Art by RUSSELL BRUTSCHE
Musically Making Sense of our Time and Place
By SARAH RINGLER
Who’s living in a bubble, them or me? In life, as in Costco or the grocery store, are we all just making our way to the checkout line? Is freedom a ghost town?
In his new CD, “California Style,” Russell Brutsché examines these modern existential questions in sixteen tracks with enticing melodies, clear lyrics with a mixture of genres from folk, rhythm and blues, country, to calypso with even a little “Mack the Knife“ riff thrown in on “Let the Stranger In.” Instruments include banjo, mandolins, acoustic guitar and some splashy electric guitar licks. Song Nelson helped with vocals and Dayan Kai with arrangements.
The beauty of many of these songs is Brutsche’s ability to find meaning out of everyday experiences. In "Caribbean Cruise," he examines that empty feeling of going to get the mail and finding a letter addressed to “Resident.” That sense of alienation disappears when he finds himself ironically seduced by the offer of being selected for a free Caribbean Cruise. However, he misses the complementary lunch but ends up keeping the card with a picture of a lovely Caribbean woman under a magnet on the frig as a reminder that you can get something for nothing.
If you have ever engaged in garden warfare, after "you plant your peas and carrots and you watch them disappear," you might like the bluesy “Mr. Gopher," with a barking dog accompaniment. Gophers, the song explains, go back 20 million years ago - way before humans - and will likely survive the oceans rising, global warming, ISIS, and us: "They go through chicken wire, they go through gopher wire, they go through wood, plastic, gravel, sand, clay -consuming 75% of their body weight a day. My name is Mr. Gopher and I don't have to cut no deals,"
The sixteen tunes of "California Style" explore a philosophy of life: the best things in life are free, recycle, beware of hype, go slow and live simply. As he acknowledges in "Livin' in a Bubble," he may be foolish, slow and missing all sorts of opportunities but "After all is said and done, after all is lost and won, will it be their bubble breaking, or will it be mine?"
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To listen to the CD's opening song "Come to California," click here.
Not only a musician and songwriter, Russell is also an accomplished artist and illustrator – note the design on his CD cover – with many shows, book and CD covers and one person shows. Check our Russell's webpage for his art, music and story.
Stay alert to the date of his CD release party when you'll be able to buy your own copy. Oh my cron, I can’t wait!
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Developers of The Cruz Hotel Want to Buy 2 City Owned Parcels
By SHEILA CARRILLO
<Photo from City of Santa Cruz
The Cruz Hotel, planned to occupy six lots on Front St. (see above), is listed on the City of Santa Cruz's website as one of their current projects in progress. Proposed by San Francisco-based developer Stephen Chan, of Eagle Point Hotel Partners, and local developer Owen Lawlor, the Cruz Hotel would include 232 guest rooms, along with a restaurant and bar facing the San Lorenzo River.
The developers have stated that, in order to develop the hotel, in addition to the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union building, 324 Front St., they also need to buy two neighboring city parcels — a decision that rests with Santa Cruz City Council.
On May 25, last year, the council started the process of selling the parcels, declaring them exempt surplus land. According to the California Surplus Land Act, when a local agency sells surplus land, it must be prioritized for open spaces or affordable housing, but land can be sold for other purposes if it is designated as exempt surplus. Mayor Donna Meyers, Vice Mayor Sonja Brunner and Councilmembers Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and Renee Golder ultimately voted in favor of exempting the surplus land, arguing money from the sale could be used for other housing projects. Councilmembers Justin Cummings and Sandy Brown opposed, while Councilmember Martine Watkins was absent. Cummings proposed instead incorporating the parcels into a housing project, though his motion failed.
The development, according to Chan, would include 103 spaces for bike parking and 15 spaces for cars. The hotel would also use valet parking to store cars in private and public lots scattered around downtown and the beach area.
“While visitors are at the hotel they can access downtown and the beach without a car due to the location,” Chan explained. “Bikes will be provided for visitors and our location on the bike path is ideal.” Rooms would range from the mid to high $100s per night, depending on the season, Chan said in communications with the city’s economic development department obtained by Lookout.
According to Chan, 95% of investors in the purchase of the property are from Santa Cruz and the greater San Francisco Bay region. It’s unclear who those local investors are and what percentage of the hotel cost they are actually financing.
Also, to express your opinion to Santa Cruz City Council on redesignating public land meant for open spaces or affordable housing and callling it surplus land so they can sell it to a private enterprise is misuse of public property.
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TRAVEL
Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism
and
Dorothea Lange
now at the
Oakland Museum of California
By SARAH RINGLER
Carl Franz, in his book "The People's Guide to Mexico," said, "wherever you go, there you are." You really don't need to go far to have exciting experiences and see interesting things.
The Oakland Museum of California in downtown Oakland has two shows. Mothership: Voyage into Afrofuturism runs until Feb. 27. The show highlights science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, avant-garde jazz musician Sun Ra, filmmaker Kahlil Joseph and more. For the price of admission you also get free posters like the one above, or go online to print out your own.
The Dorothea Lange show is bittersweet. The beautiful black and white images record the era during the Depression where you see the direct results of huge wealth inequity on people's lives. Today the images of the inequitiy are live and in color on our streets.
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“I can't predict the future. All I do is look around at the problems we are neglecting now and give them about 30 years to grow into full-fledged disasters.”
Octavia E. Butler - science fiction author
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Fund Affordable Housing by Taxing Empty Homes in Santa Cruz
Edited by SARAH RINGLER
It’s crunch time! Here at Empty Home Tax (EHT), our volunteers have been busy safely connecting with the community and gathering signatures to get our initiative on this year’s ballot. With our deadline nearing, we must hire full-time signature gatherers if we are to make it on the ballot. Without scaling up our efforts significantly, it is unlikely we will be on the ballot this November.
To ensure the Empty Home Tax makes it to a vote in November, we need to raise $10k by March to hire full-time signature gatherers. We know this is a tall order, but we can do this if we join together. If just 100 EHT supporters gave $100 each, we will reach our goal and bring affordable housing solutions to Santa Cruz. Click here to make a donation.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
A double-crested cormorant maintains a one-legged perch on a rock in Neary Lagoon in Santa Cruz.
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Santa Cruz County Covid-19 Report - Get your free tests here
By SARAH RINGLER
The Santa Cruz County Health Department regularly releases data on the current status of Covid-19 in the county. Total known cases as of Feb. 3 were 42,141, up 31% from last week's 32,232, the greatest rise since a 40% increase in the week of July 9-16, 2020. There were two new deaths.
Because of all the home tests currently available, these numbers are underestimates according to Corinne Hyland, County Health Services Agency spokesperson. She recommends people with minor symptoms stay home, isolate and rest.
Confused about testing? Lisa Krieger's Jan. 13 front page article in the San Jose Mercury News has comprehensive information gleaned from various sources on how to make some sense of the various tests, incubation periods, contagion, viral levels, etc.
Hospitalizations stayed the same from last week. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.
There have been some changes in the last week. Active cases in south county rose by 16%. Mid county decreased by 2% and north county decreased by 14%. See details in the chart below.
On the county's vaccination webpage, as of Jan. 24, 79% of the county has had at least one dose and 73% has had two doses. There have been no updates since then. Here are more details on the county's vaccination data.
This webpage also has a link where you can get a digital copy and scannable QR code of your vaccination record. Keep track of your four digit code because that is your access to the site.
The county's Effective Reproductive Number is at one. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.
To get information of COVID-19 testing locations around the county visit this site. Click here to make an appointment to get tested.
Any Californian age 12 or up can get vaccinated for free. For information on getting vaccinated, click here.
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% deaths by ethnicity:
White - 56%
Latinx - 36%
Black - 0%
Asian - 7%
American Native - 0%
Unknown - 0%
% deaths by gender/% of population:
Female - 49%/50%
Male - 51%/50%
Deaths by age/228:
25-34 - 2%
35-44 - 3%
45-54 - 4%
55-59 - 1%
60-64 - 6%
65-74 - 18%
75-84 - 22%
85+ - 43%
% active cases testing positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 10%/12%
North county - 40%/56%
South county - 50%/32%
Under investigation - 1%
Weekly increases in positive tests:
June 12-19, 2020 - 7%
June 19-26 - 23%
June 26 to July 3 - 22%
July 3-9 - 23%
July 9-16 - 40%
July 16-23 - 20%
July 23-30 - 27%
July 30-Aug. 6 - 13%
Aug. 6-13- 12%
Aug.14-20 - 16%
Aug.20-28 - 10%
Aug. 28-Sept. 3 - 10%
Sept. 3-10 - 6%
Sept. 10-17- 8%
Sept. 17-24 - 7%
Sept. 25- Oct.1 - 5%
Oct. 1 - 9 - 4%
Oct. 9-15 - 4%
Oct. 15-22 - 5%
Oct. 23-29 - 4%
Oct. 30-Nov. 5 - 6%
Nov. 5-12 - 10%
Nov. 12-19 - 11%
Nov. 19-26 - holiday
Nov. 19-Dec. 3 - 29% 2 weeks of data for this week only
Dec. 3-10 - 16%
Dec. 10-17 - 17%
Dec. 17-24 - 14%
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Dec. 24-31 - 19%
Jan. 1-7, 2021 - 13%
Jan. 7-14 - 14%
Jan. 15-21 - 11%
Jan. 21-28 - 5%
Jan. 28-Feb. 4 - 5%
Feb. 5-11 - 2%
Feb. 11-18 - 2%
Feb. 18-25 - 1%
Feb. 25-March 5 - 1%
March 5-11 - 1%
March 11-18 - 2%
March 18-25 - .5%
March 25 - Apr. 1 - .7%
Apr. 1-8 - 0.1%
Apr. 9-15 - 1%
Apr. 16-22 - 2%
Apr. 22-30 - 2%
Apr. 30 - May 6 - .3%
May 6-13 - 2%
May 13-20 - 0%
May 24 - Data readjustment by county means percentages cannot be calculated this week.
May 27 - June 3 - 0%
June 3-10 - 0%
June 11-17 - .25%
June 18-24 - 0%
June 25-July 1 - 0%
July 2-8 - .3%
July 9-15 - .2%
July 16-22 - .5%
July 23-29 - 1.2%
July 30-Aug. 5 - 2%
Aug. 6-12 - .7%
Aug.13-19 - 4%
Aug. 20-26 - .7%
Aug. 26-Sept. 2 - 3%
Sept. 2-9 - 2%
Sept. 10-16 - 1%
Sept. 17-22 - 1%
Sept. 23-30 - 2%
Oct. 1-7 - 0%
Oct. 8-14 - 1%
Oct. 15-21 - 1%
Oct. 22-28 - 1%
Oct. 29-Nov. 4 - 1%
Nov. 5-11 - 1%
Nov. 12-18 - 2%
Nov. 19 - Dec. 2 - 2 weeks 2%
Dec. 2-9 - 2%
Dec. 9-16 - 1%
Dec. 16-23 - 1%
Dec. 24-30 - 2%
Dec. 31 - Jan. 6, 2022 - 5% Growth of home tests underestimates cases-see above
Jan. 7-13 - 9%
Jan. 14-20 - 15%
Jan. 21-27 - 9%
Jan. 28 - Feb. 3 - 31%
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Fashion Street - A dancer from Santa Cruz Dance Company performs on Pacific Ave. in Santa Cruz
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Labor History Calendar for Feb. 4-10, 2022
Feb. 4. 1869: Birth of Big Bill Hayward.
Feb. 5, 1830: First daily labor paper, "N.Y. Daily Sentinel" begins publication.
Feb. 5, 1846: Birth of Johan Most.
Feb. 6, 1919: Seattle, WA, shipyard strike of 32,000 workers sparks general strike as workers take control of the city.
Feb. 7, 1919: Seattle mayor threatens to crush with 3,000 police and soldiers; workers are defiant.
Feb. 7, 1946: 3-week general strike wins union rights and higher pay in Senegal.
Feb. 7, 2012: General strike as Greek politicians promise more austerity.
Feb. 7, 2016: "China Labor Bulletin" reports 2, 741 strikes across the country in 2015.
Feb. 8, 2010: 400 Egyptian textile workers begin 16-day sit-in demanding reinstatement of fired workers and payment of back wages owed by their recently privatized firm.
Feb. 8, 2011: General strike across Egypt.
Feb. 9, 2011: Riot police attack students protesting higher fees - 28 arrested. Faculty and staff respond with 72-hour solidarity strike that closes University of Puerto Rico.
Feb. 10, 1932: CNT general strike in Spain followed by insurrection.
Feb. 10, 1990: 800 loot Rio food store as striking guards watch.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Pasta with Caramelized Oranges
By SARAH RINGLER
Watsonville Library received another fantastic cookbook, “Pasta Modern” by Francine Segan. Especially if you like pasta and Italian food, this book goes all out. The recipes contain kinds of pasta I have never heard of. Luckily, Segan offers alternative suggestions.
This particular recipe calls for orecchiette, a pasta that translates as “little ear.” I found it at Safeway. As the pasta was finally stirred into the sauce, the little bits of cooked pancetta hid in the ears of the pasta, making each bite rich with flavor. The sweet and fragrant orange sauce coats the pasta almost making this a dessert. That’s why I added thinly cut strips of fresh kale to make this more like a dinner. It was not in the original recipe.
Cooking Italian is like cooking Chinese food; you have to prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking. Once the frying pan heats up, things go fast.
Pecorino is an aged cheese made out of sheep’s milk. It is similar to Parmesan and asiago in that it is a hard cheese that is usually grated or shaved, and sprinkled over a dish. You could substitute either of the two cheeses formerly mentioned. The differences in flavor are subtle. The name comes from the Italian word for sheep, “pecora.” It has been made for centuries and has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status under European Union law, which means no one else can use the name except for a select group of cheese makers.
Pasta all’arancia
3-4 ounces pancetta or bacon
olive oil
2 medium leeks
1 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed if possible
1 orange rind worth of zest
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 pound orecchiette or other short pasta
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup thinly sliced kale, optional
Pecorino cheese, grated
In a large frying pan that will later hold a pound of the cooked pasta, cook the pancetta in 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat until it is crispy.
Put a large pot of salted water on the stove and turn on the heat.
Cut the roots and the dark green tops off the leeks. Slice the cylinder lengthwise and then into thin slices. Submerge in water to get out any dirt and then drain. You should have about 1½ cups.
Add the leeks to the pancetta and cook until tender in about 5 minutes. Add ½ cup of the orange juice and turn up the heat. Cook until the sauce is syrupy. Then add the sugar and the rest of the juice a few tablespoons at a time, keeping the sauce thick. It should stick to the back of the wooden spoon.
The pasta water should be hot now. Bring to a boil and cook the pasta in salted water a minute less than the package directions. Drain. Toss into the pan with the sauce and cook over high heat until pasta is just done and covered in a thick glaze. Add the thinly sliced kale and cook a little more to soften the kale. Season with salt. Top with the zest, freshly ground pepper and some cheese. Serves about four.
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Send your story, poetry or art here: Please submit a story, poem or photo of your art that you think would be of interest to the people of Santa Cruz County. Try and keep the word count to around 400. Also, there should be suggested actions if this is a political issue. Submit to coluyaki@gmail.com
If you are enjoying the Serf City Times, forward it on to others. We need readers, artists, photographers and writers.
Thanks, Sarah Ringler
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Welcome to Serf City Times Over time, our county has grown more stratified and divided with many people feeling left out. Housing affordability, racism and low wages are the most obvious factors. However, many groups and individuals in Santa Cruz County work tirelessly to make our county a better place for everyone. These people work on the environment, housing, economic justice, health, criminal justice, disability rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, transportation, workers’ rights, education reform, gender issues, equity issues, electoral politics and more. Often, one group doesn’t know what another is doing. The Serf City Times is dedicated to serving as a clearinghouse for those issues by letting you know what is going on, what actions you can take and how you can support these groups.This is a self-funded enterprise and all work is volunteer.
Copyright © 2022 Sarah Ringler - All rights reserved
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