This week in Santa Cruz County business: Outdoor dining back for review with city commission, local ex-Googler’s new book, accolades for local execs

Quick Take

The latest chapter in efforts to solidify outdoor dining on private property in Santa Cruz happens Thursday at city hall. Elsewhere, Jessica M. Pasko checks out Frederik Pferdt's take on being "future ready," notes an honor for Santa Cruz County Bank's CEO and runs down numbers and dates to know from the local business scene.

Each week, we’re taking a closer look at the movers and shakers, the growth of industries, and what’s really driving the Santa Cruz County economy. I’ll be spotlighting some of the biggest areas for opportunity, updates on local development and all things underpinning the regional business scene, each Wednesday.

Got ideas? Send them my way to news@lookoutlocal.com with “Business News” in the subject line.

Santa Cruz city planning commission to consider future of outdoor dining – again

The future of permanent outdoor dining areas on private property in the city of Santa Cruz is back on the docket this week for the planning commission. In April, planning commissioners asked for more time to research and evaluate the proposed plans for the city’s outdoor dining program after some restaurant owners argued that the revised proposal was still cost-prohibitive.

Temporary outdoor dining helped many local restaurants survive the pandemic, but establishing a permanent outdoor seating program for private property has proved complicated. After the city laid out guidelines for obtaining a permanent permit, many local restaurant owners argued the new rules required too many permits and would cost too much money. City officials went back to the drawing board after hearing from business owners and the public, and came up with a revised plan that would streamline the permit process and require only one permit as long as the restaurant complied with certain guidelines. The road to establishing permanent guidelines has been a long and winding one; in the meantime, the expiration date for the temporary outdoor dining permits issued during the pandemic has been postponed multiple times. Currently, restaurants have until May 31, 2025, to obtain permanent approvals once the updated policy is finalized.

Under the revised rules, businesses don’t need to apply for a design permit if they have outdoor spaces of fewer than 300 square feet and without permanent overhead structures, heaters or furniture, and would be eligible for a shortened review time. Restaurants with larger spaces or ones that include permanent fixtures would still require a standard building permit review, which would vary based on criteria including square footage and size of the overhead structure.

If the planning commission recommends moving forward with the revised rules at its Thursday meeting, the proposal will then go in front of the city council for a hearing.

The planning commission meets Thursday, June 20, at 7 p.m. in the city council chambers, 809 Center St., Santa Cruz.

ICYMI: What should happen in your future? Technologist Frederik Pferdt on how to be “future ready”

Frederik Pferdt with a copy of his new book, “What’s Next Is Now: How to Live Future Ready.” Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Frederik Pferdt, Google’s longtime chief innovation evangelist and a Santa Cruz County resident, has written a new book that explores how to approach the future amid a sea of constant change. Check out Wallace Baine’s recent interview with him here.

Ch-ch-changes: Openings, closings and other developments

Santa Cruz County Bank’s CEO named to state role: Krista Snelling, president and CEO of Santa Cruz County Bank, has been elected chair of the California Bankers Association’s board of directors. The California Bankers Association, founded in 1891, represents the state’s bank industry, including advocacy at the state and national level. Snelling has led the Santa Cruz County Bank since early 2021. In May, it was announced that the bank will merge with Salinas-headquartered 1st Capital Bank.
Local startup accelerator seeking applicants: Santa Cruz Accelerates has launched its call for entrepreneurs to join its sixth cohort. The accelerator has helped support 52 startups with resources and mentorship, including Jane Technologies and Cruz Foam. Applications will be accepted until July 14 and the program kicks off July 22, culminating with a Demo Day in November where the top startups will compete for over $100,000 in seed funding. Details and the application are here.
Cruz Foam selected as food industry “game changer”: Santa Cruz-based Cruz Foam has been named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s game changers for 2024. The fourth annual list includes food producers, restaurant groups, media leaders and more. Cruz Foam is recognized for its efforts to reduce the industry’s dependency on styrofoam by replacing it with a packaging material made from shrimp shells. Cruz Foam, founded in 2017, has a special focus on creating packaging for items that must be cold during shipping. Local customers include Verve Coffee Roasters and Real Good Fish, but the company also works with some of the biggest packaging suppliers in the country. In April, Cruz Foam inked a deal with its first global partner, Unified Global Packaging Group. Its investors include actors Ashton Kutcher and Leonardo DiCaprio and it continues to rack up accolades as its customer base expands.
1440 Multiversity named one of the best places to work in the greater Bay Area: Scotts Valley’s 1440 Multiversity was selected as one of Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 2024 best places to work. The wellness and leadership center, which opened in 2017 at the former Bethany University campus, was ranked 26 of 30 companies with 50 to 99 employees selected. The facility has just under 70 employees locally. The Business Journal’s annual ranking is based on surveys of employees that examine companies across various categories, including culture, compensation, benefits and management practices.
Lumber executive named 2024 Farmer of the Year: The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau named Janet Webb, president of Big Creek Lumber, its farmer of year. The award was presented at the organization’s annual meeting Saturday. Webb has led the company, which her father co-founded, since 2009. Webb was recognized for her company’s work to advance sustainable tree harvesting practices and other conservation efforts.
New superintendent approved for Live Oak School District: Patrick Sanchez will start in his new position July 1, following unanimous approval by the Live Oak school board last week. Sanchez is currently the assistant superintendent of human resources at Morgan Hill Unified School District. He takes over following the March resignation of Daisy Morales. Read more from Hillary Ojeda here.

Got hires, promotions, or departures to report? Send them to news@lookoutlocal.com with the subject line “Career changes.”

Looking at the numbers

30th: That’s where California ranks among the 50 states and the District of Columbia when it comes to the state’s tax on beer, which is 20 cents per gallon. A new report by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation found that Tennessee had the highest tax on beer at $1.29 per gallon; Wyoming’s was the lowest at 2 cents per gallon. The per-gallon rates refer to the excise tax for a 4.7% alcohol-by-volume beer in a 12-ounce container.
50%: That’s how much a new federal project aims to cut food loss and waste by 2030. Last week, federal officials announced the National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics, which lays out tangible goals for government partners, retailers and consumers to help reduce the loss and waste of food, including increased recycling and other steps.

Save the date

Thursday, June 20: The downtown branch of the Santa Cruz Public Library is hosting Tenant Sanctuary, a tenants’ rights education service, for a special panel discussion focused on LGBTQ+ issues in housing in alignment with Pride Month. Attendees can learn about their rights as a renter, get their questions answered and sign up for a one-on-one conversation with a lawyer. Details here.
Thursday, June 20: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting for the new Edward Jones office at 5:45 p.m. at 2121 41st Ave., Suite 207, Capitola. The office is led by financial advisor Mark Gerber.
Thursday, June 20: The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is hosting a groundbreaking for the North Coast Rail Trail at Wilder Ranch State Park, 1401 Coast Rd., Santa Cruz, from noon to 1:30 p.m. The North Coast Rail Trail project is a 7.5-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail that extends along the railroad corridor from Wilder Ranch to Davenport. Here’s more on the groundbreaking.
Wednesday, June 26: The Santa Cruz Planning and Community Development Department is hosting a second community meeting focused on the proposed multistory Clocktower Center development for 2020 North Pacific Ave. The virtual meeting will be held via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. Link here.
Saturday, June 29: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will host its Forks, Corks and Kegs Festival at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz from 3 to 7 p.m. General-admission tickets are $95. Details and more information here.
Saturday, July 27: The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce hosts its 2024 awards dinner and auction at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville. Details and registration here.
Wednesday, Aug. 7: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will host a women’s networking mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. outside the Dientes and Santa Cruz Community Health clinics on Capitola Road. Details here.