Santa Cruz Is Buzzing (Here’s Why) ☀️🌸
Hello Santa Cruz! ☀️🌊🌸
If it seems a little busier, louder, and even more alive than usual around town right now, that tracks – Spring Break is in full effect! That extra energy you’re sensing (and hearing) is hundreds of students – and perhaps just as many parents – being released into the wild.
If you want to be in the middle of it, head to The Boardwalk.🎡🌊 Rides are open daily this week (generally 11am–6pm, with longer hours into the weekend), the arcades stay open late, and the “Surfing Magician,” Doug Hofkins, is doing free shows throughout the day at the Colonnade Stage. ✨The best move is late afternoon into sunset – golden light, ocean views, and a way better vibe once the daytime crowds ease up.
Not feeling that? There are still plenty of other great ways to spend the week.
If you’re in the mood for something theatrical 🎭, running now through April 20, Reefer Madness 🔥💨from Renegade Theater Co. is at the Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Building. It’s an over-the-top satirical take on the original film’s anti-marijuana hysteria, with big musical numbers and plenty of mayhem. Good Times writer Sean Rusev, who caught a rehearsal, described peering in “like a child past my bedtime watching something I wasn’t supposed to see.” Check out his extremely entertaining review.
Head south on Friday and you’ll find one of the livelier scenes of the week in downtown Watsonville, where the Farmers Market runs 2-7pm at the City Plaza. 🌮🌆Night markets, originally from Asia, are having a moment across the U.S., and this has a similar feel – locally grown fruits, vegetables, and flowers, plus plenty of prepared food. Bring your appetite!
By the weekend, downtown Santa Cruz shifts into Vintage Walk,👗🛍️ April 11 & 12 (10am-8pm). It’s a two-day crawl through shops and pop-ups filled with retro finds, handmade pieces, and plenty of treasure-hunting. It all wraps with a Vintage Fashion Show on Sunday (April 12, 4pm) at Abbott Square, where contestants hit the runway in secondhand looks they pulled together from downtown shops that same weekend. Event organizers say “forget Milan, we have Santa Cruz, vintage and thrift central.” How very Santa Cruz…and, bonus…it’s free to watch.
And running quietly in the background all month, Santa Cruz Rewind is opening the vault on local music – resurfacing past videos and performances from Santa Cruz artists and giving some real local gems a second life. It’s a great reminder of just how deep the music scene runs here.
That’s what’s up this week. Now on to the news. Thanks for reading!
News Highlights
Highway 17 Lane Closures, Delays This Week
New Leaf Energy Seeks State Approval for Battery Energy Storage Plan
CannaCruz Moves Cultivation Operations to Watsonville
Scotts Valley Police to Upgrade Encrypted Radio System
Santa Cruz Approves Female Surfer Statue
Watsonville Utility Rates Could Go Up in July
Santa Cruz Mountains Earthquake Not Tied to Major Fault
Plus…Vegas in Santa Cruz(?), Harsh Pesticide Realities, Jay Blakesberg’s Photos, Other Brother Beer Comes to Aptos, How to Get Unstuck and Much More!
TOP STORIES
Highway 17 Lane Closures, Delays This Week
Beginning today and continuing through Friday, April 10, tree removal will result in the daytime closure of one lane on northbound Highway 17. Travelers should expect the closure of the No. 2 right lane from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. between Santa’s Village Road and Vine Hill Road, just north of Scotts Valley.
New Leaf Energy Seeks State Approval for Battery Energy Storage Plan
New Leaf Energy, the company proposing a battery energy storage system (BESS) facility for Minto Road in Watsonville, has submitted a pre-application to the California Energy Commission seeking approval for the project. The company’s appeal to a higher regulatory authority seems to stem from Santa Cruz County officials taking too long to decide on a framework of regulations for new BESS systems.
CannaCruz Moves Cultivation Operations to Watsonville
CannaCruz, a local marijuana dispensary, is relocating its cultivation operations from Monterey County to Watsonville due to increasingly stringent regulations in Monterey County.
Scotts Valley Police to Upgrade Encrypted Radio System
U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta, along with other Scotts Valley leaders, announced that $682,000 in federal funding will be used to buy a new “state-of-the-art dual analog-digital encrypted radio system” for the Scotts Valley Police Department.
Santa Cruz Approves Female Surfer Statue
Santa Cruz County planning officials have approved the installation of a bronze statue depicting a female surfer on East Cliff Drive.
Watsonville Utility Rates Could Go Up in July
The Watsonville City Council proposed rate increases for water, trash and sewer services at a recent meeting. The average household in Watsonville would see their bill go up about $14 starting July 1. The rates would increase each year through 2031.
Santa Cruz Mountains Earthquake Not Tied to Major Fault
The 4.6 magnitude earthquake that struck near Boulder Creek at about 1:45am last Thursday was not located along one of the major mapped fault lines, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. This quake occurred well west of the San Andreas Fault, they say.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
How Santa Cruz creative technologist Aron Altmark built the machines behind an arena-scale spectacle.
The nonprofit group Campaign for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture (CORA) is working to convince growers to create a 2,500-foot organic buffer zone around schools, where toxic pesticides are not used.
Photographer Jay Blakesberg has captured some of the most important cultural moments of bands, musicians and insulated communities of the 20th and 21st centuries. His work will be shown at the Nicely Gallery through June 30.
In this week’s Foodie File, Andrew Steingrube speaks to chef Josie Lewis of the new Other Brother Beer Co. in Aptos.
7 Mindsets that Stand Between You and Your Goals
Wellness writer and author Elizabeth Borelli tells us about seven of the most common mindsets that can keep people stuck, and how to move past them.
😳 Wait, What?! 👉 👵🤖⏳
Scammers, meet your match: an AI chatbot called “Daisy,” trained to act like a very chatty grandma, is now being deployed to waste fraudsters’ time on purpose. She rambles, gets confused, asks about their families…basically keeps the bad guys talking for as long as possible so they can’t target real people. Honestly? If you’ve ever been stuck on the phone with a real grandma, you know…they never stood a chance. Well done grandma!