Plus Letters To the Editor
Last week, we profiled the five nonprofits we’re asking readers to donate to this month as part of the Good Times Holiday Giving campaign (Community Action Board, Grey Bears, Homeless Services Center, Mountain Community Resources, and Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes—check out SantaCruzGives.com for information on how to donate).
While we were working with the Community Foundation on the process of choosing those groups, which involved surveying a wide range of nonprofits across Santa Cruz County, we got to wondering: why is this area such a hotspot for philanthropy and volunteerism? Yes, we have a rich history of social activism and mobilization, but who exactly in Santa Cruz County is giving their money and time, and why?
What we found surprised us. Aric Sleeper’s cover story this week reveals that while the traditionally older and established philanthropists—several of whom are quite famous locally for their charitable work—continue to be the bedrock of giving in this community, younger people in Santa Cruz County are committing not only their time but also their money to local causes in growing numbers. Will millennials become the most generous generation? Read Aric’s story to find out how philanthropy here is evolving.
I think this week’s issue complements last week’s nicely—previously, we highlighted some of the most important causes to give to locally; this week, we meet the people who give.
Steve Palopoli | Editor-in-Chief
About Our New Logo
We’ve been reimagining Good Times’ logo for more than six months now, trying to come up with a distinctly Santa Cruz look and reflect a four-decade heritage with an element of fun. We wanted a mark that was fresh, timeless and distinctive.
We looked at Good Times’ ornate mid-1970s logo and Richard Curtis’ sleek New Wave-era remake, and drew inspiration from other local weeklies, such as Carl Rohrs’ calligraphy for the Express and Jim Parkinson’s elegant Santa Cruz Weekly nameplate.
After numerous iterations, we selected a sketch by longtime Good Times Art Director Josh Becker, which was reworked by type designer C.J. Dunn. Dunn studied art at UCSC and worked on the graphics team at Santa Cruz skateboard equipment manufacturer Independent Truck Co. before heading to New York City and joining the Font Bureau. Internationally renowned publication designer Roger Black guided C.J. to produce the final version.
This is also a good time to introduce Good Times’ new art director, Tabi Zarrinnaal. Her work is familiar to Santa Cruz area readers, as she’s been designing Good Times’ editorial pages for six months, and was responsible for many of the Santa Cruz Weekly’s pages over the past eight years.
The new Good Times logo will be printed more than two million times in the next year. It’s the result of a painstaking creative process to handcraft an original design. We hope you like it.
Dan Pulcrano, Executive Editor
Miss Steak Checks In
Dear Good Times, thanks for memories (“What Happened to Feminism in Santa Cruz?” GT, Nov. 5). My penchant for historical accuracy has prompted this response. We stopped removing our shirts because our culture has become more sexually repressed in the last few decades. Sadly, our culture seems incapable of viewing nudity (even breastfeeding) outside of the sex act. Howie and the other men who jumped onstage never revealed a banner, they held hands and shouted “Men Resist Sexism.” It was Miss Santa Cruz 1988, Michelle Anderson, who revealed a banner on live television that read: “Pageants Hurt All Women.” She’s now dean of CUNY Law School working on rape law. The NYC justice system, of course, recognized rape in 1971; they claimed one needed a witness to prosecute even though I had a positive ID on one of the rapists. No Hustler magazine was destroyed using a golden phallus, although that would be quite a trick. Nikki Craft vomited the products sponsoring the Miss America Pageant into a toilet bowl with a sign that read, “try this diet millions have used.” Social media and the Internet work in conjunction with street activism by helping to organize it. Ask the #Occupy movement or the Arab Spring participants. Feminism has no end date, as it is simply the recognition of women’s human rights. And lastly, Media Watch is very much alive and working to begin a youth-led radio station KYTH-LP 101.9 FM, streaming at youthradiosc.org. Thanks again for the ink.
Ann J Simonton, Santa Cruz
Howie Schneider responds: “Ann’s right, sorry I misremembered.”
Letters Policy
Letters should not exceed 300 words and may be edited for length, clarity, grammar and spelling. They should include city of residence to be considered for publication. Please direct letters to the editor, query letters and employment queries to le*****@gt******.com . All classified and display advertising queries should be directed to sa***@gt******.com . All website-related queries, including corrections, should be directed to we*******@gt******.com .
POWER TRIP A moody black and white study of power lines by photographer Tim Geurkink.
Radiate Space
The artists at the Radius Gallery got their hands dirty this fall as they geared up for the holidays this year. Thanks to their efforts, shoppers will have a bunch of handmade gifts to chose from at the Tannery Arts Center. The gallery will have four special events left, including ones on Friday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 6.
Post Up
The East Santa Cruz Post Office has announced plans to move into the old Jerry’s Sports building on Soquel and Seabright avenues. Last we heard, the details and timeline hadn’t been finalized. But what a convenience it will be to have a centrally located post office at a busy intersection in the heart of midtown.
“Charity is just writing checks and not being engaged. Philanthropy, to me, is being engaged, not only with your resources, but getting people and yourself really involved and doing things that haven’t been done before.” — Eli Broad
