Cohousing project begins construction in Downtown Santa Cruz

After the recent murders of two Santa Cruz police officers, the builders and future members of Walnut Commons thought about moving their groundbreaking ceremony to a later date, but instead decided to acknowledge the tragedy and stick with their plans.

“It’s so important that we do proceed, because one of the things that is going to get us through this very difficult time is community, and this project is all about community,” Santa Cruz City Councilman Don Lane said at the groundbreaking.

With the recent approval of a loan from Santa Cruz County Bank, construction for the Walnut Commons Cohousing project, a unique residential complex located at the corner of Walnut Avenue and Center Street in Downtown Santa Cruz, begins this week. Project engineers hope to have the building completed by early 2014.

Walnut Commons will contain three stories with 19 independent units, as well as a 3,000 square-foot common area with a kitchen, dining room, entertainment center, and recreational space for all residents to use. Most of the units have been filled, but six remain.

San Francisco Giants World Championship Trophy Tour comes to Soquel High School

San Francisco Giants fans will have the opportunity this Tuesday, March 5 to bask in the glory of the 2010 and 2012 world championship trophies.

The trophies will be on display at Soquel High School from 6-8 p.m., where fans will be able to snap their own pictures or get a professional photo taken with the trophy starting at $20.

The tour is put on by the by the Giants to share the feeling of victory with the public and Junior Giants Leagues across Northern and Central California.

“The pride about our leagues matches the pride I felt when I first saw the trophies,” says Elizabeth Schilling, commissioner for the Live Oak Junior Giants League.

SCPD to hold memorial service March 7

Officers of the Santa Cruz Police Department returned to the streets in their black and white cruisers Friday morning, though their grief following the loss of two of their fellow policemen earlier this week has not yet even begun to subside.

A huge display of support from the community throughout the day has helped police to stay strong and feel the love, said SCPD Deputy Chief Steve Clark.

“People are waving; giving us thumbs up; thank yous; the community support is absolutely humbling,” he says. “It has sustained us through this time.”

The memorial for Sgt. Loran 'Butch' Baker and detective Elizabeth Butler, both killed on Tuesday, Feb. 26 by suspect Jeremy Goulet, also deceased, will take place at noon on Thursday, March 7 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. It had originally been planned for Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, but the crowd is expected to exceed that venue's capacity.

Deaths of two police officers shock and sadden Santa Cruz 

As more than 100 people prepared to participate in a rally against gun violence at the Town Clock tower on Tuesday, Feb. 26, event organizer Gini Bianchi says multiple police cars suddenly screeched past the crowd, heading rapidly in the direction of Water Street and Branciforte Avenue.

Just after 3:30 p.m., more police cars, paramedic vehicles and a Santa Cruz Fire Truck with its horn blaring raced past, and a moment later helicopters were circling overhead.

Santa Cruz Police Department detectives Sgt. Loran "Butch" Baker and Elizabeth Butler, who were following up on a sexual assault charge called in earlier that week, contacted the 35-year-old suspect Jeremy Goulet at his Branciforte Avenue home. He then gunned down both officers on his doorstep, according Sheriff Phil Wowak and Deputy April Skalland, who spoke during a press conference at the SCPD station on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 27.

Authorities say Goulet then took the officers' weapons and stole Baker's car.

Actress Suzanne Schrag celebrates ‘Two Dozen Years Of Makin’ It Up’ with local improv group Um…Gee…Um

As a member of the Santa Cruz-based nonprofit improvisational theater troupe Um…Gee…Um, local actress Suzanne Schrag can travel to the moon and back, become a member of the CIA, be crowned a princess, and still be home in time for dinner. The company, which will celebrate its 24th anniversary with a show called “Two Dozen Years of Makin’ It Up” on Saturday, Feb. 23 at Broadway Playhouse, was founded by eight students who met in Wilma Marcus Chandler’s Cabrillo College theater improvisation class in 1989, and have been performing together ever since. Their goal? To “to tickle the imagination” by taking the audience with them on their wildly comedic and farcical adventures, which can last anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour.

Local artist/teacher hopes to expand annual teen fashion show with fundraising campaign

Kathleen Crocetti, a local artist and teacher at Mission Hill Middle School in Santa Cruz, seeks support to expand fashionTEENS Santa Cruz, an annual fashion show featuring the recycled designs of and modeled by middle and high school students in Santa Cruz County. Since its inception three years ago, the show has entertained sold-out crowds with one-of-a-kind outfits created with reconstructed clothes found in area thrift shops. The show has gotten so popular over the years that it now requires a much larger space than Mission Hill to accommodate the sell-out crowd. Crocetti has her eyes on the Civic Auditorium for this year’s event, scheduled to take place on April 17, and hopes that a Kickstarter campaign will help make that dream a reality.

Arindam Krishna Das on the making of another smashing rock opera featuring local youth

Arindam Krishna Das is not afraid of taking risks when it comes to his theatrical productions. Since directing his first play at Little People’s Repertory Theater nearly 15 years ago, Das has developed a reputation around Santa Cruz County for his unique artistic vision, go-big-or-go-home mentality, and ability to breathe new life into classic musicals, from “Annie” to “The Rocky Horror Show.” Das plans to continue that tradition this month at San Lorenzo Valley High School, where he will unveil The Who’s “Tommy” on Feb. 15.

Thirty-two SLVHS students will help tell the story of Tommy Walker, a “deaf, dumb and blind boy” who becomes the leader of a messianic movement after discovering his inexplicable mastery of the pinball machine. The rock opera, based on Pete Townshend’s 1969 eponymous double-album which sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, features a number of chart-toppers, including “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” “See Me, Feel Me” and “Pinball Wizard,” and implores the audience to reflect on the social norms of the 1950s and today.

In the days leading up to opening night, we sat down with Das to discuss the art of the rock opera, what it takes to put on a production of this magnitude, and what he hopes the audience will take away from “Tommy.”

BirchBark Foundation announces its launch this spring

When pets and their owners grow together over the years, they become more than just human and animal—they become companions and friends. And like all good friends that stick around, pets can become an indispensable part of the family. So what happens if an unexpected illness or injury threatens a pet’s life, but the treatment they need to survive is beyond the owner’s means?


When faced with circumstances like these, pet owners of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties had few options other than payment plans, adoption, or euthanasia—until now.


The recently launched nonprofit the BirchBark Foundation was formed for “people that have the heart, the house, and all the resources to care for their pet, but suddenly face a catastrophic medical problem they can’t afford to pay for,” says Dr. Merrianne Burtch, founder and president of the BirchBark Foundation.

Throughout her 14 years of treating animals at Pacific Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Service, which she founded in 1999 and co-owns, Burtch says she ran into these sorts of financial crises all too often. In March of last year, she decided to do something about it. 


Land Trust of Santa Cruz County raises $13.5 million to protect local land

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County (LTSCC) recently announced the completion of its 18-month campaign to raise $13.5 million from community members to help protect vital habitats within the county, from the subtle sentience of the Cemex Redwood Forest, to the ancient seafloor of the Sandhills habitat, to the rolling Pajaro Hills east of Watsonville. In total, they have helped to preserve 9,900 acres of land because of the campaign.

In 2011, LTSCC partnered with The Nature Conservancy, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Save the Redwoods League, and Sempervirens Fund, to form the Living Landscape Initiative (LLI), which assisted in protecting the recently acquired CEMEX Redwood forest.

The 8,500-acre CEMEX Redwood Forest north of Davenport was one of the largest unprotected habitats in Santa Cruz County until the LLI acquired the property from CEMEX, a concrete supply company. The forest is a key watershed for four creeks, one of which provides drinking water to Davenport, while another supplements the City of Santa Cruz with 20 percent of its potable water, according to LTSCC’s Outreach Manager Calah Pasley.

Director and UCSC alumnus Christopher Guerrero seeks out the elusive Bill Murray to star in thesis film

Christopher Guerrero, a UC Santa Cruz alumnus and current graduate student of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, has an ambitious vision for his thesis film: to cast one of the most famous men in Hollywood, Bill Murray, in a lead role. It may sound like a pipe dream, but Guerrero and his crew are beyond determined to convince the iconic actor—by any means possible—to join them in Santa Cruz, where they intend to start filming in May of this year. In an effort to gain Murray’s attention, the group of students have established Bill Murray Appreciation Day (BMAD), set to take place on Saturday, Feb. 2, also known as Groundhog Day (a reference to Murray’s 1993 comedy of the same name). The inaugural event will be held on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, where fans dressed up as Bill Murray in his various film roles will embark on a BMAD Bar Crawl. Guerrero hopes that the celebration will extend beyond Los Angeles, however, and that fans will honor the day around the world each year. In preparation for this weekend’s event, we caught up with Guerrero to discuss his film, the new holiday, and the progress of his quest.