Elaine Johnson was 15 before she realized that the “aunt” who lived with her grandmother was actually her grandmother’s partner of four decades.
In those days, LGBTQ largely had to live in the shadows, lest they draw scorn from a society not yet evolved enough to accept them.
Now, with a widespread societal acceptance of people’s sexual preferences and identities, events like the Pride parade are held across the U.S.
Johnson, who is Executive Director for Housing Santa Cruz County and is active in several areas of the county, served as grand Marshal for this year’s Santa Cruz Pride parade, which took place Sunday in Santa Cruz.
“I know that, me being the Grand Marshall, they would be so proud,” she said. “So I’m standing on their shoulders today.”
Kaden Lee, 9, who attends Green Acres Elementary wanted to march in the parade, but an ankle fracture sidelined those hopes. Not to be deterred, Kaden and her mother hired a pedi-cab festooned with rainbow fringe.
Kaden Lee, right, with her mother Shelia McNeese (Todd Guild/The Pajaronian)
“I think everyone should accept the people who they are,” Kaden said. “It’s a good day because it’s Pride and every day is pride.”
Hundreds of people lined Pacific Avenue to watch the festivities, which included costumes from run-of-the-mill street wear to elaborate, rainbow-covered fabulosity.
Two parade participants danced along the route, handing out stichers that said, “You’re Beautiful.”
This included Sandy Rosen and Cobra Teal, who in flowing, flowered purple finery called themselves “The Radical Fairies.”
Sandy Rosen, left, and Cobra Teal—otherwise known as The Radical Fairies—were among the parade participants.
In addition, several elected officials joined the parade.
If elected in November to the Fifth District seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, Monica Martinez would be the first openly LGBTQ supervisor in the history of the county.
“So I’m working really hard to break that glass ceiling,” she said.
“I’m here celebrating the diversity of our community,” Martinez said. “Inclusion and equity is a pillar of my campaign as a candidate for county supervisor.”
Adam Spickler, who is the first transgender man to serve on the Cabrillo College Board of Directors, also joined the parade, representing the college.
“The more visible we remain, the more we continue to send the message that love and identity matter, and should be celebrated everywhere,” he said.
(Photo by Todd Guild/The Pajaronian)
Joelle Mulligan, who works at Joby Aviation, came with her family, including her 4-year-old and 2-year-old kids.
“We have two young kids, and it’s important that they learn about loving everybody and accepting everybody,” she said. “There’s this whole thing right now where we need to walk the walk in terms of showing up for everybody.”
Emerick Panda drove from San Jose to attend the event.
“I’m here just to represent,” he said. “There are other places where people can’t be out in public, and this shows them that they can be who they want.”
Bria Nathan from Santa Cruz said she was there to celebrate, but also to send a message in a time of increasing acts of violence against black and transgender people.
“So all the conservatives and right-wingers don’t think they can scare us away from anything,” she said.
Standing nearby, Jett Bartolo agreed.
“We want to represent all of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer alphabet gang, and just show our pride and celebrate,” she said.
After a major police crackdown on a pro-Palestine campus protest last Friday, UC Santa Cruz has resumed in-person classes this week for the last stretch of the academic quarter after being held online for weeks due to the actions.
Access to campus—which was temporarily blockaded by students and, later, by police—has been restored. The upcoming commencement ceremonies, which are scheduled to take place next week, are also on track.
Law enforcement agencies from across the state were called in to dismantle a pro-Palestine encampment at the base of the UC Santa Cruz campus in the early hours of May 31. Several hundred demonstrators had joined a blockade in protest of the Gaza-Israel war, a blockade which began earlier that week. Vehicle access had been intermittently cut off, and University administration officials cited this as the reason for the crackdown.
The lines of police officers and students drew nearer as the incident dragged on. PHOTO: Todd Guild.
University officials said over 100 protesters were arrested as of May 31, but organizers said that number could be higher than 100. The University also issued a two-week campus ban for students who were detained at the protest. The ban extends until June 14, which marks the beginning of UCSC’s commencement week.
UCSC Police did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding the numbers of demonstrators the agency detained. According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office arrest log, over 25 people were processed and released through the main jail.
The number of demonstrators at the base of campus swelled late Thursday night, after the UCSC chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine made a call for support through its Instagram page in response to the deployment of hundreds of police.
The intersection of Bay and High had been the site of an ongoing picket by graduate student workers represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) 4811. The union voted to strike in support of UC students who were cleared out of UCLA’s pro-Palestine encampment.
Earlier in May, UCSC SJP began its own encampment at the University’s Quarry Plaza echoing other campus protesters’ demands that colleges nationwide divest from companies with ties to Israel.
A hard closure was enforced by police on High Street at Moore Street on Thursday, as well as at other campus entrances, and the public—as well as members of the press—were blocked by Santa Cruz Police from entering the area for several hours.
Around midnight, police began dismantling the tents by smashing them to the ground, students said.
“They ripped through the camp and destroyed whatever tents and belongings they could find,” said a media liaison from the encampment who called herself “Savvy.”
“We are peaceful protestors, but still they feel the need to be in complete riot gear with guns and batons pointed at us,” Savvy said. “We will hold here for as long as we can and show the police and the university that we are not backing down and there is nothing they can do to scare us away from this movement.”
Protestors and police face-off in the early morning hours before mass arrests and the dismantling of the protest camp. PHOTO: Todd Guild.
One protester was seen spitting at a police officer, according to a freelance photographer on the scene. The protestor was pulled to the ground by multiple officers and a bag was placed on his head, seemingly to prevent him from spitting. He was arrested on suspicion of assault.
Police ordered protesters to disperse over a loudspeaker, telling them that their occupation of the parking lot was unauthorized and that they risked arrest by remaining.
Sophia Azeb, a professor in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, posted on her X account a picture of her wrist in a bandage and said that she had bruises on her neck from being choked by police.
“THE HONOR OF PROTECTING MY STUDENTS WAS WORTH IT,” she wrote in a post on June 1.
A Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office bus is seen at the intersection of Bay and High streets near the UCSC entrance on Friday, May 31. PHOTO: William S. Woodhams.
Two arrested protesters said they were held on a bus operated by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office for over two hours early Friday. They allege police blared loud music inside the bus as an intimidation tactic.
“They parked in the parking lot of the Santa Cruz County Jail and left us there and they were just outside talking,” said a third-year student who goes by the name “Ginko.” “There were people that needed to pee. There were people who were bleeding through their pants because they needed to change tampons.”
University representatives did not respond to a request for comment about the allegations by print deadline.
Detained protestors waiting to be loaded onto vans look on as police dismantle their encampment. PHOTO: William S. Woodhams.
University of California President Michael V. Drake released a statement on May 31 giving the administration’s reasoning for the crackdown.
“For the past week, individuals including UC employees represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) and others protesting the war in Israel and Gaza have intermittently blocked the only two campus entrances and exits at UC Santa Cruz. At various points, members of the campus community have been prevented from entering campus and significantly impeded from exiting it. This resulted in delayed access for emergency personnel and vehicles; childcare challenges for staff, faculty, and students; missed medical appointments; and difficulty accessing jobs, classes, and other educational, health care, and student support facilities and services on campus. In one especially disturbing case, on Tuesday an emergency medical vehicle was prevented from accessing a facility in which a toddler was in distress,” Drake said.
Savvy said that the law enforcement action came as no surprise, and will not dissuade the ongoing protest.
“We are not going to be giving up, giving up our camp or giving in to police pressure,” she said. “It’s definitely a great loss losing this community, but that doesn’t mean that this fight is over.”
After a night of arrests and chaos, the last of student protesters chain arms and attempt to stand their ground as California Highway Patrol officers close in, yanking out individuals to be arrested Friday May 31. PHOTO: Marcello Hutchinson-Trujillo
College campus protests in support of Gaza and Palestine have erupted nationwide, calling for a ceasefire and that universities divest from companies with ties to Israel. As Israel’s response to the October 7 attack continues, the death toll has risen to over 36,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Hamas officials. The attack left 1,200 dead and over 200 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
University spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason said in a statement that restoring full access to the campus is “imperative,” and that the demonstrators have delayed access of emergency vehicles.
“It was impossible to do so without law enforcement intervention,” he said. “These actions could have been avoided if the encampment participants heeded the many previous directives that were given by campus officials, fire marshals and law enforcement.”
By late Friday morning, protesters who were booked into Santa Cruz County Jail began to be released from the downtown facility.
By 11am, UAW members and supporters had set up food and water stations on tables outside the main jail, surrounded by yellow caution tape strung by jail officials. The Water Street vehicle entrance was also cordoned off.
By noon on Friday, most of the detainees booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail had been released. The rest were being held across town at the UCSC Westside Research Park.
At around 1pm, the premises near the back entrance of the research park on Natural Bridges Drive were filled with supporters waiting for detainees to be released. Various tents with medical supplies, food and water were erected, and one tent was blasting anti-police themed music, including hip hop group N.W.A’s song “F*ck Tha Police.”
Dozens of supporters surrounded the doors to the building, waiting for arrested protestors as they were released one by one. Every time someone walked out through the doors, the crowd erupted in cheers.
A student who did wish to be named because of legal concerns said she was forced to live with her friends after she was banned from campus.
“I am really hoping that they can potentially overturn or give an exception for on-campus students to pack up their apartments,” she said.
Rebecca Gross, UCSC UAW-head, said that the UAW supports amnesty for protestors. Members of the UAW are facilitating legal help for 12 of those arrested.
“We also want them [protestors] to know that workers on this campus are very much invested in striking until amnesty is achieved for protestors,” Gross said.
We had heard about the brown pelicans getting sick, that they’re not getting enough to eat. Russ Curtis, a spokesperson for International Bird Rescue, told KQED, “One pelican in Santa Cruz attempted to walk into a bar.”
A pelican walks into Brady’s Yacht Club and orders a shot of whiskey.
The bartender says, “I don’t see how you’re going to drink from a shot glass, much less pay for it.”
“Put it on my bill.”
Sleepy John Sandidge, Laurence Bedford and I rendezvous at the end of Beach Road, where it dead ends at the Pajaro Dunes. Sleepy John looks worried: “Did you bring weed?”
Laurence rummages through the cab of Sleepy’s truck and I search my Prius, and lo and behold, I be holding! A marginally famous local businesswoman had given me a baggie of Blue Dream, with crazy high sativa content, perfect for hiking. I pull it out from under the passenger seat, and hold it aloft as the boys whoop and holler.
Pajaro Dunes beach gives long, sensational, unobstructed views north and south. The ocean rolls in gentle waves that Sleepy John says would be good for boogie boarding, or for a beginning surfer. We walk up to a dead pelican on the beach.
Laurence says, “If we built a fire, we could cremate him.”
Sleepy John says, “My uncle was cremated. At least we think that’s what killed him.”
Gentle boogie board waves on Pajaro Dunes Beach.
We walk south, toward the smokestacks of Moss Landing. Sleepy John asks me how my search for a place in Santa Cruz is going.
“I don’t make enough money to apply for affordable housing.”
We come upon a sand excavation next to the cliff rocks. Someone had dug a circular living room out of the firm sand, replete with chairs, tables for beverages and a fireplace in the middle. I’ve never sat in a more comfortable living room in my life.
Tough old birds.
We sit in our sand living room for an hour, photographing the flocks of pelicans flying north, flying over us on their northern migration. We shoot video of them in slow motion. They just keep coming. Two, three, then maybe 20 at a time, in perfect V formation. They fly low, just inches over the tops of rocks.
Pelicans live up to 30 years, sometimes to 40. Sleepy John turns 85 on Nov. 1; that’s about 30 in pelican years. Pelicans are tough old birds, much like my friends. Laurence and Sleepy John talk about their annual winter trips to Mexico. That is where the pelicans are returning from.
We load the kombucha can pipe with the Blue Dream and pass it to the left as we watch the stream of migrating pelicans fly over our heads. Laurence Googles pelicans on his phone and reads to us.
View from our sand-room: nine pelicans winding through the sky, one far behind, the Moss Landing smokestacks a mile out.
“In the winter they migrate in groups, fleeing cold winters to congregate at the edge of the ocean from California south to Nicaragua, where they breed. In the spring they migrate north, as far as British Columbia. Pelicans are seasonally monogamous, meaning that every breeding season they pair up with a mate and then stay with that mate for the rest of the season.”
“So, a pelican who lives to 30 has probably had at least 25 one-season relationships.”
Sleepy John says, “Serial monogamy. I used to have friends like that but those are the ones who died. Pelicans have 25 exes? No wonder they’re expiring.”
I say, “I’ve been married for 32 years.”
Laurence looks at me and frowns.
“Well, not in a row.”
Sleepy John and Laurence wait for their tacos.
The three-mile walk and the Blue Dream smoke makes us jones for authentic Mexican and a Watsonville food truck is about as real as a taco gets.
Pajaro Dunes Beach is a magnificent beach walk. Or maybe we just had a magnificent day. It is easy to get to, a stunning beach whether you turn north or south, and this time of year you will have hundreds of pelicans swoop down and sail just over your head.
How to get there: Take Highway 1 to Watsonville. Exit Beach Road, follow Beach Road west, all the way to the trailhead on Parajo Dunes Beach.
In the wake of a May 25 burglary at his Watsonville cannabis dispensary, Bryce Berryessa installed several new features designed to deter similar crimes from occurring again.
According to Watsonville Police Department, 12 armed suspects used an SUV to ram and break open the dispensary’s door at around 4am Saturday. In a matter of minutes, the suspects stole thousands of dollars of marijuana products and a safe from another nearby business, said police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido.
The Hook dispensary at 11 Hangar Way also has a state-of-the-art security system that uses artificial intelligence, which alerted him before the burglary even began, Berryessa said.
That system was triggered when more than one person came onto the property.
“I was actually on the phone with 911 a full two minutes before the assailants actually got to 11 Hangar Way,” he said. “Our remote monitoring and alarm systems worked really well and alerted us in enough time that they were able to actually engage these guys.”
After the thieves were done, they sped away in a BMW, a Porsche, a Mercedes Benz and a Jeep, beginning a chase north on Highway 1 by WPD, California Highway Patrol, Scotts Valley Police Department and other agencies over Highway 17 and into Hayward. A spike strip placed near Mount Hermon was unsuccessful, and no arrests were made.
Berryessa said that one of the suspects’ vehicles was recovered.
“We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the police department,” he said. “Hopefully they can bring these guys to justice.”
If Pajaro Valley Unified School District performed all the upgrades, repairs and construction projects that are needed at its 33 schools, it would cost more than $1.2 billion.
A large part of that estimate is $400 million to replace the district’s array of portable classrooms
That’s according to a report by 19-6 Architects, a consultancy firm hired by the district to perform a needs assessment survey.
While that number is vastly out of reach, PVUSD officials are looking to prioritize the more urgent projects, and pay for them with a general obligation bond.
Toward that goal, the PVUSD Board of Trustees approved a $315 million bond to be placed on the ballot for the November presidential election, when it will require a two-thirds majority vote.
The motion passed 6-0, with Trustee Oscar Soto absent.
If the bond passes muster at the voting booth, it would place $60 per $100,000 of assessed value on properties within the district. That number would drop to $30 per $100,000 after four years, said financial advisor Dale Scott, who also helped prepare the report.
Voters in 2012 approved Measure L, a $150 million bond which, after funding projects throughout the district, is coming to the end of its life, with most of the money spent.
That bond has allowed for numerous projects such as the long-awaited sports complex at Pajaro Valley High School.
People living within the boundaries of PVUSD are still paying off that measure, in addition to Measure J, a $58.2 million bond from 2002.
If the new bond passes, voters would be paying $120 per $100,000 of assessed value on their annual property tax bills, Scott said, which would continue to decline as the bonds are paid.
The additional property tax will be in addition to Measure N, which voters passed in March to fund upgrades at Watsonville Community Hospital. That measure places $24 per $100,000 of assessed value on properties in Pajaro Valley Health Care District.
Trustee Jen Holm said that the need within the vast district requires drastic action.
“Given the scope of our needs, I don’t see how we can ask for less,” she said. “We’re already asking for less than we need.”
Trustee Kim De Serpa said that she wants to prioritize projects at Pajaro Valley High School, most notably a performing arts center, which was promised under Measure L but was not delivered after construction costs increased.
“I want to make sure that those projects get done first if this bond passes,” she said
The trustees had three bond options to choose from in addition to the $350 million–one for $195 million and another for $295 million.
Trustee Daniel Dodge, Jr., who made the motion to support the larger amount, said he wants to make sure the projects promised under the previous measure are delivered.
Welcome to the future of your education, Aries! Here are actions you can take to ensure you are exposed to all the lush lessons you need and deserve in the coming months. 1. Identify three subjects you would be excited to learn more about. 2. Shed dogmas and fixed theories that interfere with your receptivity to new information. 3. Vow to be alert for new guides or mentors. 4. Formulate a three-year plan to get the training and teachings you need most. 5. Be avidly curious.
TAURUS April 20-May 20
Poet Emily Dickinson was skillful at invoking and managing deep feelings. One scholar described her emotions as being profoundly erotic, outlandish, sensuous, flagrant, and nuanced. Another scholar said she needed and sought regular doses of ecstasy. Yet even she, maestro of passions, got overwhelmed. In one poem, she wondered “Why Floods be served to us in Bowls?” I suspect you may be having a similar experience, Taurus. It’s fun, though sometimes a bit too much. The good news is that metaphorically speaking, you will soon be in possession of a voluminous new bowl that can accommodate the floods.
GEMINI May 21-June 20
All of us periodically enjoy phases I call “Freedom from Cosmic Compulsion.” During these times, the Fates have a reduced power to shape our destinies. Our willpower has more spaciousness to work with. Our intentions get less resistance from karmic pressures that at other times might narrow our options. As I meditated on you, dear Gemini, I realized you are now in a phase of Freedom from Cosmic Compulsion. I also saw that you will have more of these phases than anyone else during the next 11 months. It might be time for you to get a “LIBERATION” tattoo or an equivalent new accessory.
CANCER June 21-July 22
Bold predictions: 1. Whatever treasure you have lost or are losing will ultimately be reborn in a beautiful form. 2. Any purposeful surrender you make will hone your understanding of exactly what your soul needs next to thrive. 3. A helpful influence may fade away, but its disappearance will clear the path for new helpful influences that serve your future in ways you can’t imagine yet. 4. Wandering around without a precise sense of where you’re going will arouse a robust new understanding of what home means to you.
LEO July 23-Aug. 22
Denmark’s King Canute IV (1042–1086) wasn’t bashful about asserting his power. He claimed ownership of all the land. He insisted on the right to inherit the possessions of all foreigners and people without families. Goods from shipwrecks were automatically his property. But once, his efforts to extend his authority failed. He had his servants move his throne to a beach as the tide came in. Seated and facing the North Sea, he commanded, “Halt your advance!” The surf did not obey. “You must surrender to my superior will!” he exclaimed, but the waters did not recede. Soon, his throne was engulfed by water. Humbled, Canute departed. I bring this up not to discourage you, Leo. I believe you can and should expand your influence and clout in the coming weeks. Just be sure you know when to stop.
VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Virgo-born Irène Joliot-Curie craved more attention than she got from her mother, Marie Curie. Mom was zealously devoted to her career as a chemist and physicist, which is one reason why she won Nobel Prizes in both fields. But she didn’t spend sufficient time with her daughter. Fortunately, Irène’s grandfather Eugène became his granddaughter’s best friend and teacher. With his encouragement, she grew into a formidable scientist and eventually won a Nobel Prize in chemistry herself. Even if you’re not a kid, Virgo, I suspect there may be a mentor and guide akin to Eugène in your future. Go looking! To expedite the process, define what activity or skill you want help in developing.
LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22
I have a fantasy that sometime in the coming months, you will slip away to a sanctuary in a pastoral paradise. There you will enjoy long hikes and immerse yourself in healing music and savor books you’ve been wanting to read. Maybe you will write your memoirs or compose deep messages to dear old friends. Here’s the title of what I hope will be a future chapter of your life story: “A Thrillingly Relaxing Getaway.” Have you been envisioning an adventure like this, Libra? Or is your imagination more inclined to yearn for a trip to an exciting city where you will exult in high culture? I like that alternative, too. Maybe you will consider doing both.
SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21
An Instagrammer named sketchesbyboze advises us, “Re-enchant your life by making the mundane exciting. You are not ‘going to the drugstore.’ You are visiting the apothecary to buy potions. You are not ‘running an errand.’ You are undertaking an unpredictable adventure. You are not ‘feeding the birds.’ You are making an alliance with the crow queen.” I endorse this counsel for your use, Scorpio. You now have the right and duty to infuse your daily rhythm with magic and fantasy. To attract life’s best blessings, you should be epic and majestic. Treat your life as a mythic quest.
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21
I invite you to invite new muses into your life in the coming months. Give them auditions. Interview them. Figure out which are most likely to boost your creativity, stimulate your imagination, and rouse your inspiration in every area of your life, not just your art form. Tell them you’re ready to deal with unpredictable departures from the routine as long as these alternate paths lead to rich teachings. And what form might these muses take? Could be actual humans. Could be animals or spirits. Might be ancestral voices, exciting teachings, or pilgrimages to sacred sanctuaries. Expand your concept of what a muse might be so you can get as much muse-like input as possible.
CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19
The Japanese have a word for a problem that plagues other countries as well as theirs: karoshi, or death from working too hard and too much. No matter how high-minded our motivations might be, no matter how interesting our jobs are, most of us cannot safely devote long hours to intense labor week after week, month after month. It’s too stressful on the mind and body. I will ask you to monitor yourself for such proclivities in the coming months. You can accomplish wonders as long as you work diligently but don’t overwork. (PS: You won’t literally expire if you relentlessly push yourself with nonstop hard exertion, but you will risk compromising your mental health. So don’t do it!)
AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18
Typically, human fertility is strongest when the temperature is 64 degrees Fahrenheit. But I suspect you will be an exception to the rule in the coming months. Whether it’s 10 below or 90 in the shade, your fertility will be extra robust—literally as well as psychologically and spiritually. If you are a heterosexual who would rather make great art or business than new babies, be very attentive to your birth control measures. No matter what your gender or sexual preference is, I advise you to formulate very clear intentions about how you want to direct all that lush fecundity. Identify which creative outlets are most likely to serve your long-term health and happiness.
PISCES Feb. 19-March 20
Here’s a key assignment in the coming months: Enjoy fantasizing about your dream home. Imagine the comfortable sanctuary that would inspire you to feel utterly at home in your body, your life, and the world. Even if you can’t afford to buy this ultimate haven, you will benefit from visualizing it. As you do, your subconscious mind will suggest ways you can enhance your security and stability. You may also attract influences and resources that will eventually help you live in your dream home.
A chef for over 20 years, Mo L’Esperance cut her teeth in the San Francisco restaurant scene before settling in Ben Lomond. A little over a year ago she bought Coffee 9. “I still get my creativity out and also be done by 2pm,” says L’Esperance. Coffee 9 is set in an older building with wood accents and a clean, modern rustic interior. The menu is made-from-scratch baked goods and savories.
The filled croissants have options like ham/cheddar and turkey/Swiss, and a raspberry/chocolate on the sweeter side. Other pastries include the bacon, cheddar and green onion scones, as well as seasonal fruit scones, sweetbreads like pumpkin, banana and lemon blueberry. Four varieties of quiche, breakfast sandwiches and burritos, and a standard breakfast plate with eggs, meat and toast. Lunch highlights include sandwiches like the half-pound pastrami and The General with chicken, blue cheese and avocado. Mon-Thurs 5:30am-2pm and Fri-Sun 6am-4pm.
Describe your culinary come-up?
MO L’ESPERANCE: I trained for years in The City under a handful of mentor chefs. I’m self-taught, I didn’t go to culinary school, but instead worked my way up from prep cook to executive chef, doing everything in between. Along the way, I found a secondary passion with the James Beard Foundation in food advocacy. This includes fighting for the betterment of our food system, such as school lunches, fair farm worker rights, anti-pesticide, sustainable fisheries and many other worthy causes. My past experiences help shape the type and quality of food I now serve.
Tell me about Supper Club at Coffee 9?
ML: It’s a once-a-month prix fixe menu based on seasonal ingredients, with tickets available on our website. The menu is always a choice between two salads, three entrées and two desserts, and there are always vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. It’s often sold out, our patrons like having something different to do in the Valley. It also gives me a chance to reconnect with my fine dining past and share that with our guests.
9505 Highway 9, Ben Lomond, 831-336-4521; coffeenine.com
The Santa Cruz Warriors were just named the 2023-24 National Basketball G League Franchise of the Year, for the fourth time, and for the third since 2020.
It’s a nice nod, because it involves a lot more than winning on the floor (where the Dubs had the third best record in the league).
The Wave City Ws also accumulated league-leading ticket sales, record partnership revenue, an 18-game sellout streak to close the season, 1,200+ volunteer hours from SeaDubs players, coaches and front office folks, with $94,300 raised for local nonprofits and 60,830 meals extended to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County through the Swishes for Dishes program.
“This award is a celebration of our collective effort, dedication and synergy as a team, and we are honored to share this recognition with the entire Santa Cruz community,” says SCW President Chris Murphy.
The team’s playbook also involves a roster of restaurant partners like Pono Hawaiian Grill (120 Union St.and 3744 Capitola Road, Santa Cruz), Poké House (1543 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz), Mad Yolks (1411 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz) and Woodstock Pizza (710 Front St, Santa Cruz).
Another partner enjoys big signage at SCW games, but sits more tucked away on the backside of a business park-like complex in Scotts Valley. Laughing Monk Brewing (262 Mt. Hermon Road, Unit 103), isn’t the kind of place you stumble across, but it is worth a pilgrimage.
It does a brisk bit of business by way of craft drafts, a full bar, a solid menu with signature salads, bourbon burgers, and IPA onion rings stacked almost as tall as SeaDubs point guard Kendric Davis, who made 2023-24’s G League All-Rookie Team.
But it’s the roundup of daily promotions that best reflect a spirit of community shared with the Warriors.
Martini Monday means $5 St. George cocktails shaken or stirred 5-7pm; Taco Tuesday slangs $2 street tacos and $10 margaritas; Thirsty Thursday splashes $12 beer flights and $2 off pints; Prime Rib Friday dishes $25 plates with two sides; Saturday pulls in live music and weekends translate to brunch with $25 bottomless mimosas. Meanwhile the noon-4pm happy hour knocks $2 off house cocktails and pints, with $12 flights too, to go with deals on small plates like wings, curds and beer can nachos.
Game on. scottsvalley.laughingmonkbrewing.com.
POURING IT ON
Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains won’t quit with the events, which is helpful because savvy swirlers can’t quit them. Next up: Surf City Wine Walk 1-4pm Sunday, June 9, along Swift Street in Santa Cruz. Wristband, glasses and a map ($55 day of) await at pouring locations Big Basin Vineyards, Bottle Jack Winery, David Bruce Winery, Equinox Wines, Madson Wines, Margins Wine, Rexford Winery, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards, Silver Mountain Vineyards, Sones Cellars, Stockwell Cellars, Wrights Station Vineyard & Winery. Full belly start and post-stroll dinner in neighborhood recommended, winesofthesantacruzmountains.com/events/surfcityww/
QUICK DISHES
The Santa Cruzer has roared back to life with $1 rides from downtown Santa Cruz to the wharf weekends and holidays noon to 8pm through Labor Day, with stops at Del Mar Theatre (1124 Pacific Ave #4415), Locust Street Garage (124 Locust St.) and Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center (35 Pacific Ave.)…The Pig Roast for Whiskey Folks at Venus Spirits (200 High Road, Santa Cruz) is back for its second installment on June 8, $40 per, venusspirits.com…Bonny Doon Vineyard is the first U.S. company to use a recyclable paperboard bottle, and its Carbon…Nay! Provençal-style blend is selling quickly in Whole Foods outposts…The coolest idea from the world of food and drink I’ve seen this week—maybe this year—comes from Wilmington, North Carolina: Ruff Draft combines a dog park with craft beer bar…Happy World Otter Day!
What is it with Santa Cruz and kombucha? The fizzy, fermented tea that seems to have transcended from hippie style beverage into hip way of life. Walk into any local cafe, yoga studio, or farmer’s market, and you’ll likely see shelves lined with colorful bottles, or served up pint-sized on draft.
For starters, our commitment to organic, sustainable living aligns perfectly with the ethos of kombucha. With an abundance of organic farms, co-ops, and farmers markets, Santa Cruz provides the perfect environment for sourcing the high-quality, organic ingredients needed to brew the perfect batch of kombucha.
Does the dream live up to the reality? Is kombucha all it’s cracked up to be? The answer, as I recently learned, depends upon your goals.
First, a bit of background on the drink in question. Thought to originate in China or Japan, kombucha is made by adding specific strains of bacteria, yeast and sugar to black or green tea and then allowing it to ferment for a week or more.
The eventual result is a liquid containing health compounds like vinegar, B vitamins and many other types of acids, including amino acids.
So far so good, but a conversation with Sophie Slosberg from Living Swell Kombucha—the local brewer honored in Good Times’ Best of Santa Cruz County issue multiple years running—reveals that there’s more to the story. Living Swell is a small-batch “farm to bottle” company founded in 2021 by Slosberg and partner Summer Torrez, two Santa Cruz moms with previous careers in occupational therapy and law.
This shift from the office to a garage-based home brewery sounds stark, but the pandemic created a powerful craving for connection and community that was hard to ignore.
The co-founders, who are also neighbors, launched the business “in the hopes of bringing people together through a delicious and nourishing beverage, literally strengthening our community from the inside out.”
I caught up with Slosberg recently at the Pleasure Point Sip and Stroll, where she was pouring Living Swell’s Blue Crush Blend, flavored with Santa Rosa plum, blueberries and lavender. It was light and refreshing, less sweet than some of the commercial brands. Curious, I got right to the point: What makes Living Swell so good?
Without throwing anyone under the bus, I learned how local ingredients, fresh fruit and herbs make for a far different taste than “store bought” brands. And more surprisingly, most larger producers use an average of 5% to 20% real kombucha, which is then mixed with sweet tea, sugar or juice.
Living Swell, on the other hand, is made with 100% kombucha—an important difference for those seeking the health benefits this drink is known for.
In their quest to source local produce, Slosberg and Torrez get a chance to work with farmers directly.
With so many kombucha brands on the market, it’s hard to stand out. As a regular presence at Live Oak and Cabrillo farmers markets, Living Swell helps customers make the connection between local growers and the blends they serve up fresh from the tap as part of their commitment to low-waste, sustainable business practices.
For Slosberg and Torrez, the farmers markets are a constant source of creativity. They say the fun is in shooting ideas back and forth, making test batches for family and friends, and then finagling the recipe until it tastes great.
They stay inspired based on the seasons, and the produce. As we part ways, Slosberg wonders out loud about a root veggie at peak flavor right now: “Carrots, what can we do with carrots?” No doubt another visit to Living Swell at the weekend market will supply the answer to that question.
On Feb. 19, 2023, local musician Daniel Lamothe died while training with CalFire at an obstacle course in Ben Lomond.
“Every single day my heart breaks,” writes Dan’s mother, Kathy Lamothe, in a text message.
“He was extraordinary. My everything. My world.”
To honor Lamothe—who was the upright bass player for defunct local horror punk band Stellar Corpses and also played with a number of acts on and off like Diggin’ Trails and Dark Ride—his friends have organized what they hope to be the first of many benefit shows.
The first annual Mothfest takes place on May 31 at Moe’s Alley and features Dog Party, Dark Ride and Blitzkid, three bands near and dear to Lamothe’s heart.
“It was just an obvious thing,” explains Emilio Menze, one of the Mothfest organizers, friend and bandmate with Lamothe. “To honor him each year with something he would like. And it seemed like a natural fit to have it be for charity with different themes each year.”
This year’s charity is still being decided by the family but will go to benefit local youth musicians.
“He was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Dan’s girlfriend, Cheryl Lindsey, says through tears. “I will live forever with a piece of my heart missing.”
Dan Lamothe was born at Dominican Hospital on May 28, 1984. An only child, he lived in Santa Cruz his whole life and was a very loved member of the local community. Along with being an active player in the music scene, Lamothe was a talented barber by trade. His own personal, clean-cut style made him a favorite around town.
However, with the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, Lamothe grew restless with hair cutting after seeing how a business like that could be quickly shut down. He decided to pursue fire training, hoping to give back to a community that had given him so much.
“The day before he passed away he came home and was just so proud of himself,” Lindsey remembers.
Lamothe’s official cause of death listed on the autopsy report is “Sudden unexplained death during blinded training exercise involving a confined space and self-contained breathing apparatus.” The forensic pathologist declared the manner undetermined and noted Lamothe did not sustain any significant trauma, had no prior heart problems and had just completed a pre-employment physical and cardiac stress test a few months before his death.
Now, 15 months after Lamothe’s death, questions surrounding his death remain and the pain his family and friends feel is still raw. A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report on Lamothe’s death released earlier this year listed several recommendations fire training facilities should take in the future to avoid more fatalities.
Fire officials declined to comment after several attempts to get answers.
However, Kathy Lamothe says there has been no accountability for what happened to her son.
“Everyone’s so afraid to talk,” she says. “He’s my son and I can’t get any answers.”
Kathy and her husband, Lane Bennett, have also had a hard time finding any lawyers to help them with their case.
“They can’t get enough information because of the protections the fire department has,” she says. “And the length of time it would take with how much it would cost and no guarantee…nobody wants to take on the fire department.”
“It’s a fucking nightmare,” states Menze. “The worst things happen to the best people.”
For now, Lamothe’s friends and family are focusing on what they can do while they continue to search for answers, one benefit at a time.
“I cannot say how grateful I am [for Mothfest],” Kathy says. “It keeps the spirit of Dan alive.”
MOTHFEST 2024, May 31: Tribute to Dan Lamothe ft. Blitzkid, Dark Ride & Dog Party, Friday, 8pm show; $15/$20. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz, moesalley.com
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What is it with Santa Cruz and kombucha? The fizzy, fermented tea that seems to have transcended from hippie style beverage into hip way of life. Walk into any local cafe, yoga studio, or farmer's market, and you’ll likely see shelves lined with colorful bottles, or served up pint-sized on draft.
For starters, our commitment to organic, sustainable living aligns...
On Feb. 19, 2023, local musician Daniel Lamothe died while training with CalFire...his friends have organized what they hope to be the first of many benefit shows. May 31 at Moe’s Alley
