Music Picks June 22 – 29

-
0
Music Picks June 22 – 29

 

WEDNESDAY 6/22

WORLD MUSIC

ATASH

They may be from Austin, but Atash’s roots spread throughout the world. For six straight years, this eight-piece band has won Austin’s Best World Music Band honors for their unique blend of Middle Eastern, Persian and African music with Western energy. Touring everywhere from China to Mexico, Atash has gained a cult following with their message of love, unity and peace. There aren’t many other groups that give listeners tasty jams with stand-up bass, tablas, sitars and flamenco guitars all in one song. MAT WEIR
INFO: 8:30 pm. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.

AMERICANA/WORLD

DAYAN KAI

For years, Dayan Kai was one of Santa Cruz’s most beloved musicians—a multi-instrumentalist who could play pretty much anything he got his hands on, and a kind-hearted human who cared deeply about making the world a better place. Several years ago, Kai left the area for the Hawaiian Islands, leaving his local fan base wanting more. On Wednesday, he brings his unique blend of Americana, world music, jazz and rock to Don Quixote’s for a rare homecoming show. CJ
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $12/adv, $15/door. 335-2800.
 

THURSDAY 6/23

JAZZ VOCALS

DUCHESS

A vocal trio rooted in jazz, Duchess isn’t restricted to one genre, preferring instead to explore a breadth of American music traditions, including folk, pop, country and rock.
Known to pull from the likes of Cole Porter, Leonard Cohen, Duke Ellington and Nellie McKay, the members of Duchess—Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou—choose songs that speak to their unique musical sensibilities. On its self-titled debut album, the New York-based trio pays tribute to legendary vocal group the Boswell Sisters, while putting a modern twist on the old favorites. CJ

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 427-2227.

HIP-HOP

BERNER

Any fan of hip-hop or marijuana—probably both at the same time—knows the name Berner. The Bay Area hip-hop artist has been freestyling since high school, and dropped his debut album, Dirty Sneakers … Plenty Ways to Get It,  in 2007. To date, he has more than 20 albums on iTunes, collaborating with Bay Area heavyweights Messy Marv, San Quinn, and the late Jacka. Along with building his music empire, Berner has also been a major player in the medicinal marijuana industry, started the Cookies clothing brand, and Hemp2o vitamin water infused with hemp seed oil. On Thursday, expect to see—if you can, through all the smoke—Kool John and Anonymous the Dude on Berner’s “Best Thang Smokin’” tour. MW
INFO: 9 pm. Catalyst Club. 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $35. 429-4135.
 

FRIDAY 6/24

BLUES

BIG JON ATKINSON

Big Jon Atkinson was born in 1988, by which point the blues had long been considered old-timey music by the mainstream. Yet Atkinson may very well be one of the most talented blues players on the scene today. He’s not only gotten the stamp of approval from some of the genre’s veterans, like Kim Wilson, they’re actually clamoring to work with him. Atkinson captures the soul of authentic blues music, but breathes new life into it in a way most young players are unable to do. AARON CARNES
INFO: 9 p.m. The Pocket, 3102 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz. $5. 475-9819.
 

SATURDAY 6/25

BLUES/ROOTS

DAVID BROMBERG

Dubbed the godfather of Americana, multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter David Bromberg has a résumé that leaves most singer-songwriters standing in awe. From Bob Dylan, Doc Watson, Emmylou Harris and the Reverend Gary Davis to the Beastie Boys, George Harrison and Willie Nelson, Bromberg has collaborated with many of the finest American artists of all time. A fixture in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the mid-’60s, Bromberg continues to push American music forward with a lively blend of folk, the blues, Irish music, bluegrass, gospel and more. On Saturday, the legendary artist brings his quintet to Santa Cruz. CJ
INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $28/gen, $40/gold. 423-8209.

GOTH-POP

CASKET GIRLS

Ryan Graveface, who runs small indie Graveface Records, fell in love with Casket Girls, and had to put their record out. He’d been working with sisters Phaedra and Elsa Greene for a little while, when one day he went to their house and found them singing weird songs under the tree in their Georgian yard. They were weeping, reciting poetry and just freaking out. When he heard the demo they’d made under these circumstances it blew his mind. It was incredibly emotive, eerie and catatonic indie-pop. He did his best to make them replicate the demo for the official album. Everyone involved slapped the “goth-pop” label on it, but really it’s much weirder than that. AC
INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.
 

MONDAY 6/27

JAZZ

JOHN PATITUCCI ELECTRIC GUITAR QUARTET

John Patitucci has thrived for more than three decades as one of jazz’s most commanding bassists. Equally jaw-dropping on the six-string electric and acoustic double bass, he’s attained legendary status as a studio ace and astonishing improviser. He gained fame by simultaneously anchoring Chick Corea’s Akoustic and Elektric Bands, and for the past decade has provided a cohesive presence amid the churning maelstrom of Wayne Shorter’s celebrated quartet. He’s also recorded a dozen albums focusing on his own compositions. Featured on his recent album Brooklyn (Three Faces Records), his Electric Guitar Quartet is a quietly volatile chamber jazz ensemble featuring guitarists Adam Rogers and Steve Cardenas and the remarkably attentive drummer Nate Smith (an essential force on acclaimed recordings by bassist Dave Holland and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter). ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $30/adv, $35/door. 427-2227.
 

TUESDAY 6/28

CHAMBER

3 LEG TORSO

Though you might have not heard of Portland five-piece 3 Leg Torso, you’ve likely heard their music in movies or on TV—they have a very cinematic sound, and filmmakers know it. Originally a trio, they wanted to create modern chamber music with a violin, cello and an accordion. As a five-piece, the instrumentation expanded to xylophone, French horn, and other chamber instruments. While this music might appeal to classical music fans, the influences they draw from (Latin, Klezmer, tango) give them a much broader appeal, and fits in nicely at a venue like Don Quixote’s. AC
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $12/adv, $15/door. 335-2800.

IN THE QUEUE

BLANK TAPES

West Coast surf/rock/psych. Thursday at Catalyst. Read the preview here. 

DAVE ALVIN & PHIL ALVIN

Americana sibling royalty. Thursday at Moe’s Alley

PALMER SQUARES

Hip-hop out of Chicago. Friday at Blue Lagoon

BUCKETHEAD

Insanely prolific, rock guitar shredder. Sunday at Catalyst

JESSE DANIEL

Santa Cruz-based, roots singer-songwriter. Monday at Don Quixote’s

Be Our Guest: Jorge Santana

-
0
Be Our Guest: Jorge Santana

 
The younger brother of legendary rock guitarist Carlos Santana, Jorge Santana is a multi-faceted artist in his own right. He credits Carlos with exposing him to a wide variety of styles and experiences, and laying the foundation for his own guitar style, which led to membership in the Latin rock group Malo, the Fania All-Stars, and work with numerous other artists. Born in Autlan, Jalisco, Mexico, and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District, Santana is another fantastic representative of the Santana musical legacy and the Bay Area classic rock scene. 

INFO: 9 p.m. Saturday, July 2. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $15/adv, $20/door. 423-1338. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 29 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

Love Your Local Band: Jeff Blackburn & Friends

-
2
Love Your Local Band: Jeff Blackburn & Friends

Jeff Blackburn has been a stalwart of the Santa Cruz music scene since the late ’60s, when he hitchhiked to the area from Bakersfield. After a few months as a Cabrillo student, the 19-year-old Blackburn, aka “Buck,” took off.
“I told my professors, ‘I just haven’t done enough livin’,” Blackburn says. “Every weekend was spent going up to the city to hear music, following the scene wherever it was happening. That’s about the time the Barn in Scotts Valley was getting started, Neal Cassady and the Pranksters were hanging around, the Avalon and the Fillmore were opening up, and a lot of friends that I had met on the road were in San Jose. Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Dead, the Doobie Brothers were all San Jose players, and they were all folk musicians, basically, before it evolved into the rock scene.”
Buck’s long list of friends and stories of San Francisco’s golden age are extensive. “Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe & The Fish, Chet Helms … I could go on. I’ve got a lot of stories,” he says. “But bottom line is, I took off and got a lot of experience—just like I’d planned.”
Buck would go on to tour with Moby Grape before spending the summer of ’77 in Santa Cruz, playing in the Ducks; a lineup that boasted Neil Young on guitar and “the best rhythm section in recorded history,” as he calls them—Bob Mosley on bass and Johnny Craviotto on drums. Buck’s been faithful to folk ever since, performing his own carefully crafted Americana originals with a rotating cast of local musicians. After more than 50 years playing music, Buck says he’s still learning, and is happy to call Santa Cruz home: “This place has a magical magnetism that always draws you back.” 

Info: 7:30 p.m., June 29, Crow’s Nest, $3.

Is it time for a serious conversation about gun laws?

-
0
Is it time for a serious conversation about gun laws?

“Yes. As someone coming from outside the U.S., we watch all of this happen from afar and can’t understand why nothing is done about it.”

Liz Baker

Sydney, Australia
Education

“It’s an important issue that needs to be talked about, and it’s been ignored for too long. And we can’t keep looking the other way.”

Kyle Teske

Santa Cruz
Engineer

“No. It’s a touchy subject.The government has its own agenda, so I don’t know if it’s going to do any good for anyone.”

Chuck Hamilton

San Jose
Student

“Yeah, it’s definitely time. But it’s been talked about for years and it was in front of the Senate today, and they once again voted it all down.”

Kirby Fosgate

Santa Cruz
Retired Park Ranger

“It’s always time, until we do something about it.”

Madeline Mains

Santa Cruz
Accounts Executive

Opinion June 22, 2016

-
0
Opinion June 22, 2016

EDITOR’S NOTE

Sometimes there’s a story we have to go back to in order to really do it justice, and this week’s cover story is a good example. A few months ago, Mat Weir wrote a couple hundred words about the Deathless for our Love Your Local Band column, and the minute I read that Santa Cruz is home to the world’s first Buddhist punk band, I thought, “There has got to be a bigger story here.” Not just because combining Buddhism and punk sounds like the most Santa Cruz thing ever, but also because of the people involved.
The mid-to-late-’90s music scene was my favorite ever in Santa Cruz (keep in mind I wasn’t here in time for the Camper Van Beethoven/Spot 1019/Tao Chemical/Special Fun era, and this will probably make more sense). What I think of as the “Bad Monkey bands”—Slow Gherkin, the Huxtables (by association), the Muggs, Exploding Crustaceans, Soda Pop FU, Junk Sick Dawn, etc.—created a smart and hugely entertaining scene that was always a kick to write about.
But if you had told me then that the leader of one of the best bands from that scene, Fury 66, would go on to form a Buddhist punk band, I would have told you it had to be some kind of prank. It’s most decidedly not a prank, and Weir’s story explains exactly how Fury 66’s Joe Clements and Dharma Punx author Noah Levine got from there to here. Kudos to Weir for revisiting this story to tell it in all its hardcore-zen glory.
STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Filling Gaps
Re: “The Story of Juneteenth” (GT, 6/8): This article was beautifully written and filled a large gap in my knowledge of local history. I learned to celebrate Juneteenth in Los Angeles with my black co-workers beginning in the late 1970s in my work on community agriculture, and continuing on through my youth development work for UC Cooperative Extension in L.A. County over the next 30 years. It felt really good to find out that this celebration has a long history in Santa Cruz. High praise to Good Times and to Geoffrey Dunn for sharing this history with us.
John Pusey | Bonny Doon

River Safety
Re: San Lorenzo River: In a letter recently sent to the city, we outlined photo-documented public safety concerns for the pilot paddling program. We state in our letter that these hazards warrant serious consideration by city staff, city managers, city attorneys, the city council, and the public prior to proceeding with the pilot paddling program now tentatively scheduled for later this year.
To this date there has been no response from city officials that these reported concerns for the welfare and safety of the public have been acknowledged nor investigated. Does this mean public safety doesn’t matter?
The San Lorenzo River levee was designed for flood control, not with human boating safety in mind. The SLR levee is built with rebar, wood, wire, steel, concrete and rocks in the riverbed and along its banks—designed to move water down the river channel.
As members of the San Lorenzo River Advisory Group, appointed by the city council, we helped outline a strategy to address the proposed pilot paddling program. The group gave considerable attention to the birds and wildlife issues. Unfortunately, one issue was entirely overlooked—risks to human safety.
Hazards include:

 Gabion wire baskets used to construct most of the length of the SLR levee bank system show significant wear and are rusted with sharp protrusions, blocking safe exit from the levee.
   Concrete blocks and rocks used just below the surface along the levee banks are invisible during high water levels, and likely to cause human or boat damage.
  Remains of old construction material from a previous bridge include rusted rebar stakes. Potential to impale paddlers.
  Wooden log retaining walls line the banks with steel cable wires, rebar, and metal brackets, making any exit in this area dangerous.
  More than six tree logs are just below the surface water, placed there for fish habitat management. These logs are invisible just inches under the water, which can easily cause paddlers to fall into water.
  There will be unknown risks to paddlers from stepping on debris when getting on or off a boat. Debris includes broken glass, used syringe needles, ceramic pieces, metal and other trash in the SLR channel and on its banks.
  A blue-green algae bloom was detected on the SLR in the fall of 2015. This cyanobacterium can produce some toxins harmful to humans, which may be present before testing can detect them.
  The proposed pilot paddling program does not address protocols listed by the U.S. Coast Guard or U.S. Paddle Association, including monitoring of minimum age requirement for life jackets and safety protocol for children age 12 and under.  The USCG also recommends proper and legal lifejackets, paddles, leashes, headgear, and registration of boats.

In addition to the listed hazards, if the need arises to get to shore for safety, a paddler will be faced with very limited options for finding a safe exit location.
The full version of our report, with photos, can be found at http://foslrw.weebly.com/dangers-of-paddling.html.
Lisa Sheridan and Jane Mio | Members of the San Lorenzo River Advisory Group

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Submit to ph****@go*******.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

AMERICAN SWIPER
The Santa Cruz County Planning Department is now accepting electronic payments for planning application fees, part of an effort to increase convenience. Know what this means? Government is now entering the 20th century! (Sit tight for it to enter the 21st. Have a cookie!) Starting last week, county officials are accepting such payments both in person and online. A 2.5 percent surcharge is added for credit and debit card payments, while electronic checks, which require an account number and routing number, are free.

GOOD WORK

RECOVERY MODE
Health and Healing Resources helps people open up and release pain caused by stress, trauma and abuse. Cofounder Natalia Roberti first started by embarking on her own journey of healing from abusive relationships, a car accident, and living with her son in a women’s shelter. The nonprofit will host an event called “From Emotional Turmoil to Emotional Stability” at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 26 at 343 Soquel Avenue #333, Santa Cruz. Visit healthandhealingresources.org for more information.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“To me, punk rock is the freedom to create, freedom to be successful, freedom to not be successful, freedom to be who you are. It’s freedom.”

-Patti Smith

Capitola Goes European at Bouchees

-
0
Capitola Goes European at Bouchees

There are a lot of exceptional sandwich spots around Santa Cruz, but everything is always so big. 
And don’t get me started on desserts. Do you really have room for an 800-calorie slice of cake after a massive tuna melt? Fret not, Bouchees’ menu features bite-sized versions of everything. Helmut John Fritz, who also owns Davenport Roadhouse, explains how he hopes to bring a healthy amount of Europe to Capitola by the Sea.
What does bouchées mean?
HELMUT JOHN FRITZ: Bouchees is a French word for “mouthful or bite.” What we believe is that it’s not the size or the quantity, it’s the quality. I was born in Austria. I lived in France, England and Scandinavia. It’s all about the tastes. When you sit down in England for tea sandwiches, you get some scones and maybe some salmon or cucumber sandwiches. You can try different items so you don’t have to commit to a huge sandwich or a huge apple pie when there’s a pecan tart, or there’s a fruit tart. We also have key lime tart. When you want to try all of that, you don’t necessarily want to commit to a huge portion.
You say your café is ‘European-inspired.’ What does that mean?  
Capitola has the feel of a European beach town. We call it European-inspired. We’re not copying a French pastry. It’s European-inspired, so you have some English savories like a coronation chicken or a cucumber sandwich. Then we pick up pastries from all over Europe. For example, we have a pastry called Paris-Brest. That’s two cities in France. There’s a bicycle race between those two cities every year. The pastry chefs along the route came up with a pastry to commemorate that race. It’s a round pastry like a bicycle. There’s an almond cream inside and there’s a butter cream inside. They represent the two different cities. The important thing is the quality. We have a vanilla bean custard. You can be assured there is real vanilla bean in it. The shop is small, but I want it to become a gathering place for locals, where they can have all those pastries, some savories, and solve world problems—who should be president, etc.
Do you sell anything besides bite-sized savories and sweets?
We also have to-go sandwiches, which are regular sized. This is more for tourists on the way to the beach who want to grab a pre-packed sandwich. It’s sandwiches that you don’t really get in the area. For example, I introduced the coronation chicken sandwich. A coronation chicken sandwich was invented in the 1950s to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. There are so many strong Indian influences in England, so in that chicken sandwich you have curry, mango, spices, and some sweetness.

110 Stockton Ave., Capitola, 515-7889.

‘A’ for Alfaro

-
0
‘A’ for Alfaro

Easily recognizable by its striking yellow “A” label, Alfaro Winery’s Estate 2013 Chardonnay ($22) is also easy to single out with its intense flavors of pear, apple and white peach, followed by a “hint of lemon and honeyed oak.” Even if you’re not that big a Chardonnay fan, this one may win you over with its refreshing taste and bright aromas.
Winemaker Richard Alfaro doesn’t cut corners when making wine—using good barrels (the Chardonnay was aged for eight months in 20-percent new French oak) and, in this case, fruit he has grown on his estate.
Seven of us were celebrating two friends’ birthdays at Bittersweet Bistro in Aptos, and this flexible Chardonnay paired well with an abundance of appetizers we ordered, including crispy Monterey Bay calamari, sweet potato fries and a couple of Bittersweet’s delicious little pizzettas—which come with an assortment of toppings.
Mark your calendars for the last of the farm-to-table dinners at Chaminade on Oct. 7, which will feature Alfaro’s wines.
Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery, 420 Hames Road, Corralitos, 728-5172. alfarowine.com.
 

Wine Program Graduates

Congratulations go out to new graduates of the Cabrillo College Wine Education Program: Cathy Bentley, Jory Berdan, Stephanie Smith-Berdan, Diane Muszynski, Beverly Starling, Amalia Laugesen, Jennifer Grey. Certification includes Wine and Wine Service Skills; Wine Tasting Room Management Skills; World Wine Skills. Cheers!
 

Local Lemon Curd

As a Brit, I grew up eating lemon curd, and I’m always in search of a good one. After sampling Malabar Trading Company’s tangy curd blend of fresh lemon juice, butter, sugar, and eggs (it’s all good natural stuff) at the Saturday Aptos Farmers Market, I came home with some. It’s delicious on toast, scones, crumpets, and more—not to mention spooning a bit straight out of the jar. Malabar is where I stop at the farmers market for hot chai. My favorite is the Kashmiri Chai, but try the traditional Malabar Chai, too, a spicy blend of ginger and cardamom. Their new one is Spicy Chocolate Chai; a blend of cacao nibs, spices and rooibos that has proven ideal for a foggy Aptos morning. And, check out the company’s impressive assortment of teas. Malabar Trading Company, P.O. Box 622, Santa Cruz, malabartradingcompany.com

Film Review: ‘Dark Horse’

-
1
Film Review: ‘Dark Horse’

Who says fairy tales are just for princesses? If you want magic, see Dark Horse, an accomplished, crowd-pleasing documentary about the working-class denizens of a tiny Welsh mining community that chips in to breed a racehorse to compete against thoroughbreds in the Sport of Kings. But, more than magic, this story is about hard work, high spirits, determination, and sheer chutzpah—on the part of the villagers, and especially the unorthodox horse they raise into a champion.
Yes, it’s a Cinderella story about a plucky pony that could. But documentary filmmaker Louise Osmond has directed taut films about yacht racing (Deep Water), and mountain-climbing (The Beckoning Silence), and keeps us on edge. We never know what the outcome of each race will be, nor are we prepared for the many unexpected bumps along the road.
The tale begins in 2000, in a mining village in Wales. After the mining pits close down, and the locals are in transition, a barmaid named Jan Vokes gets a wild idea. One night, one of her customers, Howard Davies, a tax accountant, is regaling the house with the story of the time he helped a client set up a horse-racing syndicate. Right there, Jan decides she’s going to breed a racehorse.
Well, why not? Her father, we learn, bred “show budgies” (parakeets) when she was a child, and she won some prizes as a teen raising greyhounds. So Jan, a delightful storyteller with a twinkle in her eye, decides to move into the racehorse field by starting her own “syndicate” of villagers and pub regulars. Anyone interested in joining in for 10 pounds a week is instructed to “see Jan at the bar.”
Some 30 locals sign on, and their initial investment goes toward the purchase of a brood mare. They get a deal (310 pounds) on the one they pick; she had never won a race and was considered so “mental” that no jockey would ride her. Stud fees are pricier, but Jan and Howard maneuver to purchase the services of a stallion marked down to 3,000 pounds.
Soon enough, the mare is pregnant; we see her birth the foal in a charming black-and-white home movie sequence. He’s a tall, gawky creature with white socks on his spindly legs that Jan and her husband, Brian, keep in a ramshackle shed next to the chickens in their yard. When the syndicate gathers at the pub over their pints to name the animal, they all acknowledge that he’s “Jan’s dream,” and in a moment of solidarity among the co-owners, they name their horse “Dream Alliance.”
Dream is packed off to board with a professional trainer (Jan likens it to sending a child off to boarding school), to see if he has any skill or inclination for racing. But, after a respectable showing in his first few outings, he wins his fourth meet, and—against all odds—his professional career is underway. (“Slumnag millionaire,” screams one racing-form headline.)
“Part of the attraction,” recalls Howard, “is, it couldn’t be done,” certainly not on their terms. And yet, Dream continues to run—and win—in ever more prestigious races, defying the oddsmakers, shocking the “landed gentry,” for whom horseracing has always been an exclusive club, and winning the hearts of the public for this “working-class horse” with the undistinguished pedigree. Of the traditional racing elite—men in three-piece suits, ladies in extreme hats—Jan smiles devilishly. “Those sorts of people like to keep us commoners out, I think.”
There are plenty of dark moments in Dream’s career, rendered with nail-biting suspense by filmmaker Osmond—particularly as the races get bigger and the courses more dangerous. But the movie never loses its humor, or its heart. (When Dream goes through a slump, Jan shrugs it off. “He was a Welsh boy … quirky.”)
Win or lose, we get a strong sense of the unbridled affection Jan, Brian, Howard, and all the villagers feel for Dream himself—fueling the choices they make on his behalf. In a milieu where horses are “an industry,” the locals consider Dream “one of the family,” making Dark Horse much more of a love story than a sports doc.

DARK HORSE
*** (out of four)
Written and directed by Louise Osmond. A Sony Classics release. Rated PG. 85 minutes.

RTC Approves Ballot Tax Measure

-
0
RTC Approves Ballot Tax Measure

The day after approving a sales tax measure, the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) got word that its recent mailer definitely did not violate any state election rules.
A complaint filed this month by the state’s Fair and Political Practices Commission (FPPC), alleged that the RTC had improperly promoted an upcoming sales tax measure by letting county residents know about transportation woes, as GT reported last week. But the FPPC responded last week to the report, which was submitted by anti-highway activist Rick Longinotti, saying that the mailer was not campaign-related because it did not advocate for a ballot measure—or even identify one.
The RTC Commission finally gave the much-discussed measure its blessing on a 9-2 vote on Thursday, June 16, with Randy Johnson and Greg Caput—two of the more conservative commissioners—dissenting. Johnson, a Scotts Valley city councilmember, complained about the railroad allocation of the measure, and Caput, a county supervisor, criticized cash slated for highway widening, and went into a lecture about taxes.
The $500-million tax measure would need two-thirds voter approval come November. Thirty percent of the 30-year tax would go to neighborhood improvements and local roads, and 25 percent to Highway 1 merge lanes from Santa Cruz to Park Avenue.
The commission has tinkered with some details of the measure, adding more dollars at the 11th hour for transportation for the elderly and disabled, as well as taking a few dollars away from rail corridor improvements. Commissioners promised 20 percent of the money for buses and Paratransit, 17 percent to the coastal rail trail and 8 percent to railroad maintenance and analysis.
Bike Santa Cruz County’s steering committee voted that same day to support the measure and will work on a letter to address some members’ conflicted feelings about it, in light of the projected increase in greenhouse gas emissions from highway improvements.
The Campaign for Sensible Transportation, which has been generally critical of the plan, met on Monday night to draft long lists of possible reasons to support, oppose, or stay neutral on the measure. Perhaps, some activists suggested, it might be nice for a group of ardent environmentalists to support something for a change. 

How the Library Measure Won

-
1
How the Library Measure Won

When supporters of local ballot measures go door-to-door to distribute campaign materials, they’re trying to raise awareness and establish what the pundits call “likability” for their issue.
But there’s likability, and then there’s likability. Just ask anyone visited by supporters of Measure S, the $67 million bond and parcel tax aimed at improving Santa Cruz libraries, in the run-up to the June 7 election.
“People are always suspicious when they see someone walking up to their house,” says Casey Coonerty Protti, owner of Bookshop Santa Cruz, who took her two young children with her to walk local precincts in support of Measure S. “Then they see these little kids saying ‘Will you support the libraries?’ You can see their hearts melt immediately.”
As the very last votes are counted, the passage of Measure S—officially, the Santa Cruz Libraries Community Facilities District Bond Issue and Parcel Tax—is all but in the books, with nearly 70 percent approval from local voters. What’s impressive about its victory is not just that it cleared the necessary two-thirds majority, but how it did it. Its remarkably well-organized and executed campaign stands out in contrast to that of Measure Q, the $310 million bond for Cabrillo College that needed a smaller 55 percent majority to pass, but seemed mired in voter confusion over how and by whom funds would be spent—not to mention hobbled by an opposition whose most visible member was himself a Cabrillo faculty member. Receiving only 52 percent of the vote, Measure Q failed at the ballot box.
Meanwhile, support for Measure S seemed to snowball, with a broad base of volunteers that ranged in age from kids like Protti’s to seniors, across income levels and also across the geographical landscape, since all 10 branches in the county stood to benefit and got the vote out in their own communities.
“We had a whole bunch of hard workers and volunteers who did the phone banking and walked the precincts and a lot of other stuff,” says Santa Cruz Mayor Cynthia Mathews, who many credit with shepherding Measure S to victory. “And we got a really early start on endorsements, I think that was one of our strengths. In January, we started calling groups and getting on their agendas. We got every school board in the service area to endorse. We got children’s groups, we got seniors’ groups, we got business groups, we got labor groups. We had over 50 organizations.”
So effective was the Yes on S education and outreach effort that the measure ended up with no organized opposition. But its network of support didn’t just materialize because of voter loyalty to libraries. It was won through months of hard work to bring out that loyalty, by explaining to basically anyone who would listen exactly what the libraries do for their constituents, what was in (sometimes dire) need of improvements in the system, and how exactly Measure S money would be spent to make those improvements.
“We’re in small communities—you can go out and talk to all those groups. Go speak to the Aptos Rotary, or the Scotts Valley Chamber. It’s all time—you’ve got to call, you’ve got to get on their agenda, you’ve got to send someone,” says Mathews. “But I think that really deep grassroots work was a big part of it. By the end of the talk, they’ve had their questions answered. That’s what you get from personal contact.”
But what most distinguishes this tightly run and extremely economical campaign (it cost $65,000, of which $40,000 was donated by Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries) is the amount of preparation that went into it before Measure S was even drafted. Beginning in 2013 with the Facilities Master Plan that was drawn up with the future goal of a ballot measure like S in mind, Mathews and a core group of library staff and supporters began an extremely complicated process of getting the library system’s own house in order, as the existing Joint Powers Authority—the agreement through which the county and cities run the local library system—was set to expire in 2017.
“We thought, ‘well there has to be a new Joint Powers Agreement and a new financing agreement,’” says Mathews. “If we’re going to go to the voters for money, the first thing they’re going to ask is ‘Who’s in charge of this thing?’ All that had to be worked out simultaneously.”
These were complications most ballot measure organizers never have to face, especially if they’re dealing with a tax measure in a single jurisdiction, and it took a couple of years just to hammer out.
“It was dicey. It was very tricky,” says Mathews. “Let me just say it was a lot of negotiation. That was not really visible to the public. It was a lot of preparation. But it had to happen in order for there to be a strong campaign without a lot of extraneous issues or question marks.”
In the end, the process also brought a unity to a campaign that supporters would rely on to win.
“I think the challenge for us in bringing our campaign together at the beginning was seeing it as a system-wide campaign, and not just Felton getting their library, and Capitola getting their library, and Aptos getting theirs,” says Mathews. “We definitely had to solidify as a system-wide campaign, and we did it early on.”
As news of the measure’s success spreads, other cities are beginning to take notice of what the Measure S campaign accomplished here. “I’ve been called by other libraries asking how we did it,” says Janis O’Driscoll, who took over as interim director for the library system last year. She thinks the key is that the education effort reached back long before there was a tax measure to pitch. Because of that, the outreach became a genuine dialogue, she says.
“Don’t talk to the community only when you want to ask them for something,” advises O’Driscoll. “We worked hard at making people understand what the library does for [them]. By the time I started going out when we had a specific ballot measure to talk about, they already knew what the library was about.”
For Mathews, the key to passing a ballot measure like S is pulling together the most comprehensive effort possible. “Get together a team that combines experience and energy, because it’s a long slog, and you need different talents,” she says.
Protti’s advice is way simpler.
“If you want any measure to pass in Santa Cruz,” she says, “get Cynthia Mathews involved.”

Music Picks June 22 – 29

Local music for the week of June 22, 2016
Read more

Be Our Guest: Jorge Santana

Win tickets to Jorge Santana at the Catalyst on June 29.
Read more

Love Your Local Band: Jeff Blackburn & Friends

Jeff Blackburn & Friends plays June 29 at the Crow's Nest
Read more

Is it time for a serious conversation about gun laws?

“Yes. As someone coming from outside the U.S., we watch all of this happen from afar and can’t understand why nothing is done about it.” Liz Baker Sydney, Australia Education “It’s an important issue that needs to be talked about, and it’s been ignored for too long....
Read more

Opinion June 22, 2016

Plus Letters to the Editor
Read more

Capitola Goes European at Bouchees

Sandwich spot delivers big taste in bite sizes
Read more

‘A’ for Alfaro

A refreshing Chardonnay from Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery
Read more

Film Review: ‘Dark Horse’

Working-class horse triumphs in crowd-pleasing documentary
Read more

RTC Approves Ballot Tax Measure

nextspace santa cruz coworking
Transportation proposal clears hurdles and wins coveted endorsement
Read more

How the Library Measure Won

What the passage of Measure S in Santa Cruz County says about how to run a campaign
Read more
1...904905906...1,000Page 905 of 1,000
17,623FansLike
8,845FollowersFollow
good times santa cruz logo
CURRENT ISSUE & ARCHIVES
East Bay Express cover
East Bay Express cover
CURRENT ISSUE & ARCHIVES
Newsletters Subscribe Advertise About Us Contact Us Letter to the Editor Press Release Obituaries Writing an Obituary Archives Find a Paper Distribute Good Times Vote for Best Of Plaques & Banners
contests, giveaways, enter to win, free
California News Coronavirus Environment National News Local News Cover Stories
Art Dance Film Literature Music Music Picks Stage
Astrology Letters to the Editor Opinion Wellness
Dining Reviews Foodie File Vine & Dine
Profiles
All Upcoming Events Today's Events Submit an Event Promote Your Event Things to Do This Week Clubgrid
This Week's Issue Last Week's Issue Flip-Through Editions Special Publications
weeklys california local media group logo

FOLLOW US

Copyright © Weeklys All rights reserved.

OUR PUBLICATIONS

ADVERTISING Advertise Ad Planner/Issue Schedule Legal Submit an Obituary Legal NoticesFictitious Business Name (FBN) StatementsDoing Business As (DBA) NoticesTrustee Sale Notices

COMPANY INFO Job Opportunities Journalism Awards Privacy Policy Terms of Service

Support Local Journalism