Page 867 | Good Times

Santa Cruz City Council Tries to Hack Homelessness

Local News

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May 9, 2017

Santa Cruz City Council Tries to Hack Homelessness

The biggest takeaway from the Homeless Coordinating Committee recommendations assembled by Santa Cruz Assistant City Manager Tina Shull can be summed up in four words:

“Let’s do this together.”

Several of the report’s 20 suggestions involve pooling resources with Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency or strengthening partnerships with neighboring cities. While the long report gets deeper into nitty-gritty details than previous policy documents, the overarching theme is a familiar one: one small local government cannot do everything on its own.

The same sentiment came up five years ago, when three city councilmembers fired off some suggested changes to public safety and homeless approaches after the stabbing of Shannon Collins on Broadway. A similar discussion ignited with the city’s Public Safety Task Force recommendations two years later, followed by the formation of the Bob Lee PACT program and the “All In” plan in 2015 to end homelessness locally, just to name a few examples.

But putting these collaborative ideas into practice takes time, patience and creativity.

“It’s a big undertaking, and if there’s a shortcoming, it’s that our systems aren’t always integrated,” Shull admits.

One of the higher-profile ideas to come out of the new report is a suggested navigation center for Santa Cruz, similar to one in San Francisco. There, a welcoming one-stop center offers rehabilitation, employment services, shelter and more, all under one roof.

Starting last year, a committee made up of three city councilmembers dove head first into researching for this document, trying to discard all preconceived notions about a homeless population that accounts for 0.72 percent of the county’s 274,000 residents—as well as what it would take to fix the problem.

“A lot of the debate around homelessness seems to come from people whose feet are firmly set in cement when it comes to what should and shouldn’t happen,” says Councilmember Richelle Noroyan, who served on the group with Mayor Cynthia Chase and former Councilmember Pamela Comstock, whose term has since ended.

Noroyan concedes she went into the committee believing that the county did not need any more services. Some critics have derided city leaders for years for, as they saw it, practically laying out a mat for a transient population.

But the report—which Noroyan and Chase submitted to the City Council for review a few days ago—suggests that isn’t the case. The county does rank fourth statewide in homeless individuals per capita, behind Mendocino County (where the homeless account for 1 percent of the population), Humboldt County and San Francisco. And yet Santa Cruz County only ranks 32nd in sufficiency of shelter beds, out of 58 counties. Its rate of unsheltered homeless—69 percent, according to the 2015 Homeless Census and Survey—is in step with the other California communities that the committee looked at.

That’s no surprise to former Mayor Don Lane, who spent much of his time in office fighting homelessness during his terms on the council.

“Not having enough services is not going to scare people away,” says Lane, who has read the committee’s recommendations and feels encouraged by them. “And we’ve always been startlingly behind on emergency shelter.”

The report does not break down a similar comparison of non-shelter services, like counseling, rehab or soup kitchens, but Shull thinks Santa Cruz ranks somewhere in the middle when it comes to other services, too. And the committee members based many of their recommendations on things other communities are doing that they felt Santa Cruz could learn from.

The report finds that homeless individuals ended up costing $440,000 last year to the city’s public works department, $780,000 to the parks department and an estimated $14.8 million each year to the police. Economic development leaders report that homelessness has a major impact on local businesses, and the Santa Cruz County Business Council plans to release survey data of its members on this topic later this month.

Mayor Chase says homelessness creates a lot of suffering, not only for people without a safe place to sleep, but also for people who don’t feel safe going to the park or shopping downtown.

Just how unsafe are the homeless, though?

There’s a link between transients and property crime, although it would be easy to overstate. Chase says the connection between the homeless population and property crime is a correlation that’s attributable to drug addiction.

“If you did a Venn diagram, for sure, individuals with substance addiction—if you’re homeless or un-homeless—do have a higher proportion of crimes like that, property crimes,” says Chase, who also works as the local jails’ program coordinator.

According to the homeless census, 41 percent of the county’s homeless population deals with addiction, 38 percent have a psychiatric condition, 33 percent suffer from a chronic health injury, 24 percent suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and 16 percent suffer from a traumatic brain injury.

In its report, the committee makes four long-term suggestions, including the navigation center. The main recommendation that catches Lane’s eye, though, is one for a year-round regional shelter, instead of the seasonal model, which the city has used for years and which fails to give people a safe place during warmer months.

“I’ve just felt for such a long time that the whole notion of having a winter shelter is so half-baked,” he says. “When April rolls around and it stops being as cold and wet, we know these people are still here, but now they don’t have anywhere to sleep safely? How can you justify that?”

The recommendations call for more housing, as well, and a day center. There are also 16 possible short-term solutions that the city could implement in less than three years—including an expansion of mental health outreach, secure storage facilities, restrooms and showers, and a local Downtown Streets Team, one that local business leaders are already working on bringing to town. The team aims to give the homeless a leg up by giving them a positive environment, work experience and cash vouchers to help them move forward with their lives.

For the people on the front lines of the struggle, the report argues, being homeless is no easy way to live.

“People in homelessness live in a condition of constant stress,” the report reads. “In addition to exposure to the elements and uncertainty over meeting basic needs of food and water, these individuals live with compromised safety and are often victims of theft or mistreatment. Their histories and the reasons why they are homeless can be complicated and require specialized supports.”

Behind the Scenes with Visionary Glass Artist Heather Matthews

A&E
Art

Christina Waters

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May 9, 2017

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Behind the Scenes with Visionary Glass Artist Heather Matthews

Surrounded by sensuously carved glass panels, and furniture draped with large sketches for upcoming work, I survey the barnlike interior of Heather Matthews’ etched glass works.

Koi, waterlilies, and kelp forests glide gracefully up one panel. Delicate jellyfish float in various states of transparency. Enchanting work, it showcases the tastes of a vast clientele for Heather Glass, the business developed by the artist and managed by her husband, photographer Tim Matthews.

Walking me through her process, the tall blonde explains that drawings are made at 1/8 scale. “Then I do a full-scale one for clients to approve,” she says, pointing to large drawings of vines and flowers draped across couches and chairs. “The next step is cutting the stencil.” For this she uses something called Buttercut—a pale green vinyl that is applied to the surface of the glass. “Everything has to be covered that isn’t going to be etched,” she explains. She transfers her drawing onto the vinyl surface and cuts out the design with an X-Acto blade.

The etching happens in a ventilated blasting chamber at the side of the old barn-like studio structure. She shows me the tiny nozzles that allow for intricate cutting and three-dimensional carving of shapes such as leaves and petals. “Tim got me this,” she smiles, holding a lightweight pink plastic blasting hood. The old ones—which resemble diving helmets—weigh 8 pounds.

Matthews carves her images into sheets of industrial glass that have been pre-cut and finished. “It’s physically taxing,” she admits. “I have to use both hands—one to hold the pen-like nozzle, and the other to steady it. And I have to work on the floor for designs on the lower sections.”

Donor walls of hospitals and marine labs have been adorned with her waterscapes. “Sea life is a specialty. And I love two-sided projects,” she says, as I run my hands over both front and backsides of an etched botanical design. “These pieces change as the light moves.”
Matthews claims that organization is not her strong suit. “I encourage deadlines,” she says. “I’m not very structured. And the work can become arduous. It’s like having a baby. I can’t wait for it to be finished. But then when it is finished … ” Matthews has created thousands of such pieces, she says, pointing to the gorgeous collection of panels, tables, doors, that she has etched with her signature designs, most involving flowers and leaves inspired by her own garden, or sea creatures which she researches along the coast and in Hawaii.

Moving around a lot as she grew up, Matthews spent her first eight years in Germany, then back and forth across the U.S., finally ending up in Virginia when her stepfather was at the Pentagon. Art and science were her major studies, but art won out. “I came here originally to go to UCSC, but I never did. Thank God I heard about Cabrillo,” she says. At Cabrillo she studied with legendary teaches Holt Murray, Tom Allen, and Howard Ikemoto.

Heather Glass began with stained glass. “I fashioned boxes, windows, little hanging pieces that were all sold at Nepenthe,” she says. More work followed. “It turned into a business. I was lucky,” she admits, flashing a grin. Even after the earthquake in 1989, she was sought after. “People came to me to do repair work,” she says. By then, she had married the photographer and in 1990 they moved into a rambling barn structure on Soquel Drive almost at the very center of the Village.

“I gave away my stained glass equipment and started doing glass etching in the mid-80s,” she says. Working nonstop ever since, many of her commissions involve field research. Matthews shows me a richly detailed Sierra mountainscape window. “I spent time up in the mountains to research the plants and animals,” she says. One panel in the rustic studio reminds me of Tiffany, emblazoned with dogwood. Another of wisteria is clearly 19th century in feel. “I do my drawing at home in my garden. Gardening is my therapy,” she says.

Matthews works primarily by commission. Even though she displays samples of basic designs to help start the process, most of her huge roster of clients seem to know exactly what they want. “People really like to have their finger in the final product,” she says.

The work in person is unexpectedly lively for designs worked in glass. “I see new things in each piece all the time,” the artist herself admits. “In the changing light—it’s like a living creature.”

To see images of her work, visit heatherglass.com.

Preview: Hod and the Helpers to play the Crepe Place

A&E
Music

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May 9, 2017

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Preview: Hod and the Helpers to play the Crepe Place

Local musician Hod Hulphers is a little uncomfortable about that fact that he hired a PR guy to promote the debut album from Hod and the Helpers.

His dream was just to press the album on vinyl, and, you know, have an actual physical representation of his work that would exist outside of the internet. That’s pretty much it.

“I told the guys, ‘I don’t care if we only sell one, I’ll pay the full price for 500 records,’” Hulpher says.

The album was released on Bandcamp on April 20, and will be out on vinyl in mid-July. He reconsidered the importance of promotion with much prodding from his bandmates. (“Do I really want a bunch of fucking vinyl records in my basement the rest of my life?”) Besides, Hulphers reasoned, with a PR guy promoting the album, maybe there would be more benefits than simply album sales.

“I’d love to get some good reviews, and have a good press package, so we can go on the road and play in front of 10 people wherever we want,” Hulphers says. “I’m really looking for some affirmation. Someone saying, ‘Good job.’ Wouldn’t that be nice?”

It’s understandable why the process is a bit unsettling for Hulphers. He’s played music his entire life, first as a drummer in bands like Lost Kids, then as a solo singer-songwriter. After five shows where he was tacked on to the end of the bill, he changed his moniker to “And Hod,” the ultimate self-depreciative name.

“The add-on, the tack-on, the proverbial ‘and,’ like they hired a clown to perform after the serious music was over. I wasn’t about to let that oversight be forgotten,” he says.

Then about four years ago, friend and long-time Santa Cruz musician A.J. Marquez (Slow Gherkin, Dan P and the Bricks, the Huxtables) caught one of Hulphers’ solo sets. He’d seen him before, but was struck with how much better his songwriting and performance had gotten—and was disappointed in how little attention he was getting. Marquez saw potential for more than just an indie-folk singer-songwriter: This could be a killer band.

“I gave him a full Goonies talk,” Marquez says. “‘We need to do this. This could be really fun.’”

The lineup built slowly, including Hulphers on guitar/vocals, Marquez on keys, Greg Braithwaite on drums, Dan Potthast on bass, and Jeff Stultz on guitar. The latter is the moment Marquez feels the band came into their own. (“Not sure whether it was completing the Voltron aspect of it, or just Jeff’s insane talent and focus,” he says.)

Stultz not only offered his skills on the guitar, but also recorded the album. He also provided a counter-balance to Hulphers’ mixed feelings about devoting any resources to marketing, which Hulphers calls “the antithesis of what art is.”

That wasn’t Stultz’s thinking. “Why don’t you have some people hear it? We can spend less focus on the creation process and more on the sharing process,” Stultz told him. “You put so much time and energy and hard work into something, it’s sort of a false humility to be like, ‘I don’t care if anybody knows.’”

The record is brilliantly produced. It captures Hulphers’ eccentric songwriting style, and draws the songs out into gorgeous, mellow psych-folk tunes. Hulphers is part lounge singer, which he smoothly executes, but he also injects a layer of cynical, ironic cockiness. Marquez refers to it as “Texas mogul gone country singer.”

All of these elements create a record filled with humor, social commentary, and a blurry line between truth and fiction, which is indeed a key part of Hulphers’ personality.

“I’ve lost a lot of girlfriends because that line is so blurry. It scares them off,” Hulphers says. “I listen back to what I’ve just written, and I’m like, ‘that’s fucking ridiculous.’ I’m fucking ridiculous. So I inject this levity into it that insinuates I’m totally self-aware of what I just wrote. So you go back and say, ‘Did he mean that last line? Cause he just said this.’ So it’s like this constant battle.”

The album’s record release show is at the Crepe Place, though they are trying to get another band on the bill to headline for them. Headlining is not really their thing.

“We prefer not to,” Hulphers says. “We’re still And Hod at heart.”

INFO: 9 p.m., May 26, Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

Bella Villa is an Elegant Date-Night Destination

Maria Grusauskas

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May 9, 2017

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Bella Villa is an Elegant Date-Night Destination

On a recent heat-wave evening, a friend and I walked the train tracks to Aptos’ newest restaurant, Bella Vista, located inside the towering Bayview Hotel—the oldest hotel in the county, and one of the oldest still operating in California, replete with numerous ghost stories, and more recently, reality-television fame.

Here, longtime chef Atillio Sienna of Naples, Italy, has taken the reins of an authentic Italian menu, complete with pizzas wood-fired on the back patio.

We settled into the sun porch, aglow in the last gasps of a sunset, and overlooking the hotel’s giant, sentinel Magnolia tree. I ordered a glass of Verdicchio, Verde di Ca’ Ruptae from March, Italy ($8)—crisp, dry and refreshing after an 80-degree day.

Roasted garlic cloves in olive oil were delivered, along with a basket filled not with the stale afterthought that bread can sometimes be in this post-gluten society, but with warm slabs of glorious, glutenous bread, succulent in that baked-this-morning kind of way.

Tempted by the Caprese salad, we vowed to come back during tomato season and ordered the Insalata di Cesare ($9) instead. Not a single regret. Having nothing to do with the Roman dictator, the Caesar salad is a fairly recent development, invented in 1924 Tijuana, Mexico by Italian immigrant and restaurant owner Caesar Cardini. Food for thought as you munch on Bella Vista’s rendition, which, if you appreciate the genre, you may want to do. In a world where ordering the now-ubiquitous Caesar means playing roulette with the possibility of petrified, processed croutons and factory-made dressing heavy on preservatives, it’s refreshing to experience the real deal. Crisp romaine was tossed in a light dressing rich with the flavors of fresh citrus and anchovy, and lovingly sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh-ground pepper. Even the anchovies were patted dry and thoughtfully placed, absent of the off-putting oil slick that results when they’re dumped from the can.

Tempted too by the secondi courses of Polenta ala Gorgonzola, and Calamari Fritti (again, vowing to come back), we settled on two pasta dishes: the Rigatoni Alla Bolognese ($19), and the homemade Ravioli di Spinaci e Ricotta ($22). The rigatoni, cooked perfectly al dente, was a hearty, we-should-probably-go-hiking-tomorrow-sized dish with a dry but meaty red sauce made with grass-fed beef and showered in a generous sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan and fresh cracked chili pepper—brought on request. It paired like a dream with the smoky, dry Montepulciano 2012, Reserve ($9) from Abruzzo.

The ravioli came swimming in a decadent walnut cream sauce, inflected with the crunch of dark-roasted walnuts and a substantial note of beef broth. Each pillow of this classic specialty is hand-stuffed with a pad of delicious, light green spinach and ricotta. The dish was salty, rich, and to die for—not to mention far too decadent to finish in one sitting. Fresh snips of basil rounded the plates of both pasta dishes, an aromatic and much-appreciated flourish.

On a Tuesday night, the sun porch was quiet, while the bar buzzed with a birthday party and live music. With a goal of booking live music at Bella Vista six nights a week, Lenny Ruckel, musician and entertainment booker, performed in the bar area with TK Blackburn, who was filling in for Ruckel’s usual bandura (Ukrainian harp) player, who had torn off a thumbnail earlier that day. He should be back at it on May 16.

Edged in wisteria and a sky-high stand of Lady Banks roses, Bella Vista’s expansive back patio (where the girthy pizza oven lives), is under construction, and will soon be open as a beer garden, complete with music and extended daytime hours. All in all, the Bella Vista experience is a celebration of fine Italian dining in an elegant setting that is made for date night. Put it on your list.

Bella Vista Italian Kitchen & Bar is at 8041 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. 999-0939.

5 Things to Do in Santa Cruz This Week

GT Staff

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May 3, 2017

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Event highlights for the week of May 3, 2017

Green Fix

UC Master Gardeners Classes

popouts1718-Green-Fix-55331005 The UC Master Gardeners of Monterey Bay offers two free classes this week for home gardeners who garden in the ground or in raised beds, of any gardening level. On Sunday, May 7, they’ll host “Soil Prep For Your Vegetable Garden” at their demonstration grounds in Watsonville. Master gardener Delise Weir will discuss the basics of soil science and why it’s important to the success of your vegetable garden. On Saturday, May 13, they will present their annual Smart Gardening Fair from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Jewell Park in Pacific Grove. Participants can enjoy presentations, demonstrations, vendor booths on butterflies, landscape design, and propagation methods.

Info: 10 a.m.-Noon, UC Master Gardeners Watsonville Demonstration Garden, 1430 Freedom Boulevard, Watsonville. mbmg.org. Free.

Art Seen

Spare Change Music Festival

Project Pollinate and Cypher Sessions present the Spare Change Music festival with 100 percent of the proceeds going to support four featured nonprofit organizations: Foods Not Bombs Santa Cruz, Veterans Empowered Through Technology, Gravity Water, and R3 Tiny Homes. Focusing on the areas of food, technology, water, and shelter, the festival will be a free all-ages event to highlight the potential of change when people come together. With an emphasis on education, the event will provide a safe space for communication and learning with The Rainbow Girls, Frogman, Boostive, and more.

Info: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, May 6. San Lorenzo Park, 134 Dakota Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.

Friday 5/5 – Sunday 5/7

Dis/Connected Art Show

Smartphones and social media: for most people, it’s hard to imagine a day going by without them. This weekend the aerial performance company Aeraflux, will debut their newest show which deals with teen identity development and relationship-building in a world where smartphones and social media play an enormous role. Nine local women between ages 13 and 15 will perform the blend of acrobatic floorwork, hand balancing, and contemporary dance with aerial rope and trapeze. Allie Cooper, founder of Aeraflux, says, “This theme seemed so obviously relevant to explore with these young women, especially as they are entering their teenage years and learning to navigate their own social lives.”

Info: 7 p.m. Veteran’s Memorial Building, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz. dis-connected.bpt.me. $20-$25.

Saturday 5/6 – Sunday 5/7

Santa Cruz Symphony Verdi’s Requiem

Santa Cruz Symphony’s final program of the season will feature one of Giuseppe Verdi’s supreme masterpieces, the “Messa da Requiem” with soprano Michelle Bradley, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, tenor Stuart Neill, and bass PeiXin Chen, under the direction of Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus director Cheryl Anderson. The Santa Cruz Symphony showcases world-renowned soloists and many vocalists from the Metropolitan Opera. During their season they perform 10 classical concerts from October and May, benefit concerts, and community outreach with in-class music listening programs.

Info: 2 & 7:30 p.m. Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St., Santa Cruz. Henry J Mello Center for the Performing Arts, 250 E Beach St., Santa Cruz. santacruztickets.com. $27-$57.

Saturday 5/6 – Sunday 5/7

17th Avenue Studios Spring Show

Ever wonder what goes on at Santa Cruz’s 17th Avenue Studios? Recently expanded to four buildings and providing the work space for more than 50 artists, the studio may be one of Santa Cruz’s best-kept artistic secrets. This weekend the studio throws open its doors to the public, with a sure-to-be special 17th annual Spring Show you’ll want to squeeze in between yard sales and farmers markets. Come hang out, purchase original fine art by a wide range of local artists, celebrate spring, and ogle the creatives in their natural habitat. Photo is of mixed-media works by 17th Avenue artist Roberta Lee Woods.

Info: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, May 6 and 7. 980 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz. (Across from Simpkins Swim Center.)

Opinion May 3, 2017

Steve Palopoli

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May 3, 2017

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EDITOR’S NOTE

In 2015, Geoffrey Dunn and Kim Stoner wrote a cover story for GT about the three Hawaiian princes—David Kawananakoa, Edward Keliiahonui and Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana’ole—who came to Santa Cruz and gave locals, as reported in the press in July of 1885, “interesting exhibitions of surf-board swimming as practiced in their native islands.” Dunn and Stoner had been researching and writing about the importance of this moment in not just our local history, but the history of surfing in this country, for a long time, but this article in particular came out in conjunction with two of the redwood longboards the princes surfed that day returning to Santa Cruz as part of a MAH exhibit.

That issue of GT was hugely popular—people still bring it up to me—and the exhibit went on to be the MAH’s most successful ever. But Dunn and Stoner’s work on bringing attention to this previously overlooked part of Santa Cruz’s cultural history didn’t stop, and sometimes it manifests results in unexpected ways.

That’s where this week’s cover story comes in. Dunn writes about Kyle Gilmore, a man of Hawaiian decent who—through Dunn and Stoner’s work—discovered the story of the three princes and of Antoinette “Akoni” Swan, an immigrant of royal Hawaiian lineage who played a critical role in their story. That set in motion a visit by Gilmore to Swan’s grave, which he discovered remains unmarked despite her legacy. The effort on Gilmore’s part to right that wrong is at the heart of this piece about Swan’s legacy, and it’s a tribute to the power of cultural pride and to storytelling, as well.

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Birth Happens

Matt Weir’s article “Born Free” (GT, 3/8) was an uplifting story about birth in Santa Cruz, and the timing was fortuitous. Kate [Bowland] is a member of our “Birth Happens in Santa Cruz County” project popping up May 19 at MAH’s Third Friday History Jam. We are examining newborn customs starting with the Ohlone people, birth places in Santa Cruz County, maternal outcomes, and birth attendants. We have been trading historical midwifery stories during our planning meetings. Kate’s dedication to preserve homebirth options gave everyone courage. Your editor, Steve Palopoli, was right: Kate is my “new Santa Cruz hero.”

The midwives continue to be cultural disruptors. From the Museum of Art & History’s website: “Learn about Santa Cruz’s birth history over the last 150 years, focusing on the limited recordings of births performed by midwives, with the Birth Happens in Santa Cruz County: Customs, Places, and Cultures project. Map out your birth place, share your story, and experience the different environments midwives have performed birthing practices.”

Elizabeth Yznaga, CNM, DNP | Santa Cruz

Leave Bikes at Home

In your mountain biking article (GT, 3/28), a bike group leader says, “We didn’t have enough legal trails to satisfy that [biking] user group.” How’s that stack up against the satisfaction of other “user groups”—like the birds and animals whose remaining habitats would be more and more fractured and overrun by additional bike-only trails in Pogonip? Or walkers who already anxiously hug the edges of existing trails in Wilder Ranch, and keep their children close, so they won’t be run down by the considerable minority of bikers who bomb down the hills at high speed? Mountain bikes should be kept out of Pogonip, and out of new parklands at Coast Dairies/Cotoni National Monument and San Vicente Redwoods. All people are, or will be, invited to visit and enjoy those places. Just leave the high-speed machines at home. There’s no more room for them.

Alexander Gaguine | Santa Cruz

Online Comments

Re: Mountain biking

With all the energy the MBoSC seems to have for expanding the number of new MB trails in Santa Cruz County, they would greatly improve their PR efforts if they were to concentrate on repairing the many eroded single-track hiking-only trails in Nisene Marks SP that have been illegally ridden by mountain bikers over the years. While they’re at it, they could also decommission the many illegal MB trails hacked into that forest. Calling the park’s deed restrictions “problematic” for mountain bikers is disingenuous. We are all stewards of the land, whether it’s located in a state, city, or county park. If one of the parks has a rule about bikes, we should all respect the rule.

— Liz

It always “pleases” me to see Celia Scott pontificate upon the importance of a “natural preserve,” and her blatant disregard for history as well as nature. The club house is going to shambles, trucks are allowed on the fire roads, homeless campers still abound in Pogonip. A biker, the root of all evil.

— Jesus la Primavera

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

CLEAN SWEEP
Groups like the California Native Plant Society are always toiling with the invasive broom plant, trying to get it out of local greenspaces. Not to miss out on the fun, the Santa Cruz Water Department is having its own â€œBroom Bashâ€ at the Loch Lomond Recreation Area, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 6. Volunteers will help pull as many French broom plants as possible before they go to seed. For more information, contact ar******@*************uz.com.

GOOD WORK

ROLL CREDIT
Some young filmmakers have something to put on their rÃ©sumÃ©s, now that theyâ€™ve won cash from the Save Water Coalition, which awarded a total of $3,900 in prizes to nine teams. The coalition announced five first place winners in two categoriesâ€”water conservation and pollution preventionâ€”and two languages, English and Spanish. In a range of formats, the shorts cover themes like car-washing tips, as well as when and what to flush down the toilet. Visit watersavingtips.org to watch the videos.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

â€œI am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma.â€
-Eartha Kitt

What’s your Santa Cruz crime story?

Columns

Matthew Cole Scott

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May 3, 2017

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“I had a bike stolen right out of my garage. ”

Lauren Desylva

Felton

Importer

“I was jumped on Halloween as I walked with a beautiful woman dressed as Jesus. Three men rolled out of a car and attacked me, then jumped back in the car within two minutes.”

Colt Hayhurst

Santa Cruz

Music Teacher

“I worked for a store called Jabberwock seven years ago, and someone broke in and stole all the bongs and pipes overnight. ”

Anyah Ray

Santa Cruz

Self-Employed

“My car getting stolen. We found it 5 days later parked in a different place, and it was all screwed up.”

Evan Sandler

Former Santa Cruz resident

Artist

“I caught a rubber-surgical-glove-wearing burglar breaking into my house in the middle of the night. He claimed to the police that he was sleepwalking. They didnâ€™t buy it. ”

Gene Manako

Santa Cruz

Networker

This Man Bikes the Railroad Tracks. Can he do that?

Local News

Mat Weir

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May 3, 2017

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This Man Bikes the Railroad Tracks. Can he do that?

“Both of these have recorded hundreds of miles,” Nerf says with a jovial smile, trying to be reassuring as he tightens a few bolts to his homemade vehicle, along a rail corridor.

My face must be conveying an air of trepidation as I gawk at the strange contraption he suggests that I ride. He adds, “Women and children have ridden these, and no one has ever gotten hurt.”

Although it looks shaky, the rail bike is surprisingly sturdy. Nerf—who asked that we refer to him by his surf name—shows me how to shift gears. He makes sure I lean in a little, to keep it balanced. “Finally,” he adds, “make sure you do this,” as he gives the horn a couple of loud squeezes.

From his “rail bike,” Nerf is able to see a side of the coast most commuters never do.

At the front and back of his bikes—Nerf built two, using his welding skills and a little creativity—are wooden mounts that lock inline skate wheels on one rail. Aluminum support beams reach the opposite rail to help the quirky vehicle maintain balance and speed. He has two models, a recumbent version and a more traditional street bike, and estimates neither ride cost much more than $200 total to build.

The bikes glide over the rails with ease, smoothly carrying us from the Simpkins Family Swim Center to the harbor in minutes. Car commuters stare in fascination, and one pedestrian even hails us down to check out the bikes and take a short ride himself—a common occurrence, Nerf says.

Nerf first learned of the idea in the early 1980s, while reading an article about dentist Dick Smart, from Idaho, who had built his own rail bike.

“I thought, ‘I’ve got to meet this guy!’” Nerf remembers. “He was very open to what he was doing and gave me a ride.”

Although the ride with Smart was Nerf’s first rail bike experience, it was not his first time riding the rails. Born and raised in Sacramento, he attended college at UC Davis, where he swam and played on the water polo team. It was also where he began jumping freight cars with his teammates when the trains stopped outside of the college town. Unlike today, many of the freight cars were open, as they transported goods, often large items like cars and trucks, he recalls.

“You could throw a piece of cardboard in the back of a GM truck with a sleeping bag, jug of wine, and your girlfriend,” he says. Basically, that’s what he did. Nerf and Anna, his wife of 44 years, met as juniors at Davis and traveled throughout California and the Pacific Northwest by rail.

“My father-in-law once asked my wife what was her fondest memory, expecting her to say it was him making our wedding happen,” relates Nerf. “But instead she said, ‘Riding the freight trains with Nerf.’”

When it was time to settle down, he moved to an island on Puget Sound in Washington, where he worked as a furniture manufacturer representative for 30 years. Unfortunately, there were no train tracks in the area, so he pushed the memory of his first rail ride into the back of his mind.

It wasn’t until two years ago, when Nerf and his wife moved to Santa Cruz—where he’d spent summers surfing as a teenager—that the memory began to work its way back into his consciousness. He wanted to give it another go.

Obviously, coasting along the tracks on a specially built cycle is great fun. But is it allowed?

Unfortunately, although it’s common for Santa Cruzans to travel the corridor (pedestrians do it all the time), it isn’t actually legal, says Regional Transportation Commission spokesperson Karena Pushnik, via email.

“Until sections of the trail including associated buffers are constructed, pedestrian and bicycle access in the rail corridor is prohibited,” Pushnik says. “Similar to freeways and expressways, ownership of the rail corridor by a public agency does not equate to full multimodal public access.”

Plans for the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail (also called the Coastal Rail Trail) were adopted in 2013, and have gone through several hurdles to combine the 50 miles of track running through several coastal counties. Thirteen miles of the 32-mile Santa Cruz stretch have been funded in the last three years. Last year, two-thirds of Santa Cruz voters approved Measure D, the transportation legislation that also approved additional funding and direction for the Rail Trail. On May 4 the Regional Transportation Commission will review to approve the draft for the first five years of the Measure D plan. Trail Now and some critics of this path are pushing to have the tracks ripped up to make way for a wider trail.

Pushnik says that even though walking or riding the rails is currently illegal, that might not always be the case.

“A rail bike outfit from the East Coast is interested in operating in Santa Cruz, but at this time, there are no plans for this service,” she writes. “If and when it will be approved, operation would be regulated, safety measures enforced and rides would be grouped (not a free-for- all).”

There is a surprisingly long history of people riding rail bikes, or railroad velocipedes, as they were known back in the day. The origins date back to the late 1850s, shortly after the invention of the handcar—small hand-pumped vessels that wheeled up and down tracks, as seen in movies like Blazing Saddles or Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?. Such devices were essential for moving groups of rail workers from one end of the line to the other in a short amount of time.

Michigan farmer George Sheffield invented the first three-wheeled railroad velocipede in 1877. Getting tired of walking the tracks everyday, Sheffield came up with the idea of using both feet and hand cranks to move the vehicle. Two years later he applied for a patent. During most of the time in-between, he kept his invention secret from others, only riding it at night as he had no right to use the rails.

To this day, the solitude of rail biking can provide a certain peace of mind.

“There’s a wonderful solitude and meditation having that peace to yourself,” says Nerf. “Freedom—now there’s a great word.”

New Doc ‘What the Health’ Looks at Healthy Diet, Health Orgs

Local News

Jacob Pierce

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May 3, 2017

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New Doc ‘What the Health’ Looks at Healthy Diet, Health Orgs

Bill Meade remembers the early days of filming a movie that would become What the Health, which has its Santa Cruz premiere at the Nick on Wednesday, May 17 at 7 p.m.

“When we started with it, we thought we were just going to get the latest thinking on health,” says Meade, an associate producer who lives in Santa Cruz County. The filmmakers spoke with more than a dozen doctors to pick their brains about healthy living, diet and new trends, he says, before then going to check in with some leaders in the healthcare industry. The filmmakers pretty much got the door slammed in their faces.

“If that’s where you want to go with this, I’m sorry—I can’t help you,” a white-haired man tells writer/director Kip Andersen, as the filmmaker confusedly looks down at his notes inside a corporate office in the movie’s trailer.

The filming process soon veered, and as much as anything, the documentary became one about the healthcare industry’s deep-pocketed, callous indifference to the problems that actually ail people, says Meade, who stimulated major fundraising and provided guidance for the project.

Among its many experts, What the Health—which currently has a 9/10 rating on IMDB—also features nutrition-based doctor Michael Klaper, who used to practice in Santa Cruz.

The film explores the rise of cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases—as well as the roles of the pharmaceutical industry, major health organizations and big money.

“If there’s one concern I’ve heard about the film, it’s that it has so many facts in it, it can be overwhelming,” Meade says.

The film is being dubbed into three languages, as Anderson—co-director of 2014’s Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret—shops it around to independent film festivals. It’s currently streaming on Vimeo for $10, and the filmmakers’ goal is to get it on Netflix.

Meade, who’s been vegetarian for 40 years, says if ticket sales are strong enough, the May 17 showing could get moved to the Del Mar. The doc fits into Meade’s larger vision of getting people to see how their own health is connected to that of the planet.

“I try to help people understand the interconnectivity of life,” he says. “We tend to think that human beings are put on this earth just to live our lives. But we are connected to the earth, like tree roots going into the ground. There’s a boomerang effect and if we disrespect our world, it comes back to affect us with ocean pollution and pesticides. You really have to take care of everything jointly.”

“What the Health” will screen at the Nick at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17. Tickets are $10.

Music Picks May 3—9

GT Staff

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May 3, 2017

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WEDNESDAY 5/3

COUNTRY

SUNNY SWEENEY

Hearing about someone else’s troubles often makes us forget our own—or at least makes us realize that we’re not alone. The blues is built on this premise, and some of the best classic country music is a deep dive into an emotional gut punch the songwriter experienced. Texas native Sunny Sweeney takes this long-standing country tradition and runs with it. In her songs, she goes straight into the heart of heartache, cheating, divorce, despair and surviving it all. Her new album, Trophy, sees the artist going from the depths of despair to a new beginning. CJ

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.

WEDNESDAY 5/3

ALT-COUNTRY

FUTUREBIRDS

In true Athens, Georgia fashion, Futurebirds mix southern roots music with weirdo psychedelic influences. Unlike some of the more famous Athens bands (R.E.M., B-52’s, Of Montreal), however, there’s a lot more country-rock than experimental wizardry. The group is liberal with its traditional roots influences, much in the way Neil Young has stayed true to the classic American sound, while simultaneously rewriting it. Like Young, the songs are internal, contemplative, and flushed out with a quiet emotional stirring that ripples with each successive listen. AARON CARNES

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

THURSDAY 5/4

COSMIC COUNTRY

DOUGIE POOLE

In 2014, singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson released Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, an album that confused country music fans and thrilled critics with its nontraditional subject matter—like tales of tripping on hallucinogens, which is definitely not your typical country music fodder. Singer-songwriter Dougie Poole carries on the tradition of breaking the mold of country music from the inside. He looks at human emotion and country sentiment through a high-tech lens, and explores beloved American traditions while also bringing to light the darker side of the country’s history. His latest offering, Wideass Highway, furthers Poole’s reimagining of country music, including a track Simpson might approve of titled “Tripping with the One You Love.” CJ

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

FRIDAY 5/5

METAL

THE BAD LIGHT

Friday nights were made for letting your hair down, and this Friday there will be plenty of that at Blue Lagoon. Local stoner-blues metal trio the Bad Light will rip it up with smoothed-out guitar riffs, heavy beats—including the biggest kick bass drum in Santa Cruz—and the sweet blend of male and female vocals swirling around all the swampy, fuzzed-out licks. They will be sharing the stage with local, indie-synth-pop-indie-garage act Drevmers, along with Los Angeles “hip-hop and alt-rock” musicians Coolezy, and Spoken Nerd—a “satirical indie hip hop” act from Nashville. MAT WEIR

INFO: 9 p.m. Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $5. 423-7117.

FRIDAY 5/5

JAZZ

WOLFF-CLARK EXPEDITION

A relentlessly swinging quartet that brings together revered veterans and a rising young horn player, this ensemble is co-led by drummer Mike Clark, who earned enduring props from funk/jazz aficionados for his seminal work in the mid-1970s with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, and Berkeley-reared pianist Michael Wolff, a capaciously inventive player who cut his teeth with Cannonball Adderley. Buster Williams, a major force since the mid-1960s, is the rare bassist whose solos end too soon, and saxophonist Hailey Niswanger is the coltish upcomer thriving in this august company. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 427-2227.

SATURDAY 5/6

HIP-HOP

KOOL A.D.

“I feel like Leonard Cohen,” Kool A.D. once rapped. “And I don’t even know if I can name a Leonard Cohen track/Is Leonard Cohen wack?” This is probably one of the least strange references Kool A.D. has ever spit on a track. During his time as part of Brooklyn rap crew Das Racist, he helped redefine how far out stream-of-consciousness “weed rap” could go. Since going solo, he’s released an album every month or two. Needless to say, his discography is mind-bogglingly massive, but strangely enough, it’s consistent. He remains one of the best lyricists working in hip-hop today. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $8/adv, $12/door. 479-1854.

SATURDAY 5/6

COUNTRY

CASH’D OUT

Since 2005, Cash’d Out has covered Cash tunes so spectacularly they once had the honor of being the only tribute band endorsed by the official Johnny Cash website. What else can you expect from a band that’s won the “Best Tribute/Cover Band” six times from the San Diego Music Awards? So put on your cleanest dirty shirt, don’t take your guns to town, and be ready to walk the line with a band that will make fans happier than watching the Orange Blossom Express rollin’ down the tracks. MW

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 429-4135.

SUNDAY 5/7

POP/JAZZ

MARIA MULDAUR

In 1974, Maria Muldaur had a breakout hit with the song “Midnight at the Oasis.” It launched her into the public eye, garnered several Grammy nods and sealed her standing as a talented pop vocalist. But Muldaur didn’t stop at pop music. For the last 40-plus years she’s traversed folk music, bluegrass, blues, jazz, gospel, R&B and more in an exploration of the history of American music. On Sunday, Muldaur and special guest pianist John R. Burr head to Felton for “Jazzabelle,” which is being touted as an “intimate evening of naughty bawdy blues and vintage classic jazz.” CJ

INFO: 7 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $20. 335-2800.

SUNDAY 5/7

ROCK

JAMES MCCARTNEY

Remember when Paul McCartney sang a song to John Lennon’s son and it became a No. 1 hit single? (That’s “Hey Jude,” if you’ve been living under a rock.) We’ve heard plenty from Lennon’s musically minded kids over the years, but what about McCartney’s own flesh and blood? James McCartney, the only son of Paul and Linda McCartney, has been contributing to his parents’ albums since the ’90s, but started recording his own records less than a decade ago. His music is a bit harder-edged than his dad’s, and he sings at a higher register. AC

INFO: 8 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $15/adv, $20/door. 479-1854.

IN THE QUEUE

LIBERATION MOVEMENT AND DOGON LIGHTS

“Genre-bending, multi-cultural shamanic music.” Thursday at Moe’s Alley

VAN GOAT

Bay Area fusion of swing, surf and funk. Friday at Crepe Place

CROOKED BRANCHES

Santa Cruz-based folk and roots outfit. Saturday at Don Quixote’s

CURRENT SWELL

Indie-rock out of Victoria, British Columbia. Sunday at Catalyst

DEVIN THE DUDE

Dallas-based hip-hop artist. Tuesday at Catalyst

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

UC Master Gardeners Classes

Spare Change Music Festival

Dis/Connected Art Show

Santa Cruz Symphony Verdi’s Requiem

17th Avenue Studios Spring Show

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

GOOD WORK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Lauren Desylva

Felton

Importer

Colt Hayhurst

Santa Cruz

Music Teacher

Anyah Ray

Santa Cruz

Self-Employed

Evan Sandler

Former Santa Cruz resident

Artist

Gene Manako

Santa Cruz

Networker

SUNNY SWEENEY

FUTUREBIRDS

DOUGIE POOLE

THE BAD LIGHT

WOLFF-CLARK EXPEDITION

KOOL A.D.

CASH’D OUT

MARIA MULDAUR

JAMES MCCARTNEY

IN THE QUEUE