Here’s the number that jumped out at me in our cover story:
“Female founders receive only two percent of VC funds in the US, minority founders are largely overlooked, too, and few founders outside of Silicon Valley, especially those who did not attend Stanford or Harvard, are funded by VC.”
So, in a country that prides itself on the idea that all people are created equal, the financials show it’s not the case. It’s not even close. More than half of the entrepreneurs live on couch change, while others earn enough to buy yachts so big they have to remove and build new bridges to get them out of the harbor.
All the more reason to celebrate the work of Hillary Talbot and Jenny Kuan, who are training women to build companies and giving free business courses.
And speaking of successful women, the story’s author is Jeanne Howard, who ran Good Times and other publications for decades.
Jeanne has turned her attention these days to serious charity work and has won awards for her civic efforts with the yearly charity called Santa Cruz GIves.
There are serious lessons in the cover story for everyone. History is against you and the odds are tough, but with the help of locals, you can blaze a new path.
Also in this issue, we have a serious rundown of lesser-known classical music events in Christina Waters’ Performance column. That’s one to clip and save to find the music not everyone knows about.
The writer DNA profiles a pair of brothers who are playing the Ugly Mug, a coffee shop that is also a top, intimate concert venue.
You would think a Hollywood star who has appeared in so many 1980s movies would have it all, but Andrew McCarthy didn’t have friends and he wrote a great book about his travels to go out and meet them. Steve Kettmann, an author himself, says he couldn’t recommend enough McCarthy’s book Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America.
To top it off, you can meet McCarthy and friend him at the Rio Theatre Saturday night. I love when famous people hit our town.
Be careful when you read this week’s March 31 Astrology column…keep in mind what the next day is.
Writer Sean Rusev drove up the hill on an Iranian holiday to talk to UCSC students about how they feel about being here during a horrendous war. It’s a must-read.
Thanks for reading, and see you at the No Kings Rallies.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
THE ONLY GOOD MONARCHS Shot at Lighthouse Point; spring has arrived and Monarchs are clustering in the trees. Photograph by Brian McIntyre
GOOD IDEA
There will be a community discussion about transportation alternatives Thursday 7-8:30pm at the Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz Personal Rapid Transit (SCPRT), Silicon Valley Clean Cities Coalition (SVCCC), and LoopWorks are organizing the forum to discuss whether the promised value of adding robo-taxis and podcars is worth the expected costs. Presenters include Rob Means (LoopWorks, podcar advocate); Lani Faulkner (Equity Transit – Tránsito de Equidad); Elaine Johnson (Housing Santa Cruz County, NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch); Hannah Fairbairn (Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired) and Matt Farrell (Friends of the Rail & Trail).
GOOD WORK
Cabrillo College has renamed its observance of César Chávez Day on March 31 to Farmworkers Rights Day, reflecting a renewed commitment to social justice, human dignity, and the rights of farmworkers. The decision follows recent public reporting on multiple accusations of sexual abuse by César Chávez and survivor accounts that have prompted institutions nationwide to reexamine how they commemorate the statewide holiday. In Cabrillo’s Community Health Worker (CHW) academic program, students and faculty work with farmworkers, serving as frontline workers that are part of the healthcare team, and are trusted members of their community. They help secure access to health care, coordinate timely access to primary care, behavioral health, and preventative services, and help individuals manage chronic conditions.
