It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since Jack O’Neill died. The image from our cover that week, with the sly but warm smile on O’Neill’s face, has stayed with me—whenever he comes up in conversation or in something I’m reading, it’s the first thing I think of.
It was definitely on my mind reading Geoffrey Dunn’s cover story this week. This story wasn’t conceived to mark the anniversary of O’Neill’s death or anything like that; it’s pure coincidence that his ocean stewardship project is celebrating taking its 100,000th student on their first educational ocean voyage.
And yet, I think it turned out to be one anyway, because the success of the O’Neill Sea Odyssey Program is exactly the kind of thing that was behind that slightly mystical smile. The story explains that O’Neill wasn’t just an ocean enthusiast who was able to make a living off his passion. He was also a fierce advocate for the well-being of the ocean, who wanted everyone to love the sea the way he did. In light of that, Dunn argues, the Sea Odyssey Program might be his most important achievement. After reading this story, you might agree.
Thank you for writing about the heartbreaking epidemic of whale entanglements on the West Coast (GT, 6/12). The whale rescuers do such important work, but it’s time for California to better manage the commercial crab fishery to prevent more of these entanglements from happening in the first place, before they kill or injure endangered whales. That’s why we at the Center for Biological Diversity sued the state, and we’re still waiting for it to meet its legal obligations to protect whales, particularly in entanglement hot spots like the Monterey Bay. We’ve had enough talk over the last three years as entanglements skyrocketed. It’s time for action.
Steven Jones
Center for Biological Diversity
Million-Dollar Question
Re: “Getting Inpatient” by Andrea Patton, (GT, 6/13): In this article, Pam Rogers-Wyman, HSA Adult Services Director, is quoted as saying: “Our unspent funds are less than $3 million. That’s been really a misnomer that we’re sitting on millions of dollars. I think we’ve tried to correct it several times.” This brief statement would appear to contradict itself.
Larry Peterson
Santa Cruz
Quality of Life Issue
Populations of homeless will continue to grow nationwide. Homeless shelters and rent subsidies are not keeping up. Evictions are spiking across the country. Sight unseen are the numbers of individuals and families who go broke between paychecks, making ends meet by substituting junk food. High rents force poor diets that contribute to diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, depression, poor grades and crime.
Rent control will help a little, but rents are already unconscionably high.
Of course real estate agents, brokers, and property management trolls do protest. They are the parasites in our society that get rich producing nothing, except buy a house, tack on an extra 50 grand, and re-sell it. The same house for which a family must work an extra 5-10 years to pay off, and spend less time with their children. No summer science camp for them.
Don’t let them scare you into thinking you’ll not be able to evict. First, there’s the lease contract. That can expire. If the contract is broken by illegal activity, the rent control eviction clause won’t stop you from evicting them.
The most ridiculous warning came from a broker saying we should worry that rich people could be protected by rent control, too. Rent control doesn’t discriminate. That’s a job for property managers who see people as nothing more than a credit rating.
Billy Quealy
Santa Cruz
CST Clarity
Thank you, Inna Dagman and Maria Grusauskas, for bringing craniosacral therapy to the public’s attention (GT, 5/29). I appreciate the clarity with which the modality is presented and the writer’s experiences are shared. As a craniosacral therapist myself, I know how hard it can be to describe what it is I am doing (or allowing to happen).
Thank you, Inna, for your courage and your big, non-judgmental love for all beings.
Sonja Morgner | CranioSacral Therapist
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
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GOOD IDEA
The Bye Bye Mattress program will accept old mattresses and box springs free of charge Saturday, June 23, at 207 Natural Bridges Drive from 8 a.m. to noon. Officials will accept up to five items per vehicle. The city of Santa Cruz accepts mattresses and box springs, also free of charge, Monday through Saturday at the Dimeo Lane landfill off Highway 1. The city received more than 5,000 mattresses last year, up 900 over 2016.
GOOD WORK
Funded by a $2.2 million Housing and Urban Development grant, Santa Cruz County has announced money for seven projects to address youth and young adult homelessness. According to the 2017 Point-in-Time Count, there are 588 homeless unaccompanied minors and young adults under 24 locally, and 87 percent of homeless youth were living in Santa Cruz County at the time they became homeless, but are unable to find housing in Santa Cruz County’s housing market.
So much is happening this week. Sun enters Cancer and summer begins. Next Tuesday, Mars retrogrades in Aquarius and Wednesday is the full moon, the Cancer solar festival. And so, spring gave way to summer, finally, here in the northern latitudes. The Sun, when reaching the Tropic of Cancer, tells us summer’s here. Beginning at summer solstice, and for 72 hours, the Sun remains still in its northern position at the Tropic of Cancer. After three days the pole of the Earth slowly begins to tilt in the opposite direction, sunlight begins to decrease, the days grow shorter, the nights longer. An imperceptible change (of light) overtakes the architecture and atmosphere of our Earth at the solstices.
Summer here (in the northern hemisphere). The life force, a rush in springtime, and creating tall leggy green growth in the plant kingdom, settles down in summer into an unhurried, lazy, dreamy subdued heat. The human kingdom, expressing heavenly energies, seeks, instead of long overheated laborious work, more mellow activities—leisure, rest, relaxation, vacations. Summer, we hope, will be easy, sunny and fun. If we watch carefully, we notice the plants begin to grow differently as they prepare for harvest. Newborns in the animal kingdom become teenagers.
The astrological signs of summer are Cancer (Gate where Spirit enters matter), Leo (the Heart of Love is all that Matters) and Virgo (pregnant Madonna preparing for birth at winter solstice). In the Catholic Church’s liturgy, after Pentecost and Holy Trinity, we begin preparing for advent (first Sunday in December, preparing winter solstice). Under heaven’s influences Earth’s kingdoms are always in flux. The light of the stars, planets, suns and moon chart our daily rhythms. The wise ones knew this. We are to be the “wise ones” now. (Read more on Summer, Mars retrograde and the Cancer Solar Festival on Risa’s Esoteric Astrology Facebook page and under Daily Studies at nightlightnews.org.
ARIES: Something new concerning family, property, real estate and home materializes in the coming year. You may buy or sell, invest in family property, move, form community, create a collective. It is good to look forward to various and different ways of living. Something about family develops, increases, expands. You find yourself at times staying closer to home after traveling here and there. Family becomes everything (again).
TAURUS: In the coming year, you must begin to travel, enter school, study, publish or begin a long adventure. Everything faraway is interesting, even destinations others would never contemplate. At times you’ll consider lands different, unfamiliar and perhaps exotic. Bear in mind this needs deep reflection. The exotic is not always comfortable. A new expanded mind is occurring. Call forth new thinking, rich with Aquarian archetypes.
GEMINI: Do you feel in conflict? There are so many avenues calling for your attention. First is the idea of remaining behind the scenes in solitude and retreat. Then there’s the demand facing you concerning work. Then there are all the people seeking your advice, inviting you here and there to be part of their vision. I need to ask, what is your vision of success? Because success calls to you in many guises.
CANCER: It’s time to reflect upon the past year in preparation for your new birthday year. Review all actions, choices made, things produced, brought to flower, people spoken with, promises made, dreams that did (or did not) come true. Consider what was happy then and what would be joyful in the coming year. Notice the different word—happy and joyful. A new year brings new endeavors. What would you like to happen?
LE0: New people, new confidence, new groups eventually beckon to you, extending invitations. Friendships blossom and you find yourself mingling and networking, interacting and sharing. Are you avoiding anyone? Step into their world, learn who they are, what they like and need. Hopes, wishes and dreams fill your mind and heart. Create a Hope, Wishes and Dreams journal. Don’t lose it!
VIRGO: The area of life called relationships becomes full of opportunities, personal and worldly. Something deep and profound occurs with someone close. It’s important to consider creating or expanding your professional work. Ask loved ones for help. They can be of great benefit if you are kind and grateful. Be focused, determined and analytical with finances.
LIBRA: The most realistic time in our lives is each moment. Most moments quietly slip by as we seek what we don’t have, wonder when vicissitudes will end or when the rainbow will appear. However, should we be aware of each moment, they begin to feel like blessings. This conscious perception of time allows us to be more authentic, spontaneous and free. For the next year, be careful with diet, eating only what vitalizes and is touched by the Sun.
SCORPIO: The surprise is a new creative talent comes forth from within; a creativity greater than previously experienced. It will make you explore all areas of the arts. This builds a new sense of identity. Careful of illusion if entering a new love affair. You might find yourself with many tasks to perform this summer. Protect your hands and arms with gloves. Check the car, too. Plant a garden of herbs.
SAGITTARIUS: New ideas, thoughts and thinking accelerate, life moves into the fast lane, new people enter your life, and you seek the world of art, music and culture. People notice you’ve become more optimistic. That dark night of the soul approach is exhausting. Certain situations at home seek detailed attention, tending and organizing. Give away everything not used in the past months. Someone else needs them.
CAPRICORN: Perhaps in the past you felt the need for more self-confidence. In the coming year, self-confidence, self-reliance, and the ability to know more of yourself and your abilities will emerge, expand, and fill you with self-assurance, poise, dignity and grace. Wherever you find yourself, that’s where you’re to be. Whatever you’re called to do, act with the highest intentions. Then the world around you becomes a blessing.
AQUARIUS: New archetypes (patterns) concerning money and values appear for the rest of the year. Afterward, looking back on how you made, used and worked with money and what your values were, you see the changes made. It’s most important to create strategic plans for budgeting, accounts, savings, tracking all finances in detail. Should you consider investing, land is a lasting and true resource.
PISCES: For a long time, you’ve adhered to one particular path, following those you love with heartfelt fervor. Love came first, always. A good ethic and value. Now, however, something’s changing. Too much is uncomfortable. You seek to realize what makes you happy and joyful. You’ll need courage to face the truth, courage to set yourself on the path (a journey) toward happiness. A mantram for you. “Let reality govern my every thought and truth be the master of my life.”
ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you have cosmic permission to enjoy extra helpings of waffles, crepes, pancakes, and blintzes. Eating additional pastries and doughnuts is also encouraged. Why? Because it’s high time for you to acquire more ballast. You need more gravitas and greater stability. You can’t afford to be top-heavy; you must be hard to knock over. If you would prefer not to accomplish this noble goal by adding girth to your butt and gut, find an alternate way. Maybe you could put weights on your shoes and think very deep thoughts.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’re slipping into the wild heart of the season of discovery. Your curiosity is mounting. Your listening skills are growing more robust. Your willingness to be taught and influenced and transformed is at a peak. And what smarter way to take advantage of this fertile moment than to decide what you most want to learn about during the next three years? For inspiration, identify a subject you’d love to study, a skill you’d eagerly stretch yourself to master, and an invigorating truth that would boost your brilliance if you thoroughly embodied it.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. Four of his works were essential in earning that award: the play Waiting for Godot, and the novels Molloy, Malone Dies, and The Unnamable. Beckett wrote all of them in a two-year span during the late 1940s. During that time, he was virtually indigent. He and his companion Suzanne survived on the paltry wage she made as a dressmaker. We might draw the conclusion from his life story that it is at least possible for a person to accomplish great things despite having little money. I propose that we make Beckett your role model for the coming weeks, Gemini. May he inspire you to believe in your power to become the person you want to be no matter what your financial situation may be.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I suggest you ignore the temptation to shop around for new heroes and champions. It would only distract you from your main assignment in the coming weeks, which is to be more of a hero and champion yourself. Here are some tips to guide you as you slip beyond your overly modest self-image and explore the liberations that may be possible when you give yourself more credit. Tip #1: Finish outgrowing the old heroes and champions who’ve served you well. Tip #2: Forgive and forget the disappointing heroes and hypocritical champions who betrayed their own ideals. Tip #3: Exorcise your unwarranted admiration for mere celebrities who might have snookered you into thinking they’re heroes or champions.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “A waterfall would be more impressive if it flowed the other way,” said Irish writer Oscar Wilde. Normally, I would dismiss an idea like this, even though it’s funny and I like funny ideas. Normally, I would regard such a negative assessment of the waterfall’s true nature, even in jest, to be unproductive and enfeebling. But none of my usual perspectives are in effect as I evaluate the possibility that Wilde’s declaration might be a provocative metaphor for your use in the coming weeks. For a limited time only, it might be wise to meditate on a waterfall that flows the other way.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Stage magicians may seem to make a wine glass hover in mid-air, or transform salt into diamonds, or make doves materialize and fly out of their hands. It’s all fake, of course—tricks performed by skilled illusionists. But here’s a twist on the old story: I suspect that for a few weeks, you will have the power to generate effects that may, to the uninitiated, have a resemblance to magic tricks—except that your magic will be real, not fake. And you will have worked very hard to accomplish what looks easy and natural. And the marvels you generate will, unlike the illusionists’, be authentic and useful.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The coming weeks will be a favorable time to accentuate and brandish the qualities that best exemplify your Libran nature. In other words, be extreme in your moderation. Be pushy in your attempts to harmonize. Be bold and brazen as you make supple use of your famous balancing act. I’ll offer you a further piece of advice, as well. My first astrology teacher believed that when Librans operate at peak strength, their symbol of power is the iron fist in the velvet glove: power expressed gracefully, firmness rendered gently. I urge you to explore the nuances of that metaphor.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): If I were your mom, I’d nudge you out the door and say, “Go play outside for a while!” If I were your commanding officer, I’d award you a shiny medal for your valorous undercover work and then order you to take a frisky sabbatical. If I were your psychotherapist, I would urge you to act as if your past has no further power to weigh you down or hold you back, and then I would send you out on a vision quest to discover your best possible future. In other words, my dear Scorpio, I hope you will flee your usual haunts. Get out of the loop and into the open spaces that will refresh your eyes and heart.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sex education classes at some high schools employ a dramatic exercise to illustrate the possible consequences of engaging in heterosexual lovemaking without using birth control. Everywhere they go for two weeks, students must carry around a 10-pound bag of flour. It’s a way for them to get a visceral approximation of caring for an infant. I recommend that you find or create an equivalent test or trial for yourself in the coming days. As you consider entering into a deeper collaboration or making a stronger commitment, you’ll be wise to undertake a dress rehearsal.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Members of the Dull Men’s Club celebrate the ordinary. “Glitz and glam aren’t worth the bother,” they declare. “Slow motion gets you there faster,” they pontificate. Showing no irony, they brag that they are “born to be mild.” I wouldn’t normally recommend becoming part of a movement like theirs, but the next two weeks will be one of those rare times when aligning yourself with their principles might be healthy and smart. If you’re willing to explore the virtues of simple, plain living, make the Swedish term *lagom* your word of power. According to the Dull Men’s Club, it means “enough, sufficient, adequate, balanced, suitable, appropriate.”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the Georgian language, shemomechama is a word that literally means “I ate the whole thing.” It refers to what happens when you’re already full, but find the food in front of you so delicious that you can’t stop eating. I’m concerned you might soon be tempted to embark on metaphorical versions of shemomechama. That’s why I’m giving you a warning to monitor any tendencies you might have to get too much of a good thing. Pleasurable and productive activities will serve you better if you stop yourself before you go too far.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Please do not send me a lock of your hair or a special piece of your jewelry or a hundred dollar bill. I will gladly cast a love spell in your behalf without draining you of your hard-earned cash. The only condition I place on my free gift is that you agree to have me cast the love spell on you and you alone. After all, your love for yourself is what needs most work. And your love for yourself is the primary magic that fuels your success in connecting with other people. (Besides, it’s bad karma to use a love spell to interfere with another person’s will.) So if you accept my conditions, Pisces, demonstrate that you’re ready to receive my telepathic love spell by sending me your telepathic authorization.
Homework: Make a guess about where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing 10 years from today. Testify at Freewillastrology.com.
Live music highlights for the week of June 20, 2018.
WEDNESDAY 6/20
LATIN-FUNK
BROWNOUT
When Public Enemy released Fear of a Black Planet in 1990, it was the perfect statement for the Reagan/Bush era of conservatism, racism and the “war on drugs.” Now in the Trump era, Austin Latin ensemble Brownout has appropriately released Fear of a Brown Planet. It’s a cover (of sorts) of Public Enemy’s classic record, but performed as an instrumental live funk band. It works as a subtle protest record, as there are no lyrics, just the knowledge as you listen that a group of Texas Latinos (formerly Grupo Fantasma) are kicking out some potent dance music that will remind you of one of the greatest protest albums ever created. AC
Rich Homie Quan has performed, collaborated and toured with a slew of who’s who in the hip-hop world, from newcomers like Young Thug and YG to established heavyweights like 2Chainz. Yet, a bad contract ensured Quan couldn’t release any new music between 2015 and 2017. But it was more than enough time for him to work on his debut full-length, Rich as in Spirit, which dropped this past March. MAT WEIR
Years ago, I asked a classically trained musician friend what the difference between a fiddle and a violin was. His response was, “It’s all how you play it.” Jeremy Kittel is described as a renowned American fiddler and violinist, which implies that he’s comfortable with different styles, techniques and sounds. The one-time member of the Turtle Island Quartet, Kittel draws from jazz, Celtic, electronica, rock, traditional roots, classical and more. His collaborators include a diverse roster of artists from My Morning Jacket to Yo-Yo Ma, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn. For Kittel’s Santa Cruz appearance, he performs with mandolinist Josh Pinkham, who was dubbed “the future of the mandolin” by Mandolin Magazine, and guitarist Quinn Bachand. CJ
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Michael’s on Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. $18/adv, $20/door. 479-9777.
FRIDAY 6/22
AMERICANA
HARMED BROTHERS
For the better part of a decade, the Harmed Brothers have been a huge part of the ever-evolving Northwest Americana sound: Part traditional folk, part laid-back hippie vibes, lots of sweet harmonies. Last year’s self-titled full-length saw the group expand in size and in its sound into a more layered indie-folk ensemble. The group remains as personal and heartfelt as ever, but gives the music a deeper musicality, more harmonies and intricate guitar work underlining these songs, which are American roots music at their core. They’ve added so much beauty to their music, it’s hard to put it down. AC
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Shawn Colvin is “Riding Shotgun Down the Avalanche.” The song is one of those era-defining tunes for me that brings to mind a specific place and time—namely, riding around with my sister, singing our hearts out. It’s Colvin’s most well-known song, but if that’s all you know of the singer-songwriter, dig deeper. Colvin is a master songsmith who is fearless when it comes to sharing glimpses into her perspective and emotions. She also possesses a smart sense of humor and sarcasm that balances the hyper-personal nature of her lyrics. CJ
INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $32/gen, $47/gold. 423-8209.
SATURDAY 6/23
ROCK
PETTY THEFT
Tom Petty’s unexpected death last year sent a shockwave through the music and art community offset only by the decades of musical gems he left behind. While we no longer have the man, we can still celebrate his music with killer tribute bands like Petty Theft. Formed in San Francisco in 2003, they are the premiere Bay Area group for everything Petty related. Whether you want that last dance with Mary Jane or you’re running down a dream, this is the night to skip to the point, stand your ground and learn to fly. MW
Way back when, the Osmonds introduced the idea of being “a little bit country, a little bit rock ’n’ roll.” The rock ’n’ roll part may have been a bit of an overreach for the sibling duo, but the phrase (and song) stuck in the pop archives. Singer-songwriter Mira Gota takes the country/rock angle and throws in pop sensibilities for good measure. Hailing from Northern California, Gota is now based in Nashville, where her fun and catchy sound fits nicely into the Music City scene. If radio-friendly pop/country is your thing, put Gota on your radar. CJ
There aren’t a lot of true guitar legends among us now. Fareed Haque’s style is informed by jazz, Latin, and classic guitar, and while he isn’t as flashy as the dudes that normally wear the “guitar god” emblem, his work is at least as if not more impressive. He played with Sting for a while and then formed Garaj Mahal, a jazz-fusion jam band. His new band he’s bringing to town, Fareed Haque & His Funk Brothers, is still a project of diverse influences and impressive fusion elements. Not to worry funk lovers, there is plenty of that too in this mix of musical mastery. AC
If Kuumbwa’s chairs came equipped with seatbelts, this concert would start with a reminder to buckle up. Eric Revis has held down the bass chair in Branford Marsalis’s trio and quartet for some two decades, but he’s always maintained a separate musical identity on jazz’s wild and wooly experimental edge. Now he’s touring with a quartet bristling with musical explorers who are prolific bandleaders themselves. Saxophonist and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Ken Vandermark has been at the center of the Windy City’s improv scene for 30 years, and Philly drummer Chad Taylor came up in Chicago, where he made a name for himself playing with AACM giants like saxophonist Fred Anderson and bassist Malachi Favors. Rounding out the quartet is pianist Kris Davis, a thoughtful and immensely resourceful improviser whose 2016 album Duopoly features her duo encounters with a succession of masters, including Bill Frisell, Craig Taborn, Tim Berne, Don Byron, Julian Lage, and Angelica Sanchez. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $26.25/adv, $31.50/door. 427-2227.
IN THE QUEUE
ANTSY MCCLAIN & THE TRAILER PARK TROUBADOURS
Master storyteller/songwriter and his band. Thursday at Flynn’s Cabaret
ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY
Guitar-driven smooth jazz. Friday at Kuumbwa
DONAVON FRANKENREITER
Singer/songwriter/surfer out of Southern California. Friday at Catalyst
KATDELIC
Funk outfit led by Ronkat Spearman from P-Funk. Saturday at Moe’s Alley
HIGHLAND EYEWAY
Vancouver-based psych/garage rock band. Sunday at Crepe Place
The son of an opera singer, Bob Schneider was born in Michigan and raised in Germany. Not quite the usual background of an Americana artist, but an Americana artist he is. A favorite among Austin roots fans, Schneider has raked in dozens of local awards and built a loyal fan base across Texas and beyond. Known for his personal approach to songwriting and his monthly residency that stretches back two decades at Austin’s Saxon Pub, Schneider may soon be one of your favorite roots artists. On July 13, he brings his band to Moe’s Alley.
INFO: 9 p.m. Friday, July 13 Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Monday, July 2 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.
Anyone in town interested in traditional Brazilian dance music has certainly checked out SambaDá, the seven-piece local band that does it amazingly well. It was founded by Papiba Godinho two decades ago, just a couple of years after he moved here from Brazil.
But Godinho has another project he started a few years ago called Papiba and Friends with bassist Etienne Franc and drummer Gary Kehoe, which certainly has Brazilian elements, but veers from the traditional.
“There is more space for the experimental elements of the music. We do a lot more blending of R&B, rock, blues and Northern Americana influences. I think this makes Brazilian music more accessible to our American audiences and opens them to exploring more deeply,” Godinho says.
The group started as Godinho’s answer to gig requests that were more intimate and weren’t appropriate for a large dance band to play. What he found was that he and his smaller group could jam out on songs more, build funky grooves and do pretty much whatever they want. Oddly, this side project has helped SambaDá gain an even larger audience in town.
“I think we do this and it’s actually been helping. I feel like our SambaDá shows are actually getting more popular lately, because people come to see us and they see a little bit of the drumming and the Portuguese and they don’t know what it is. I say ‘oh, it’s Brazilian music, we also have a different project called SambaDá,” Godinho says.
Both of his bands gig regularly, though SambaDá still plays more than Papiba and Friends. Papiba and Friends play a monthly Crow’s Nest gig, which has gotten pretty popular, as well as other gigs around Santa Cruz.
“It’s very cool. SambaDá, because of the size, it ends up becoming a big party. Sometimes it’s hard to break down to something more groovy. but I like that I want to keep exploring that,” Godinho says.
INFO: 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 21. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.
The City of Santa Cruz Water Department will host an information session about the plans for the Newell Creek Dam—a major tributary to the San Lorenzo River. Representatives from the agency will also be tabling at the event to answer questions. There will be six additional environmental groups there including American Fisheries Society, Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project, and Santa Cruz Fly Fishermen.
Join several artists and performers from both Santa Cruz and Monterey counties in an exploration of gender identity through poetry, film, photography, live music and more. Artists of varying gender expressions, orientations, and cultural experiences will be showcasing works that are representative of their own experiences. This is a one-night-only pop-up.
INFO: 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 20. Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. 705 Front St, Santa Cruz. 429-1964. santacruzmah.org. $10 general admission, $8 student.
With seven bands across two stages, a beer garden and a skate park, the Pleasure Point Street Fair is back for a sixth round. The Santa Cruz Boardroom will once again hold its popular skateboard contest, and the kid’s zone will feature crafts with Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery and Woodworm Party Store, as well as face and henna painting. Around 100 local vendors will set up shop to showcase their art, crafts, local services, food and beverages from across the county, and there will be live music galore (including Coffee Zombie Collective, pictured). The Pleasure Point Business Association will be donating $2,500 of the proceeds to local nonprofit Live Oak Education Foundation.
INFO: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Portola Drive between 41st and 38th avenues, Santa Cruz. pleasurepointstreetfair.com. Free.
In case you haven’t heard, bees are dying. In the last few years, colonies of bees have been significantly impacted by pesticide use, monoculture and suburban farming. If the trend continues, it will mean a lot less honey and fruit (that includes wine, by the way). Protecting the bees is critical for the future of our global ecosystem, and starting a beehive is easy, if you have the right guidance. Join UC Master Gardener Randy Fox in a beginners beekeeping class. He will talk about the lives of honey bees, discuss the everyday dynamics inside a beehive, and how to set up a beehive.
Santa Cruz’s median home price is encroaching on $1 million; it’s an expensive place to live for anyone. But what do the multi-million dollar homes look like? A joint benefit for the Women’s Council of Realtors Santa Cruz, Habitat for Humanity, Santa Cruz SPCA, and many others, this showcase tours six exquisite homes in Santa Cruz, Aptos, Capitola and Soquel—including a 3770 square-foot contemporary country estate from an award-winning architect Fred Lattanzio.
A cold grey wall of fog blankets Santa Cruz on a Friday morning in mid-June. From a distant perch above the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, one can see a meandering line of children in dark green T-shirts winding their way down the eastern rim of the harbor, slowly but ever-so-surely making their way to a destination near the beach.
The students—participating in the Nueva Vista Community Resource program in Beach Flats—are here for the marine stewardship program hosted by the O’Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO), and while they may not know it quite yet, they are marching toward history. Sometime this summer—the date is uncertain, but likely in September—the widely heralded nonprofit will officially count its 100,000th participant in the organization’s 22-year operation.
In the building adjacent to the Crow’s Nest restaurant, a trio of highly trained ocean stewards—OSO Education Coordinator Laura Walker, and instructors Lauren Hanneman and Joey Rodrigues—gather the students together, secure life jackets on them, and prepare them for an afternoon at sea. At first it’s a bit like herding young kittens (or as Rodrigues jokes, “young squirrels”); their energy is kinetic and unfocused. But in a matter of minutes, they are molded into shape and ready for their launch aboard the imposing 65-foot Team O’Neill catamaran.
I have been a passenger on various craft in Monterey Bay for the better part of six decades, and much to my surprise, I still get a rush of pleasure and excitement going out to sea. The views from the catamaran are muted on this foggy day—much like the work of American Tonalist painters in the late 19th century—and the panorama quickly captures a view from Lighthouse Point to Pleasure Point, with the Santa Cruz Mountains providing a dark backdrop in the distance. If any place feels like home to me, this does.
On their two-hour journey into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the students will encounter lessons in marine biology, environmental protection, and the basics of navigation. The instructors make each educational platform a hands-on experience. The kids are enthralled.
Shortly after leaving the harbor, and just a few hundred yards off Black Point, we encounter more than a dozen sea otters (quite nearly extinct when I was the age of the children on the boat), and then a host of various sea birds gracefully glide by—murres and egrets and cormorants and pelicans—and it’s different seeing them from the ocean’s surface. The magic and various glories of the maritime universe take on new meaning when you are in the middle of them.
One critical piece of information that OSO teaches its participants is about “non-point-source” pollution—road runoff (oil, gasoline, etc.), animal feces, plastic bags, Styrofoam cups, cigarette butts ad infinitum that wind up in the Monterey Bay Sanctuary through storm drains, rivers and creeks. No matter where the kids are coming from—and many come from Santa Clara County—they realize they can have an impact on protecting the oceans from outside threats.
Let me acknowledge that, much to my surprise, this old salt learned a lot of new things about marine life during the sail. This was my first time on one of the Sea Odyssey excursions in several years, and at each stage of the journey I learned something new—about various types of plankton, about current threats to the marine environment (the amount of plastics in the ocean is staggering) and even the common murre, which, as instructor Hanneman explained to me, dives to depths of nearly 100 fathoms (600 feet)! It was an absolutely inspiring experience.
You could see by the excitement on the faces of the kids, that the two-to-three hour experience would make an indelible mark on their lives. As one young student said to me when we spotted our first sea otter, “This is so cool. I wish that I could take my entire family out here. They won’t believe it!”
Indeed, for many of the students—and for most students who participate in the program—their voyage on Team O’Neill marks their very first time on the ocean. Hanneman, a 13-year veteran of the OSO program, wrote her master’s thesis specifically about the long-term impacts of the program by tracking participants into middle and high school. Fully 75 percent of students in Hanneman’s study manifested long-term retention of materials taught to them in the OSO program. By the time they arrive back on shore, the students become lifelong warriors on behalf of ocean stewardship. There’s hope.
[Drop Cap] The O’Neill Sea Odyssey program was founded in 1996 by the late Jack O’Neill (1923-2017), the innovative surf gear and clothing entrepreneur whose ultimate legacy, I would argue, is less about wetsuits and surf shops than about the program he envisioned in the 1990s for turning his catamaran and yacht harbor offices into a maritime program for young students.
If O’Neill was the founding visionary of the Sea Odyssey experience, then the man at the tiller of the program for the past two decades has been its executive director, Dan Haifley.
Raised in the suburbs of Orange County, in Rossmoor, near Seal Beach, Haifley credits his father, a retired Sea Scout, with encouraging his lifelong love affair with the sea. “He told me stories of his six-month Pacific trip when he was a teenager, and it sort of captured my imagination,” Haifley says. And, as a teenager, Haifley also began paying attention to offshore oil drilling operations just north of him, near Long Beach.
A steady and energetic presence in Santa Cruz since he arrived here in 1977 as a student at UCSC, where he majored in economics, Haifley has long been at the center of the community’s political zeitgeist. He first cut his chops at the activist organization People for a Nuclear Free Future, working with would-be Santa Cruz mayors Jane Weed and the late Scott Kennedy.
In 1986, Haifley was hired to run the Oil Information Program of Save Our Shores (SOS), at a time during the Reagan presidency when the entire coast of California appeared to be up for grabs to the highest bidder. The year before, voters in the City of Santa Cruz had passed an ordinance by 82 percent which basically put a stop to oil drilling locally by requiring a vote of the people for any changes in zoning to accommodate onshore facilities for offshore operations.
At Save Our Shores, Haifley was essentially hired to replicate the initiative up and down California. Even with the threat of lawsuits from oil companies looming over his efforts, he got more than two dozen of them passed.
Most significantly, Haifley was viewed as the go-to guy on the ground for delivering and stewarding ocean protection legislation in California. In the early 1990s, Haifley used his perch at SOS to work closely with then-congressman Leon Panetta and the Center for Marine Conservation (now the Ocean Conservancy) to form an environmental coalition that pushed for the largest possible boundary for the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary—the largest in the United States. The legislation was passed by Congress at Panetta’s behest in September of 1992. Haifley, as Panetta once said to me, was the “field lieutenant” of that effort.
Shortly thereafter, at an SOS event celebrating the Sanctuary, O’Neill (who had become strongly supportive of SOS and environmental protections for the oceans) told Haifley that he was “interested in using his 65-foot sailing catamaran to get students on the water to learn about the ocean.” From that initial discussion, O’Neill Sea Odyssey was born.
The rest, as they say, is history. OSO offered its first classes in December of 1996; it incorporated as a nonprofit in 1997, and by May of 1999, Haifley had been hired as executive director, where he’s been at the helm ever since. This past April, he announced his retirement at the end of the year.
In advance of an all-encompassing event this coming weekend celebrating OSO’s 100,000th student, to be held at Cowell Beach, I interviewed Haifley—married to his wife Rebecca, a retired teacher with the Pajaro Valley School District, and the father of two children, Aaron and Julia—about his thoughts on the program he helped create, his retirement and the state of the oceans today.
SHIPPING NEWS This summer will see the O’Neill Sea Odyssey take its 100,000th student out on the water. There will be a celebration of the milestone on Sunday, June 24, from 1-4 p.m. at Cowell Beach. PHOTO: JASPER LYONS
We’ve discussed this before, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I knew Jack [O’Neill] since I was a kid, and I felt like Jack had something of a rebirth around the OSO program. When I talked to him about it, he was always very excited. It seemed to add new meaning to his life.
DAN HAIFLEY: Yes. He had established his company as a leader in the surf industry, and in the 1980s began to think about how the ocean could be protected. He knew instinctively that the sea was comprised of an interwoven matrix of life. The engineer in him figured out how that system operated, and the promoter in him understood that if students learned about that system at a young age, they would become its life-long protectors.
People forget about his fascination with science and engineering.
Right. From 1988 until his death, I had countless conversations with him about the ocean’s systems. For example, he was interested in the North Atlantic current—which is key to moving warm water from the tropics northward, and is a reason that Europe has a moderate climate—and its role in mitigating the effects of climate change. He was interested in what was happening with ocean acidification, which is an outcome of the ocean absorbing excess carbon from the atmosphere.
He was a ‘waterman’ in the purest sense of the word.
Jack O’Neill always tinkered with wetsuit designs and how swells work along the coast, and he applied that same analytical mindset to ocean health. His legacy in promoting ocean awareness and health started with his own curiosity and drive to make things better. He took it to the next step by deploying his boat and the building at the harbor, and some money to get O’Neill Sea Odyssey started.
I didn’t realize that.
Yeah, he and Tim O’Neill gathered a team that included Jack McLaughlin, Theresa Coyle, Jim Holm, Carl Keehn, and members of Save Our Shores to develop a program. I was hired in 1999, and so was Laura Walker. Today she runs the program, working with over 200 teachers a year, scheduling classes, community service projects and providing scholarships.
Jack seemed to love what was going on with the program.
Jack moved his family to Santa Cruz in the late 1950s to building a family-oriented market for surfing. That naturally led to his passion and drive to protect the ocean. The wetsuit business and O’Neill Sea Odyssey were two sides of the same coin for him. He believed that getting people in the water bred familiarity with it, which lead to a desire to protect it.
What’s the biggest impact of your program on the kids?
Most of the students who participate in our program have never been on the ocean. In fact, most people in the world have never been on the ocean. Getting out onto the ocean to explore its intricacies and learn to protect it is not a prerequisite to a life of stewardship, but it surely helps. O’Neill Sea Odyssey instructors use hands-on learning, which is a very effective complement to book-based and lecture-driven learning. People learn visually and kinetically, as well as by listening. I see it as an immersion in science and stewardship using the ocean field trip, classroom curriculum, and community service. Being a free program allows us to serve students regardless of background. You never know where the next Rachel Carson will come from.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the oceans today?
Plastic pollution and climate change, which changes the water’s pH, are the two biggest stressors on the ocean today—though there are many others. When I go out and promote O’Neill Sea Odyssey in the community, I am asked about what the biggest threat to the ocean is, and I say that everything we do in our everyday lives such as tossing a cigarette butt on the ground, or getting into our cars, affects everything on Earth, including the ocean.
OCEAN ADVOCATES The late Jack O’Neill (right) with OSO Executive Director Dan Haifley, who has announced his retirement after two decades with the program. PHOTO: JASPER LYONS
What does the 100,000th student mean to you?
We are now at 99,236 students, and at the rate of 25 students per class, we will likely serve our 100,000th student in September, if not before. I know it’s just a number, but it represents our team’s skill, which causes those teachers to keep bringing students to us. The idea of a campaign to count down to 100,000 was the brainchild of Adam Steckley, our Operations Coordinator. It enables us to use social media to tell the stories of our instructors, our students, and their experiences.
Dan, I’ve known you for 40 years and you’ve always walked with a steady purpose. It’s hard to imagine you are really retiring.
I am really retiring. My wife has been retired for a few years now, and when I turned 60, I decided it was time to pass the baton. My job has been to promote the program, raise funds and implement the board’s direction, and a new person will be able to do that with new energy. I will work in the garden, go kayaking, and volunteer. I am still on the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Advisory Council and I just joined the Board of the new Monterey Bay Chapter for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
GT: So ‘retiring’ in the Haifley sense.
[Laughter] OK …
GT: Any final thoughts?
Haifley: I am grateful to everyone who makes O’Neill Sea Odyssey work, every day. They are true ocean heroes.
100,000th Student Schedule of Events
Sunday, June 24, Cowell Beach, 1-4 p.m.
SCHEDULE
1:00-1:30 Check-in at registration table. Samba Stilt Circus dancers greet attendees. Gather in parking lot.
1:30-2:30 City of Santa Cruz street dedication (David Terrazas) and OSO milestone remarks (Dan Haifley).
2:30-4 Entertainment, food trucks, beach activities, and sailing charters.
ACTIVITIES
Parking lot
Performance art by Samba Stilt Circus (1-1:30)
Food trucks (1-4)
City of Santa Cruz dedication/OSO announcement (1:30-2:30)
Live music by The Wavetones (2:30-3, 3:10-3:20, 3:35-4)
Hula dance troupe with Lorraine Kinnamon (3:00-3:10 & 3:20-3:30)
Raffle ticket drawing and closing remarks (3:30-3:35)
Beach
Beach cleanup with Save Our Shores (11:30-1:30)
Surf rentals with Club Ed (1-4)
Sand art by Bill Lewis (1-4)
Face painting with Sophie and Audrey (1-4)
Photo booth – What does the ocean mean to you? (1-4)
Marine debris art with Theresa & Rachel (1-4)
Public sailing with O’Neill Yacht Charters (2-2:45, 3-3:45, 4-4:45)
Under Tent
SOS information table (supplying own tent, table and chairs)
Morgan Winery is one of the better-known wineries in the Monterey Bay area. Their wines can be found in restaurants, bars, stores, and, of course, at their tasting room in Carmel.
Morgan is a well-established winery that was founded by Dan Morgan Lee in the early 1980s. And then in 1997 he and his wife Donna Lee purchased and planted a vineyard in the northern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands—now one of the most famed winegrowing properties in California.
The G17 Morgan Vineyards 2016 Syrah, Santa Lucia Highlands ($24), is a luxurious blend of 88 percent Syrah, 8 percent Grenache and 4 percent Tempranillo, aged for 15 months in French oak (16 percent new oak). G17 refers to one of Monterey County’s highways—best known for winding its way through lush vineyards. This rich ruby-red Syrah is medium-bodied with lovely soft tannins and abundant notes of boysenberry, white pepper, and “a mouthful of black fruits and cured meat.”
Morgan Winery, 204 Crossroads Blvd., Carmel, 626-3700. morganwinery.com.
Love Apple Farms Jam-making Class
Ever thought of trying your hand at jam-making? You will have the chance from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 23 by signing up for Love Apple Farms’ hands-on class ($119). This workshop will be held at Love Apple Farms, 2317 Vine Hill Road, Santa Cruz. Visit growbetterveggies.com or email lo************@***il.com for more info.
Days of Wine & Roses on The Summit
Visit Burrell School Vineyards, Loma Prieta Winery and Wrights Station Vineyard for the month of June when the roses are at their peak in each of these scenic Summit-area vineyards. The heritage rose garden at Burrell School is abloom with a panoply of dazzling colors and scents, from the crush pad to the gazebo. For the regular tasting fee, enjoy newly released Rosé wines at Burrell School and at Wrights Station, where you can picnic among the flowering vines. Sip sparkling Pinotage at Loma Prieta whilst enjoying panoramic views of the Monterey Bay. The event is through June 30, with special pricing on Rosé and select white wines for spring-into-summer sipping. Visit summitoseawinetrail.com for more info.
Koji Gotu bought the Pink Godzilla sushi spot on 41st Avenue four years ago, and refashioned it into an all-things-Japanese restaurant with not just sushi, but also noodles, curry and Japanese tapas.
Gotu, who used to own a similar restaurant in Burlingame, says that Santa Cruz, with its cool weather, is a good place for ramen. He also owns Sushi Market Sprouts, a takeout store on 7th Avenue, and says ramen is a good way for surfers to warm up after getting out of the water. What’s the difference between ramen and other types of Asian noodles? KOJI GOTU: Udon is a different type of noodle. Like ramen, it’s also a wheat noodle, but it’s a different type. Soba is a buckwheat noodle, and it has a different floss. How did you come up with the restaurant name? Kaito means ocean lover. The “kai” means ocean or sea, and the “to” means people—so ocean people or seamen. I’ve always liked the raised wooden seating area, where you can sit on the ground but still dangle your feet below. What’s it called? We call it zashiki. Other people call it tatami. Zashiki means sitting on the floor without shoes. Do you like eating that way? I like it, and the people like it, too. And our kids like it. It’s a different experience than regular tables and chairs. Do you have a favorite food establishment here in the Pleasure Point area? We have a lot here. Next door, Penny Ice Creamery has a huge line, and they’re really good. smilekaito.com, 464-2586.
Live music highlights for the week of June 20, 2018.
WEDNESDAY 6/20
LATIN-FUNK
BROWNOUT
When Public Enemy released Fear of a Black Planet in 1990, it was the perfect statement for the Reagan/Bush era of conservatism, racism and the “war on drugs.” Now in the Trump era, Austin Latin ensemble Brownout has appropriately released Fear of a Brown Planet. It’s a cover (of...
5 Things to Do in Santa Cruz June 20-26
Green Fix
Water Department Open House
The City of Santa Cruz Water Department will host an information session about the plans for the Newell Creek Dam—a major tributary to the San Lorenzo River. Representatives from the agency will also be tabling at the event to answer questions. There will be six additional environmental...
