“It’s really important that people know this is not Mexican Halloween,” the director of the Watsonville Film Festival says of Día de Los Muertos, being celebrated this weekend at the downtown plaza and elsewhere. “The essence of each is very different. Halloween is all about being scary and funny, and though Day of the Dead can be funny, too, they just come from different places.”
Coast Life
Posted inEnvironment
Can California continue to fight the ocean? A new book argues for new approaches
As last winter made clear all over Santa Cruz County, nothing is permanent when confronted with the power of the Pacific. In “California Against the Sea,” Los Angeles Times journalist Rosanna Xia examines the postwar coastal development boom and the daunting challenges facing the 27 million Californians who live in the coastal zone as sea-level rise and coastal erosion become urgent facts of life. She’ll talk about it Tuesday at Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Posted inCoast Life
From Steamer Lane to Pleasure Point, high surf advisory thrills surfers, prompts rescue calls
Massive waves rolled through the Santa Cruz County coastline Thursday, as forecast by the National Weather Service earlier in the week. Though surfers rushed to take advantage of the big swell, safety personnel had a lot of work to do as they assisted about 20 people out of the dangerous waters. Friday is expected to see calmer seas, but the agencies working to ensure recreators’ safety will be monitoring the conditions closely.
Posted inCoast Life
‘Sneaker waves,’ high surf to hit Santa Cruz coastline, posing potential danger for beachgoers
A powerful type of wave referred to as “sneaker waves” are expected to hit the Monterey Bay coastline Thursday. The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory through 7 p.m., and the Santa Cruz Harbor will be prepared with rescue boats and staff in case of emergency. The warnings come as a heat wave brings temperatures as high as triple digits to Santa Cruz County.
Posted inFood & Drink
Laurie Love on Wine: Santa Cruz cabernet harvest, Grazing on the Green highlights & Kathryn Kennedy wines
Lookout wine expert Laurie Love reports on an “everything everywhere all at once” harvest in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, lists her wine favorites from this month’s Grazing on the Green, plus her Kathryn Kennedy wine of the week, the unique Zayante sand, and a lesson on what happens after harvest.
Posted inCoast Life
Researchers monitoring dead gray whale calf at Seacliff, but cause of death likely to remain a mystery
The dead whale calf found on Seacliff State Beach continues to move south with the tide, said Long Marine Lab Marine Mammal Stranding Network lab manager Juli Limon. Scientists are likely unable to perform a necropsy on the carcass because it has decayed significantly since it washed up last week.
Posted inLatest News
Soquel Demonstration State Forest set to reopen Tuesday, months after suffering winter storm damage
A popular destination for hikers, mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts, Soquel Demonstration State Forest was shut down in mid-January because of dangerous conditions from the winter storms. It’s set to reopen Tuesday.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I have worked for Native Animal Rescue for seven years — calls have exploded since 2021
Native Animal Rescue of Santa Cruz County makes close to 3,000 rescues a year — nearly double what it did as little as two years ago. Here, Amy Red Feather, the agency’s wildlife supervisor, makes a plea to humans to be more careful of other species. She also takes us through the recent rescue of a Seabright pelican who got her foot hooked and tangled in a fishing line.
Posted inFood & Drink
Laurie Love on Wine: Pinot noir harvest in full swing, Madson fall releases & wine in a paper bottle?
With harvest underway for Santa Cruz County-area wineries, Laurie Love finds growers of pinot noir enthused about what they’re seeing so far. She also scopes out Madson Wines’ fall releases, spotlights a company putting wine in paper bottles, reveals her wine of the week and more.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Community workshop brings residents, officials together to examine West Cliff Drive’s future
For the first time outside of a Santa Cruz City Council meeting, city leaders and consultants met with community members Tuesday to discuss a 50-year vision for the future of West Cliff Drive. Attendees widely agreed that safeguarding coastal resources should be prioritized, and that the city should think twice about restoring the road to its original form.