Page 863 | Good Times

A Brief History of the Cooper House

Local News

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May 23, 2017

“This was the county jail as recently as the 1980s,” says Nicholas Ibarra, pointing to the red building on the corner of Cooper and Front streets. He’s giving me a tour of the newly renovated—soon to be opened—Abbott Square. The 1,750-square-foot area will be the home to six restaurants, two posh cocktail bars and a Secret Garden open to the public for free music, art shows, or just catching up over drinks. The idea is to make Abbott Square a “cultural hub” for a community that has longed for public spaces. The location couldn’t be more appropriate considering the history of the property, especially for those who remember the once-vibrant Cooper House.

The Cooper brothers originally sold the land to the county in 1866 to be used as the county courthouse. At the time, the local press called it, “one of the neatest, most convenient, best proportioned and at the same time, perhaps the cheapest public building in the state.” The Octagon—which most recently housed the Lulu Carpenter’s coffee house extension—was built in 1882 as the Hall of Records. The property went through some literal trials by fire, starting with the massive fire of 1894 that destroyed many downtown buildings, along with the courthouse. Once rebuilt in 1896, the courthouse would stand only 10 years before the 1906 earthquake struck, rendering the building completely unsafe.

Abbott Square itself was dedicated in 1972, named after Charles “Chuck” and Esther Abbott. The two photographers moved to Santa Cruz in 1963 and played essential roles in establishing many of the city’s famous landmarks. Along with contributing to the design of the once-twisting Pacific Garden Mall, they also single-handedly funded the iconic Mark Abbott Lighthouse on West Cliff Drive in 1986, dedicated to their son after his untimely death in a surfing accident. The same year Abbott Square was dedicated also saw the establishment of the Cooper House.

“The bar was the place to hang out,” says local historian Joan Gilbert Martin. The local resident of more than 50 years has many fond memories of the Cooper House. “There was always music, and always people dancing.”

For anyone living in town during the 1970s and 1980s, the Cooper House was the place to congregate. Located in the heart of downtown, the impressive building, with its decadent windows and ornate staircases, quickly became a hub for people to gather, chat and celebrate life—from national figures like Timothy Leary to local celebrities like Ginger the Rainbow Lady. Unfortunately, after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, the Cooper House was deemed unsafe and demolished, much to the chagrin of local residents.

“Since the earthquake, we’ve never had anything like it,” says Museum of Art & History Collections Catalyst Marla Novo, who played a key role in the Abbott Square revival.

The almost 30-year void is exactly something the MAH hopes to fill with the launch of Abbott Square. The MAH knows they could never recreate the Cooper House experience; instead, they want to reboot its cultural essence for the modern era.

“This will be a place where you can walk in, hang out, eat, drink, read, or people watch. Plus you can take part in the free programs [the MAH] will be offering” Novo says. “It was important for us to keep alive the spirit of what the Abbotts wanted as a gathering place.”

Santa Cruz’s Abbott Square to Reopen After Decades of Underuse

Cover Stories

Cat Johnson

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May 23, 2017

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Santa Cruz’s Abbott Square to Reopen After Decades of Underuse

On a recent trip to New York City, I was struck by the number of parks, benches and public spaces scattered through the city. Between Central Park, Bryant Park, plazas, pop-up sidewalk spaces and neighborhood parks, it seemed that every few blocks there was someplace to sit down and take in the city.

And cities with great public spaces are a lot closer than New York. San Francisco recently became the first and only major city in the U.S. where every resident lives within a 10-minute walk of a park.

Back home in Santa Cruz, it can be hard to find a place to sit and just exist. There’s a lot to love about our downtown, including an abundance of great food, public art, coffee, musicians and world-class people watching, but we’re lacking a central space to socialize and hang out.

Abbott Square promises to change that. The new plaza outside the Museum of Art & History (MAH) may be the best thing to hit Santa Cruz’s public space scene since the old Cooper House building, which was destroyed in the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Architect Mark Primack, a former planning commissioner and city councilmember, says having a reason to go downtown that isn’t solely tied to consumerism is key to creating a thriving city.

“In a successful downtown,” he says, “you want to be there just to be there. You don’t need to justify it with your credit card.”

Abbott Square Secret Garden — Concept design for the “secret garden” area of Abbott Square.

For MAH executive director Nina Simon, who has spearheaded the project, Abbott Square has the potential to bring the larger Santa Cruz community together around creativity and a shared sense of place. She explains that as the county is increasingly divided by geography, economic opportunities, and cultural identity, safe, shared spaces allow us to be more connected and more supportive of each other.

“As downtown Santa Cruz changes and evolves to the next chapter as an economic hub and a social hub,” says Simon, “we need spaces to come together that are not in privatized bubbles. As there are more people using and engaging downtown, those people need and deserve places to connect with each other and to build what Martin Luther King Jr. calls the love of community.”

Abbott Square, which will feature five restaurants, two bars, free performances, seating and a family-friendly Secret Garden, aims to attract residents from around the county to spend time downtown. Jennifer Gallacher, co-owner of Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios and mother of two boys, explains that she and her family go downtown for activities, but they don’t go there to hang out—they go to parks and public spaces in the surrounding areas instead.

“Even San Lorenzo Park isn’t that close, and it’s hit or miss with the other populations that are there,” she says. “It hasn’t been that welcoming as a family atmosphere.”

Gallacher is excited about Abbott Square’s potential as a place to meet people downtown and “get the best of both worlds.”

“You could do some shopping, go to a festival or whatever great thing is happening downtown,” she says, “then be able to go to Abbott Square to sit down and have your food or have a picnic.”

Her biggest hope for Abbott Square is that it feels safe and fun, and she’s confident the MAH will “hit that nail on the head.”

If Abbott Square goes off as planned, it could also be a huge boon to downtown businesses.

“Anything that draws people downtown and adds to a positive perspective of our downtown is a win for all of our businesses,” says Sonja Brunner, business member coordinator for the Downtown Association.

Brunner is confident that Abbott Square will bolster the Santa Cruz community, saying that the MAH already does great family-oriented events and makes “magical things happen.”

The success of Abbott Square as a public space, according to Primack, who worked with architect Roy Rydell on the original Abbott Square, depends on what Santa Cruz wants, needs, and can support—and the kind of town we have.

“All the time I’ve been in Santa Cruz, we’ve struggled with this notion: Are we a small town? Are we a college town? Are we a tourist town? Trying to balance tourism and local culture is a very difficult thing to do,” he says. “If anyone can pull it off, I think Nina can.”

As Abbott Square opens to the public, Simon hopes it can be a creative community plaza that fulfills the MAH’s mission to “ignite unexpected connections and shared experiences.”

“At the MAH, we believe that art and history help bring people together across differences to strengthen our connections, strengthen our sense of place and pride of place and introduce us to each other and the rich cultural diversity represented in our county,” she says. “I hope we can do that in Abbott Square, and I believe it can be, in a lot of ways, a more powerful representation of our mission than what we can do indoors.”

Surfers Plan to Honor Hawaiian Princes With New Plaque

Local News

Jacob Pierce

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May 23, 2017

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Surfers Plan to Honor Hawaiian Princes With New Plaque

Surfboard shaper Bob Pearson grins as he talks about the celebration for the three Hawaiian princes who first introduced surfing to the mainland 132 years ago, here in Santa Cruz at the San Lorenzo River mouth.

Pearson, owner of Pearson Arrow Surf Shop, made it his mission to surf a board like the ones those princes did. He constructed 13 Hawaiian-type surfboards, including a couple of 17-foot olos that he carved out of redwood, just like the ones ridden in 1885. He finally had the chance to ride one two years ago, as the Hawaiian royal family and throngs of Santa Cruzans watched from the shore. Pearson, who’s surfed all over the world, found the finless 240-pounder hard to steer.

“Lay a telephone pole in the water, and go surf it. That’s what it was like,” Pearson says.

Kim Stoner, a surf historian and longtime friend of Pearson’s, listens and waits patiently to jump in. Whenever they tell stories together, Pearson and Stoner interrupt each other often, and with childlike exuberance. They’re incessantly making sure the other doesn’t forget something or trying to move the conversation along.

Their current passion is a park plan they’re working on to honor the three princes at a small patch of weeded land in between Seabright Beach and that same river mouth.

“Right now it’s an empty lot that’s getting trashed. It’s all about, ‘how can we make this a little safer, a little more attractive?’” Pearson says.

“And historical,” Stoner adds.

The idea is to create a plaque and a bench or two, possibly some erosion control and maybe a fresh patch of grass. Pearson and Stoner have been working with historian Geoffrey Dunn and longtime surfer Barney Langer on the proposal. They have been in contact with officials from the city and the state parks department, which owns the land.

Stoner says a sense of mana—a Hawaiian word for spirit—and ohana—meaning family—guides everything they’re doing.

Calling a Bluff

It’s a warm Tuesday afternoon, and Greg Cole, a retired architect, and I are standing out on a cliff that stretches out toward the ocean from what could one day be Princes of Surf Park, as he excitedly points in every direction. “At night, the reflections on the water are simply beautiful,” he explains.

This is a great vantage point, he notes, to gaze at UCSC, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the wharf, Monterey, both lighthouses, and the boats sailing past. Cole is wearing an orange Hawaiian shirt and green cargo shorts. Salsa Picante, his Lhasa Apso/terrier mix, is sniffing around the cliff, having followed us out the door of his East Cliff house and through a hole in the fence that leads down the rough path.

Cole had big plans for the area, and used to talk about his vision with Pearson and Stoner. He would love to pave over the cliff and put some kind of retaining wall around it, he says, to go with the park—a vision for San Lorenzo Point that the Santa Cruz Sentinel covered in February. Cole had other ideas, too, for how to improve the area, some of them ambitious—like building a surf statue to honor the princes, changing traffic direction on part of East Cliff Drive, and adding new staircases to Seabright Beach to slow erosion.

He claims a local engineering firm told him the bulk of the walkway work at San Lorenzo Point could be done for $500,000, and he felt this could be the best opportunity to save the cliff.

But some community members say they weren’t keen on the scope or the process. Eventually, the other guys in the group stopped calling, Cole says. The others don’t want to get into specifics about why they aren’t all still working together. But like any other surf-related dispute, it appears there may have been some “strong personalities” in the discussions, says longtime surfer Pat Farley, who lives down the street and is ambivalent about the whole idea himself.

At one point, Cole recalls that Barney Langer suggested that he try to chair the meetings instead. But Cole admits he didn’t like the idea of someone else managing the details.

“I told him, ‘No, I’m still the chair,’” Cole remembers. “‘So now I’m here all by myself.’”

Looking Out

Farley was never crazy about the idea for a walkway or a statue out on San Lorenzo Point. But he admits that he isn’t sure about the idea of just a plain old park, either.

“It’d be nice to get all the fox tails out of there, rather than having people shoot up in the bushes in there. I don’t know if a park would bring more of them or not,” says Farley, who paddles out in the river mouth religiously, whenever it’s breaking—up to three times a day. That used to happen only a few weeks a year, but this past winter, heavy rains built up a massive sandbar, providing five months of surfing, and 67-year-old Farley is practically looking forward to this extended season being over.

Rumors have swirled, on social media and out in the water, about the park idea, as neighbors and surfers argue about how big and ugly they heard it might be. Pearson says most of the opposition is rooted in misunderstanding and fears of an overbearing statue that even he doesn’t want.

“I don’t care what you do—give everyone $100—someone’s going to be mad at you,” he says. “There are a couple people who are upset because what they heard is misinformation.”

We started looking into the park a month ago, after a discontented tipster emailed GT earlier this spring, insisting we write a story about the plan, which she felt was too ambitious. Sure enough, when I called her back after learning more about the actual proposal for a plaque, she laughed it off in relief.

Pearson, Langer and the rest of group will soon start making the rounds and getting more input for Princes of Surf Park.

“If in fact that is what we’re going to call it,” says Langer, who’s been focused on organizing a 25th anniversary celebration for the West Cliff surf statue for Saturday, May 27. After that, he expects to spend more of his time on the park. “We’ll have more to say after Memorial Day. Seriously, we’re just getting started.”

Preview: Paul Hawken to Speak Climate Solutions at Bookshop Santa Cruz

Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld

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May 23, 2017

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Preview: Paul Hawken to Speak Climate Solutions at Bookshop Santa Cruz

Environmentalist, entrepreneur and bestselling author Paul Hawken is a man with a plan. As editor of the remarkable new book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, he has assembled some of the most creative, intelligent and industrious movers and shakers, out to do nothing less than reverse global warming. Their proposed solutions may be surprising, but the numbers are real. In anticipation of his visit to Bookshop Santa Cruz, he offered insights into this undertaking.

What made you want to get involved with Project Drawdown?

PAUL HAWKEN: The slow realization that the climate conversation was being dominated by fear, threat and doom. The science was impeccable, but it was not a motivating communication to humanity. I wanted to know what we could do on all levels of agency, from individuals to neighborhoods, communities, cities, utilities, companies, farmlands, forests, grasslands, states and provinces. I wanted grounded, science-based information on the solutions, not just the problem. And I wanted to name the goal.

Last year was the hottest year on record. Is reversal, rather than adaptation, even realistic?

It is not so much about rather as further. We are at 450-500 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the air. The last time they were this high was 10-15 million years ago. But those levels occurred gradually. We’re doing it overnight, geologically speaking. Adaptation is like saying we are going over a civilizational cliff and ought to lower the speed as we approach the edge. We need to turn around and go the other way.

How did you assemble such an impressive team of scientists and innovators?

By virtue of the goal itself. They wanted to be a part of something that had not been done before, which is to map, measure, and model the 100 most substantive solutions to global warming. What we found is that after 40 years of public and scientific awareness about the greatest crisis human civilization has ever faced, no one had done that math and could name the top five solutions to global warming. Our guesses at the outset of the project about what they would be were all wrong. We were shocked—in a good way—as to the top solutions.

Who is this book written for?

Everyone from ninth graders to farmers, your aunt, and the plumber. But it was also written for colleges and universities, to be a textbook. We wanted to write a book that anyone could understand and enjoy, with images that would intrigue, inspire, and delight, because the solutions are amazing. Global warming is feedback, an offering from nature that can lead to a renaissance of transformation. That is what we saw in the solutions.

In one section of the book, you address empowering women and girls as key to reducing the impacts of climate change.

When a girl is pulled from school at or before puberty, she will have an average of five-plus children. If she is allowed to complete her secondary education, she becomes a woman largely if not completely on her terms, and she decides the size of her family, with the average being two children. Those children are better fed, educated, and cared for, and when they have families, they do the same. Educating girls can make the difference between 10.8 billion people in 2050 and 9.7 billion people in 2050.

How can we find common ground on global warming?

Listen to what people are saying who deny or reject climate science or policies. They are trying to say something about their lives that is important to understand if we are to come together. And note that 98 percent of the solutions have many benefits in terms of clean growth, jobs, health, security, well-being, and more. Don’t try and sell the problem, sell the benefits of the solutions.

What can I do in my own life to help?

The simplest change a single person or family can make is to stop wasting food and eat a plant-rich diet, the No. 3 and No. 4 solutions to reversing global warming.

Paul Hawken will discuss and sign his book on Thursday, May 25 at 7 p.m. at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 423-0900. The event is free.

Preview: Phoebe Hunt to Play Don Quixote’s

A&E
Music

Cat Johnson

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May 23, 2017

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Preview: Phoebe Hunt to Play Don Quixote’s

In 2016, Phoebe Hunt found herself winding through the backroads of India, headed to a 10-day silent retreat in Kolhapur with her then-fiance, now-husband bandmate Dominick Leslie. Back in Texas, her grandmother was on her deathbed, and Hunt was conflicted about being so far from home. When they arrived at the retreat center and were told that all of their belongings would be stored behind what Hunt describes as a “rickety door with a really questionable lock,” she broke into tears.

“I was looking for sympathy from the people who run the center,” she says. “But one guy said, ‘If you check in right now, you’re here for 10 days. You’re leaving your passport, you’re leaving your computer, you’re taking off your engagement ring and putting it in a manila folder, your violin. Do you want to do this or not? No one else can tell you.’”

Hunt eventually did turn over her belongings—in exchange for a wool blanket—and stay. She did so largely because Leslie came up to her, after handing over his own belongings, with what Hunt describes as “the brightest smile, and his eyes the lightest I’d ever seen.”

Hunt’s grandmother passed away during her stay, but Hunt didn’t learn of her death until afterward. During the retreat, the quiet and solitude inspired the lyrics to her song “Pink and Blue.” She wasn’t allowed to have anything to write with, or on, but once the retreat ended, Hunt “grabbed her journal” and quickly wrote the lyrics down.

From the silent retreat, Hunt and Leslie went directly to another ashram outside of the Indian city of Pune to study classical Indian music with seventh-generation master violinist Kala Ramnath. The idea was to break the silence of the retreat with music—to have “the first input into our brains be music.”

Students there would spend up to 10 hours a day practicing. On an off day, when other students went into town, Hunt stayed at the ashram and wrote the music for “Pink and Blue.” The tune, a sweeping and personal glimpse into Hunt’s unique spiritual perspective, is the product of her silent meditation and the emotional experience of the trip, combined with her studies of Indian musical traditions.

“That song is my song about that journey,” she says. “It holds the essence of that trip.”

A skilled and inventive violinist with a clear, engaging voice and a warmth like that of an old friend, Hunt got an early start as a musician and a spiritual seeker. Her parents met at a yoga ashram in Manhattan in the seventies, and spent seven years as disciples of Guru Swami Satchidananda. Hunt was fitted for her first violin when she was six years old—a 1/16th size instrument. Her musical foundation is in jazz and swing, but her nontraditional upbringing informs her life, spirituality and music.

“I was raised with the principles of yogis in our household, which always led me to question my reality,” she says. “I also went to the Austin Montessori school, which encouraged out-of-the-box thinking and questioning society and humans. That’s all fed into my music.”

Hunt says she was excited to study gypsy jazz in her early years, but that her own songwriting has moved to the forefront of her music. Her songs have “become more and more about the introspection of the soul.”

Hunt’s new album, Shanti’s Shadow, is a captivating blend of Americana, classical Indian rhythms and influences, spiritual seeking and what has been described as Texas-tinged swing. The album is seamless and grand—likely due to the fact that several of the band members were also at the ashram outside of Pune. Shanti’s Shadow is a nuanced and elegant string-driven exploration of love, spirit and being human, without being restricted to one genre or style.

“I wanted to make an album that the public loves and that captivates everybody, but the only way I’m going to get to anybody’s heart is if I’m opening mine,” she says. “I decided that no matter what anyone tells me, I’m going to play the music in my head as close to the way I hear it. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’m not going to try to change it to please anybody.”

Phoebe Hunt & the Gatherers perform at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 25 at Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.

Oasis Tasting Room & Kitchen and Matambre Open on River Street

Christina Waters

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May 23, 2017

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Oasis Tasting Room & Kitchen and Matambre Open on River Street

A bold hipster vision unfurled this week in the huge interior of the former Farmer’s Exchange. A joint venture between Uncommon Brewers and el Salchichero, the Oasis is sure to appeal to those who like their craft beers served in contemporary beer hall style. Gorgeously appointed with lots and lots of good-looking wood—original floors sanded, polished, and lacquered to glistening perfection; huge tables fit for a Bruegel wedding party cut from thick slabs of redwood. There’s a distinctly Pacific Northwest lumberjack masculinity about the decor (even though there are also palm trees and beach photos in the lounge area). Twin Peaks at the Beach? The “public eatery” of this mega-brewpub is called Matambre and the menu is poised to accompany and flatter the many sensational brews available, of which we sampled two on our initial visit to the brand-new establishment.

Matambre’s no-fuss game plan invites you to check out the menu at the main bar, order, and pay. A very can-do staff was happy to demystify the procedure. We went for a Lardon Salad ($12.50) and Matambre Burger ($15.50), and if those prices seem a bit unusual, it’s because they reflect an 18-percent service charge already built in to all menu items. Waiting for our orders let us scope out the lounge area, marked off by an “island” of cork flooring and punctuated by big bodacious red couches. Gorgeous. A sexy meet-up spot, especially given the flawless playlist filling the lofty ceiling space (and often submerged in criss-crossing acoustics). Bob Dylan circa 1966, Tom Tom Club of the ’80s, and Van Morrison circa 1995—for boomers and millennials who crave contact nostalgia. Beers on tap (by Uncommon Brewers) are available in sample-friendly, midday 2-ounce pours, so we happily tried on a lovely bitter India Brown Lager ($1.75) and a fruity Framboos Blonde Ale ($2). Impeccable lager!

Matambre’s debut menu is designed to accompany fine brews. Mostly small plates, inventive sandwiches and a few salads, of which I went for the vast field of frisée with a fried egg in the center. The spiky greens were playfully laced with crisp fried shallots and studded with el Salchichero’s dreamy bacon. Once pierced, the egg yolk infuses and adds satiny vigor to the buoyant greens—a bacon and egg salad. A lively idea to join with a glass of beer. My companion had to have the burger, smartly topped with melted white cheddar and pickled charred onions. The sesame bun was slathered with a terrific green goddess dressing and was sided with fries. A mega-bottle of sriracha hot sauce sits on every table.

What fun to dine on these huge gleaming redwood tables, as yet without a single scratch or stain. We figured the large 10-seater communal tables can handle about 100 folks at a time. A showcase for artisanal meat specialties, the menu offers pastrami, pork belly, scrapple, chicken liver mousse, fried chicken tenders, even salmon rillettes. After 5 p.m. you and your partners can gather around a whole poussin with plenty of trimmings. Like every new ambitious venture, the Oasis is still fine-tuning itself. Stop by and sample this big-shouldered vision, finessed by a team of talented folks.

Closed Mondays, Oasis Tasting Room & Kitchen and Matambre eatery open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and until til 9 p.m. on Sunday. 415A River St., Santa Cruz. matambreeats.com

Product of the Week

Wild Rice Edamame Salad, from Oakland’s Epicurean Solutions, available at New Leaf. Incredibly addictive blend of super crisp eco-farmed rice (brown, wehani, black Japonica), edamame, celery, craisins, sunflower seeds, fresh ginger, honey, mint, red wine vinegar and sesame oil. Almost too good to be possible. Texture and intense flavor! $5ish.

Opinion May 17, 2017

Steve Palopoli

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May 17, 2017

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Conservatives long complained that celebrities have no right to speak out on political issues—until, of course, they found conservative celebrities to speak out on their issues. Their attempts to wave off the influence of musicians, movie stars and TV personalities in real-world affairs clearly never worked, anyway, so “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” was really their only option. Famous people have an enormous amount of cultural capital and trust, both in this country and around the world, and the election of Donald “I Thought It Would Be Easier” Trump is the ultimate proof of just how misplaced both of those can be.

But this phenomenon can have its upside, too. It’s bizarrely thrilling when a person whose work we admire turns out to also share our personal values, and especially when we find out that how they conduct themselves in real life seems to reflect the depth we’ve read into their work.

You kinda knew that would be the case with Melissa Etheridge, right? Jacob Pierce’s interview with her in this week’s issue shows that, indeed, she is as thoughtful and conscientious as her music and public persona would suggest. What is unexpected, though, is her very personal connection to Santa Cruz. I won’t spoil it, but it makes it seem even more fitting that she is in town Memorial Day weekend to headline the American Music Festival.

You’ll find a guide to the entire festival—which comes to Aptos Village Park May 27-28, and also features Mavis Staples, Santa Cruz expats the Devil Makes Three, and many more—in this issue.

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

BOOK OF PETE?

Thank you Steve Kettmann for honoring Pete (GT, 5/10). I wish I had known him. I want to read more of his poems. Will there be a book published?

Jodi Behrens, La Honda

This is the number one question I’ve been asked in the last week. I am told there has been a lot of interest in a book since the story came out, and the possibility has not been ruled out. We’ll keep our readers up on any developments. — Editor

MOVING PORTRAIT

I was deeply moved by Steve Kettmann’s account of his relationship with the late poet Peter McLaughlin, and gratified to see Good Times generously allot space to Pete’s work. I had many opportunities to hang out informally with Pete and talk about writing, politics, sports and his poetry, and I was floored by the brilliant humor and relentless honesty in his work. Pete was genuinely bedazzled by Steve’s attention to his work and even though, to a poet, there is nothing more coveted than a willing and eager publisher, Steve turned out to be much more valuable than that. He was a loyal and stalwart friend to a guy who was never quite sure he was worth befriending.

Wallace Baine | Santa Cruz

OUT AND BACK

Pete was a most extraordinary person. I knew him as a runner who refused to run in a circle. If he was going to run, it had to be an “out and back.” So we would run out to Blackberry Falls, or do laps to the gate at Pogonip and back. He used to ride his beautiful road bike a long time ago, which now hangs on the wall at his house. He hadn’t ridden it in years, but he liked looking at it with something like regret, but that’s not quite it. No matter how many times I tried to get him to take it down, he just shook his head, and that was that.

He was also a trumpet player. He used to go out to the lighthouse at the harbor or to a special place on West Cliff to serenade the sea. He was a regular at Bocci Cellars the same night every week, but I can’t remember which. And let’s not forget he liked the NYT crosswords.

I’ve never met anyone quite like him … but I do understand that thing about the phone.

Julie Bramlett | Santa Cruz

ONLINE COMMENTS

Re: Peter McLaughlin

Thank you for posting this. It is beautiful and it made me cry. I didn’t know Peter, but I feel like I know him a little now and I love his poetry. Is there any way to read more of it?

— Maria Alfaro

Found this by accident, Steve, and enjoyed it so much. Thanks to you, I feel as if I know Pete and maybe even you a bit. Good people, both of you. And now I’m going to go to bed because it’s 5 o’clock in the morning, for pete’s sake—and for the real Pete’s sake, I’m gonna pray that now he’s safe in heaven, Pete’s happy ever after.

— Pat

I didn’t want the article you wrote to end. I want to hear more about Pete, I wish I could read more of his poetry as well. I hope someday I can. Thank you!

— Thia Tsuruta

Steve, You captured my brother beautifully. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

— Daniel McLaughlin

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

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

GOOD IDEA

INSIDE LOOK
The Santa Cruz Department of Public Works will host lunchtime tours of some of its projects between Tuesday, May 23, and Thursday, May 25. City officials will show interested citizens around the Branciforte Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge Project, the Measure H Overlay Street Paving Project and the Eastside Alley Sewer Project. For more information, visit cityofsantacruz.com/publicworks or cityofsantacruz.com/calendar. Or email questions to jb*******@*************uz.com.

GOOD WORK

HE LOOKS AT LEAST 26
The iconic Santa Cruz surf statue celebrates 25 years at noon on Saturday, May 27. Attendees can learn about its history over drinks and light refreshments. Anyone with a fun photo of the event can email it to re**************@*************uz.com. Photos will be on display at the event, while the 33rd annual Santa Cruz Longboard Unionâ€™s annual contest happens in the waters below.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

â€œI sold my soul for freedom/Itâ€™s lonely but itâ€™s sweet.â€
-â€œTalking to My Angel,â€ Melissa Etheridge

5 Things to Do in Santa Cruz This Week

GT Staff

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May 17, 2017

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Event highlights for the week of May 17, 2017

Green Fix

Open Streets Watsonville

Reclaim the streets this Sunday, May 21, as Watsonville opens up Brennan and Union streets to a free community event so locals can bike, skate, walk, dance and play without cars present. Enjoy the “pop-up park” with friends and family, live music, educational outreach booths, art and activities. The first Open Streets in Santa Cruz County took place in 2012 on West Cliff Drive, and drew more than 9,000 participants.

Info: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, May 21. Brennan and Union streets, Watsonville. scopenstreets.org. Free.

Art Seen

12th Annual Vive Oaxaca Guelaguetza

Coming from the Zapotec language, guelaguetza signifies giving, cooperation and community.

Celebrate its meaning through Oaxacan culture and tradition with Santa Cruz nonprofit Senderos’ 12th annual Vive Oaxaca Guelaguetza. Festivities will kick off with a traditional Calenda, a procession and fiesta with dancers, musicians, and large puppets parading on Cooper Street. The festival marketplace will be selling traditional Oaxacan food and beverages like mole, tlayudas and tejate, as well as crafts and souvenirs. Traditional Oaxacan band Banda de Viento will provide the tunes, along with students from Zoogocho, Oaxaca, and Senderos’ youth banda Ensamble Musical.

Info: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, May 21. Harbor High School, 300 La Fonda Ave., Santa Cruz.

Thursday 5/18

‘Queens of Syria’ Film Screening

The Watsonville Film Festival will screen Queens of Syria, an award-winning documentary that follows 50 Syrian women who were forced into exile in Jordan, and brings their tragedies to life through their rendition of Euripides’s classic The Trojan Woman.

Info: 7-9 p.m. Appleton Grill & Event Lounge, 410 Rodriguez St., Watsonville. 724-5555. queensofsyriatour.com. $8.

Friday 5/19

Third Friday Art Walk Capitola Mall Launch

This Friday, May 19, the nonprofit arts organization Arts of Santa Cruz will take over the empty stores in Capitola Mall and showcase more than 20 local artists’ work—photography, jewelry, ceramics, clothing, woodwork and more. Art of Santa Cruz works to support artists in Santa Cruz County with customer assistance, facilitating participation, and merchandizing art. Each month, the Art of Santa Cruz nonprofit will feature a local charity to support. May will showcase the Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center.

Info: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Capitola Mall, 1855 41st Ave., Capitola. facebook.com/ArtofSantaCruz. Free.

Saturday 5/21

Pie for the People

The past few months have been a scary time for immigrant communities in the U.S., which is why Pie for the People has teamed up with the Santa Cruz County Immigration Project and the Community Action Board. In an effort to raise community awareness and money to support local immigrant families, they’re hosting their eighth community fundraiser with this month’s featured nonprofit, the Santa Cruz County Immigration Project (SCCIP). SCCIP provides free, competent and professional legal services, advocacy and education for local immigrant families. Attendees are encouraged to bring a sweet or savory vegetarian pie, plates and cutlery.

Info: 1-3 p.m. Homeless Garden Project, Delaware Ave., Santa Cruz. Donation.

What is your earliest memory of Santa Cruz?

Columns

Matthew Cole Scott

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May 17, 2017

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What is your earliest memory of Santa Cruz?

“Coming here as a little kid and putting my fingers in the sea anemones on West Cliff.”

Peggy Bornfleth

Santa Cruz

Quality Analyst

“When my friends told me to be careful of high tide and I thought they were joking and as I was playing in the tide pools a big wave crushed me and I thought I was going to die.”

Tina Johnson

Santa Cruz

Business Owner

“1959, going to the Boardwalk with my sisters and my mom and dad.”

David Beck

Tow Truck Driver

“Capitola Beach, 20 years ago, where I found my family, my children, my wife. When I met her 20 years ago, it was my first experience in Santa Cruz and I never left. ”

Ross Fuller

Scotts Valley

Business Owner

“Traveling through, I stopped to get some pot and I loved it. It was in the late â€™90s.”

Wesley Williams

Santa Cruz

Jeweler/Pot Grower

Music Picks May 17—23

GT Staff

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May 17, 2017

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Live music highlights for the week of May 17, 2017

WEDNESDAY 5/17

COUNTRY

BREA BURNS & THE BOLEROS

A country and honky tonk outfit out of Phoenix, Arizona, Brea Burns and the Boleros features ace musicians from the city’s classic country and rockabilly scenes. Born in Southern California, Burns is a talented artist and frontwoman who draws comparisons to Loretta Lynn and Wanda Jackson—pretty good company for a rising star. She had a solid foundation to spring from, as her mother was a songwriter and musician, and her father a longtime music industry veteran. Also on the bill: the Western Wednesday All-Star Band, with special guest McCoy Tyler. CJ

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

WEDNESDAY 5/17

INDIE ROCK

KING TUFF

Established by Kyle Thomas—who has since taken on the band’s name—King Tuff initially failed to draw much of a following. So Thomas moved to other projects, like playing with indie legends Dinosaur Jr., metalheads Witch, and prolific rocker Ty Segall. But when his second, self-titled album was released in 2010, it firmly established King Tuff as his own entity on the indie scene. MAT WEIR

INFO: 8 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.

FRIDAY 5/19

HIP-HOP

BLACKALICIOUS

In 2015, there was a certain potency to Blackalicious’ album Imani Vol. 1—the first album the bay area hip-hop duo had released in a decade. It was timely, politically unapologetic, and even a celebration of sorts. (“Darker than the random check of passengers/traveling first-class/blacker than the President/well half of him”). In 2017, considering everything going on with the nation, the record seems darker, and at the same time more necessary. The duo has almost single-handedly redefined how a rap group can be both experimental and accessible, and they still have a lot to say. AARON CARNES

INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $17/adv, $20/door. 479-1854.

FRIDAY 5/19

ROOTS

MARTY O’REILLY

A four-piece that formed in Santa Cruz in 2012, Marty O’Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra trips through Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker-inspired blues, rock and roll, and American roots music to emerge with a gritty, soulful sound of its own. Led by O’Reilly, who boasts a gorgeous voice and solid instrumental chops, the band raises the bar on the local roots singer-songwriter scene. Exploring topics of love, heartache, loss and joy with passion and precision, O’Reilly and company have established themselves as ones to watch on the larger American roots landscape. CJ

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.

SATURDAY 5/20

SKA

DAN P & THE BRICKS

One of Santa Cruz’s most popular local bands was ’90s ska-rock-pop ensemble Slow Gherkin. The town is also home to Dan Potthast, lead singer of St. Louis’ biggest ska band of all time, MU330. For some reason, it took until 2009 before these monsters of ska joined forces to create the ultimate local ska Voltron. There’s even non-Gherkin/MU330 members in the group, 10 people total. This is the perfect band to see if you’ve grown embarrassed by your ska past, but you secretly miss skanking at shows. You will be among friends here. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

SATURDAY 5/20

SURF-PUNK

FRIGHTS

The song “Kids” off of the Frights’ latest record talks about how, when you still live with mom and dad, you hate everything they say and do. But once you move out, you realize that they were right about a lot of things. Musically, the Frights embody this mix of childish rebellion and grown-up self-restraint with a healthy mix of punk, pop, garage, and surfy earworms. They wail and scream and gently hum along tender melodies. The new record might actually be a bit scatterbrained for some fans, but if they can appreciate the diversity of sound, they are in for a crazy ride. AC

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $13/adv, $15/door. 429-4135.

SUNDAY 5/21

AMERICANA

DANGERMUFFIN

Remember when Americana was a sub-genre? Now that sub-genre has sub-genres of its own, including “alt-Americana,” “indie Americana” and now “coastal Americana.” I recently heard the phrase used to describe the Charleston, South Carolina-based band Dangermuffin. While I have no idea what the band name is about, I must admit, I really dig the coastal Americana tag. It makes me think that we need one to describe the Santa Cruz roots sound. Anyway, Dangermuffin is a rootsy four-piece that digs into folk, roots, traditional fingerpicking, jam tradition and even reggae to create something upbeat, catchy and, yes, coastal. CJ

INFO: 7 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $10. 335-2800.

MONDAY-TUESDAY 5/22-23

AFRO-CUBAN

CHUCHO VALDES: SOLO PIANO

Even in Cuba, where prodigious pianists are one of the new things not in short supply, Chucho Valdés stands head and shoulders above his virtuosic peers. At 75, he embodies the nation’s creatively fecund musical traditions with a sound springing from his Afro-Cuban heritage, European classical training, and love of American jazz. Playing solo, he’s a dominating force of nature whose huge hands coax a jaw-dropping array of sounds from the instrument, with thunderous low-end rumbles, lightning runs up the keyboard, and luxuriant, ringing harmonies. With six Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammys, he’s continued to evolve since leaving Irakere, the legendary band he co-founded in the early 1970s. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $50/adv, $60/door. 427-2227.

TUESDAY 5/23

HORROR PUNK

STELLAR CORPSES

For the last 12 years, Santa Cruz’s undead sons the Stellar Corpses have built an international audience of punks, goths, psychobillies and horror fans with their delightfully ghoulish lyrics and catchy beats. The band unleashed its third record, Dead Stars Drive-In, upon the Earth in 2012, which is coincidentally the same year the Mayan calendar ended. But since the world continued to exist, the Corpses continue to tour around it. MW

INFO: 8:30 pm. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $8/adv, $10/door. 429-4135.

IN THE QUEUE

ANUHEA

Hawaiian pop music favorite. Wednesday at Moe’s Alley

LARRY JUNE

Bay Area hip-hop. Wednesday at Catalyst

VETIVER

Indie-folk and rock. Thursday at Moe’s Alley

AMY LAVERE & WILL SEXTON

Roots songwriter and bass player and her guitarist/husband. Gary Blackburn opens. Thursday at Don Quixote’s

WACO BROTHERS

Alt-country standouts. Sunday at Crepe Place

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

Calling a Bluff

Looking Out

Product of the Week

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

GOOD WORK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Green Fix

Art Seen

Thursday 5/18

Friday 5/19

Saturday 5/21

Peggy Bornfleth

Santa Cruz

Quality Analyst

Tina Johnson

Santa Cruz

Business Owner

David Beck

David Beck

Tow Truck Driver

Ross Fuller

Scotts Valley

Business Owner

Wesley Williams

Santa Cruz

Jeweler/Pot Grower

BREA BURNS & THE BOLEROS

KING TUFF

BLACKALICIOUS

MARTY O’REILLY

DAN P & THE BRICKS

DANGERMUFFIN

CHUCHO VALDES: SOLO PIANO

STELLAR CORPSES

IN THE QUEUE