Page 923 – Good Times

Love Your Local Band: Moshe Vilozney

A&E
Music

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March 28, 2016

Moshe Vilozny recalls when Michael Franti joined him and his band Universal Language on stage a decade ago at NorCal’s Reggae on the River. After putting so much work into his world-beat fusion dance band, he felt like he was seeing the fruits of his labor.
But for the past eight years, Universal Language has not been so active. Vilozny suddenly had a baby to make time for, plus member David “Pacha” Alvares moved back to Mexico and it didn’t feel the same without him.
Still, that drive to create never went away. Vilozny is currently raising funds for his debut solo album, which will feature music he’s been working on over the last several years.
“It’s something that wouldn’t have the dance floor jumping for a couple hours straight,” Vilozny says. “The new album, it’s more intimate and acoustic. It’s still got some groove, but I would say it’s more Americana, roots, soul. It’s more of a songwriter, storytelling approach, more about the lyrics and the song and having more sparse arrangements.”
The songs on the album are ready to record, which he plans to do once the project gets funded via Kickstarter. He’ll be playing guitar and singing on the record, with Dan Robbins on upright bass, Gary Kehoe on percussion, and his brother Boaz Vilozny on harmony vocals.
“These songs just happened. I didn’t set out to write them. It’s basically a natural evolution, just me being comfortable and playing really for myself. It’s been a process of not trying to please anyone, just playing for the joy of music,” Vilozny says. “A lot of these songs are about my personal experiences and where I’m at right now.”
INFO: To learn more about the Kickstarter campaign, visit moshev.com.

Music Calendar Mar 23-Mar 29

GT Staff

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March 28, 2016

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WEDNESDAY 3/23

FOLK

BRYAN MCPHERSON

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone on the touring circuit as passionate as Bryan McPherson. The acoustic singer-songwriter, originally from Boston but now living in L.A., plays his guitar with more ferocity than most rockers shred on their axe. And his voice will fill a room with or without a microphone. His songs range from highly political (he wrote several songs about the Occupy movement) to intimately personal, and the excitement he generates at his live shows with just himself and his guitar rivals that of an eight-piece band. AARON CARNES
INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994

BLUEGRASS

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

Hailing from the mountain town of Nederland, Colorado, by way of Urbana, Illinois, Yonder Mountain String Band is one of the outstanding acts in the progressive bluegrass movement. With an inventive, improvisational style that bridges rock, bluegrass and jazz, YMSB is a favorite on the jam band festival circuit as well as in roots circles. CAT JOHNSON
INFO: 8 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. 423-1338.

THURSDAY 3/24

REGGAE

RAS ATTITUDE

St. Croix reggae sensation Ras Attitude returns to Rasta Cruz with his message of peace, love and unity. Born the son of a gospel singer, this artist from the Virgin Islands began singing at a young age at church, and found his stage legs by age 7. In 2001, his debut album, Happiness, introduced the world to his blend of soulful reggae with a hip-hop twist. Since then, Ras Attitude has released an additional six more albums, with his latest, Hold the Vibes, released in 2012. MAT WEIR
INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $10/adv, $15/door. 479-1854.

ROCK

PUFFBALL DANCE COLLECTIVE

The Puffball Dance Collective promises to lift you to “new heights of collective dancing puffball consciousness.” How will they do this, you ask? By creating extended music jams out of their original compositions and classic rock covers (Grateful Dead, Steely Dan, Allman Brothers). What does any of this mean, and what’s with the whole puffball talk? Just go with it. The members of this local supergroup are experts at long jams, and if that’s your thing, it’s sure to be an exhilarating experience. AC
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $8/adv, $10/door. 335-2800

ROCK

WARREN HAYNES

Warren Haynes is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock guitarists ever. His work with the Allman Brothers Band, the Grateful Dead, and his own Gov’t Mule has made him a favorite among jam band audience and guitar shredders alike. And he’s a honey-voiced singer-songwriter with a handful of albums under his own name. On Thursday, Haynes comes to town with the Ashes & Dust Band, comprising progressive bluegrass trio ChessBoxer and acclaimed drummer Jeff Sipe. CJ
INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $29/gen, $45/gold. 423-8209.

FRIDAY 3/25

METAL

KINNEFRET

In today’s more-brutal-than-thou metal scene, it takes a truly grotesque band to turn heads and make people pay attention. Hailing from the grimy streets of Oakland, Kinnefret is one of those bands. As soon as someone presses “play,” everyone within listening range is liable to turn their head with a look of crazed bewilderment. They may be even more shocked when they hear lead vocalist Chelsea Rocha joined by lead guitarist Artak Ozan—singing in Farsi. They’ll be joined by Stormbat, Warcorpse and Depths of Chaos for local metalhead Gianluigi’s birthday bash. MW
INFO: 9 p.m. Blue Lagoon, 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $5. 423-7117.

SATURDAY 3/26

FOLK-ROCK

LANGHORNE SLIM

New York-based folk-rocker Langhorne Slim (born Sean Scolnick) wears his heart on his sleeve in all the right ways. His 2012 album The Way We Move was one of the musical bright spots of the year, with raw, honest and soulful lyrics wrapped up in singalong-worthy melodies. Last year’s acclaimed album, The Spirit Moves, is full of joy, sorrow and introspection, and is catchy as hell. As good as Slim is, he seems to only be getting better. On Saturday, he’s joined by alt-country artist Johnny Fritz for an intimate, seated set. CJ
INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $20. 423-1338.

SUNDAY 3/27

INDIE-FOLK

SNOWAPPLE

Snowapple likes to think of themselves as a folk trio, but it might sound a bit surreal if what you have in mind is, well, folk music. The Dutch girls each bring unique elements to the ensemble. Laurien was an opera singer, and played in gypsy punk bands. Una was a jazz singer. Laura was a conductor and composer in Latvia. All these elements combined create music that is a David Lynch take on folk music. Their harmonies are creepy, and the music is cinematic and bizarre. They play the standard acoustic folksy instruments, but also include things like the glockenspiel and accordion, as well. AC
INFO: 7 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $10/adv, $12/door. 335-2800

MONDAY 3/28

AFRICAN

ACOUSTIC AFRICA: HABIB KOITÉ & VUSI MAHLASELA

Stylistically and culturally Habib Koité and Vusi Mahlasela have little in common, aside from the fact they’re both committed to using their gorgeous music as a vehicle for social uplift. Koité is a charismatic guitarist, bandleader and vocalist who has crafted a lapidary sound drawing on rhythms and traditions from across Mali, the ethnically diverse, landlocked West African nation that’s home to a vast array of musical riches. Mahlasela, a breathtaking solo performer, spent his early years on the front line in the struggle against South African apartheid, and he rocketed to fame upon the ascension of Nelson Mandela to the presidency. They’ve become close confederates over the course of several co-headlining tours together, buoyed by the contrast of Koité’s earthy grit and Mahlasela’s skybound sound. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 and 9 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $30/adv, $35/door. 427-2227.

IN THE QUEUE

CANDACE
Garage-rock trio out of Portland. Thursday at Crepe Place
PAT TRAVERS BAND
Rock and blues legend. Friday at Moe’s Alley
MONKEY BOYS
Long-running Santa Cruz rock band. Friday at Don Quixote’s
PAINTED MANDOLIN
Acoustic tribute to Jerry Garcia. Friday at Kuumbwa
GEOGRAPHER
Indie dream pop out of San Francisco. Tuesday at Catalyst

In Good Company

Local News

Kara Guzman

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March 28, 2016

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Two years ago, when her son was about to start preschool, former journalist Sonia McMoran readied to re-enter the workforce.
“My issue was that every time that I sent my resume, I was already dreading it. I was dreading the possibility of getting that job and working a 9-to-5 where somebody else was dictating my creative levels,” said McMoran.
At her husband’s urging, McMoran decided to pursue her dream of opening a home decor store—a perfect fit given her background in writing on interior design. She took a small-business night class at Santa Cruz County SCORE, a Capitola-based business resource center. She got paired with a mentor and received help with her business plan.
McMoran opened Home/Work on Cedar Street in Santa Cruz last year, and is already planning to expand.

Twice in the past year, Santa Cruz has been named one of the top 20 cities in the nation for women entrepreneurs.

She will be one of eight business owners at an Event Santa Cruz discussion titled “The Santa Cruz View” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 24. Styled after the popular daytime television show “The View,” the talk features an all-woman panel which will discuss the pros and cons of local entrepreneurial life.
McMoran says for business women with children, it’s crucial to share the parenting with their partners.
“Try and shed the guilt, because I can guarantee your partner and husband does not feel as much guilt as you for going to work,” she says. “It is very easy for mothers to feel like—and I feel like it’s very self-imposed—they don’t deserve to be an equal partner in a family. They feel this guilt of wearing all these different hats and multitasking to the point where they’re losing their minds.”
Twice in the past year, Santa Cruz has been named one of the top 20 cities in the nation for women entrepreneurs. The two sites, NerdWallet and GoodCall, based their rankings on factors like financing opportunities, local economic health, business climate and educational values.
The NerdWallet report ranks the Santa Cruz area as fourth-best in the U.S. overall for women entrepreneurs, and third for women-owned businesses per 100 residents.
According to the GoodCall list, women own 34 percent of businesses in Santa Cruz, which ranks the city No. 17 in the nation for women entrepreneurs.
Nationally, the glass ceiling has yet to fully shatter, especially at the biggest companies. A report last year found that there were more S&P 1500 companies with a CEO named John than ones that had a woman CEO.

Staying Classy

In addition to SCORE, the county has several resources for budding business owners, such as the Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center at Cabrillo College. Some resources are specifically for women, such as a monthly women’s business meetup group at Santa Cruz’s Pacific Cultural Center and a quarterly luncheon and annual conference “Santa Cruz Women in Business,” hosted by the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce.
Hair stylist Noelle Weatherwax is the 30-year-old owner of Santa Cruz’s Concrete Rose Salon, who will also speak at the March 24 event. Before she launched the salon two years ago, she not only took small-business classes, but also attended free brown-bag lunch talks at the downtown Santa Cruz Public Library for business owners. To raise capital before opening her salon, she sold her car and clothes and launched a successful $6,000 Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
Weatherwax says one thing Santa Cruz offers is a small-town feel. For her ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2014, she dialed then-mayor Lynn Robinson on a whim, and to her surprise, the mayor not only picked up the phone but also said she would come, suggesting Weatherwax call the chamber of commerce as well.
The salon is busy—stylists are booked up to eight weeks in advance—and is known for its community service. In exchange for a salon discount, for example, customers can donate beauty items, or, as Weatherwax calls it, “product graveyard, where your bathroom is full of stuff that you don’t use and don’t like.” The salon, she says, gives the items to the homeless shelter.

Risk Management

Ashley Cramer, who owns The Barre Studio in Capitola where the March 24 event will be held, was in pharmaceutical sales before deciding she wanted to open a ballet-inspired fitness studio.
At first, she pursued opening a barre workout franchise. She secured a bank loan and a location, before realizing she wanted her own business and started over.
“I just had this gut feeling that [the franchise model] wasn’t the right thing for me,” says Cramer, who will also be speaking at the event. “It could have cost me my funding or the space that I found … I trusted my gut knowing that it was risky, and it was one of the best decisions that I had.”
To raise capital, Cramer kept her full-time job in sales during the year she was planning for the studio and the first nine months after it opened.
Managing her time was difficult, and she didn’t think she was going to make it, she says.
“It’s kind of like waiting for a ship to get close to dock. You’re just waiting and waiting for the ship to get closer, and then finally there’s a point where you can jump,” Cramer says.
That extra capital from working two jobs proved crucial, because when construction costs exceeded expectations, it left her with enough to pay rent and staff. That sort of thing, Cramer has learned, is what business owners should be prepared for.
“Plan on a few costly mistakes in your first year,” she says.

Event Santa Cruz will host a talk-show format event at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at the Barre Studio, 2001 40th Ave., Suite C, Capitola. There will be snacks and live performances.

Comanche Cellars

Josie Cowden

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March 28, 2016

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wine1612 — The 2012 Comanche Cellars Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands won a silver medal in the ‘San Francisco Chronicle’ Wine Competition this year.Pinot Noir shows off stellar growing season

Pinot Noir shows off stellar growing season
A Greek friend invited six of us over for dinner, preparing incredibly tasty Hellenic food, including pastitsio, artichokes, a typical Greek “horiatiki” salad, and finishing up with my favorite dessert of galaktoboureko (semolina pie). Along with the popular Greek aperitif ouzo, we had plenty of Retsina wine as well.
I took along a bottle of Comanche Cellars 2012 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ($34) for friends to taste—and it was a sure-fire hit. “It was practically an ideal growing season, with perfect conditions for everything from fruit set to slow, even ripening,” says winemaker and owner Michael Simons of this luscious Pinot. “The wine reflects its sunny heritage beautifully, with aromas of a warm afternoon briar patch, roasted plums, cherry tobacco, rosemary and carob,” he adds. Luscious flavors of tangy berries and black cherries are also captured in the bottle, along with nuances of wild sage and chai.
Simons is turning out some excellent wines, and he’ll be opening up a tasting room in Marina—shared with two other wineries—in about a month’s time. Meanwhile, he’s offering a tasting experience at his home and office in Monterey. “It’s a relaxed and fun guided excursion through the winegrowing process as you learn about all the great vineyards where Comanche Cellars wines begin,” he says. The tasting fee, which includes cheese pairings, is $10 per person. He also has a new label, which still depicts the horseshoes belonging to his much-loved steed Comanche. Although Comanche is no longer around, his name lives on in the winery.
Comanche Cellars, 1198 Harrison St., Monterey, 320-7062. comanchecellars.com

Casa Nostra Dinner

Casa Nostra will be hosting Comanche Cellars on Tuesday, March 29. It’s an opportunity to meet Simons and try his award-winning wines. Five small plates of delicious Italian cuisine will be paired with Simons’ wines as you listen to a live jazz duo. Dinner is served in the restaurant’s garden under a canopy with plenty of heaters to keep guests warm. The dinner is from 6-9 p.m. and tickets are $65 (advance ticket sales only).
Casa Nostra, 9217 Hwy. 9, Ben Lomond, 609-6132. ristorantecasanostra.com. The menu will be posted on Facebook.

Complete this sentence: “If I didn’t drink alcohol …”

Columns

Matthew Cole Scott

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March 23, 2016

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Complete this sentence: “If I didn’t drink alcohol …”

Mix Tapers

A&E
Music

Aaron Carnes

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March 23, 2016

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All barely 20 years old now, the members of Brooklyn trio Sunflower Bean discovered rock ’n’ roll in high school in the 21st century, when all of their peers were listening to anything but. For them, as kids, rock was the most underground music you could listen to.
On their debut record, Human Ceremony, released in February, it’s clear that their rock of choice was all over the board, and they’ve tried to smash everything they heard into one album. It’s certainly enthusiastic, and sounds less like a band trying to regurgitate a retro sound than a young band discovering the music for the first time, and wanting desperately to share it with the world.
The influences include early Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, the Cure, Velvet Underground, Lush, and Tame Impala. And their wild variance can be not just heard in their music, but seen in their look, too. Guitarist/vocalist Nick Kivlen looks strikingly like late-’60s Bob Dylan. Bassist/vocalist Julia Cummings would have looked at home in Siouxsie and the Banshees, while drummer Jacob Faber looks like an indie-folk hipster. This is precisely the jumbled approach they take in their music. It makes perfect sense in the Sunflower Bean universe when they blast those Sabbath power chords in the middle of “Creation Myth” after a couple solid minutes of ’90s jangle-pop.
The album’s single “Wall Watcher” is one of the heavier tunes, influenced by heavy alt, with eerie vocals from Cummings. But it’s not the strongest song, nor is it the best pick for a single. That would be “I Want You To Give Me All Your Time,” the song that follows it immediately on the record. Cummings and Kivlen’s harmonies are somewhere between gorgeous and spooky, and the electric finger-picking guitar work and hook-laden chorus could have easily shot this song up on the alternative rock charts in the ’90s—or maybe the college rock charts in the ’80s.

It makes perfect sense in the Sunflower Bean universe when they blast those Sabbath power chords in the middle of “Creation Myth” after a couple solid minutes of ’90s jangle-pop.

In an interview the band did with NME, they discussed their approach to music as a reaction to the deadly seriousness of the post-rock shoegaze scene. They’re not so much lighthearted—their music is serious and mysterious—but they do have a playful, curious approach to their music that is reminiscent of a brand-new band still figuring out its sound, or at least a band unconcerned with etching out a cohesive marketable image. They’re dabblers, and the jury is out on whether they are aware of when they accidentally dip their feet into uncool territory.
This curiosity is certainly their most enduring trait, but it also gets them in trouble. They are strongest when they see an idea for a song through, rather than pasting different sections together, like the previously mentioned jangle-meets-doom-metal juxtaposition of “Creation Myth.” It’s a fascinating concept, but makes for less repeat listens than other tunes.
“Single Wall Watcher” is strong because it’s short and sweet, and the fact that it doesn’t sound like any other song on the record is a bonus. Other tunes that hit their mark include psych-popper “Human Ceremony,” and the ominous, washed-out shoegaze tune “2013.”
In general, Cummings takes the lead more often than Kivlen. Her voice is an unsettling kind of angelic, while Kivlen tends to wallow in his dark, post-punk melodies. And Cummings is the stronger singer in the group. Her voice is the most suited to the genre hopping. But there’s a certain charm to the songs like “Human Ceremony” where Kivlen pops in with the occasional vocal lines, and their harmonies almost always work splendidly.
Sunflower Bean is only a few years in, and seem like they have stumbled into a solid debut record by covering as many of their bases as possible. If they can refine their sound while keeping their curiosity intact, they’ll go on to great things.

Sunflower Bean play at 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, at the Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

We Tree

Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld

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March 23, 2016

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Who hasn’t heard the story of Johnny Appleseed, the legendary folk hero who planted apple trees across the country? Skilled nurseryman and espouser of simple living, his love of apples has long served American parents trying to get their kids to eat fresh produce. There’s only one problem: the person was real, but much of the story was fiction.
The myth of Johnny Appleseed is what sparked bestselling author Tracy Chevalier’s interest in writing her new novel, At the Edge of the Orchard.
“He wasn’t promoting healthy eating,” she says. “He was mostly selling apple trees that produced hard cider and applejack.” Indeed, Johnny Appleseed, aka John Chapman, was a strategic businessman who planted orchards in anticipation of the settlers who would come to the Ohio Valley needing to plant 50 viable apple trees to stake their claims. “I had this vision of a couple arguing over apples,” says Chevalier, “whether to have sweet eaters or sour spitters [two varieties at the time], him for eating and her for drinking.”
The idea grew from there that she would write about a dysfunctional pioneer family—“the dark side of the Laura Ingalls Wilder tales,” as she puts it. She also wanted to write about the great migration west, which gave birth to the most problematic American myth of all: The American Dream. As she dove into the kind of detailed research she’s known for, she pegged its iconic beginnings during the Gold Rush.

“This is a book about migration, and trees migrated alongside people,” says Chevalier. You look out a window, see a tree, and think it’s always going to be there. But trees as a species do move around, and get moved around. For me, that was underlying the idea of people moving.”

“I realized that that’s where it was minted, so to speak, this idea that you could change your life by reaching into a river and pulling out a nugget of gold to make your fortune,” says Chevalier.
Wrenching movement and infinite potential has shaped the American point of view ever since, and nature played no small part in the story. It is unforgiving to James and Sadie Goodenough, the husband and wife who clash at the beginning of Chevalier’s novel, but it provides solace to their youngest son, Robert, who heads to California in the wake of a family tragedy and ends up working for another real-life tree broker, William Lobb.
“This is a book about migration, and trees migrated alongside people,” says Chevalier. You look out a window, see a tree, and think it’s always going to be there. But trees as a species do move around, and get moved around. For me, that was underlying the idea of people moving.” She points out that apple trees came from Kazakhstan, along the silk route to Persia and Italy. “The Romans brought them to England,” she says, “and from there they came to the States.”
It might surprise readers to learn what trees William Lobb and Robert Goodenough sent back to Victorian England: redwoods and sequoias. “You can still see them in parts of the country,” Chevalier says. “They’re much smaller than redwoods that have been growing in California for hundreds of years, but they’re getting there.” She remembers spotting a small grove from a train window as she traveled through the British countryside. The nearby village had street names like “Redwood Way.” Sequoias can be seen too, on the grounds of Downton Abbey-style estates, exerting their distinctly American presence.
Pioneers and refugees often share the same goals, to transform hardship and seek opportunity, but Chevalier reminds us that it’s the business people surrounding them who more often profit. “Most miners during the gold rush didn’t make a fortune,” she says. “The people who did were the ones selling them the shovels and sacks of cornmeal.”
Even in the sweeping landscape of westward migration, where profiteers reap the most, it’s through family members navigating their way from brutal beginnings that we come to understand the greatest myth of all: that we can outrun our troubles. Chevalier sums up the cost of redemption.
“It goes hand in hand with the idea of moving across the country, always heading West,” she says. “When you reach the Pacific, you can’t go any further. You have to turn around and face what you’ve been running from.”

Tracy Chevalier will read from and discuss her new book at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.

From The Editor

Uncategorized

Steve Palopoli

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March 23, 2016

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Plus Letters To the Editor

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That’s a Rep

Local News

Jacob Pierce

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March 23, 2016

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As Joe Williams surveyed the congressional race for District 20, he kept waiting for a proven local liberal like Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel), Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley) or Assemblymember Luis Alejo (D-Salinas) to jump in.
But Williams, a hospital lab technician, says they were all scared off by Jimmy Panetta, the son of political heavyweight Leon Panetta, who racked up endorsements quickly after current Congressmember Sam Farr (D-Carmel) announced his retirement.
“He walked in as a fait accompli,” Williams says. “That’s not democracy to me.”
Three years ago, the Monterey Herald wrote a story about Leon Panetta campaigning for Sam Farr in exchange for the lawmaker’s endorsement of his son. Farr officially endorsed Jimmy Panetta last week.
Now that he’s running, Williams has been slamming local media, GT included, for covering the District 20 election as a two-person race between Panetta and Republican Casey Lucius.
Williams, Panetta and Lucius are joined on the ballot by Jack Digby, a Capitola ironworker, and Jay Blas Cabrera, who has run for Santa Cruz City Council in the past. Other candidates include Barbara Honegger, a 9/11 truther based in Carmel Valley, who ran against Farr in 1993, and Benjamin Joseph Julius Strickland, who did not submit any contact information and doesn’t appear to have a web presence.
Williams’ campaign is motivated by his work in unions and by Bernie Sanders‘ presidential campaign. Unlike Lucius and Panetta (both of them military veterans), Williams would like to halt wars overseas. He plans to leverage social media to galvanize support, encouraging followers to pen letters to the editor for local newspapers. His goal is to come in second to Panetta in the June 7 primary and get a head-to-head race with him in November, raising important issues along the way.
“I’ve done it before. I’m not scared of these people,” Williams says. “I’m not scared by money and names and military uniforms and all that. It’s like, let’s do it. Here I am. For the next 80-odd days until the election. Let’s see what I can do.”

Ticket Snub

Local News

Mat Weir

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March 23, 2016

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Paul Steffen is in the midst of one of Santa Cruz’s greatest stresses: looking for a place to live. Currently living out of the Paige Smith building at the Homeless Services Center (HSC), he has applied to 15 places over the last several months, and has been turned away 15 times.
“I want to stay in Santa Cruz,” says the 62-year-old Steffen, stroking his bright-red-dyed goatee. “I’ve lived in other places, but this is my home.”
Steffen says he has a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), commonly known as a Section 8 voucher, to help assist with the rent. Time is ticking, with his voucher expiring next month, he says. In the Santa Cruz rental market, a housing voucher is no golden ticket.
“I think anyone with a voucher is having a harder time [finding housing] than someone without one,” says Shannon Healer, the director of the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH).
Federally funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the HCV provides rental assistance for low-income people and families. They can apply for various vouchers through collaborative groups like HSC and the 180/2020 housing project. There are also special vouchers awarded to veterans with applications through the Veterans Resource Center and Veterans Services.
While the program is meant to help people with financial or medical problems, it often comes with its own set of stigmas and stipulations. Scouring Craigslist housing ads, an attachment at the end often reads, “No Section 8.” California law does not allow landlords to discriminate based on source of income, but the housing voucher is considered a subsidy and therefore not a source of income. Some cities and counties throughout the state have prohibited discrimination against housing applicants with Section 8 vouchers, but Santa Cruz has not.

While both Kramer and Healer say the waiting period averages about six to eight weeks, several recipients told GT it took six months to a year.

“There are some efforts underway statewide to prohibit landlords from this practice,” Jenny Panetta, director of the county’s Housing Authority, tells GT via email. “But we are focusing our efforts on incentivizing landlords to give the program another look.”
“There’s a lot of misinformation about Section 8,” says Phil Kramer, the interim director of HSC. Incentives for landlords to choose Section 8 candidates include competitive prices, which keep up with market rates, and the fact that HUD directly deposits money into the landlord’s account.
There are currently more than 2 million active HUD vouchers throughout the nation, Panetta says. Santa Cruz County has about 4,500, of which about 4,200 are “leased up,” according to Panetta, meaning they’ve already found a place to live with the voucher.
Healer says 286 veterans have vouchers through VASH. “About 71 percent are in use, and the remaining are either waiting or at some stage of the process of obtaining a voucher,” she says.
In the struggle for affordable housing, veterans have been given an extra helping hand with the “Be a Hero: Help A Hero” program, announced in November. A collaborative effort between veteran and housing authorities, the program aims to house 193 veterans by the end of 2016.
Kramer estimates the shelter is currently working with about 150 people who are looking for housing, 90 percent of them with vouchers from a variety of places.
The application process for Section 8 vouchers is often mired in bureaucratic red tape, and it can take months for applicants to be notified if they qualify. While both Kramer and Healer say the waiting period averages about six to eight weeks, several recipients told GT it took six months to a year. When the voucher comes, the work continues.
“Once you get the voucher you have 60 days to find a place,” Steffen says. “Which just isn’t realistic in Santa Cruz.”
After those two months, voucher holders can apply for two additional 60-day extensions. Veterans receive an initial 120-day window, twice that of civilians, to find a place, with the same two extensions. If the vouchers do not get used within the time frame, they are recycled to the next eligible recipient. The problem is the waiting list for HCV and Low Income Public Housing is currently closed. According to the Housing Authority’s website, it is unknown when the waiting list will be reopened, and as of May 2015, 4,800 households were waiting to get on the list.
Section 8 vouchers cover only part of the rent, and recipients are told to spend roughly 30 percent of their income on rent. That means that if someone has an $800-a-month income, but a $1,200 room, the voucher holder generally pays only $240, with the federal government paying the other $960.
Administrators like Kramer are bewildered by the reluctance of landlords to take housing vouchers for rentals. He suggests that maybe some landlords are frightened by the prospect of mandatory property inspections that come with renting to someone on Section 8. “But this is done by the Housing Authority, not the city or county. Basically they are seeing if it’s safe and lives up to basic living standards,” he says. “They are not looking for [building] code violations.”
Steffen says that no matter what, his plan is to “just keep on looking.”
“We’re often told by caseworkers not to ask [prospective landlords] if they take Section 8,” he explains. “It’s easier to just take the application and tell the landlord after you return. You’ll have a better chance, but still not much of one.”

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WEDNESDAY 3/23

FOLK

BRYAN MCPHERSON

BLUEGRASS

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

THURSDAY 3/24

REGGAE

RAS ATTITUDE

ROCK

PUFFBALL DANCE COLLECTIVE

ROCK

WARREN HAYNES

FRIDAY 3/25

METAL

KINNEFRET

SATURDAY 3/26

FOLK-ROCK

LANGHORNE SLIM

SUNDAY 3/27

INDIE-FOLK

SNOWAPPLE

MONDAY 3/28

AFRICAN

ACOUSTIC AFRICA: HABIB KOITÉ & VUSI MAHLASELA

IN THE QUEUE

Staying Classy

Risk Management

Casa Nostra Dinner