The first time I met him, Tim Ruzzo was saddled with a large briefcase stuffed to near bursting with documents about his dog. Like a magician pulling an endless handkerchief out of his pocket, Ruzzo retrieved adoption papers, legal documents and news articles about other people like him—people who had had their dogs stolen. He…
News
“Great Morgani” Retires Due to Downtown Ordinances
Frank “Great Morgani” Lima, a street-performance staple in Downtown Santa Cruz for the last 17 years, has announced he will be retiring from playing his accordion in outrageous outfits on Pacific Avenue because of downtown ordinances that regulate performing.
Crackdown on Solar Spooks Local Companies
A looming crackdown on solar panel installations gave local solar companies a bit of a scare to start off the New Year.
The Santa Cruz County planning department told companies like Solar Technologies and Allterra Solar they would have stop installing “Class C” solar panels on rooftops, and switch instead to “Class A” and “B” systems, which it turns out aren’t commercially feasible yet for residences.
Bob Lamonica Relishes Underdog Role in Supe Race
By every possible definition of the term, Bob Lamonica is the underdog in this year’s supervisor race. His opponent, Ryan Coonerty, has secured just about every possible endorsement, and is trouncing him in fundraising. Most people, it’s safe to say, consider Coonerty’s victory a foregone conclusion.
Santa Cruz Challenge Starts Up Its Fourth Year
Turning over a new leaf of good health is always a challenge. But in the case of the 12-week Santa Cruz Challenge, it’s the heaping spoonful of Santa Cruz that seems to make the medicine go down.
Letters to the Editor, Feb. 19-25
Personal responsibility and government accountability
Can Venus Spirits Put Local Whiskey on the Map?
Whiskey. From the Gaelic, meaning “water of life.” And even though technically whiskey is simply an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain, connoisseurs and tipplers the world over know it as a magical liquor with a life of its own.
What’s Wrong With the City’s Bike Program?
Casey Monahan, last year’s Santa Cruz youth mayor, owes his job in part to the Bike Church and the free bicycle distribution program, which the nonprofit operated though the spring of 2012.
“Every day I got to work and school and here on a bike that I got through the bicycle distribution program for youth,” Monahan said in the Santa Cruz City Council chambers last month, as councilmembers weighed the future of the program.
Liza Monroy Raises Questions About Marriage
When Santa Cruz author Liza Monroy heard that then-Mayor Gavin Newsom had ordered his city clerk to issue same-sex marriage licenses in San Francisco, she was so moved that she poured her heart into an op-ed celebrating a new era of gender-neutral marriage in the mainstream. But when she showed it to a friend, the feedback was a buzzkill: scrap it.
Local Activist Tours Sanctuary Camps
When Brent Adams drove north last November to see sanctuary camps in Oregon and Washington, he got a firsthand look at the models he’s been advocating for almost a year. The activist learned a few things, too—for instance, just how much work it is to make a sanctioned encampment with community support.
