EDITOR’S NOTE
I am a total nerd, so it’s not hard to convince me to run a story in GT about a new mini-comic-con in Santa Cruz County. In fact, this story wasn’t even planned as a cover story, I was thinking of it more as a longish inside feature to preview the first Nerdville event on Sunday, Sept. 26 in Watsonville.
But when I read what Tony Nuñez had done with this story, I knew it had to be on the cover. Nerdville and the people who are making it happen are an essential part of the piece, yes, but it’s about so much more. It’s about the wave of violence that has hit Watsonville over the last year and a half. It’s about finding creative ways to support the passions of local young people. It’s even about bringing greater acceptance of nerd and nerd-adjacent behavior to Latinx culture. And for all those very important and very serious topics, it’s also populated with some very fun and engaging characters. In short, it’s a fantastic story, I hope you’ll give it a read, and—if you’ve got at least a touch of nerd in you, too—that you’ll check out Nerdville this weekend.
STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Read the latest letters to the editor here.
RE: DROUGHT
[“Great Wet Hope”] mentions residential gallons per person per day water usage, and how low it is, but fails to broach what I’d have to guess is the real culprit with regards to the dire straits of our water reserves: commercial drains, especially the tourist industry’s constantly expanding number hotel beds, and watering holes. What are the facts of that situation please? Do the city’s residents have any recourse?
— John Koster
RE: SNAIL
I have known these guys since ’76. I took a girl to see them and married her a couple of years later. We were together 40 years, ’til she passed. I later ran sound for them, and really got to know them all. Jimmy Norris (drums) and Jack Register (bass) were the rhythm section on the first album. Ron Fillmore, the original drummer, is alive and well living in Angels Camp. Donny is in Murphys, Brett is in the Chicago area, Jack is in Arkansas, Larry passed in 2016. Craig and I have worked together several times. I run into Ken and Bob from time to time. Roger Buffalo Krone and I chat through Facebook, as well as Ed Leslie. These guys were Santa Cruz music for many years, and if you never got to see them, that’s a shame. I remember I had a bumper sticker that read, “I met my girlfriend at a Snail concert.” A nice story is always good to hear about them. Lots of good memories with these guys.
— Ken C.
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
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GOOD IDEA
SAFE SPACE
Dominican Hospital will be expanding some of its women’s health programs, thanks to funding from the hospital’s Women of Wellness council. Funds were awarded to the hospital’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Program, which resumed in 2020 after a three-year hiatus. The only program of its kind in the county, the SAFE program provides medical examinations and tests to survivors who have been sexually assaulted. Learn more about women’s health programs the hospital offers, including free cardiac risk screenings, at supportdominican.org/women-of-wellness-council.
GOOD WORK
HUB GETS LOVE
Digital NEST, the organization helping bridge tech equity for students in Watsonville and Salinas, was awarded $9,500 from the Santa Cruz Rotary Club. In rural, agricultural Watsonville and Salinas, Digital NEST is creating a hub for technology and innovation for students. After touring Digital NEST in Watsonville and hearing about the organization’s mission, the Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary Club donated $9,500 to the center on the spot. The club raises money to support organizations doing admirable work for youth and community across Santa Cruz County.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I think that if the world were a bit more like comic-con, it would be a better place.”
-Matt Smith
