There’s no shortage of happenings Saturday, with Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing celebrating its 18th anniversary by pairing its beers with Diego Felix’s cuisine on the Westside, Collective Santa Cruz throwing a baseball-themed bash at Woodhouse and Santa Cruz Mountains wineries pouring in Aptos.
Santa Cruz
Posted inFood & Drink
Sampa Brazilian Kitchen opens on Branciforte
The Brazilian favorites you might’ve sampled at Woodhouse Brewing are all there at Sampa Kitchen’s new standalone Santa Cruz spot, plus an expanded selection of entrees, smoothies and more.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The day the Santa Cruz homeless crisis knocked on my front door
In April, a homeless woman knocked on Sheila Carrillo’s door on the Westside of Santa Cruz. She was stunned, but then realized something else: She knew the woman. She gave her food and a shower and helped her get to a treatment center. But Carrillo wonders what will become of her and so many others who recently lost their homes when the city cleared out the Sycamore Grove encampment.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
As Santa Cruz tries bike-share again, officials foresee a smoother ride this time around
With more than 400 bikes and 800 docks up and running around Santa Cruz and the UCSC campus, and plans to expand around the county by next year, the bike-share deal with Wisconsin-based BCycle is “leaps and bounds” better than the previous arrangement with Jump that petered out in 2020.
Posted inHousing & Development
‘Factually accurate, and untrue’: Was Santa Cruz really the second-fastest-growing city in the U.S. last year?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the city of Santa Cruz grew by nearly 7,000 in a single year, or a growth rate of 12.5% between July 2021 and July 2022. But one researcher says all of the growth very likely came from a rebound in Santa Cruz’s student population when college and university campuses reopened after pandemic closures.
Posted inCity Life
The trivia boomlet: Post-pandemic, trivia events throughout Santa Cruz County bring in the crowds
In the wake of pandemic lockdowns, trivia nights occupy a comfortable middle space between an intimate dinner and a musical or theatrical performance, a way to engage with friends and strangers and still be home before vampire hours. There’s a wide variety of them across Santa Cruz County, including one starting up Tuesday hosted by Lookout and Wallace Baine.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘I will do everything I can to make things right’: BLM mural vandals apologize; mural repainted as civic leaders declare Abi Mustapha Day
Nearly two years after Brandon Bochat and Hagan Warner vandalized the Black Lives Matter mural in front of Santa Cruz City Hall, the men joined more than 50 community members to help repaint the mural and give a public apology. Santa Cruz City Councilmember Sonja Brunner and 3rd District County Supervisor Justin Cummings declared June 24 Abi Mustapha Day in honor of the local artist and SC Equity Collab co-founder.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Junior Guards joy: Why making my daughter cry every day was one of the best decisions of my life
“The best day of 2023 came and went unnoticed by most of the city 13 days ago,” says Santa Cruz dad Dan Ackerstein. That’s because on June 12, the Junior Guards program to teach kids ages 6-17 water rescue skills began in the city of Santa Cruz. Similar programs exist in other parts of the county and propel kids to state, national and international competitions. Ackerstein calls Junior Guards “the most ridiculous, difficult, important and remarkable things about Santa Cruz. It’s basically a rite of passage for many families, including, now, mine.”
Posted inFood & Drink
‘A flower that blossomed’: El Huarache grows despite modest beginnings, setbacks
From selling tlacoyos, tamales and empanadas alongside her mother on the streets of Mexico City to stalls at Watsonville farmers markets and now restaurants including downtown Santa Cruz’s El Huarache, Juliette Govea and her family members oversee a sprawling food business.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
We need wider sidewalks and protected bike lanes in Santa Cruz: Let’s rethink our rights-of-way
We should be using 20 to 30% of our city land better, write urban planner Stephen Svete and Strong Towns advocate John Mulry. They believe in prioritizing bikes over cars, walking over parking and creating communities rather than transport corridors. Locally, that would mean narrowing our roads and adopting protected bike lanes, investing in more tree planters, curb extensions and more. “As Santa Cruz undergoes its biggest facelift since the 1989 earthquake, this is an ideal time to be talking about this,” they say.