Happy Monday, Santa Cruz!
I hope you had an awesome âHallo-weekend.â I kicked off Saturday night with drinks and a delicious dinner with friends at Mane Kitchen & Cocktails â which just celebrated its 1-year anniversaryâŚcongrats! Then we stepped outside and fell headfirst into the crazy, beautiful, jaw-dropping amazingness that is downtown Santa Cruz on Halloween night. Truly spook-tacular! Seriously, if there is a better place for adults to party on Halloween, you need to tell me about it. And Iâll need photographic evidence. đ
As we flip the calendar to November and adjust to (sigh) earlier sunsets, letâs take a look at whatâs happening around the county.
â First and foremost â MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE. And yes, Iâm shouting. If youâve already voted, thank you. If you havenât, decide right now when, where and how youâre going to do it. Put it on your calendar. Set a reminder. Give yourself enough time to read up on the candidates and measures â because the local decisions matter, too. Then follow through. And check in with a friend or family member who might need a ride or some encouragement. Whatever else is on your to-do list this week, move this to the top. Your vote is your voice. Please use it. Okay, stepping off my soapbox. We now return to our regularly scheduled newsletter programming.
đž Itâs Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, Nov. 1-7 â a perfect moment for a shameless plug for the Santa Cruz SPCA, where I volunteer and proudly serve on the board. This independent nonprofit receives no government funding and relies on community generosity. Donate, volunteer, foster or adopt â and help give a deserving animal a fresh start. Warning: browsing the adoptables may lead to love. đž
đ¨ Capitola is getting painted â literally. Forty artists will set up around town for Capitola Plein Air, Nov. 2-8. On Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:45am-1:45pm), watch the Quick Paint competition at Esplanade Park, enjoy live music by the Ripatti Rose Band and try a free art activity. Then head to Capitola Community Center on Sunday (11am-4pm) for the exhibition and sale, with music, food trucks, hands-on art and Peopleâs Choice voting.
đ If youâve always longed to be heckled by a comedian, hereâs your chance. Good Timesâ own DNA launches Comedy on First Fridays at The 418 Project in downtown Santa Cruz on Friday, Nov. 6, with Bay Area comics Kaseem Bentley and Joe Klocek. Both specialize in âcrowd workâ â turning conversations with audience members into comedy on the spot. Theyâll each perform solo before teaming up for an interactive finale, so the eveningâs material depends partly on who shows up â and what theyâre willing to divulge. Santa Cruz comic Paulie Escobedo opens and hosts. Doors: 7:30pm; Show: 8pm. Tickets $23.18 in advance / $25 at the door.
đżď¸ Books, birthday cake and rock ânâ roll? Thatâs our kind of literary gathering. Squirrels of Wisdom, a six-woman band playing originals and rocking covers, will help celebrate Bookshop Santa Cruzâs 60th birthday (with one man subbing for this appearance) on Friday, Nov. 6, from 6-8pm, with cake at 7pm. Stop by, browse the shelves and raise a fork to six decades of this beloved downtown institution.
đ˛ First Friday isnât just a downtown Santa Cruz affair. On Friday, Nov. 6, Boulder Creekâs Giving Thanks celebration fills downtown with seasonal arts and crafts from 5-8pm. In Ben Lomond, the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center opens The Gift of Art with a reception from 5-7pm at 9341 Mill St. The holiday exhibit features gift-ready paintings, ceramics, jewelry, glass, woodwork and more, all for sale in the gallery and online through Dec. 22. Mountain air, local art â and perhaps a head start on your holiday gift list.
đ Some people love the Earth. Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens take that relationship to a whole other level. I wrote about these two incredible local filmmaker-artists for last yearâs Santa Cruz Film Festival, and I found their blend of environmental activism, humor and sensuality absolutely captivating. It truly is something you need to experience for yourself.
This Saturday, Nov. 7, you can do just that at A Day of Ecosex at the MAH, featuring their environmental documentary trilogy, filmmaker Q&As, a book signing and â yes â Ecosex Bingo. Their philosophy? Treat the Earth as a lover, deserving of care, affection and romance. At 12noon, Goodbye Gauley Mountain takes on mountaintop removal in Bethâs native West Virginia. At 2:30pm, Water Makes Us Wet follows the couple and their dog Butch on a California road trip exploring the pleasures and politics of water. At 7pm, Playing with Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency gets deeply local, following their evacuation during the CZU Complex fire while exploring loss, resilience and community care. Along the way, youâll meet Indigenous scholars, a formerly incarcerated firefighter, a witch therapist and a wild white peacock named Albert. Ecosex Bingo is 5-6pm; doors open at 11:30am. All activities are included with museum admission. Consider it a date with the planet.
đ Beach treasures and gleaming chrome share the spotlight this weekend. The Santa Cruz Sea Glass & Ocean Art Festival takes place Nov. 7-8 (10am-5pm) at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalkâs Sunroom, with more than 60 booths of jewelry and ocean art, plus information about collecting sea glass. Admission is $5, and the event supports ocean conservation. On Saturday, Nov. 7, you can also admire hundreds of classic, custom and muscle cars at Hot Rods at the Beach in the Boardwalk Main Lot. Spectator admission is free.
đż Trade screen time for time travel at Wilder Ranchâs Life on the Ranch: A Living History Event on Saturday, Nov. 7 (11am-3pm). Blacksmithing demonstrations, tours of the Victorian-era homes and old-fashioned games offer a glimpse of life on a working dairy ranch in the early 1900s. Activities are free; vehicle parking is $10. Rain may cancel.
âď¸ A memory, a family tradition, a place you carry with you â all can be jumping off points at Pajaro Valley Artsâ creative writing workshop on Saturday, Nov. 7 (1-3pm), at 280 Main St. in Watsonville. Inspired by Mi Casa es Tu Casa: Caminos de Recuerdo / Paths of Remembrance, the afternoon includes a conversation about DĂa de los Muertos, gallery exploration, creative prompts and an optional closing open mic. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Registration is $20; contact PVA if cost is a barrier.
đˇ Wine, good food and casino games â all for a great cause. Wine & Roses takes place Saturday, Nov. 7 (4-7pm), at Crosetti Hall at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville. The Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley fundraiser includes wine, cuisine, casino games and a silent auction, supporting local health and wellness programs for children and families. All-inclusive tickets are $100 each or $180 for two.
đ Santa Cruz is throwing a welcome-home party for an 87-foot local legend. On Sunday, Nov. 8 (11am-3pm), Marine Science Fest: Ms. Blue Returns! celebrates the restoration of the beloved blue whale skeleton at Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way. KQED and the Seymour Center have a packed day planned: meet UCSC scientists, make whale-bone molds, explore the aquarium and touch tank, contribute to a community mural and enjoy live music, puppets and kidsâ yoga. A PBS Deep Look filmmaker will also share how they capture life underwater. Pizza from Sleight of Hand and Greek food from Achilles by the Sea will keep your young scientists fueled. Tickets are $15 for adults / $10 for youth; the 11am welcome ceremony is free.
đ°ď¸ Ms. Blue isnât the only vintage treasure worth admiring on Sunday. The Santa Cruz Antique Faire fills Lincoln Street between Pacific Avenue and Cedar Street on Nov. 8 (9am-5pm), with antiques, vintage clothing, collectibles and curiosities. Weather permitting.
And lastly⌠Did you catch a whiff? UCSCâs corpse flower bloomed Sunday, and we have questions. Did you see it? Was the stink as awful as advertised? Was it worth holding your breath for? Tell us at editor@weeklys.com.
Thatâs another full week, my friends! And now over to the newsâŚ
News Highlights:
Election Day Is This Tuesday, Nov. 3
Questions Remain Over PVUSD School Closure Plans
Highway 9 Closures and Highway 17 Delays This Week
Downtown Santa Cruz Welcomes 29 New Businesses
Dolores Huerta Remembered Across Pajaro Valley
Transportation Spending Plans Get a Public Hearing
New Traffic Signal Approved for Soquel Village
County and Second Harvest Partner on Jobs Initiative
Cabrillo Reaches Agreement With Faculty Union
Domoic Acid Takes a Toll on Local Marine Life
Plus Can Salsa by the Sea Be Saved?; Weed is Stronger, But Is It Better?; Five Poet Laureates Featured, Tomato Tomato Opens, Yummy Neapolitan-Style Pizza, Arcade Games at the MAH, Puppy Therapy, Your Weekly HoroscopeâŚand much more!
TOP STORIES
Election Day Is This Tuesday, Nov. 3
Santa Cruz County voters have until 8pm Tuesday, Nov. 3, to cast their ballots. Same-day registration is available at voting locations, and a countywide guide covers candidates, local measures and ballot drop boxes.
Questions Remain Over PVUSD School Closure Plans
PVUSD is weighing campus closures as enrollment declines, but families are still awaiting firm answers about which schools could be affected, when decisions will come and how much money the changes would save.
Highway 9 Closures and Highway 17 Delays This Week
Highway 9 near Paradise Park and Glengarry Road closes 7am-3:30pm Monday-Friday, Nov. 2-6, with detours via Graham Hill Road or Highway 17; Wednesday, Nov. 4, also brings rolling lane closures on Highway 17 from 9am-3:30pm, weather permitting.
Downtown Santa Cruz Welcomes 29 New Businesses
Mostly locally owned shops and restaurants have led a wave of 29 downtown business openings since January 2025, fueled by new housing, growing foot traffic and city incentives, with 11 more businesses in the works.
Dolores Huerta Remembered Across Pajaro Valley
United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta died Oct. 28 at 96, prompting tributes to a civil rights leader whose work helped generations of Pajaro Valley farmworkers secure better wages, safer workplaces and a stronger voice.
Transportation Spending Plans Get a Public Hearing
The Regional Transportation Commission will hold a public hearing Thursday, Nov. 5, on five-year spending plans for highway improvements, trails, the rail corridor and Lift Line transportation services.
New Traffic Signal Approved for Soquel Village
County supervisors approved a $730,940 construction contract Oct. 20 for a signal at Soquel Drive and Robertson Street, with dedicated left-turn lanes, sidewalk improvements and technology to coordinate traffic and give buses priority.
County and Second Harvest Partner on Jobs Initiative
County supervisors approved a grant-funded $441,590 partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank Oct. 20 to help Pajaro and Salinas valley workers navigate public benefits and improve access to jobs with sustainable wages and benefits.
Cabrillo Reaches Agreement With Faculty Union
Following state mediation Oct. 7-8, Cabrillo College and its faculty union reached a tentative agreement covering compensation, professional development and other employment terms for the next two academic years, subject to ratification and board approval.
Domoic Acid Takes a Toll on Local Marine Life
Domoic acid, a toxin produced by certain marine algae, has contributed to a surge in sick and dead sea lions along the Santa Cruz County coast.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Between keeping up with the news and figuring out whatâs for dinner, itâs easy to miss a story or two. Here are a few highlights from Good Times on whatâs happening, whoâs making moves and what all the buzz is about across the county this week.
Kristen McLaughlin reports that Salsa by the Sea is facing an uncertain future on the Santa Cruz Wharf, with organizers saying rising permit costs and scheduling restrictions threaten the free community dance gathering. City officials say they support the event but must balance its needs with other uses of the public space.
Weed is Stronger, But is it Better?
Weed is stronger than ever, but does that make it better? In this weekâs âAltered Statesâ column, Richard Stockton examines the cannabis industryâs fixation on THC percentages and why researchers and local experts say aroma, freshness and the plantâs broader chemistry deserve more attention.
Roz Spafford explores the first CĂrculo de poetas & Writers anthology, the culmination of a decade of nurturing diverse literary voices. Featuring five poet laureates, including Watsonvilleâs Victoria BaĂąales, the collection celebrates ancestry, identity, resistance and community.
Santa Cruzâs first Vegan Mac Down served up dairy-free comfort food and an emotional win for Soy Cheesyâs Julia Alaimo. Mark C. Andersonâs column also introduces Tomato Tomato, a new downtown specialty market stocked with unusual pantry finds and local favorites.
At Abbott Squareâs La Bufala Pizzeria, Sandro and Luciana Costanza serve Neapolitan-style pizzas that bake in just 90 seconds. In the Foodie File, Andrew Steingrube explores Sandroâs journey from serving tables in Milan to perfecting airy crusts, house-made dough and Italian comfort food in Santa Cruz.
The MAHâs new High Score exhibit explores the history of Boardwalk arcade and midway games, with vintage machines, archival photos and playable favorites like Fascination and Clown Toss. Good Times writer Siran Babayan looks at how these gathering places fostered friendly competition and community long before smartphones.
Read your Free Will Astrology horoscope from Rob Brezsny here.
đ WAIT, WHAT?! đśđş
Election-week nerves already kicking in? Finland has the perfect counterprogramming: puppies. Six of them, streaming live, 24 hours a day. The countryâs public broadcaster, Yle, offers Pentulive (Puppy Live), following mama Hilkka and her six Lagotto Romagnolo pups as they eat, sleep, snuggle and figure out how their legs work. Itâs part of the Nordic âslow TVâ phenomenon, and yes, you can watch from here, free. This week, weâre making room for a little uncomplicated joy. Come for the puppies. Stay until your shoulders stop touching your ears.