When you think about the Santa Cruz music scene, the first thing that should come to mind is probably the Grateful Dead. After all, UCSC is home to the most important Dead archive in the world. But a Canadian filmmaker found another musical phenomenon that makes Santa Cruz tower above the rest: the ukulele. Perhaps it indicates close ties with Hawaii. After all, another SC icon, surfing, is also associated with that state and Santa Cruz.
News
Santa Cruz County Good ‘n’ Healthy
Santa Cruz County ranked 8th in a survey of the healthiest places to live in California.
Ten Questions for Robyn McIntyre
What do you do for a living?
I’m a writer/artist/social media enthusiast with an interest in a lot of things. I write three blogs and am anticipating the position of Director of Miscellany for a new start-up currently being funded.
Governor’s Gas Tax Flip Is Trouble
In January, as part of an effort to tackle the budget deficit, Gov. Schwarzenegger proposed eliminating California’s 6 percent gasoline sales tax and replacing it with a 10.8 cents per gallon excise tax. While that might seem like good news for consumers, it comes at a high price.
Through The Cellar Door
The New York Times Magazine traced the origins of the words “cellar door,” which, it turns out, is considered an exceedingly beautiful pair of words. Local poet Stephen Kessler, however, isn’t convinced.
Callers Keep Police Busy
The SCPD is reporting that the number of calls it received in 2009 was the most ever for a single year—85,774, or 1.5 calls for every resident.
State Budget Woes Take Toll on Highway Improvements
Improving existing infrastructures is listed as top priority by everyone in government, from the president to the governor to the mayor.
Chihuahua Faces Mountain Lion … and Loses
It’s pretty much a no-brainer. Tough and yappy as they may be, chihuahuas have very little chance against larger predators like mountain lions.
Big Ideas Head to Santa Cruz
Peter Meehan remembers when the only two companies making organic chocolate were Newman’s Own Organics, the company he co-founded in Aptos with his business partner Nell Newman, and the Switzerland-based Rapunzel. In what some might consider an unfortunate if principled decision, Rapunzel was sweetening its chocolate with molasses rather than refined sugar. “It was a very challenging piece of chocolate to eat,” Meehan recalls.
Watsonville’s Overtime Blues
It may be the dead of winter, but summer is already on the minds of Watsonville city employees—specifically the June budget and the potential $5 million hole in it. At the Feb. 9 city council meeting, financial director Marc Pimentel blamed declining property taxes and the state and national budget crisis, but he also pointed out that police and fire overtime were a major stress on the city coffers.
