Art, Chocolate & Pretending It’s Not Winter☀️🍫🎭
Hello Santa Cruz!
🦫 It’s Groundhog Day (spoiler alert: he saw his shadow, so we’re in for 6 more weeks of winter❄️) and the start of February — and Santa Cruz is doing what we do best: sunshine, warm afternoons and pretending it’s not winter (at least for now…). If you’re looking for reasons to get out and about this week, Good Times has you covered.
Before we get to what’s happening around town, a quick hometown brag: former County Supervisor John Leopold picked up a Grammy over the weekend for producing A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, which won Best Regional Roots Album. The tribute to Zydeco legend Clifton Chenier features an all-star lineup including the Rolling Stones, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Jimmie Vaughan, David Hidalgo, Taj Mahal and Molly Tuttle. Leopold’s bright red suit and boots were pure red-carpet flair — a long way from endless hours of Board of Supervisors meetings. “An amazing experience,” Leopold texted Monday. “Haven’t slept, so it’s still hard to capture it.”
Santa Cruz talent showed up elsewhere at the Grammys too, with local Remy Le Boeuf winning Best Instrumental Composition for The Snow, a big-band jazz piece. His twin brother, Pascal, won a Grammy last year, keeping it a family affair — as did their mom, Joanne Reiter, a former Santa Cruz Jazz Festival board member. (Fun fact: the twins were already playing in the Cabrillo College Big Band at just 16, well beyond their years.)
You don’t need a red carpet to catch great art this week. Just step into the realm of puppetry 🎭 for this month’s First Friday (Feb. 6), which brings the Puppetry Institute’s 5000-square-foot interactive art gallery adventure to the Capitola Mall. Abbott Square keeps the weekend humming with live music from Ancestree on Feb. 6 and Trianna Feruza and the Heavy Hitters on Feb. 7.
Balance out the week with a dose of nature 🌿and local history at a screening of Sequoias of the Sea 🎥 on Feb. 6 or check out current exhibitions at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, including the Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship showcase and the Surf Live Oak exhibit on local surf history.
Then, satisfy your sweet tooth on Sunday, Feb. 8 at the Santa Cruz Chocolate Festival, 🍫😋a feel-good indulgence that also benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters.❤️
Art, nature, music, film, chocolate, surfing — February is off to a very Santa Cruz start.
🏈 And of course, happening on Sunday: the Super Bowl — plan your snacks 🍿, your social calendar (or your escape route?!) accordingly. An escape I can highly recommend…Cotoni Coast Dairies. I took a long hike with friends (of both the 4-legged 🐾 and 2-legged variety) this weekend and it was one of the most scenic, diverse and spectacular locations I’ve been in a while — breathtaking!
Ok, on to the news….here’s what you need to know about across the county this week. 🦫🌞
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Students Show Their Strength
Congressman Panetta Visits Santa Cruz to Condemn ICE
County Supervisors Establish “SHIELD” to Protect Immigrants
Residents Oppose Catalyst Redevelopment
Santa Cruz Metro to Offer Free Bus Rides on Feb. 4
Moss Landing Battery-Fire Fallout Continues to Ripple Locally
Fire Ravaged El Toro Bravo Reopens
Watsonville Plaza Project Moves Ahead
Santa Cruz Public Libraries Expand Hours
Plus an Upside Down Food Pyramid, a Cafe called Blue Lava and Groundhog Lifestyles!
TOP STORIES
Thousands of young people walked out of school last Friday, filling the streets of Watsonville and Santa Cruz to protest recent violent incidents involving federal immigration officials. The walkouts were part of similar protests throughout the United States, a largely student-led movement opposing the hardline immigration crackdown by the Trump administration.
Congressman Panetta Visits Santa Cruz to Condemn ICE
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark told reporters last week that local law enforcement will not cooperate with federal officials if they come to the Central Coast. Clark spoke at a press conference led by Rep. Jimmy Panetta that included elected officials, nonprofit leaders and professionals in education and healthcare.
County Supervisors Establish “SHIELD” to Protect Immigrants
Santa Cruz County’s Board of Supervisors just approved an ad hoc subcommittee called SHIELD — short for Safeguarding Health, Inclusion, Essential Services, and Local Defense. The subcommittee will work with county staff, community organizations and regional agencies to coordinate a response focused on protecting access to essential services for county residents.
Residents Oppose Catalyst Redevelopment
The future of The Catalyst nightclub remains uncertain following the sale of the building to Mountain View-based developer GSH Ventures. The developer’s vision for a seven-story building with 64 condominiums where the venue now stands was submitted to the city in early November. Residents pleaded to preserve the building and expressed concern about potential noise complaints from tenants should The Catalyst move to the bottom floor of the new building.
Santa Cruz Metro to Offer Free Bus Rides on Feb. 4
The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) will offer free fares countywide for Transit Equity Day this Weds., Feb 4. Riders can board any METRO bus at no cost. The national day is held annually to honor Rosa Parks’ birthday and to affirm public transit as a civil right and essential public good.
Moss Landing Battery-Fire Fallout Continues to Ripple Locally
Kim Solano didn’t think much of the blaring alarm at first. Coming from just over half a mile away, across Moss Landing Harbor and down Highway 1, it intruded upon the birds chirping and wind rustling through the tall green carrizo reeds tucked among a variety of potted plants at her Mexican restaurant. But it was not loud enough for her to stop what she was doing that afternoon in 2025.
Fire Ravaged El Toro Bravo Reopens
Just over a year ago, on Christmas Day, a fire damaged El Toro Bravo restaurant in Capitola, forcing the 58-year-old business to close. Rebuilding the much-loved Mexican eatery has taken a stupefying amount of work, as well as navigating the red tape typical of such projects, said Jon Baron, who owns the business with his wife, Kristy.
And speaking of reopening…the Capitola Ave. Bridge project is finally complete.
Watsonville Plaza Project Moves Ahead
Watsonville is working on an approximately $6 million renovation project for the Plaza, with construction scheduled to begin in late spring of 2026 with completion expected by summer of 2027.
Santa Cruz Public Libraries Expand Hours
The Santa Cruz Public Libraries announced extended hours starting Feb. 1 at select branches. The Capitola and Felton branches will now be open on Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00pm, as the downtown location already is. The Aptos and Scotts Valley branch libraries will have extended weekday hours as well.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Fruits, beans and vegetables are taking a back seat in the new food recommendations by the new federal Dietary Advisory Committee. Wonder why?
Blue Lava Cafe Takes Over Sweet Peas
Recently opened on 41st Ave. near the Capitola Mall (in the old Sweet Peas location), Blue Lava Café serves American and French-inspired breakfast/lunch amidst a quaintly ocean-themed ambiance.
Even when the Surf City Warriors are struggling, which they were before a recent resurgence, sizzle is still the state of the stadium thanks to crowd-centric promotions and — oh yes — the magic anticipation before and when they reach 100 points, and every ticket is worth a free scoop of Penny Ice Creamery’s best plays.
😳 WAIT, WHAT?! 🦫❄️
Groundhog Day is today and the famous rodent named Punxsutawney Phil who predicts winter doesn’t actually live in a hole or a tree stump or whatever we may have imagined out in nature. He spends the year in a climate-controlled burrow with handlers and a carefully managed schedule. Turns out the future of winter rests with a very well-cared-for groundhog.