Let me introduce our newest column, “Take a Hike with Richard Stockton,” which will introduce locals and tourists to great places to explore and walk through. Richard is a crazy hiker, who among other trail blazing, has hiked the coast from Santa Cruz to the Golden Gate Bridge and back three times with his hiking buddies. He’s also explored the woods and the backwoods and will give you the best tips to follow along.
We’ll run it online weekly and in the paper sporadically. Hike on, dudes.
And make sure to check out the article by Dan Emerson about Donny McCaslin. He put on one of the best concerts I saw last year, a real shocker because he did things on the sax I’ve never heard before. No wonder David Bowie fell in love with this Aptos High grad. He’s another true trailblazer.
Most of us take breathing for granted. I mean, it happens all the time. However, it’s become an important focus in the world of wellness. Our wellness writer, Elizabeth Borelli, has written a book on breathing called Breathe into Breakthrough.
“At its core, breathwork is simply intentional breathing, where practitioners focus on the rate, depth, and rhythm of their breath to influence their state of being consciously,” she writes in her column this week. Do me a favor: if this helps you breakthrough, drop us a line at ed****@we*****.com and let others know about your experience.
Don’t miss our Health & Garden section in this issue, not just for excellent tips by Jillian Steinberger but for my article about bird feeders with built-in bird feeders. That invention has given me so much joy. I wonder what you think.
That section also has stories about high schoolers learning to plant by Mathew Chipman and one about about growing weeds by Richard Stockton. Well, one weed in particular.
We also cover the local TEDx in this issue, with a series of speakers on social justice and diversity. It’s sold out, so you’ll have to read this story by Josué Monroy to learn about it.
Thanks for reading.
Brad Kava | Editor
Photo Contest
ANCHOR AWAY This photo was taken at the East Cliff Harbor, on the wharf by the lighthouse. Photograph by Deborah Gorlin
Good Idea
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and a time to put safety in the driver’s seat. Santa Cruz Police Department will be actively looking for drivers throughout the month who are in violation of the state’s hands-free cell phone law.
In 2021, there were at least 140 people killed in distracted driving traffic crashes. Under current law, drivers are not allowed to hold a phone or electronic communications device while operating a vehicle, even when stopped at a red light. Using a handheld cell phone while driving is punishable by a fine and violating the hands-free law a second time within 36 months of a prior conviction for the same offense will result in a point being added to a driver’s record.
Good Work
Santa Cruz has just become the second city in the country to require female and male athletes to be paid the same amount in local competitions. That means surfing, skateboarding, running, walking, disc golfing….you name it. You come here with a contest, you pay equally. Surfers Rachel Kippen and Sabrina Brennan got the ball rolling for equality after an O’Neill competition offered men 10 times more money than women. Parks and Recreation’s Mike Murray brought the ordinance in front of the City Council, even wearing a sports jacket to do it. Half Moon Bay beat us to it, but others are looking to follow, including governing bodies in Hawaii.
If only Congress would require everyone to pay equally! We salute our local officials for taking a big step.
Quote of the week
“There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.”–Kofi Annan
