There’s been an increase in the number of bedbug infestations in Santa Cruz County, according to the Santa Cruz Environmental Health Services Department. The problem, says the Department, is that it lacks the authority to regulate bedbug infestations, and the bugs, while annoying, are hardly a priority.
News
Santa Cruz Screams For Gourmet Dairy Dessert
It started with Kelly’s at the beginning of summer, and soon came Mission Hill Creamery. Late last month the Penny Ice Creamery opened its inviting doors, and that made three artisanal ice creameries in one small seaside town. Already grateful fans of unforgettable handmade ice creams are giving thanks. The difference between these painstakingly created, intensely flavored, utterly smooth and creamy concoctions and the mass-produced stuff—even Haagen-Daaz—is evident from the first rhapsodic lick.
Interview: Bluesman Jimmie Vaughan
When he was a kid, Jimmie Vaughan used to take the bus to the music stores in downtown Dallas and stare through the windows at the guitars, dreaming of the day he’d buy his own Fender Stratocaster. When he turned 14, he left home to join a band. Once he’d earned enough money to get his dream ax, he took to rewiring the pickups and monkeying with the frets, trying to get just the right Latin-tinged blues sound he was looking for.
Flight Of The Condor
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a really big bird! It’s a California condor! Last month, there were only 384 critically endangered California condors left in the world, with only 188 of the majestic birds left to soar in the wild. Thanks to captive breeding, the majestic species is slowly making a comeback. On Sept. 25, two condors will be released into the wild at the Pinnacles National Monument.
Tandy Beal Takes On ‘The Biggest Trick In The Book’
The old Cabrillo Theater is empty except for a dozen dancers hanging out stage right and a few scattered observers in the first five rows. The house lights are on and the duffel bags and bottles of water perched on the front of the stage confirm that this is a rehearsal. Nevertheless, when the music cues and three dancers begin moving in slow motion across the stage as if blown by a lunar wind, the magic takes over. We’re in Tandy Beal’s world now.
Environmental Panelists’ Abrupt Dismissal Raises Questions
Most Californians have probably never heard of the Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants. Of the countless boards of scientists and researchers in state government and academia, the SRP is neither the most powerful nor the most glamorous. Its members—decorated University of California researchers all—are, nonetheless, tasked with checking the work of state-run environmental agencies like the Air Resources Board and the Department of Pesticide Regulations to determine what risk certain airborne industrial chemicals have of making people sick. An important job, most would agree. So when five of its nine members were abruptly dismissed from the panel last month, many with nothing more than a two-sentence “thanks for your service” letter, a lot more people started paying attention to the SRP and who’s on it.
Santa Cruz’s Carbon Footprint Plan Unveiled
Santa Cruz’s climate change action coordinator, Ross Clark, is turning to the local community to help make the city’s action plan for climate change a success. After spending three years studying the city’s carbon footprint, Clark produced an 80-page plan that would reduce emissions by as much as 30 percent by 2020 while continuing to promote economic growth. He plan was discussed by city council at its Tuesday meeting.
Santa Cruz Confirms Rental Inspection Law
At its meeting on Tuesday, Santa Cruz City Council officially approved an ordinance requiring owners of rental properties to register their properties and submit them for inspection. The measure, approved at its first reading a few weeks ago, passed 5-1, with only Tony Madrigal voting against. He argued that the plan could lead to increased rents for low-income residents. The council rejected the arguments of rental property owners that the program violates their property rights.
2010 Season Good To Shakespeare Santa Cruz
If only the housing market were doing as well as Shakespeare Santa Cruz. The company released some end-of-season statistics today that show small but significant improvements over the 2009 season.
San Jose’s Mayor’s Open Government Campaign Promise to Be Tested
When he ran for mayor of San Jose, Chuck Reed promised greater transparency. On Wednesday that promise will be put to the test. A committee, headed by the Mayor, will decide whether to succumb to pressure by journalists and citizens’ groups to release information that the SJPD says will invade privacy and hinder their ability to fight crime.
