It’s ideal for me when it’s a little overcast, a little gloomy. I like being comfortable in a sweatshirt but also taking it off. A breeze is good when you go out and the leaves aren’t gone yet, but they’re all orange and red and pretty to look at.
Ronan Johnson, 19, Barista at Lulu Carpenter’s on Pacific
CLAIRE
I like the leaves falling, and I like that it’s not Summer anymore, it gets way too hot in the Summertime. It makes walking home from school easier.
Claire Madsen, 15, Student at Pacific Collegiate School
KIM
Right now, is a perfect October day. October has the best weather for Santa Cruz — it’s predictably warm and sunny. It’s not the New England Fall with the crisp nip in the air, but I’d rather have this.
Kim Madsen, 58, Contract Negotiator
ADVAITH
I want it to be warm out, but not hot. Three days ago, I started wearing shorts out for the first time in a year. Then it got really hot with a heat advisory, and now I’m suffering.
A perfect October day would be overcast, a nice crisp temperature, and I get to spend it inside drinking a warm beverage like a nice, spicy, seasonal chai.
Odessa Cross, 30, Library Assistant at Santa Cruz Public Library.
Through Oct. 20, art lovers in Santa Cruz County can take a peek inside the studios of working artists as part of the 39th annual Open Studios Art Tour.
The event spans the county. This weekend, from 11am to 5pm, South County artists will put out the welcome mat. And Oct. 19–20, tours will happen across the whole county.
The 2024 tour includes 307 artists who will showcase works in glass and jewelry, ceramics, wood furniture, drawings, paintings, sculpture, textiles and more.
“The show looks great this year,” says Open Studios Coordinator Ann Osterman. “There are 45 first-time artists this year, loads of veterans and everything in between.”
New this year are satellite shows at the Porter Building in Watsonville and the Santa Cruz Art League in Santa Cruz.
“They are a great way to show artwork from our more remote parts of the county, from places in Watsonville Corralitos, Bonny Doon, Davenport, Soquel hills and elsewhere,” Osterman explains.
“It’s really a nice partnership,” Osterman says. “Judy (Stabile) was generous enough to reach out and be a part of the show. It’s a great way to give a little bit of love to artists who don’t usually get a lot of traffic because of their location. It’s really a jump start to the entire tour.”
The Porter Building show—under the umbrella of Pajaro Valley Arts—runs through Oct. 20 and features 35 artists from La Selva Beach, Watsonville, Davenport,Bonny Doon, San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley. The Porter Building is located at 280 Main St., Watsonville; visit pvarts.org for schedule.
The Santa Cruz Art League will also feature work by many artists, also through Oct. 20. The Art League is located at 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz; visit scal.org for schedule.
Created in 1972, the DC Comic Anti-Hero Swamp Thing tells a story about the conflict between humans and the environment. When making decisions about the natural world, Swamp Thing challenges our human-centered belief that we alone possess intrinsic value. Godzilla may be our dystopian climate change epiphany, as the monster we awakened in the sea stomps ashore; but as for embracing our wetlands to make our shore sustainable, the ecological Swamp Thing is the monster we need to heed.
This is not a DC Comic image. I asked Chatgpt4.0 to draw me a picture of the spirit of the wetlands. Why would we want to drain this guy’s home?
I gotta come clean. For months I’ve resisted hiking the Watsonville wetland trails because I had a preconceived notion that they were nasty places, not meant for humans. There could be hidden creatures that slither and wiggle around your legs. Bugs, crawling and flying things that sting and bite. A step into a marshy place can have mud skoosh up around your foot and creates a sucking sound when you struggle to pull it out.
But I kept reading that wetlands, these swamps, play an enormous role is helping us with climate change. It didn’t take long for my stroll on the paths of the Watsonville wetlands to convince me how fundamental these damp, spongy places are to the struggling organism we call Earth. I’ve turned into a swamper.
What is Watsonville Slough like to hike?
It’s cool. You often walk under a heavy tree canopy, on wide, smooth dirt paths, along running creeks and winding rivers, by buzzing ponds, lakes ringed with dark pools of ferns and tulles. The feeling of peace I get when I stare at that slowly moving river turns off my brain. I imagine Huckleberry Finn and Jim drifting by on a raft. Here’s a river I could float away on. I’m pretty sure this is where Swamp Thing would live. The place feels vibrantly alive, every life form tuned in to every other. Walk beside these rivers, streams and swampy pools and you can feel how these wetlands are a source of ecological vitality. It is no surprise to learn that wetlands play a huge role in our ability to manage risks from climate change. They clean polluted water, they can store floodwaters, they can recharge groundwater, and they are essential habitat for keeping endangered species alive (ecology.wa.gov).
Regarding the “Drain the Swamp” crowd…
Since Ronald Reagan, conservative politicians have campaigned to “drain the swamp.” They don’t get it that to call the federal bureaucracy a swamp is an insult to swamps. Donald Trump wanted to “drain the swamp” so he could hire whatever he found at the bottom; that turned out to be climate change denier Scott Pruitt, whom Trump put in charge of the EPA. That’s like hiring The American Tower Corporation to run the California Coastal Commission. That’s why Swamp Thing is my preferred monster: he does not put up with anyone screwing with his wetland home.
Wetland turns out to be essential for our eco-system and is one mid-range solution to “coastal squeeze.” Santa Cruz County Planner David Carlson tells me that coastal squeeze is when structures, like sea walls, prevent natural coastal habitats from migrating inland as sea levels rise. Passive erosion is how beaches stay alive; you gotta have erosion if you want your beach. Restoring our wetland is a natural way to absorb flooding from sea level rise and makes our coast more resilient.
Here is what is happening in Watsonville: the $599 million Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project is designed to give 100-year flood protection to Pajaro and Watsonville. Barry Baker of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County says, “Wetlands work for controlling flooding by absorbing floodwater and by allowing more space for the water to flood takes pressure off upstream resources” (South Bay News, CBS).
Gary Griggs, a distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, wrote in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, “The ocean is a thread in the background, trying to push onto the land, and we try to push it back. Native people didn’t have hotels or malls, they just migrated.”
Beach Flats in Santa Cruz used to be a wetland at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. The Awaswas Nation (Ohlone) lived here for 12,000 years and understood that wetlands are a critical working part of the whole. Geomorphologist Dr. David Revell said, “The ocean is the most powerful force on the planet; why would we pick a fight with it? It’s going to be rising for the next several thousand years, and to hold a line in the sand is crazy. We need to ask, ‘How do we get out of the way?’”
Walking in Swamp Thing’s Footsteps
I park in the Harkins-Slough Road parking lot at the south end of Ramsay Park, 1301 Main St., Watsonville. Harkins Slough is the largest and most north-reaching slough in the Watsonville system (watsonvillewetlandswatch.org). I walk into the park to find massive earth moving projects, construction is everywhere. This 26-acre Community Park is going to become the center of south county; what they are building is amazing. It’ll have a baseball/softball field, basketball courts, a bicycle pump track, children’s and tots’ playgrounds, a family center, tennis courts, volleyball courts, a skate park, soccer field, and access to the trails and the levee. The Watsonville Slough Connector Trail Project at Ramsay Park will establish urban trails within the park and add a trail between Main Street and Harkins Slough.
This is the brand-new Ramsay Park Pump Track, or maybe it’s a flat parking lot and my camera lens was on shrooms. One hundred yards beyond the track is the Watsonville Slough Trail.
Just 50 steps away from the Ramsay parking lot I encounter a houseless guy camped out in a big blue tent. He has a solar panel above the tent. He is camping in an unauthorized place, and will not let me photograph him, but he says that he is a wetlands scientist immersing himself in the environment he’s studying. I ask him if there is a spirit in the swamp.
“There is a spirit here and it moves at night on two legs.”
OK, so he is crazy and houseless … but still, the guy has a solar panel hanging over his tent.
A hundred yards from the parking lot I encounter a high-tech homeless camp, solar panel and all.
The Watsonville Wetlands and Godzilla Rising
Godzilla is our dystopian epiphany, an embodiment of the revelation that by destroying natural balance with CO2 emissions we have awakened a monster that has arrived upon our shores. In our time of climate change, Godzilla is the perfect monster to represent the consequences of our actions.
Harkins Slough is the largest and most north-reaching slough in the Watsonville system. I’m pretty sure this is where Swamp Thing would live.
Godzilla treats us and our communities with the same distain we do. Now when we see the giant beast rise out of the ocean and trudge toward the shore, we bear the weight of a lifetime of missed chances to do something. As the hot air burns our lungs, we wonder why we didn’t do more, or why we didn’t do fucking anything.
That’s why I see Swamp Thing as our redemptive monster. A living embodiment of power and truth in our environment, Swamp Thing protects both us and the environment, from each other. He shows us how to get out of the way. The Awaswas Nation who lived here migrated, and eventually so will we.
According to Watsonville’s city website, these are the top 5 reasons to visit the wetlands of Watsonville:
• Great spot for birding with over 220 species of birds.
• One of the largest remaining freshwater wetlands in the Central Coast of California.
• Over seven miles of walking, biking, and jogging trails for the whole family with 29 easily accessible trail entrances.
• Diverse wildlife to discover, including muskrats, bobcats and tree frogs.
• Free guided nature Walks offered every Sunday through the City Nature Center located in the back of Ramsay Park at 30 Harkins Slough Road
Watsonville Wetlands hiking info: With a total 8.3-mile point-to-point trail near Watsonville, it’s lowland flat, a popular trail for mountain biking, running and walking. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Dogs are welcome and may be off leash in some areas.
Remember when punk bands were punk bands? When it was just a couple of musicians getting together for the love of music, playing live and having fun? Outpatient X remembers.
“We never want to stop having fun because that’s what it’s really all about,” says guitarist and co-vocalist, Shane Bauleke. “Having fun and meeting new people.”
The three piece skate punk act ferociously dropped into the local scene last year and hasn’t stopped grinding. Back in May they released their debut record, Deceptive Optimism and have played a plethora of shows from benefits to bar gigs and venues. Now, they are gearing up to play with fellow local acts, F.U.X., Schlep and San Francisco’s Blunt Force Karma this Saturday, October 5th, at the Blue Lagoon.
“Personally, at the end of the day I just want to play shows,” agrees vocalist and bassist, Isaiah “Zay” Folks. “It’s addicting.”
Harkening back to the most punk rock of origins, Outpatient X formed through a “musicians wanted” ad online. Bauleke and his brother Kai–aka the “Vanilla Gorilla” and Outpatient X’s drummer– were looking for a third person to jam with and had put out the wanted post on Bandmix.com.
“It was a really nasty winter,” Folks– who works as a crewmember of a whale watching tour boat–remembers.
“We couldn’t work and couldn’t surf because the ocean was too rough. I couldn’t go [rock] climbing because everything was wet and I couldn’t go snowboarding because I couldn’t afford the gas since I wasn’t working. I just sat around in my room, playing guitar and watching YouTube videos of NoFX and thought ‘I want to be in a band.’ So I looked up band websites and immediately found Bandmix.com.”
The rest–as they say–is history.
The three began jamming and quickly realized something magically was forming.
“A lot of our songs are very real,” Bauleke says. “They’re authentic because they’re all real-life experiences about heavy shit that we–and people–have to deal with and go through.”
And that’s where the Deceptive Optimism name comes from. On the surface, Outpatient X’s songs explode with upbeat, fast, punk rock energy drawing from groups like Green Day, Bad Religion, Social Distortion and –of course–NoFX.
However, sit and simmer with the lyrics and it’s quickly apparent their music isn’t simply three chord hero worship. Instead, Outpatient X has no problem laying out the horrors of life like drug addiction, catastrophic environmental collapse and the struggle of living with severe mental illness.
“I have bipolar disorder but I spent 17 years in denial,” Folks says. “That’s 17 years of not even admitting to myself that I have this thing. And now–finally–I’ve come to the point where I’m ready to talk about it.”
It’s the subject of two of the band’s tracks off the EP, “Genetic Lottery” and “Scription.” While the former explores Folks thinking about bipolarism, what it means to have been born with the disorder (to have won the genetic lottery),and a generation of self-medicating people living with trauma and mental illness. However, the latter dives into the consequences of having a mental illness. For Folks it meant breakdowns, police and brief stints of institutionalism without his medication.
The EP’s grittiest track is also the one it chooses to end on. In “Gen” Folks sings about a friend of the same name who died of a heroin overdose due to her own mental struggles. In the most harrowing part of the song, he screams “Fuck! Oh Fuck! She’s Not Breathing!” followed by gut-wrenching, repeated cries of “Wake Up!”
Whether it’s on the recording or performed live, the emotional realness commands attention and takes the listener from enjoying a punk song and traps them in the nightmarish moment of seeing a loved one die before their eyes.
“Heroin sucks,” he says pointblank. “We did the vocals in one take because we wanted to capture the emotions. I can still hear [Bauleke’s] dad in the control room say ‘Holy shit’ when we did it, which made me collapse crying.”
It was Shane and Kai’s father, Matthew Bauleke, that got the brothers into music in the first place. Along with being a Santa Cruz punk band, Outpatient X has deeper ties to the scene’s history through Matthew who was in the late 1990’s local punk act, The Undecided. Deceptive Optimism was also recorded by Bart Thurber who’s worked with a plethora of celebrated Santa Cruz punks like Fury 66 and Riff Raff along with more infamous bands in the larger punk scene such as the U.K. Subs and Cocksparrer.
“I’ve worked with him before and he’s great,” Bauleke says. “The dude is a legend.”
While still celebrating the release of Deceptive Optimism, the Outpatient X trio is looking ahead with a full-length sometime in 2025. But for now, they are honing in on playing more shows with the possibility of planning a tour in the not-too-distant future. No matter what they do, the guys promise not to lose sight of their focus.
“It’s all fun,” Folks says. “It’s fun to play shows. It’s fun to post fliers. It’s fun to meet new people and network. With a band it’s a communal high.”
If you go: Saturday, Oct. 5th, 2024. 8pm, The Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 423-7117.
A second suspect in the Aug. 8 double-shooting at a beach concert in the Santa Cruz Harbor has turned herself in to Santa Cruz Police.
On Sept. 30 Jakaella Porter walked into SCPD and was arrested and booked for criminal conspiracy and attempted homicide, said Katie Lee, Community Relations Specialist for the City of Santa Cruz.
The investigation is still ongoing. One victim has been released from the hospital, while the second remains hospitalized due to the severity of injuries.
Background
Santa Cruz Police had already arrested Moses Dollar, 27, after he was captured in the Los Angeles area on Sep. 18. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail and charged with attempted murder. The shooting erupted following a beach concert at the popular Crow’s Nest restaurant near the mouth of the harbor.
He is being held without bail, jail records show.
Porter has been identified by investigators as the female suspect in the case and a warrant had been issued for her arrest.
Initial reports were of two men shot, with one suffering up to six gunshots to the chest.
Witnesses said that after a brief altercation in the Crow’s Nest parking lot, a male in his early 20s opened fire on two men and fled the scene in a black Dodge Charger. The suspect was wearing a red puffy jacket and was accompanied by a female of indeterminate age.
What is your most memorable twisty movie or TV show?
ANJANA
Dark, the German time travel series. The acting was great, and the plot and the storyline was done really well. Every episode had suspense and you had to watch to see what would happen. — Anjana Parandhaman, 33, Researcher at UCSC
PRATEEK
I’m watching Three Body Problem and there’s a twist every week. They’re trying to solve a mystery behind behaviors causing scientists’ disappearing or dying. They have to play this game to figure it out, and there’s always an interesting surprise. — Prateek Burman, 37, Data Science Manager
ISA
It’s an anime called Code Geass, and it has the craziest ending. The main character tries to reclaim all of Japan from the British Empire, and then his best friend—well—I don’t want to spoil it. I predict a lot of endings, and I think it was the only thing that I couldn’t. — Isa Gervacio, 18, Environmental Science Major, UCSC
ELLIOT
The cartoon, Monster High: Frights, Camera, Action! Draculaura thinks she will be the heir to the vampire throne, but no. The twist was so insane to me. It blew my mind at 8 years old. It cracked my egg. Like, it fried my egg. Monster High really twisted my perspective on life, like wow, anyone could be The Vampire Queen! — Elliot Lockwood, 18, Anthropology Major, Chico State University
TY
Fight Club. I felt like I was really invested in the whole movie, and I felt like it was a movie that I really needed to rewatch. — Ty Jagielo, 18, Game Design Major, UCSC
LILY
Blink Twice. It’s a recent movie that came out last month. It’s a thriller, and I really like thrillers. It was very suspenseful. It’s not really supernatural, but I don’t want to spoil it. — Lily Pinzini, 18, Student
School districts in Pajaro Valley, Live Oak, Soquel, Bonny Doon and Scotts Valley are asking voters to approve $525 million in school bonds. The districts cite degraded plumbing, electrical issues and leaky roofs as some of the problems in outdated buildings.
PVUSD is asking its voters to vote ‘Yes’ on Measure M, which, if approved, would be the largest bond, coming in at $315 million. Measure M would not only fund repairs, but also renovate classrooms for robotics, coding and engineering education. The bond would raise $18.3 million annually for the county’s largest school district with 17,000 students.
The high number of bonds on the ballot and their high price tags are not unheard of, according to Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah. But it is a reflection of the accumulated needs districts are addressing.
“I do think that—and you know, this is from my experience—having five bonds at the same time is, you know, it’s not totally unusual, but it’s kind of on the higher side of the number of bonds that occur,” Sabbah said.
“But I just think that it is as a result of each of those districts evaluating that they currently need the bonds at this time, either to address needing new facilities, or possibly building workforce housing or addressing their deferred maintenance needs.”
Live Oak School District is also addressing the need for workforce housing. That district has placed Measure N on the ballot, which is solely directed at creating housing with a $45 million bond.
“Our hardworking and devoted teachers and staff are essential in providing a high-quality and nurturing educational environment where every Live Oak student can thrive,” reads part of the argument for the measure. “But the critical shortage of local affordable rental housing is making it challenging to attract, hire and retain experienced and committed educators and staff members.”
LOSD secured a $44 million bond after voters approved Measure H back in March, and those were set aside for repairs and upgrades to school buildings.
“When I visit schools, I see that this is a common concern from families and from teachers, educators and the administration of really needing an improvement to those facilities,” Sabbah said. “And so, this is why it’s necessary for the schools to go out for these bonds.”
For PVUSD, the last major bond measure was 2012’s Measure L, which approved a $150 million bond that has funded construction and rehabilitation projects at nearly every facility in the district. Most of the money went to build an athletic field for Pajaro Valley High School, which lacked one until its completion in 2021, 17 years after the school opened in 2004. The district spent the last of the funds repaving and repainting projects.
However, PV High is still in need of an athletic pool and a performance art center.
But why do our schools need to put their proverbial hand out during election season in the first place?
Bond Or Bust
Bonds are loans from the state government that taxpayers end up paying back with interest. But first, voters in a given district need to approve ballot measures that designate what the funds will be used for. Usually, these are used for construction or improvement facilities such as hospitals, housing and schools. Once voters pass a bond measure they are agreeing to pay back that loan with interest, usually through increased property taxes.
Measure M would raise property taxes for homeowners within the district by $60 for every $100,000 of assessed property valuation. So, if a home is valued at $1 million, the homeowner could see a $600 increase in annual property taxes.
Voters would only be responsible for the measure passed within their school district. But before districts can put a bond measure on the ballot, they need to be able to match the state’s contribution.
Unlike some states, California does not set aside money for the upkeep and maintenance of the state’s 10,000 K-12 public schools. The funds that schools do get from the state go mostly to paying teacher salaries and students’ daily needs.
Sabbah says that about 90% of the money is spent on those basics and the 10% or so left over is not enough to fund big projects.
“The money is so tight that it doesn’t allow for, you know, putting money aside, generally speaking, in most of our schools, to be able to utilize it for these construction projects,” he said.
State lawmakers are aware of the problems schools are facing and have drafted their own measure to go before voters Nov. 5.
Proposition 2, if passed, would authorize $10 billion in bonds for the repair, upgrade and construction of facilities at K-12 schools, charter schools and community colleges. The bonds would raise $500 million annually over the next 35 years to repay the bond.
“I strongly support Proposition 2, which would provide money to match local contributions for school renovation and new construction,” said California 17th District State Senator John Laird “Passage of Proposition 2 would mean that state money would be there to match these local districts if their bond efforts pass.
“Funds from the last school bond measure ran out a few years ago,” he added. “The state has been budgeting money one year at a time from its general fund for school construction. But due to the recent state budget shortfall, continuing to support school construction depends on the passage of Proposition 2.”
On the Ballot
Measure L: BDESD’s measure for $7 million in bonds to fund infrastructure repairs, improve facilities and safety.
Measure M: PVUSD’s measure for $315 million in bonds to fund the expansion of career/technical education, upgrades and repairs, help improve safety and provide workforce housing.
Measure N: LOSD’s measure for $45 million in bonds to fund the construction of workforce housing.
Measure O: SVUSD’s measure for $85 million in bonds to fund infrastructure repairs, improve facilities and safety.
Measure P: SUESD’s measure for $73 million in bonds to fund infrastructure repairs, improve facilities and safety.
Let’s begin with a light reflection. America is at a juncture, not just politically, but systemically. We have a ton of problems, but very few solutions. Our country is struggling under the stress of some weighty issues. Things like addiction, debt, personal crisis, existential dread, sorrow, disease, climate extremes, violence, greed, madness, old age and death. It can, and should, feel overwhelming.
But who shoulders the greatest burden? Who is living at the bottom of this cracked-open Pandora’s Box? Answer: The unsheltered.
More and more people are slipping through the cracks, with 2024 having a record amount of residents on the street. What can be done? One Santa Cruz nonprofit has manifested a functioning cure. It’s a brilliant diamond of an idea that gives a hand up to the neediest. And what is the secret? Well, it’s right below our feet.
We’ve Got to Get Back to the Garden
Since 1990, the Homeless Garden Project has been working with unsheltered human beings who found the street to be their only option. Executive Director Darrie Ganzhorn has a dark tan, with wise and compassionate eyes. She sits surrounded by fields of beans, strawberries and lavender. It’s noon and the farm is busy. Trainees (as those who are unsheltered with jobs are called) wear wide-brim straw hats, and are buzzing around like worker bees, tending the crops.
Ganzhorn might not see herself as the Queen Bee, but her kind engagement, and love for telling the history of the Homeless Garden Project (HGP), is compelling.
“It was co-started with Paul Lee, who was a professor at UCSC. Lee had his PhD from Harvard and was an avid gardener,” Ganzhorn relates from the middle of the farm, near Seymour Marine Labs. Lee organized the very first homeless shelter in Santa Cruz and went on to cofound HGP with Lynne Cooper.
“They started a garden on Pelton Avenue, between Lighthouse and Laguna. And there was much discussion on who could benefit the most from the garden,” Ganzhorn says.
QUEEN BEE Executive Director Darrie Ganzhorn runs the project, which has been
around since 1990, a shining beacon in Santa Cruz. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
It’s Nature’s Way
If you bounce around from Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring to Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang to Ronald Reagan’s misstated but essentially accurate quote, “If you’ve seen one redwood, you’ve seen them all,” you know that America has wildly differing attitudes toward nature. And in 2024 while so many feel depressed and alienated from being connected (not just the unsheltered) we have the ability to find our meaning, or at least “a” meaning, in farming and connecting to nature.
In his 1995 book Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind, Robert Greenway wrote: “Ecopsychology is a search for language to describe the human-nature relationship. It is a tool for better understanding the relationship, for diagnosing what is wrong with that relationship, and for suggesting paths to healing.”
The Homeless Garden Project aims to auto-correct our waywardness, by digging the path back to nature, and cherishing our role as stewards.
Volunteers of America
“I started in ’91 during the first year, and I was instantly attracted to what was going on here. The idea that we could make positive social change was huge. Even bigger was the idea that I could help,” Ganzhorn says. “Homeless Garden Project manifested the brilliance of farming as a way of supporting people to move out of homelessness. The mission was getting back to basic needs, connecting with the earth, farming together and building community.”
Like the tenets of Ecopsychology infer, when people connect with the earth, there can be transformation.
“There is sort of a real spiritual level to what’s happening here in terms of supporting people, making them feel (perhaps for the first time in their lives) that they belong to a community. We call it the Homeless Garden Project, but our mission is people. We help people find the tools they need to thrive,” Ganzhorn says.
Ganzhorn and everyone involved, from trainee to board member, work tirelessly on the mission, and they have recently been awarded a grant by the California State Initiative called California Regional Initiative for Social Enterprise, aka CA RISE. By expanding fair-chance hiring opportunities, HGP has been recognized as a leading social enterprise in the state of California.
There’s a beautiful symmetry to the Homeless Garden Project. Trainees work the garden from sprouts, tilling, adding nutrition to the soil, and babying the plants until they yield bounty. From there everything is harvested, made into sellable products and sold through various entities like the Homeless Garden Store. If you know about the farm, you might think that the end product is the basket of strawberries, or the soap, at their shop on Pacific Avenue. But you would be overlooking the real results. Take a second to look into the eyes of the Trainees, and you can see what HGP is really all about: changing lives.
SWEET HARVEST Customer Phil Hodsdon picks up some strawberries. PHOTO: Tarmo Hannula
I Got Some Time to Hear Your Story
Trainee Frank Daly exudes the presence of a man who found a second chance and has no intention of letting it go. He could be 37, he could be older. He was a recovering addict who got out of lock-up for substance abuse.
“Two years ago I went to jail for a few months. When I got back on the streets of Santa Cruz, I went to Janus and got an ankle monitor. I had a daughter about that time and I decided to get my stuff together. I went to Janus, got into an SLE (Sober Living Environment) and then found a job here. It helps me keep my mind off things. I network and meet people not using drugs or alcohol. A lot of them share the same thing, as you know, being homeless. But we all have, you know, we’re all out here workin’,” says Daly.
Being able to reconnect with his daughter has Daly testifying that HGP is the best thing that has ever happened to him.
Find the Price of Freedom
Recently hired transplant Adam Lovell is hustling on the farm just like everyone else. But Lovell has a home and a partner and recently moved to Santa Cruz to be the HGP farm manager. Lovell is upbeat and talks fast.
“We do some of our most powerful outreach at the library downtown. If you have ID and fill out the employment paperwork, there is a two-week trial period on Tuesday through Friday, 9am to 2pm. If they really make a commitment to showing up on time every day during the trial, afterward there is another application and a job interview,” says Lovell.
Besides the trainees, community support is an essential key to the success of HGP.
“We have an online store and we have a few local wholesale partners. New Leaf is an incredible partner. We work with people who understand an enterprise like ours that is serving people with barriers to employment,” Lovell concludes.
We’re Changing Day to Day
According to Ganzhorn, the HGP program has 25 positions for trainees, who work for one year. In 2023, 91% of the graduating trainees found jobs, and 83% got into housing programs.
HGP is the kind of program that could become nationwide and be on course to easing the crisis of the unsheltered. HGP feeds 110 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members, has fundraising and social awareness events on the farm, and is always in need of volunteers. That’s not to mention the networking, the new programs, as well as, the never-ending search for grants and donations.
Of course, besides meaningful employment and finding fellowship, the greatest challenge to the unsheltered, is, no surprise, shelter.
“That’s one of the things that we’re working on right now is where can we support our trainees to have a place to live? We have a project called Finding Flatmates, where we are looking for community members who have a room to rent, and then we’re matchmaking with our trainees who are making a small income here, and can pay some rent. You think about the stability that having housing would provide to somebody while they’re in this program. We’re also working with a group of people on another project. A little bit too soon to talk about it, but it would be housing for transitional employment programs in in the community,” Ganzhorn says.
Despite the seemingly endless amount of tasks, chores and deadlines one faces on a farm, Ganzhorn remains sanguine.
“Riches are to be gained from bringing people up—from helping others. I think that’s why we’re on the planet, personally, is to help other people and then through that to learn about ourselves.”
The Homeless Garden Stores are located downtown at 1338 Pacific Ave. and in Capitola at 222 Esplanade. Hours vary so check the website at homelessgardenproject.org The farm is located at Shaffer Road at Delaware Ave. and is open dawn to dusk.
First Friday with HGP
To celebrate a facelift at its downtown Santa Cruz store and the rollout of a new line of locally made products, the Homeless Garden Project welcomes the community to an event during First Friday, taking place Oct. 4 from 6 to 9pm at 1338 Pacific Ave.
The celebration marks a significant milestone for HGP: a new state grant that will expand the organization’s efforts to provide transformative job training and employment opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness. A special presentation at 7pm will feature Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley and HGP Production Trainee Charles Stange.
First Friday artist Wendy Ballen will showcase her work, and there will be beer provided by Humble Sea Brewing Co., local wine and samples of HGP products using produce grown on the farm.
FARM TO TABLES Trainees at the Homeless Garden Project don’t just grow food, they sell products
in two County locations and learn business acumen. PHOTO: Chris Ryan / viewsoftheworld.com
Folk singer Willy Tea Taylor’s voice is so rich and full of character that listening to him softly sing as he picks his guitar evokes heartbreak, defiance, sweetness and joy—before even getting the chance to process his poetic lyrics, so well-matched to his vocal cords. It’s unsurprising to read that Taylor was born and raised in Oakdale, California. These songs sound like they couldn’t have come from anyone but the son of a cattleman in a small, Western town proudly billing itself as the cowboy capital of the world. KEITH LOWELL JENSEN INFO: 8pm, Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, Felton. $17. 760-1387.
ELECTRONIC
SABAI
Most electronic producers put together sets with the express interest of getting a dance floor bumping. Vancouver-based producer Sabai cares about getting hips shaking, too, but even more, he wants people to feel strong emotions while they dance. He’s got a knack for constructing beats with emotive melodies. It’s a powerful combination, too. While an emotional ballad can make people cry, a vulnerable dance song reaches the crux of people’s souls and unlocks an ancient source running deep within them. Feel your feelings and do it while you’re dancing. You will be transformed—at least for an evening. AARON CARNES
INFO: 8pm, Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $32-$39. 713-5492.
FRIDAY
EXPERIMENTAL
BILL MACKAY
Bill MacKay occupies an interesting space in the troubadour circuit, composing unusual experimental music that might challenge conventional ears and penning pleasant folk-rock that eases the anxieties of all who listen. His latest solo album, Locust Land, lands a bit more on the contemplative side of the catalog. An easy listen, yes, but one that’ll take the listener on a journey through childhood memories and forgotten experiences. It’s like therapy but more enjoyable and abstract. He’ll play songs off Locust Land at the upcoming Indexical gig. Your brain will feel refreshed! AC
INFO: 8:30pm, Indexical, 1050 River St., #119, Santa Cruz. $16.
FRIDAY
AUTHOR EVENT
LIT CHAT: CHUCK ROSENTHAL
In Chuck Rosenthal’s Awake For Ever in a Sweet Unrest, 19-year-old high school dropout Beatriz, while visiting LA’s iconic bookstore and poetry venue Beyond Baroque, makes the acquaintance of Frankenstein writer Mary Shelley’s ghost, who proceeds to introduce our heroine to associated and fellow literary legends John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. The literary ghost story celebrates the power and importance of art, poetry and finding your voice. The acclaimed and prolific author will read from and discuss this latest novel, sign some books and perhaps offer further insight into the afterlives of novelists. KLJ
INFO: 6pm, Tannery Arts Center, 1050 River St., Studio 118, Santa Cruz. Free. 423-3662.
FRIDAY
MUSEUM EXHIBIT
HOMAGE TO ANTOINETTE SWAN
Want to know more about local Santa Cruz history? How about learning more about the three Hawaiian princes who introduced surfing to the mainland? Their visit was no accident and is a gateway to more stories about their descendants and other people in Santa Cruz, such as Antoinette Swan. Historians Geoffrey Dunn and Kim Stoner will discuss Antoinette Swan’s story and how she’s connected to the three princes. This talk will be an introduction point for an upcoming exhibition at the Humanities Institute of Santa Cruz in 2025. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 6pm, Museum of Art, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. Free. 429-1964.
FRIDAY
ELECTRONIC
Halluci Nation | Photo: Remi Theriault
THE HALLUCI NATION
Blending instrumental hip hop and moombahton with vocal chanting and drumming from traditional First Nation music, the Halluci Nation is a three-time Juno Award-winning electronic dance music duo indigenizing club spaces. Composed of Tim “2oolman” Hill and Ehren “Bear Witness” Thomas (and formerly called A Tribe Called Red), the pair have reintroduced themselves as a music group translating the modern Indigenous identity and complex contemporary Indigenous experience through visual art and sound. Their latest drum and bass single, “Voices Through Rubble,” is not only politically and culturally relevant but also succeeds in eloquently narrating the struggle for Indigenous sovereignty from Palestine to Haiti and across the world. MELISA YURIAR
Sometimes, when a band sounds like what its name infers, its meaning can go either way, but San Francisco’s Healing Potpourri is a pleasant aroma of aromatic incense for the ears. With soft steps and plenty of light keywork, Healing Potpourri blends a loving mixture of mature sounds and lighthearted vibes. Their new album, Blanket of Calm, just came out in June and is another aptly named endeavor giving the listener a comforting hug of peace. Joining Healing Potpourri are friends Kolumbo and Jonny Kosmo for a night of intimate tunes in a laid-back environment. MAT WEIR
In 2024, music has become so niche that we’re probably unaware of several genres. However, one of the coolest ones we’ve discovered isn’t from the present but the future. In the year 2069, the Earth will be destroyed, an intergalactic cruise ship will take flight in the cosmos and Formerly Alien will be the house band. The space-folk duo creates a mellow yacht rock sound for the stars that’s perfect for any interdimensional traveler. This is one party that will guarantee to be out of this world and maybe even have some Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (aka UFOs) attached. MW
INFO: 7pm, Cultural Center, 127 Hames Rd., Corralitos. $20. 254-2669.
MONDAY
JAZZ
MICHAEL MAYO
Conservatory-trained Michael Mayo combines a classical foundation with an inerrant pop sensibility and a wide-encompassing musical perspective. Mentored by no less a figure than Herbie Hancock, Mayo makes original music that draws inspiration from pop giants (Stevie Wonder and Brian Wilson, to name two) and beat-focused modern styles like hip hop and drum and bass. Sometimes likened to Bobby McFerrin, Mayo often employs the body-as-instrument methodology in his art. His 2021 debut, Bones, is a deeply textured and highly-regarded work; some tracks feature more than 250 layered vocal parts. His follow-up release, Fly, is set for release in October. BILL KOPP
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $42. 427-2227.
When David Enriquez’s dad, Francisco, was recently offered full ownership of La Jaiba Brava (formerly Casa Rosita’s), he asked for and received his family’s blessing first. Born in Tampico, Mexico, Francisco’s first order of business was changing the name to “the brave crab” as an homage to his fishing background.
He then asked David, who worked at Tesla and had extensive restaurant experience, to help launch and run the place. David agreed, both to help out the family business and set a good example for his twin daughters. Jaiba’s ambiance leans into the ocean theme, combining traditional Mexican décor with plenty of blues and whites. The menu, overseen and executed by chef Freddie, who has been at the business for over 40 years, is classic Mexican food based on Francisco’s recipes. The molcajete, served sizzling hot in a deep-dish black rock, burgeons with a diverse blend of seafood that sets the marisco mood.
Other favorites are the enchiladas with ten different meat and three different sauce options, including a white sweet curry. The crispy beef birria taco is another hit, as is the carne en su jugo, a bowl of beans and carne asada in a chicken broth soup finished with cilantro, onion, chili peppers and lemon. Beverage bests include classic offerings of micheladas, chavelas and blended frozen margaritas.
Tell me your dad’s story.
DAVID ENRIQUEZ: He was born in Tampico, Mexico, where he was a fisherman, carpenter and handyman. As a young man he immigrated here to do better for his family and himself, and for a brighter future. He now works as a property manager and has his own handyman business, as well as owning our family restaurant. We have a big family, and all my siblings and I are inspired by who he is, what he does and how hard he works.
How has business started off?
The first weeks have been very busy and we’ve gotten a lot of good feedback, reviews and positive word of mouth. We’ve had people from not only the county, but all over the state, come and try our food. The guests have been very happy and satisfied, and we’ve already had people come back and bring their friends and family. We also have many local regulars that have been coming here for a while and have been very supportive of the new ownership.
Willy Tea Taylor’s voice is so rich and full of character that listening to him softly sing as he picks his guitar evokes heartbreak, defiance, sweetness and joy
