar of most locals, he points to Isaac Julien, a British-born filmmaker and installation artist who tackles themes of race and gender. “He’s amazing,” says Troxell. “He has three bases of operation: London, New York, and Santa Cruz. We have this person who has this international impact and one of his hometowns is right here, the same place we live.”

The podcast was produced in conjunction with a class that Troxell led last quarter on interviewing and audio producing. “Radio is different than any other medium in that you get to hear the voice of the person,” he says. “Doing a radio interview, hearing two people talk, it feels like being in bed at night when the lights are out, and you’re talking with your partner. I love that feeling and that’s how I think about the audience, that they are there with us in the conversation.”

As a software engineer for Netflix, Troxell’s day job is demanding enough. On top of that, “The Art of Change” is now the fourth podcast that he hosts. “Geek Speak,” the former KUSP program, is still going strong. “WeAreNetflix” is a show featuring Netflix employees talking about their work life. And he co-hosts a show on Silicon Valley with Michael Lopp called “The Important Thing.”

“My style is my curiosity,” Troxell says. “The biggest thing about interviewing is being really interested in the person. My mother is a painter, and she says when she paints someone’s portrait, she kind of falls in love with the person, which is what happens when you spend all this time focusing on them. And that kind of happens to me too. I just dive in and get fascinated with the person.”

“The Art of Change” is available on most podcast apps. For details, go to troxell.com.

How Margins Wine is Drawing Attention to Overlooked Varietals

Josie Cowden

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June 17, 2020

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How Margins Wine is Drawing Attention to Overlooked Varietals

Megan Bell is producing some delightful vino.

Under her Margins label, she has given us a plethora of interesting and palate-pleasing wines. And she is not afraid to take the bull by the horns when it comes to making something different such as Counoise (a dark-skinned grape grown primarily in the Rhône Valley Region of France) and a delicious organic Muscat Blanc. It makes sense, then, that she calls her winery Margins, because she uses grapes from underrepresented regions, vineyards and varietals.

“Margins draws attention to vineyards and varietals that find themselves on the margins without the recognition they deserve,” she says. “Much like people living on the margins of society, vineyards can be outcasts too.”

Bell’s 2019 Rosé (about $30) is a magic blend of 55% Merlot and 47% Barbera—both organic. Grapes are harvested from Zayante Vineyard (the Barbera) and Makjavich Vineyard (the Merlot) in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Bell calls the latter a unique vineyard in that it is planted with 10 different varietals. “So much of my time and commitment and love for what I do is centered on farming this vineyard with owner Larry Makjavich,” Bell says.

This delicious Rosé, with its mineral, tangerine and watermelon flavors, is made with low intervention—that means no fining and no filtration. Although Bell strives to bring out all the nuances of a fine wine, there might be some sediment. Her advice? “Embrace it!” she says.

I’m now seeing Bell’s wines all over in restaurants and stores. I found this 2019 Rosé in Staff of Life. With only five years in the business, this young winemaker deserves to be doing well. Keep an eye on her as she makes more and more terrific wines on the margins!

This is her online message during the shelter-in-place order: “Thank you to all the folks who have already bought wine from me during this uncertain time. I worked so hard to make it to year five of this business, and I will persevere with your support. See y’all on the other side.”

Visit marginswine.com for more info.

Opinion: June 17, 2020

Steve Palopoli

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June 17, 2020

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EDITOR’S NOTE

When I wrote about live music in last week’s summer preview, a couple of promoters and club owners whose venues also have a restaurant component mentioned to me that performances could come back earlier than expected if they could get permission to have artists perform for small groups of diners. It sounded like a bit of a long shot, but I filed it away in case that day ever arrived.

Well, surprise, it’s already here. And so is live music. Aaron Carnes has a story this week on how live, in-person performance is returning to Santa Cruz in a way that no one could have anticipated just a few weeks ago.

And one of the local musicians who’s part of this “dinner and a show” comeback is Anthony Arya, the subject of this week’s cover story by Wallace Baine. Not even yet 18 years old, Arya has been flooring listeners here—and even at a national level, thanks to his appearance on The Voice—for a few years already. It’s a fascinating profile of a freakishly talented young man.

Finally, last week we reported on a possible link between Ben Lomond shooter Steven Carrillo and the right-wing extremists in the so-called “boogaloo” movement who have been attempting to infiltrate and undermine Black Lives Matter protests, in the hopes of starting a race war. As we were going to press this week, the FBI confirmed that link and announced that Carrillo and an accomplice had also been charged in the May 29 killing of a federal security officer in Oakland. Jacob Pierce has a story on that in our news section, and we will continue to follow developments in these pages and online at goodtimes.sc.

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Library Frankenplan

Rena Durbin avoids addressing critical issues with a new library in her letter “Footage Notes” (GT, 6/10). Nowhere does she mention that in order to build a new, larger library, the project needs to pay for the additional square footage by selling “air rights” to a developer for an unspecified number of both market-rate and “affordable housing” units. Because developers price market rate housing much higher, the air rights will recoup more money. So, fewer affordable units will be built. In essence, the city builds market-rate housing on public land for those who can afford to pay. The city adds a 400-car garage, ostensibly to accommodate for the housing and to replace the parking spaces lost on Lot 4. (Never mind that the recent Downtown Parking Study completed for the city by Nelson/Nygaard reports that we don’t need more garages built; it’s suppressed, never to see the light of day.)

This Frankenstein monster gets larger and more expensive—and residents are on the hook for the cost of the garage as the pandemic expands a years-long recession and depletes parking revenues. The result of some extra square footage for our library: Parking Lot 4, our largest unbuilt public space downtown, becomes a six-story concrete mega-structure; the Farmer’s Market gets kicked to Front Street with the Antique Fair; we get another garage and we allow a developer to build market rate housing on public land; we lose the opportunity to create a dynamic vision for Downtown Santa Cruz, a more walkable city anchored by a remake of Lot 4 as a public plaza, a Commons for all of us. And to think, long ago I voted for Measure S to rebuild our current library where it is.

Valerie-Girsh-Morgan | Santa Cruz

Beach Burden

As a local resident since 1983, I am completely confounded by the continued use of my tax dollars to keep me off the beach.

While I am fully aware of the necessity for caution in reopening, the burden you are placing on residents here is egregious. The militant approach to thwarting locals from exercising on the beach from 11-5 is beyond bizarre.

How can you possibly justify expending all the dollars and manpower to keep locals away from the ocean? Seriously, there is not clear thinking occurring here.

If you are going to spend the money for setting up patrol stations, then at least extend the courtesy for locals to provide ID so they can enjoy our coast.

Sean K Powers | Santa Cruz

ONLINE COMMENTS

Re: Bonnie Ronzio

Really enjoyed your Bonnie Ronzio piece. Bonnie was my dear friend and coworker for 18 years of the Queer Youth Leadership Awards. In fact, Bonnie had over 35 years of stagecraft magic direction she gave our Santa Cruz Queer Community. I and a number of others in the GLBTQI community were wondering if you could please do a piece on Bonnie spotlighting her years of generosity in directing these following productions: A Gay Evening In May (10 years), Pincurlz (8 years) and the QYLA (18 years). Her talents allowed us to raise money for all our GLBT organizations and events. Could you help us honor her again this month, Pride Month?

— Charlie Singer, Assistant Stage Manager, QYLA

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

YES YOU CANDIDATE

The Nov. 3 general election is months away, and deadlines for candidates are approaching. The Santa Cruz County Elections Department agreed to co-sponsor four virtual candidate information workshops, along with local cities, to explain how to run for office. Santa Cruz held a workshop on Tuesday, June 16. Scotts Valley’s session will be Thursday, June 18 at 6pm, Watsonville’s will be Monday, June 22, at 6pm, and Capitola’s will be Monday, June 29, at 6pm. Visit votescount.com for more information.

GOOD WORK

HOMEWARD BOUND

As the Homeless Garden Project works on its plan to move into the Pogonip greenspace, the nonprofit welcomes in three new directors to its board: attorney Enda Brennan, human resources expert Candice Elliott, downtown business owner Suna Lock, and former Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Director Dannettee Shoemaker. Homeless Garden Project officials say the Pogonip Farm will let the nonprofit double its job training capacity, expand engagement, consolidate operations, and ensure stability and sustainability.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It looks like a suburb.”
-Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, when asked ‘What does an America with defunded police look like to you?’

Things To Do (Virtually) in Santa Cruz: June 17-23

GT Staff

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June 16, 2020

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Things To Do (Virtually) in Santa Cruz: June 17-23

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

ANTHONY ARYA, TAYLOR RAE, AND LINDSAY WALL – LILLE AESKE LIVESTREAM Anthony Arya, Taylor Rae, and Lindsey Wall are back together for another show, this time a livestream from Lille Aeske in Boulder Creek. As before, they’ll be playing original music as well as songs all together as a trio. Tickets suggested $5-10 sliding scale paid during show. Venmo: @lilleaeske or PayPal: ar**@********ke.com. Will be broadcast to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. Links will be updated on the Facebook event page the day of the show: facebook.com/events/566212840704311. Saturday, June 20, 5-7pm.

SEAN’S MUSIC FACTORY Sean Mendelson, aka “Teacher Sean” is a singer/songwriter, recording artist, and Music Together/Kids Sing Teacher. The band, Sean’s Music Factory is made up of Sean Mendelson, Logan and Jillian, Puppet Sean, The Tickle Monster, and the audience! Sean’s Music Factory performs unique, high energy shows throughout the Bay Area for children of all ages. Join us via Zoom and register below for one of the two interactive shows. Wednesday, June 17, at 11am and 3pm. Register for 11am: santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6741382. Register for 3pm: santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6741385.

EBB AND FLOW RIVER ARTS FESTIVAL 2020 Starting Friday, June 5, the community is invited to celebrate the San Lorenzo River through public art installations, virtual performance, and activities as part of the Ebb and Flow River Arts Festival. In its sixth year, Ebb and Flow 2020 will continue to deepen and inform the Santa Cruz community’s relationship with the San Lorenzo River and the Tannery Arts Center through creative educational activities and storytelling. Permanent and temporary public art will be at the center of this year’s celebration. Local artists are designing works that will elevate water literacy, connect us to the land and its history, cultivate our sense of belonging, and inspire curiosity about the impact we have on the river system. Learn more at ebbandflowfest.org.

SPEED SKETCHING Come with paper and pencil and try your hand at speed sketching: all artistic experience is welcome. Prior to beginning the program, please select an object in your home and place it in view of your computer’s camera and let’s have fun together and see who can draw the silliest, stylish, true to life, or abstract interpretation of it. Every Tuesday afternoon at 2pm, take a break out of your day for some fun! Register for Zoom at: santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6780189.

QUARANZINES: VIRTUAL CRAFT NIGHT Learn how to make a zine (pronounced like a magazine) and the history of this creative outlet. QuaranZines, aka zines made in response to COVID-19, are sweeping the country as people preserve, reflect, and share their experiences during these uncertain times. Stay for the hour or just drop-by. We’ll be here chatting inspiration, sharing best practices, swapping stories, crafting, doodling, and connecting with our creative community virtually. This event is related to the MAH’s upcoming exhibition “In These Uncertain Times.” RSVP for the Zoom link. Friday, June 19, 5-6pm.

MIKE THE MAGICIAN Magician Mike Della Penna creates wonder and laughter with family magic performances that are equal parts playful and astonishing! He is a favorite at preschools, libraries and family venues and is known for captivating the 3-to-7-year-old crowd with his fun-filled, participatory magic shows. Tuesday, June 23, 3:30pm; Wednesday, June 24, 11am; Tuesday, July 7, 1pm. Visit santacruzpl.org for more information.

CLASSES

DIGITAL PRIVACY: PASSWORD MANAGEMENT Your privacy online matters and is critical to your safety and future as a digital citizen. Digital privacy should be something we all protect and manage. Learn how to protect your passwords by creating stronger passwords and security questions. We will also discuss the pros and cons of password management tools. This workshop has been developed and supported by Consumer Reports, an independent, nonprofit member organization that works side by side with consumers for truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace. Facilitator: Helen Josephine, Consumer Reports member and local community workshop organizer. Wednesday, June 17, 10:30am-12pm. Visit santacruzpl.org for more information.

SALSA SUELTA IN PLACE: Free weekly online session in Cuban-style Salsa Suelta for experienced beginners and up. Contact to get a Zoom link. Thursdays at 7pm. Salsagente.com.

COMMUNITY

2020 SUMMER LUNCH PROGRAM Children and youth aged 18 and under can get free lunches this summer at 12 sites throughout Santa Cruz County! The annual Summer Lunch program, sponsored by La Manzana Community Resources, a program of Community Bridges, combats food insecurity and supports good nutritional habits. The Summer Lunch program begins June 8 and serves lunch Monday through Friday from 12-1pm. Free meals will be provided to all children, without eligibility documentation, who are 18 years of age and younger. Visit communitybridges.org/lmcr for more information.

KIDS CREATE STEAM PROJECT SERIES Series of STEAM programs through the summer for kids of all ages, presented via Facebook and our YouTube channel. Look for new videos on Tuesdays at 3:30pm and Fridays at 10am through July. Check out our Facebook (facebook.com/santacruzpl/) and Youtube channel (youtube.com/user/SantaCruzPL).

LEGO BUILDING CHALLENGE Join our eight-week summer Lego Building Challenge. You will only need common Lego pieces to complete these challenges. To join the fun, register each week via our online calendar, June 10 through July 29. On Wednesday, you will receive an email with the weekly challenge. If you would like to share your creation, post a photo on our Facebook SCPL Lego Building Challenge webpage. Bonus building challenges will be posted there for intermediate-level Lego fans. Learn more at santacruzpl.org.

TALES TO TAILS GOES VIRTUAL Tales to Tails goes virtual to create a comfortable, neutral, and fun reading experience. Bring some books, a stuffed animal or your own pet, and come read with us! This is a YouTube livestream event so you might be reading to up to six animals at once. Woo hoo! Caregivers, you can post your child’s first name and city in the comments section, along with the book they are reading, and we’ll read off as many of those names as we can, live, during the break we need to give the dogs. Each week you register we’ll send you your dog bone “punch cards.” These will be dated dog bones your child can color and email to us. The following week, we’ll display them live on the feed. This will also be recorded so if you can’t make it live, the dogs will still be there for you. Every Wednesday, 10-11am. Learn more at santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6764929.

PEOPLE AND STORIES: READING DEEPLY IN COMMUNITY People and Stories is dedicated to opening doors to literature for new audiences. Through oral readings and rigorous discussions of enduring short stories, we invite participants to find fresh understandings of themselves, of others, and of the world. Please note that some stories contain themes and language of an adult nature. Santa Cruz Public Libraries offers People and Stories regularly in our county jails. We invite you to our special eight-week session on Zoom! Drop in for one or attend all 8 People and Stories sessions! Wednesdays, June 10-July 29, 1:30pm. Learn more at santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/6760931.

THE BIG NIGHT IN REPLACES BOWL FOR KIDS’ SAKE 2020 For the first time in our history, we’ve had to cancel all live events including our signature Bowl for Kids’ Sake, which represents a significant portion of our annual budget. This change has the potential to disrupt services to the youth we serve. We find ourselves in an urgent situation that we hope can be remedied by a temporary campaign asking many to give a little. Since we are not able to join together to bowl this year as planned, we want to offer a way for the community to support our work as well as provide fun ways for people to have community during this unique period of sheltering in place and social distancing. Instead of having a Big Night Out like we used to and will again, we are inviting you to have a Big Night In. This campaign will run May 15-June 30. It is a virtual fundraiser that is all about having fun and supporting a great cause, 1:1 youth mentoring. To encourage and promote your participation, fun and fundraising, we will be holding Weekly Drawings throughout the campaign window. A variety of gift certificates will be awarded each week. One week we will even be raffling off exclusive California wines for those that are over 21. We will also be offering Grand Prizes to the top individual(s) and team fundraiser(s). The organization is also seeking larger donations that can be used to match campaign donations and that info can also be found on our campaign website. Learn more at amplify.netdonor.net/13981/bfks2020.

CASA ONLINE INFORMATION MEETING: CASA of Santa Cruz County needs caring adult volunteers to speak up for the best interests of children who are involved in the Juvenile Dependency Care System (foster care) because they have been abused or neglected. A volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) spends time with one child each week, getting to know them and gathering information from everyone involved in the child’s case. In-person information meetings have been postponed in order to uphold the safety and well-being of you and your loved ones. In the meantime we’re hosting virtual information meetings! Please go to casaofsantacruz.org/signup to sign up, and you’ll receive a confirmation email with details and the link to the online meeting. If you have any questions you can email yo***@*************uz.org. Wednesday, June 17, 5:30-7pm; Thursday, June 18, 10am.

GROUPS

MONTHLY HAPPY HOUR AT GATHER Join us each month to spend time for ourselves—healthy snacks, an expert sharing their wisdom, and a community of people who care about each other and our own health and well-being! Learn more at gatherinsantacruz.com/whats-happening-at-gather/monthly-healthy-happy-hour-online-axzeh. Wednesday, June 17, 7-8pm.

SUNSET BEACH BOWLS Experience the tranquility, peace and calmness as the ocean waves harmonize with the sound of Crystal Bowls. Every Tuesday at 7:45pm. Moran Lake Park.

HEALING CRYSTAL BOWL SOUND BATH Relax, empty out and soothe our nervous systems in these uncertain times of great change. While humanity is laying low, nourish your spiritual immune system with high resonance alchemical crystal vibrations! Support all aspects of your being. Ride the wave for one hour with Sonic Vibration Specialist Michele for a deep journey with harmonic, alchemical crystal bowls and chimes. Feel free to sit up or lay down in a restorative pose to receive this uniquely relaxing expression of compassion. Immerse yourself in healing crystal bowl sound resonance and Michele’s angelic voice. Singyoursoulsong.com. Every Monday at 7pm. Online by donation: eventbrite.com/e/harmonize-w-alchemical-crystalline-sound-immersion-tickets-102214323794.

VIRTUAL GUIDED MEDITATION Reduce stress with meditation and maintain a healthy lifestyle during social distancing. Join us for a free virtual session. It’s been a tough week. In our lifetimes we have never faced a public health crisis like this one. As a locally owned small business, this situation is particularly overwhelming and stressful. Yet, we are also grateful. Grateful for our amazing cohort of practitioners that want to help as many people as they can. Grateful for our dependable back office and administrative support team. And, most of all, grateful to you, our community who has helped my dream of co-creating a community of wellness become a reality. Without you, there is no Santa Cruz CORE! Please RSVP, then use this link to join our sessions: zoom.us/j/344330220. Contributions are via: Paypal: ja***@***********re.com. Venmo: @santacruzcore. Every day at noon. 425-9500.

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

FREE VIRTUAL TOUR OF LOVE’S GARDENS DEMONSTRATION GARDEN Love’s Gardens is offering a free virtual tour of our demonstration garden on the Westside of Santa Cruz. View permaculture food forest features, subtropical fruits, culinary herbs and vegetables, espaliered fruit trees, perennial greens, edible flowers, and so much more! This will be an interactive tour in which you will be able to ask questions and get them answered. The tour is free, but you must register to get the link and password to join. We look forward to connecting with you virtually in the garden! Saturday, June 20, 10-11am. Register at eventbrite.com/e/free-virtual-tour-of-loves-gardens-demonstration-garden-tickets-104179078428.

FROM THE SANDHILLS TO THE STARS (VIRTUAL) Discover the hidden treasures of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, from the endemic animals and plants of the unique Sandhills habitat to the sparkling stars that are often not viewable in urban areas, with an evening of fun, games, songs, and stories. This interactive program will be simultaneously broadcast as a Zoom webinar and a Facebook Live. Registration is required for the Zoom webinar. To register, visit tinyurl.com/SantaCruzCampfire. Like our Facebook page to receive a notification when we go live! Learn more at facebook.com/HenryCowellRSP. If you are unable to join us live, this program will be recorded for later viewing. Free event. Saturday, June 20, 7pm.

SEYMOUR CENTER’S OCEAN EXPLORERS VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMP Ocean Explorers experience the thrill of scientific discovery at a working marine lab. Join the Seymour Marine Discovery Center for behind-the-scenes virtual visits, live streaming interactions with scientists and animal trainers, and much more! Children actively learn in a distance learning format. Enjoy a week of fun this summer learning about ocean science. Investigate the incredible creatures that inhabit Monterey Bay. Discover how ocean scientists work with marine animals at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and Long Marine Lab to help conserve animals in the wild. Space is limited–APPLY NOW! Masterful Marine Mammals, ages 9-11, June 22-26, July 13-17, and August 3-7. Masterful Marine Mammals, ages 12-14, June 15-19, June 29-July 3, and July 20-24. Something’s Fishy, ages 7-9 (waitlist only), July 6-10. Marine Science for Girls, ages 9-11, (waitlist only), July 27-31. Programs run 10:30am to 2:30pm (1-hour lunch break from 12-1pm): varied activities and mini-breaks. Fees: Members $250 (was $610); General Public $300 (was $650). Learn more at seymourcenter.ucsc.edu/learn/youth-teen-programs/ocean-explorers-summer-camp.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

ARTS AND MUSIC

CLASSES

COMMUNITY

GROUPS

OUTDOOR