Several structures of historical significance on the UC Santa Cruz campus and in nearby Pogonip park were officially entered into the National Register of Historic Places in a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 30. The area received the honor because of its long history in the lime industry—several preserved buildings on the UCSC campus house historical lime kilns, helping to preserve the legacy of when Santa Cruz was once the largest exporter of lime in California.
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UCSC Honored For Rich Lime Kiln History
As the sun set over UC Santa Cruz on Oct. 30, community members gathered to recognize the school’s rich history.
Several structures on campus and the nearby Pogonip City Park have been entered into the National Register for Historic Places because of their significance in California’s limestone industry. The entire district covers 30 acres and includes the granary, now a childcare center; the Cook House, now the admissions office; the Cardiff House, now the women’s center; and other buildings including several lime kilns.
Friday’s event was held at the base of campus near many of the historic buildings. Chancellor George Blumenthal, County Supervisor Neal Coonerty, Former Assemblyman John Laird, and Friends of the Cowell Lime Works President Frank Perry spoke at the ceremony. The event was held to unveil a plaque outside the Cook House honoring UCSC’s inclusion to the list.
The Ticker
Final Curtain Call for Capitola Theater
The Capitola Theater, long ago the Capitola Hotel that tragically burned to the ground in 1929, seems destined for a re-incarnation closer to its former self.
Developer Barry Swenson Builder plans to tear down the boarded up Capitola Theater to make way for a new hotel on the property before the end of the year. While the theater, which remained basically unchanged during its operation from 1948 to 1996, is well regarded by nostalgic citizens there is little in the actual design of the building to qualify it for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or the California Register of Historic Resources.
Developers, owners, and town councilmen alike hope that the new hotel will be a centerpiece for Capitola Village and a new source of economic growth.
The Ticker
Brookdale Inn Haunted by Legal Problems
Sanjiv Kakkar, new owner of the Brookdale Inn and Spa, was arrested on multiple charges by detectives on Oct. 19.
According to the district attorney's office Kakkar was arrested on suspicion of not having workers compensation insurance, paying workers with bad checks, and failing to pay an employee's medical bill after he was hurt on the job.
Kakkar is also under investigation for a fire in August that burned 20 apartments and four cars at the lodge in August, the death of a local man, 35, just days after he fell into a construction hole near the lodge's pool in September, and many unpaid bills.
Kakkar was released on $75,000 dollar bail the evening of his arrest and continues to manage the once famous property.
The Ticker
Water Restriction Lifted
Water restrictions will be lifted for Santa Cruz City water customers as of Nov. 1. The restriction that was put in place in May of this year limited outdoor irrigation to two days due to three consecutive dry winters for California. The goal of these restrictions was to reduce the demand for city water by 15 percent, therefore preserving our local reservoirs. Santa Cruz City water customers have saved 14 percent of water since the restrictions were put in place and although the ban will be lifted, a water conservation Representative for the Santa Cruz Water Department, Clara Cartwright, still encourages customers to “continue using water wisely.”
The Ticker
Top of the Class
UC Santa CRUz has been nominated for the honor of Most Vegetarian-Friendly College, a contest run by Peta2, the “world’s largest youth animal rights organization.” UCSC is one of 32 nominees in Peta2’s fourth annual contest, chosen for its outstanding selection of vegan and vegetarian options in school dining halls and restaurants. To vote for UCSC, visit peta2.com/college.
The Ticker
UCSC Pledges to Double Fundraising Efforts
UC President Mark Yudof announces that all UC campuses are trying to raise $1 billion in the next four years for student financial support systems. UC campuses need fundraisers to support student’s access and affordability to a higher education due to the continual rise in tuition fees and ever-deepening budget cuts. UCSC is attempting to help their students by fundraising through the UCSC Parents Fund, which directly benefits UCSC students, the Undergrad Scholarship Fund, the Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship Fund and the Graduate Students Fellowship.
The Ticker
In the top story of the unfinished E.C. Rittenhouse building on Pacific Avenue, UC Santa Cruz students and staff gathered along with community members to welcome Technical Director Mark Henne of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios back to Santa Cruz.
Henne received his Master of Science from UCSC in 1990 and began working for Pixar in 1994. The UCSC Baskin School of Engineering invited Henne to speak about his involvement with the film “Toy Story” and coordinated the event with Nextspace.
The lecture was part of UCSC’s Pixar week, which will also feature documentary “The Pixar Story” Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Del Mar. The week will conclude with a speech by Ed Catmul of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios at the UCSC Music Recital Hall Friday, Oct. 23, 2009 at 3 p.m..
“People ask what my favorite Pixar films are, and ‘Toy Story’ is definitely at the top of the list,” said Henne, who has also worked on “WALL.E,” “Monster’s INC,” “A Bug’s Life” and “The Incredibles.” “There is nothing like the making of the first ever Pixar film.”
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Santa Cruz Welcomes Back Pixar Icon
In the top story of the unfinished E.C. Rittenhouse building on Pacific Avenue, UC Santa Cruz students and staff gathered along with community members to welcome Technical Director Mark Henne of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios back to Santa Cruz.Henne received his Master of Science from UCSC in 1990 and began working for Pixar in 1994. The UCSC Baskin School of Engineering invited Henne to speak about his involvement with the film “Toy Story” and coordinated the event with Nextspace.
The lecture was part of UCSC’s Pixar week, which will also feature documentary “The Pixar Story” Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Del Mar. The week will conclude with a speech by Ed Catmul of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios at the UCSC Music Recital Hall Friday, Oct. 23, 2009 at 3 p.m..
“People ask what my favorite Pixar films are, and ‘Toy Story’ is definitely at the top of the list,” said Henne, who has also worked on “WALL.E,” “Monster’s INC,” “A Bug’s Life” and “The Incredibles.” “There is nothing like the making of the first ever Pixar film.”
The Ticker
The Amgen Tour will lay its finishing line in Santa Cruz once again
At a press conference held at Bicycle Trip on Soquel Avenue on Thursday, Oct. 22, Mayor Cynthia Mathews officially announced that Stage 3 of the Amgen Bike Race, the race's only coastal route, will be finishing in Santa Cruz.
"We are delighted to be bringing this international race back to Santa Cruz... it elevates the sport of cycling and our cycling industry here to the national stage where we belong." says Mathews.
Matt Twissleman, chairman of the Santa Cruz Local Organizing Committee, says he was pleased with the decision to move the race from February to May of next year. "We see this as a huge positive," says Twissleman. "The weather's gonna be great in May." He went on to say great weather is not only better for cyclists and spectators but also opens up the state geographically. "Now they can bring it to the Sierras... it's going to be longer and harder," he says.
The race will have eight stages and last from May 16 to May 23, coming to Santa Cruz on the 18th.
Karen Kefauver, social media chair for the event in Santa Cruz, will be posting information about the race on Twitter under the name TOCSantaCruz, and urges people to join the Facebook page "2010 Amgen Tour of California - Santa Cruz Stage 3." More information can also be found at amgentourofcalifornia.com.
Amgen Take Two
The Amgen Tour will lay its finishing line in Santa Cruz once againAt a press conference held at Bicycle Trip on Soquel Avenue on Thursday, Oct. 22, Mayor Cynthia Mathews officially announced that Stage 3 of the Amgen Bike Race, the race's only coastal route, will be finishing in Santa Cruz.
"We are delighted to be bringing this international race back to Santa Cruz... it elevates the sport of cycling and our cycling industry here to the national stage where we belong." says Mathews.
Matt Twissleman, chairman of the Santa Cruz Local Organizing Committee, says he was pleased with the decision to move the race from February to May of next year. "We see this as a huge positive," says Twissleman. "The weather's gonna be great in May." He went on to say great weather is not only better for cyclists and spectators but also opens up the state geographically. "Now they can bring it to the Sierras... it's going to be longer and harder," he says.
The race will have eight stages and last from May 16 to May 23, coming to Santa Cruz on the 18th.
Karen Kefauver, social media chair for the event in Santa Cruz, will be posting information about the race on Twitter under the name TOCSantaCruz, and urges people to join the Facebook page "2010 Amgen Tour of California - Santa Cruz Stage 3." More information can also be found at amgentourofcalifornia.com.
The Ticker
Close Call for Shakespeare
UC Santa Cruz Arts Chancellor David Yager and Artistic Director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz Marco Barricelli were pleased to announce that SSC will survive another season. After concerns that the program would be unable to balance its 2009 budget, the theater group is preparing for its 29th season. Yager and Barricelli held a conference call at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct.13, 2009 to announce the good news. Visit goodtimessantacruz.com for more about this and other UCSC updates in GT’s newest blog, News from the Hill, which will dole out university-related news and features each week.
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- No Big Surprises
- The Gypsy
- Transoceana
- Cruzin’ for Inspiration
- Growing Berries Without Bromide
- Town Hall with Assemblymember Mark Stone
- Santa Cruz Calendar
- Uniting All That Has Been Separated
- Santa Cruz Movie Times
- Film, Times & Events: Week of May 16th, 2013
- Vine & Dine: Pine Ridge Vineyards
- Beck to the Future
No Big Surprises
The highly anticipated draft Environmental Impact Report for desal is finally out. Will it change anything? By Elizabeth Limbach When scwd2, the group pursuing the proposed joint desalination plant for the Santa Cruz Water Department and Soquel Creek Water District, set up a booth at the Santa Cruz Earth Day festival in 2012, its reception was less than warm. Signature gathering for Measure P, the “right to vote” on desal ballot measure, was in full swing, as were tensions over the controversial project, which would produce up to 2.5 million gallons per day of desalinated water and cost an estimated $100 million. What were representatives of an energy-intensive desal plant doing among the recycling and conservation booths? That was the attitude Melanie Mow Schumacher, public outreach coordinator for scwd2 (pronounced “squid squared”), remembers sensing.
The Maya-Ixil Move Forward
Local nonprofit works to educate and create opportunity for indigenous communities in Guatemala In an isolated region of the Guatemala mountains called Ixil, the indigenous Maya population was devastated by a civil war between the government and leftist guerrilla factions that spanned 1960 to 1996. During that 36-year war, the Guatemalan military eradicated entire Mayan communities. In what amounted to genocide, soldiers burned Mayan farmlands and homes, raped and tortured the people, and scattered families. By the end of the war, 200,000 Mayans had been killed, 7,000 of whom were Maya-Ixil.
Public Thinking
Watsonville teens host TEDx event Santa Cruz County is no stranger to the TED brand. TED—which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design—talks have come to the area through independently organized events 10 times since 2011. This month, the gathering returns to the county with a new twist, thanks to the Watsonville Youth City Council. TEDxYouth@Watsonville, which will take place Sunday, May 19 at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville, will feature only speakers younger than 19 years old and will traverse topics from racial stereotypes and renewable energy to traditional Mexican dance.
Transoceana
Danny Moriarty’s musical influences have been known to impact his life beyond his local rock band, Transoceana. “I went through two periods,” confesses the singer, guitarist and songwriter. “I borrowed Bono’s mullet look from the ’80s for a while, and then I dressed like I was from the ’70s and had big hair like Jimmy Page.” Bono and Page are also symbolic of Transoceana’s evolution as a band during their three years together.
Cruzin’ for Inspiration
Former resident pays homage to Santa Cruz with locally shot thesis film When he left Santa Cruz for the University of Southern California’s graduate film program in 2010, Christopher Guerrero had completed the film major at UC Santa Cruz in 2008 and worked on campus in the film and digital media department. It wasn’t until he headed south, that Guerrero began to reminisce about the coastal town. “It was really really hard when I moved to L.A., to acclimate and find friends,” he says, adding that—counter to the philosophical, conversational culture of Santa Cruz—he found nowhere in his new town where he could simply sit and talk about life with someone. “I didn’t really realize why I love [Santa Cruz] so much until it was gone.”
Beck to the Future
In celebration of Beck’s solo acoustic show at The Rio, GT explores Song Reader, the alternative rock icon’s most ambitious interactive art piece yet. Here’s an odd little paradox of the digital revolution: The more sophisticated our technology gets, the more our musical milieu begins to resemble that of a bygone era, when song ideas were passed around from musician to musician, perpetually taking on new twists. Dozens of different YouTube users might try their hand at setting somebody’s rant about cats or double rainbows to music, or you might hear the Belgian musician Gotye turning the many and varied covers of his song “Somebody That I Used to Know” into a virtual orchestra (see below).
Growing Berries Without Bromide
Researchers test a new alternative to a controversial chemical The scarecrows perched in Santa Cruz strawberry fields do little to scare away the birds, much less the insects and fungi harbored in the soil. Everything likes to eat strawberries, which makes growing them a risky business. This predicament led UC Santa Cruz professor Carol Shennan to take an unconventional approach to pest management. Nine years ago, the fatal plant disease Verticillium wilt was wiping out strawberry plants at the university farm. Chemicals hardly phase the pathogen, and Shennan saw little improvement with crop rotation, which is typically used to treat infested fields. A visiting plant pathologist from the Netherlands recommended a little-known organic technique called anaerobic soil disinfestation, and, with so few other options, Shennan decided to give it a try.
Uniting All That Has Been Separated
Legal Battles Drag On
More than a year after the 75 River St. occupation, four defendants remain embroiled in ongoing case More than a year and a half since a group occupied the former Wells Fargo building on River Street in an act of protest, felony charges linger on for four of the original defendants and a trial may be imminent. Gabriella Ripley-Phipps, Brent Adams, Cameron Laurendeau and Franklin Alcantara were scheduled to begin trial May 13 in connection with the late 2011 protest. That trial now has been pushed back to September due to scheduling conflicts. The four face a felony charge of vandalism and a misdemeanor for trespassing.
Bringing the Message Home
Former mayor and UCSC student recap their experiences at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women While traveling to New York for the 57th United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), seasoned local activist Jane Weed-Pomerantz had a notion of what to expect. But, with the vast scope of worldwide women’s rights violations presented at the commission, she knew she would still be taken aback at times. “I was worried because I had a feeling I would be finding out what I did find out about women and girls in the world,” says Weed-Pomerantz. “I was trying to brace myself for the knowledge of the reality, because we are really very protected in this country.”
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May Day in the Alps
When my daughter returns to Santa Cruz from her new home in Los Angeles, she comments on how quiet it is here. It was even more so during a trip to Ben Lomond, when we set out for a sample of her second favorite macaroni and cheese. Sitting at the front of the Tyrolean Inn restaurant, the green tarp with plastic windows kept out the chill as well as the noise of an occasional passing car. A new draft beer celebrating the German spring, Maibok ($6) was refreshing, served in a hefty glass stein, but specialty cocktails are unique as well.
The Power of Conversation
Local author Cecile Andrews emphasizes importance of community engagement in newest book Cecile Andrews, author of the new book “Living Room Revolution: A Handbook for Conversation, Community and the Common Good,” probably wouldn’t get along too well with Larry David’s character from HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, known for hiding his face and avoiding communication with anyone he runs into on the street. Andrews is a longstanding part-time Santa Cruz (part-time Seattle) resident who says something that’s struck her about this town over the years is people's willingness to participate in a practice she’s dubbed the “Stop and Chat”—which is exactly what it sounds like.
What are you a total sucker for?
A cold beer after a long bike ride, gossip, and fighting over politics. Kyle McKinley Santa Cruz | Lecturer
Best of Santa Cruz County
The 2013 Santa Cruz County Readers' Poll and Critics’ Picks It’s our biggest issue of the year, and in it, your votes—more than 6,500 of them—determined the winners of The Best of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll. New to the long list of local restaurants, shops and other notables that captured your interest: Best Beer Selection, Best Locally Owned Business, Best Customer Service and Best Marijuana Dispensary. In the meantime, many readers were ever so chatty online about potential new categories. Some of the suggestions that stood out: Best Teen Program and Best Web Design/Designer. But what about: Dog Park, Church, Hotel, Local Farm, Therapist (I second that!) or Sports Bar—not to be confused with Bra. Our favorite suggestion: Best Act of Kindness—one reader noted Café Gratitude and the free meals it offered to the Santa Cruz Police Department in the aftermath of recent crimes. Perhaps some of these can be woven into next year’s ballot, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the following pages and take note of our Critics’ Picks, too, beginning on page 91. A big thanks for voting—and for reading—and an even bigger congratulations to all of the winners. Enjoy. -Greg Archer, EditorBest of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll INDEX | Shops | Food & Drink | Arts & Entertainment | Health & Fitness | Professionals | The Rest |
Vine & Dine: Pine Ridge Vineyards
Chenin Blanc + Viognier 2012 On a recent trip to Palm Springs, I came across Pine Ridge Vineyards’ Chenin Blanc + Viognier at a new downtown restaurant called Lulu. Superbly decorated in Hollywood-esque style and with a very hip vibe, this California bistro is one of the hottest new dining spots—and the Chenin Blanc was just the right wine to pair with some of Lulu’s Happy Hour tapas-style food. And eating outdoors in the desert’s warm night air makes a chilled white wine taste even better.
The Gypsy
French-born jazz vocalist Cyrille Aimée lives for musical freedom and improvisation Cyrille Aimée is a musical gypsy. Her sound incorporates elements of Latin American, American, Brazilian and other styles of jazz, she has recorded albums as a duet with Diego Figueiredo, she currently performs with the Surreal (same pronunciation as her first name) Band, and she is working on a new album with yet another band. As it happens, Aimée can actually blame gypsies for her love of jazz. “I grew up in Samois-sur-Seine, which is a little town in France where Django Reinhardt used to live,” she says. “Every year they have the Django Festival in his honor, and so gypsies from all parts of Europe come and honor him and play guitar. I started hanging out with the gypsies and became obsessed with their music, their way of living, their freedom. What drew me to jazz music was the freedom of it, all the improvisation, and the fact that it’s a style of music that is constantly changing.”
Step on up to the Bar
Here in Santa Cruz County, we are privileged to have farm-fresh greens year-round. Making a nightly salad at home is a snap since the emergence of pre-washed greens, and vinaigrette dressing is made easily with your favorite vinegar and small spoon of Dijon mustard whisked with a bit of olive oil.
Exposed
David Cay Johnston’s new book explains how big companies rob us blind In his late teens David Cay Johnston started to ask questions. “Why do we have these guys in uniforms with guns driving around in cars all day?” “Why is the Santa Cruz County Courthouse being built in such an unusual shape?” He wrote an article, while still living in his hometown of Santa Cruz, proving that the off-kilter courthouse building, which officials had promised would save money, actually cost more than a conventional building.