With seven events on this year’s slate from March to November, oenophiles (or aspiring oenophiles) have plenty to choose from in exploring the Santa Cruz Mountains Agriculture Viticulture Area’s subregions, iconic wineries and grape varieties.
San Lorenzo Valley
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Only 24 of 911 lost CZU houses rebuilt. Can we please cut the red tape so my neighbors can come home?
Ben Lomond resident Daniel DeLong misses his neighbors. Many lost homes in the CZU fire in 2020 and have struggled with the bureaucracy of rebuilding. Too many, he writes, are giving up, worn out by paperwork and the demands of bureaucrats. For him, the numbers say it all: 911 homes lost, 24 rebuilds. “Look, I know these are just people doing their jobs,” he says of those in charge of approving rebuilds. “They’re checking the boxes that codes and regulations require. … But I also know that bureaucracies don’t always have to be as mindless, as dehumanizing, as soul-crushing.”
Posted inLatest News
San Lorenzo Valley Water District digs into nearly $3 million in storm repairs
It’s a mix of immediate and long-term fixes for the San Lorenzo Valley Water District as it continues to struggle with road closures and infrastructure damage in the wake of January’s storms.
Posted inK-12 Education
Victim identified in fatal weekend house party shooting in Boulder Creek
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the identity of the 18-year-old victim of a fatal shooting at a house party in Boulder Creek on Saturday. One school administrator wrote that the victim “was recognized by teachers for possessing an upbeat attitude toward life and school and for being an enjoyable student.” A teenage boy has been arrested as a suspect in the shooting.
Posted inLatest News
Highway 9 and Highway 236 repair work continues with no reopening dates
Caltrans says crews are working to clear mudslides and repair storm damage to Highway 9 in the Ben Lomond area and Highway 236 near Boulder Creek, but the agency does not yet have an estimated reopening date for either.
Posted inLatest News
Storms 2023: Power to be restored Friday to 23 Felton customers
The power went out in Felton during storms that hit the community around 1 a.m. on Jan. 8. Pacific Gas & Electric crews were unable to begin repairs in the area of Pine Drive and Redwood Drive until Jan. 23 because of a mudslide, flooding, downed trees and damaged equipment.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
What NYT omitted about life in the Santa Cruz Mountains: Neighbors with chainsaws
Daniel DeLong lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where packing a chainsaw is often just part of mountain life. His young daughters are as familiar with the gear – ropes, helmets, wedges, mini sledgehammer – as they are with their own backpacks. Unfortunately, The New York Times reporter who interviewed him last week during the storms, was not. “That reporter omits the most important aspect of rural mountain living: preparation. And having neighbors who look out for each other,” he says.
Posted inPolitics & Policy, San Lorenzo Valley
Devastated by storms and denied by insurance, Lompico residents navigate uncertain recovery
Just days after a first New Year’s Eve storm rendered Lompico resident Benjamin Short’s home uninhabitable, his insurance claim was denied, leaving him on the hook for potentially $250,000 in repairs. It’s a situation that policyholder advocates say is increasingly common as California homeowners contend with more frequent natural disasters.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Damaged by the Santa Cruz storms? Tips from the pros on how to deal with insurance
“First thing is to do your best to dry out your property and stabilize it. Be safe, and recognize that most people are going to have a fight with their insurance companies to get them to pay for the damage,” says Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders. Her group aids consumers in the many ins and outs of getting insurance claims paid; here are her tips.
Posted inFood & Drink
EATERS DIGEST: Chanterelle pizza at Bookie’s, kraut class at Mountain Feed and Agri-Culture scholarships
This weekend, savor the season with a chanterelle and guanciale pizza at Bookie’s in Santa Cruz and learn to make golden sauerkraut with Mountain Feed & Farm Supply in Ben Lomond. Plus, a quick stop at Monterey’s Alta Bakery.