In a desperate effort to save money, the Santa Cruz City District hired an outside firm, Public Agency Retirement Services, to come up with a new retirement plan.
Santa Cruz Jazz Fest Goes Aloha
Ken Emerson remembers a time when Hawaiian music was largely unknown in Santa Cruz. These days, of course, it’s easy to mistake Surf City for the 50th state’s easternmost outpost, but in the mid-1970s the ukulele was a novelty for lucky Santa Cruz tots rather than a highly expressive instrument embraced by hundreds of musicians around the county.
LBAM Effort Downgraded
Following in the footsteps of the federal government, the state of California has decided to focus on controlling the spread of the light brown apple moth rather than eradicating it.
On Tuesday the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced the policy shift along with its plans not to pursue aerial spraying of pesticide. Instead, the department intends to use ground-based measures and sterile moths.
FEMA Grant for SCFD
The Santa Cruz Fire Department received a $753,328 FEMA grant that will allow it to hire three new firefighters.
Local School Districts Strapped
State Superintendent Jack O’Connell warns that three school districts in Santa Cruz County may not be able to meet their future financial obligations due to cuts to public education. The Pajaro Valley Unified District and Santa Cruz City Elementary and High School districts have all received qualified certification because they may not meet their obligations in this or the coming two academic years.
Ollies Across America
Anyone watching the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Olympics saw eight great Canadians carrying the Olympic flag. Actually, it was seven great Canadians and one great Canadian’s mother. Her son, Terry Fox, is generally considered one of the 10 greatest Canadians of all time.
Ben Harper, Buddy Guy at Santa Cruz Blues Fest
Santa Cruz’s most venerable music institution, the Santa Cruz Blues Festival, returns to town this Memorial Day with a stellar lineup worthy of an 18th birthday party. Under the guiding hand of festival organizer Bill Welch, the festival pays tribute to the both the foundation and the future of the genre with Saturday headliners Ben Harper and the Relentless7 and on Sunday Buddy Guy, who stands as a one-man institution in his own right.
Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Fest Arrives
The sun is only beginning to peek its crimson head over the eastern horizon at Steamer Lane, and already dozens of neoprene-swathed bodies are bobbing on boards in the water. Dominating the human flotsam on this picture-perfect spring dawn is the standard cadre of surfers who have spent months, if not years, perfecting Steamer’s unique break. But the longboarders and shortboarders don’t have the world-famous point break to themselves anymore. With slideshow.
Elder Justice Included in Health Care Reform
A lesser-known piece of the federal health care reform bill will almost certainly breathe new life into the Santa Cruz Adult Protective Services program, which has been beset with personnel and funding cuts even as the number of reported elder abuse cases in the county has ticked upward. “It’s enough to make one weep,” says APS program manager Sandy Skezas. “This has been so many years coming. There are those of us who have worked on this for a very long time.”
I Like Tigers and I Vote
Animal lovers were elated to learn that the Downtown Association has recently decided to ask the Santa Cruz City Council to lift the 1976 prohibition against dogs on Pacific Avenue. While I am not personally a dog lover or owner, I do like cats, especially big cats, and most specifically my pet tiger, Borges, who lives contentedly in my Westside backyard. For years I have wanted to bring Borges with me when I go shopping downtown but have been frustrated by the irrational ban on large carnivorous quadrupeds.
