Despite the best efforts of three Monterey County residents and their lawyers, it appears that the special election to fill Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado’s recently vacated District 15 Senate seat will take place in June.
News
County Lays Off Court Staff
The Santa Cruz County Superior Court has sent pink slips to 20 employees, including a court commissioner, as part of its efforts to contend with a $2.3 million budget shortfall. The layoffs, which go into effect on June 30, affect 17 full-time employees and three part-time employees.
Pajaro Valley Teacher Accused of Sexual Misconduct
A male student at Pajaro Valley High School has stated that he had a sexual relationship with one of his female teachers.
Money Woes for Rail Line Purchase
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission was delighted when it finally hammered out the deal to purchase the 32-mile Union Pacific rail line with an assortment of state funds totaling $21 million. Unfortunately, what they failed to realize is that the state promising them $21 million is like me promising them $21 million—wish I could, but it ain’t gonna happen so fast.
SC Blues Fest’s Stellar Lineup
Bill Welch is a tall, gray-goateed music nut known for breaking into a sweat when talking about a good guitar player or horn blower—and for booking around 300 shows every year at his club, Moe’s Alley. But just in case the locals forget about the steady stream of talent running through his club, in his spare time Welch and his staff also throw together Santa Cruz County’s biggest music showcase, the Santa Cruz Blues Festival.
Santa Cruz Strummers Flock to Pubs Contest
The Britannia Arms is an authentic English pub, complete with fish n’ chips and waitresses that call you “love,” and is a popular drinking spot in Aptos. However, on the evening of Tuesday, May 11, the area around the bar was nearly empty. Everyone was crowded instead into the upstairs area where the Singer-Songwriter Showcase was about to begin. When the MC/Judge appeared at the microphone in the corner of the room, she thanked the sponsors and directed the room’s attention to a guitar on the wall, which was to be raffled off later. She mentioned, ominously, that although this event was free, nobody would be allowed out of the building without a raffle ticket.
Police Raid SubRosa Café
Investigators from the DA’s office raided the SubRosa Café, alleged to be a center of local anarchist activity in the county. Officers said that they were looking for workers’ comp documents forms for the café‘s staff, but the café‘s founders explained that the staff is entirely volunteer, and as such, they have no comp documents for them. Jimi Haynes, who was arrested during the May 1 incident downtown in which 18 businesses were vandalized by alleged anarchists, claims to have volunteered at the café, but the site’s blog states emphatically, “Jimi Haynes is not and has never been a volunteer at SubRosa.”
No Horsing Around Here!
Holden Caulfield said it best: “I’d rather have a goddam horse. A horse is at least human, for God’s sake.” The fact is that some people want a stable relationship, and they feel they can only have one with a horse. Then again, some people take it too far …
Ben Harper’s Blue Side
Undoubtedly there was some head-scratching when the name “Ben Harper and Relentless7” appeared atop the lineup for this year’s Santa Cruz Blues Festival. A man who’s sold millions of records thanks to reggae-inflected acoustic hits like “Burn One Down” and “Jah Work,” Harper is often written off as mellow indie it-boy by old-school rock and blues fans raised on B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy. But those people obviously haven’t heard his newest records.
What’s Next for Cemex?
The Cemex plant on the North Coast is gone, so the question is now what to do with the 10,000 acre property right outside of Davenport. One option is to turn the land into a public trust and recreation area. Even before the plant shut down, the nonprofit Sempervirens Fund of Los Altos offered to buy the vast woodlands surrounding the property. The Sempervirens Fund is dedicated to protecting the forests and other natural features of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
