It’s a portent that we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Boardwalk’s Giant Dipper roller coaster this year, because 2024 has been a roller coaster of a ride.
On the one hand, we’ve had floods, one wharf collapsed and one was rebuilt, power outages, a tornado, and we elected a president who has no love for California or the immigrants who do so much to support the economy on every level, from the fields to the silicon clean rooms.
On the other, we’ve had major development around the county, particularly downtown Santa Cruz, where years of asking for more housing have finally taken shape in the form of giant apartment buildings along Pacific Avenue.
Will more rooms bring down what are unlivable rent and home ownership costs? That’s the big question that politicians and developers have been pitching and debating for decades.
Our year-end review looks at the housing projects, as well as the year’s big local stories.
Talking about ups and downs, we lost the Jewel Theater at the Tannery. After it sat empty for months, the nonprofit group Theatre 831 (the parent organization of All About Theatre) took it over. Christina Waters does an interview with the new head of the Colligan Theater and gives us a lot of hope for live plays in the future.
Holy coffee, Batman, Santa Cruz has plenty of holy coffee you didn’t know about. Learn all about it in John Koenig’s article, “Good Brews.” Cheers.
In a million years I never thought I’d see the day that cannabis was legalized here or anywhere. I used to see the Legalize booths at various public functions and kind of laugh to myself that they were sure wasting time. Slap me in the face! It’s now legal for medical or pleasurable pursuits. But, 2024 wasn’t so great for the cannabis industry, says our columnist Dan Mitchell. Read it and weep.
Holy chicken wings, Batman, Henflings is back. One of the premier entertainment halls in the mountains, a place with a 40-year-long history of great music and tavern food has returned with new owners. Andrew Steingrube fills us in. And yup, they have chicken wings.
Finally, raise a glass to Vine & Dine columnist Josie Cowden, marking her 25th anniversary with Good Times. Happy New Year to her, and to us all.
Brad Kava, editor
PHOTO CONTEST
TIDE TURNING This Monterey Bay Sanctuary plaque from the damaged wharf somehow managed to make it onto Seabright Beach unscathed. Photograph by Jim Sklenar
GOOD IDEA
As in previous years, the Santa Cruz Police Department will deploy all
available officers to ensure a safe New Year’s Eve environment.
They will enact a Safety Enhancement Zone in the downtown corridor from 8am Dec. 31 to 8am Jan. 1. They will pass out triple fines for lawbreakers.
Those include possessing alcoholic beverages in public and other unsafe or illegal behavior-related ordinances, such as public urination.
GOOD WORK
Over this year, the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership helped secure two California Advanced Services Fund Adoption Account grants, which launched outreach to improve access and adoption of digital literacy skill-building across San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Working in collaboration with technical and administrative assistance, new community workshops helped further close the digital divide, getting computing devices into the hands of low-income residents and helping them acquire the digital fluency skills to use them effectively.
Because of those funds, Loaves, Fishes and Computers was able to complete 303 digital literacy courses for residents of the tri-county region, distribute 550 computer devices, serve a total of 528 residents through digital literacy courses, and provide tech support for 400 seniors.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean.” —Isaac Newton
