Blog Archives

CALIFORNIA STATE MILITIA FROM CAMP STONEMAN. Here they are marching west in the early morning along Soquel Avenue in the 1890’s . That would be Shopper’s Corner in the lower right, and Branciforte going up to the left. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bratton@cruzio.com

DATELINE March 9, 2015

3 CHEERS FOR THE HIGHWAY BLOCKADE. Last Tuesday’s (March 3) blocking of Highways 1 & 17 was a great example of the people responding to an unjust part of our community. That intersection has been blocked before by protestors, it’s even been blocked by trees and mudslides…it’s part nature. Highways get blocked all the time, and we live with it. Martin Luther King blocked the Pettus Bridge in Selma three times, and that worked and we respect that blocking. Where else in our County could the students have protested and received the much needed publicity for their deserved free or at least freeer education? As Martin Luther King said, “. “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law”, Martin Luther King Jr.

UCSC AND MOVE TO BORLAND. Many reactions to that news, here’s one…’Does UCSC indeed pay much in taxes to the city for off campus property they own or lease? Educational institutions usually get major tax breaks which turn into real town vs. gown issues in cities like Evanston, Il and Cambridge, MA. If Santa Cruz will really lose tax revenue to Scotts Valley (and shouldn’t there be an apostrophe somewhere there!) with the move to the Borland property, then that’s not so good. On the other hand, if it opens up commercial and office space for tax paying businesses, then good riddance. I had understood this was a major issue with the University taking over the old hotel (was it the Holiday Inn?) a few years ago…the city would and did lose a lot of tax revenue, and I don’t think the issue was just transient occupancy tax or whatever they call the tourist tax. And if the University needs office space, why don’t they just build it? It’s not like they’re land poor…and they can pretty much do as they please without worrying about much planning department and building department and Coastal Commission oversight. UC could pay admin a bit less, too. I’m never going to forget nor forgive the $35,000.00 dog kennel kerfuffle, the chancellor’s girlfriend’s moving expenses, nor the apparent damage to floors and carpets from the only dogs allowed on campus. But it was all politically correct as I recall from a few years back, Rick Turner”. Rick doesn’t mention the remote possibility of the regents putting a cap on the number of employees getting $500, 000 per year salaries. He didn’t mention the even more impossible idea of the University being able to build more student housing which would of course change all our lives locally.

BOARDWALK AND THEIR WATER USAGE??? Back in the day (and another bad drought year) some of us questioned the Boardwalk about their water usage. Have you seen any mention in the last few years about how much water they use? The Logger’s Revenge doesn’t run on hot air, or does it??? Our City Council should be on top of this one!!!

GMO’S AND GEO’S, NOT THE SAME!!! UCSC Professor Lincoln Taiz was finally able to teach me that WE are Genetically Modified Organisms and so is almost every growing thing. What the worriers are really worried about are Genetically Engineered Organisms. Those are the seeds and things that the labs engineer for various reasons. It’s probably too late to modify the world and their labels, but think about it anyways.

AND MAH’S NINA SAYS…an hour after I printed that “rumor” last week about MAH’s food court negotiations getting in trouble (scroll down to last week’s column) she replied…”Bruce, Details are hard to come by” because your rumors are baseless. The MAH board unanimously voted two weeks ago to formalize our Abbott Square development partnership with John McEnery IV. He and I have signed an LOI and are moving forward with the MAH board, City, and County partners. We are diving into the work to ensure that Abbott Square will be a vibrant community plaza featuring delicious food, dynamic performances, and family-friendly experiences. No slow down in sight. Nina”. I guess she really means those problems were solved two weeks ago…and that’s the trouble with rumors. This week’s mail from a very active resident and former MAH “participant” says, “As for MAH. They have already dummied down the museum and especially the Holiday Benefit Party so that they hardly have any attendance anymore. Nobody wants to pay over $100 per ticket to hear DJ music pumped through the museum all evening. A sorry excuse for an auction and benefit. I think they should scrap the entire Board of Directors and staff and start over with true locals that understand the Santa Cruz personality and agenda”.

“SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS SHOCKER. RICHARD SCHEININ, one of the most valuable music critics in Northern California—as at home with jazz as classical—has been reassigned to write about real estate. The Merc announced that it plans to use free-lancers in place of Scheinin. The move is guaranteed to lose subscribers”.. I put all of that in quotes because I don’t remember where online I found it. I sure agree with it

HISTORICAL PHOTO CORRECTION. Last week I captioned ,” OUR SANTA CRUZ RAILROAD WHARF AND MUNICIPAL WHARF in 1913. The railroad wharf (on the right) was gone by 1922. The Santa Cruz Canning Company was located at the far end. I was off by one year (I used data from the back of Ravnos/ Vester Dick photo and the O’Hare/Berry Images book) Stan Stevens, Gordon van Zuiden, and Frank Perry all sent word from Geoffrey Dunn that said,” The photo was taken late in 1914 (judging by the location of the pile driver), not 1913, likely on the same day that the photo of all my family members was taken on the beach, also by Ravnos; and the building at the end of the Railroad Wharf at that time was a warehouse used for the steamships that still docked at the end of the Railroad Wharf. The cannery wasn’t even contemplated on the Railroad Wharf until 1917 and didn’t commence operation until the summer of 1918 and was soon moved to Washington Street (Stan), to the site of the old Hihn planning mill. My mother recalled the stench emanating from the latter and said that she refused to attend Laurel School because of it (confirmed by the clip of 1921). Nothing like olfactory memory, alas”. Please continue sending any/all corrections…I’m happy to print them.

PATTON’S PROGRAM.Gary talks about…Oil shipping on the railroads and how San Luis Obisbo and the Pajaro River and Monterey County will be affcted. He mentions County money for TV ads telling us how to save water.Then there are Housing Meetings, “The purpose of the meetings being hosted by the Housing Advisory Commission is to discuss programs and policies that could address issues that affect the price, type, location, and availability of housing to serve the needs of County residents and workers. A meeting took place on March 4^th, and two more meetings are coming up soon”. He remembers and gives us a history lesson… “Back in the day (and I am talking about forty-five years ago back in the day), I first got involved with land use issues through a group called the Save Lighthouse Point Association. That group definitely operated on the basis of “grassroots community action,” and that grassroots action changed the history of Santa Cruz. Because people cared enough to spend their time working to save Lighthouse Field, a City-County plan to develop Lighthouse Field was changed. Instead of using the Field for a convention center, a high-rise hotel, a shopping center, and an upscale condominium development, all to be accompanied by seven acres of blacktop parking, the City ultimately chose to protect the Field as open space along the coast”. Read the complete scripts of the above at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse . Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmenatl issues. The opions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds/365” – www.gapatton.net

CLASSICAL DeCINZO. An historic DeCinzo shows us inside the old Sentinel office…scroll below a few pages.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. Uncle Sam goes bar hopping…see downwards.

SHAKESPEARE AND HIS MUSIC.There’s a lot of Shakespere stuff happening this Saturday on the UCSC campus. First is the conference from 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm at the Digital Arts Research Center (DARC) Dark Lab, Room 108 and it’s Free!. “Shakespeare is famous for his speeches, but the London theaters where his plays took place were also filled with music. “Shakespeare and Music” is a symposium exploring the popular music of Renaissance England, the practice of vocal and instrumental music in Shakespeare’s plays, and Shakespeare’s meditation on music as a metaphor for his art and its effects. Featuring a keynote address by Ross Duffin, The Fynette H. Kulas Professor of Music at Case Western University and author of Shakespeare’s Songbook (W.W. Norton 2004). The panelists are Ross Duffin: “Reconstructing Shakespeare’s Songbook” ,Samuel Arkin: “Shakespeare’s Music and Shylock’s Ears”, and Ariane Helou: “Shakespeare’s Singers”. After the conference there is …

TREASURES FROM THE AGE OF SHAKESPEARE. The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival presents their third concert this season featuring The Baltimore Consort. This is the Consort’s 34 th season. “The Baltimore Consort has delighted audiences on both sides of the Atlantic and earned their CDs a place on the Billboard Magazine Top-Ten list. The Baltimore Consort’s arrangements of early music from England, Scotland, France, Italy, and Spain speak to the heart as well as the mind, and their love for the early music of English/Scottish heritage has led them to delve into the rich trove of traditional balladry and dance tunes preserved in the Appalachian mountains and Nova Scotia. They’ll be playing heavenly harmony and earthly delights from the time of the bard. Revel in the triumphal return of America’s favorite early music ensemble, playing their ‘exquisite consort’ of Renaissance instruments — lute, cittern, viols, and flute. Concertgoers will also enjoy the grand prize winning group from our Youth Chamber Music Competition. It’s at the UCSC Music Recital Hall, this Saturday, March 14 • 7:30pm. Tickets: scbaroque.org/tickets).

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or sometimes old programs are archived… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. “Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin returns March 10 telling us about campaigns, voting, and the election department. She’s followed by UCSC’s Ariane Helou discussing the Shakespeare lectures happening on campus and the next Baroque Festival concert. City On The Hill co-editors Gabby Areas and Lauren Romero talk about their paper on March 17. Then Julie Callahan discusses the bvegan way of life. UCSC History Professor Matthew Lasar talks about the future of radio on March 31. Composer and winemaker Joseph Sekon talks about music and about the Del Sol String Quartet appearing April 12 at 900 High Street. On April 14 actress and playwright Kate Hawley talks about “Complications From A Fall” her newest play opening at the Jewel on April 23. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always at bratton@cruzio.com

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 5 years, here’s a chronological list of just this year’s podcasts. Click herehttp://kzsc.org/blog/tag/universal-grapevine then tap on “listen here” to hear any or all of them… all over again. The update includes Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson-Darrow, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011. Hear them all!!!

QUOTES ABOUT PROTEST. “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves,” Henry David Thoreau. “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Martin Luther King Jr. “Protest is when I say I don’t like this. Resistance is when I put an end to what I don’t like. Protest is when I say I refuse to go along with this anymore. Resistance is when I make sure everybody else stops going along too.” Ulrike Marie Meinhof