Plus Letters to the Editor
Summer is in full bloom. This is good. Even better is the fact that we seem to be one of the only states in America with decent weather this season. There’s nothing like bragging about cool foggy nights and 75-degree days to your pals in the Midwest, who have been braving 100-degree-plus weather.
Here’s hoping they all catch a break soon. In the meantime, we continue to bask in a very events-full season. At the forefront is Cabrillo Stage, which kicks off some of the summer’s main theater activities this week with the premiere of “A Chorus Line.” For those of you not familiar with the theatrical outing, it was a smash hit when it opened on Broadway in the ’70s. It also nabbed some Tonys along the way and, at one point, was the longest-running musical—ever. (I think “Les Misérables,” touring San Francisco by the way, now has that honor.) In any case, producing the show was a bold move on Cabrillo’s part, and the company seems to be holding true to its vision of delivering the finest entertainment it can—each summer, its offerings continue to impress. Learn more about all that in this week’s Arts & Entertainment section. See you at the show.
From jazz hands we go to offering something nourishing to the empty-handed—more or less—as this week’s cover story shines the spotlight on the indelible Second Harvest Food Bank, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this month. There will be a special event on July 20 to commemorate the milestone, but take note of writer April Short’s compelling feature on the Food Bank, its origins, why its president Willy Elliott-McCrae has been so fundamental to its success in helping locals in need receive food—and also, how local hunger fighter Danny Keith factors into the mix.
In the meantime, update your calendars for a full eight weeks ahead, as a fascinating troika of entertainment comes alive locally—Cabrillo Stage opens “Anything Goes” at the end of the month; Shakespeare Santa Cruz is about to premiere a troika of shows, and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is just weeks away from its big 5-0 anniversary season. And be sure to check out the first-ever Santa Cruz Fringe Festival, beginning this week.
Enjoy the days ahead.
And thanks for reading …
Greg Archer | Editor-in-Chief
Letters to the Editor
Pacific Avenue: Any Way You Want It?
Regarding the debate on whether Pacific Avenue should be one-way or two-day or something else entirely, I believe that the happier the pedestrians are, the more trouble folks will go through to park remotely to experience the downtown culture and business. One way to get rid of the DO NOT ENTER signs is to incrementally remove the roadways altogether and replace it with pedestrian patio courtyards. One candidate section, for starters, is at the end of the mall in front of Bookshop Santa Cruz. That should draw more folks into the area. Other mall road sections can eventually be replaced similarly over time allowing locals to adapt to traffic patterns. Bob Sheehan Santa Cruz
Who Makes The Decisions?
I don’t know who makes final decisions about what businesses are permitted to open their doors in Santa Cruz County, but we now have three retail outlets, CVS, Walgreen and Rite Aid who sell the same merchandise, but with their company logo stickers affixed. Santa Cruz dumps will now be filled with piles of cheap clothing, plastic housewares, children’s toys, retired beachand backyard barbecue stuff as consumers tear through and dispose of ill-made, non-green, short-lifetime goods. What were the city decision-makers thinking when they agreed to let in yet another big box store?
Kathy Cheer
Santa Cruz
Online Comments
On ‘180/180—A Few Who Cost The Most’ …
We can talk about the tremendous support needed to maintain the homeless and to supervise them. We can talk about where can appropriate compassion be applied to do the most good for the most people. We can talk about who receives this help, the truly hopeless, those who can’t even fish, or those who can learn to fish for themselves. We can talk about helping only local people. We can also talk about the power structure and bureaucracy already set up to make these decisions without any oversight.
—Don Honda
A good article with plenty of relevant information. It will be interesting to keep track of this program as it develops. Let’s hope your reporter follows up.
—John D.
This article does a good job covering the cost-effectiveness of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). Put simply, it is less of a drain on the public purse to house a medically vulnerable homeless person than to have them accessing expensive emergency services. And, as cited, Ms. Davies is one such person who has turned their life around with PSH—we know it works, but with only 199 units administered across the County, it’s not enough. We need to expand this successful program. To learn more and find out how to be involved go to 180santacruz.org.
—Phil Kramer
On ‘Boardwalk Empire’ …
All to often we view the money that a man has made rather than his actual accomplishments. Fred [Swanton] generated accomplishments that will create Santa Cruz’s history forever. When I am at the beach located at the end of 7th Avenue, the Winter surf shows the relics of the Fred Swanton by-gone era, the old support beams of a train track that spanned the beachfront property from Santa Cruz to Capitola. Thank you Fred Swanton.
—William Horn
