metroactive
News, music, movies & restaurants from the editors of the Silicon Valley's #1 weekly newspaper.
Serving San Jose, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Campbell, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Fremont & nearby cities.

News

home | news & features | santa cruz

Santa Cruz

phaedra Remote Control
Santa Cruz County Community TV is in limbo as Comcast renegotiates local contracts.


phaedra Everybody Hates Cigarettes
Even smokeless ones--which both the FDA and the state of California have in their sights.


phaedra Uncle Sam's Best Intentions
Vets enrolling at UC-Santa Cruz wonder if the new GI Bill is too good to be true.


Coastal Cleanup Day Swims Upstream
While the beaches get cleaner, the rivers keep getting dirtier--and that makes Emily Glanville"s job a lot tougher.

Not Quite Fright Night
The Haunted Castle at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk gets a stay of execution before a major remodel--and a much-needed infusion of spooky.

Borrowed Time
The second in Paul Wagner's two-part series on the housing crisis examines a Scotts Valley family that got taken in and run around.

The Candy-Flavored Cigarette Crackdown
Santa Cruz smoking enthusiasts tee off on a looming federal ban on cloves and flavored cigarettes.

A Poet and A Patriot: Chris Matthews (1946-2008)
Geoffrey Dunn recalls a larger-than-life Santa Cruz character.

Dreams of Obama
Activist and retired lawmaker Tom Hayden on why Obama will disappoint--and why we should vote for him anyway.

Unpopularity Contest
Santa Cruzans aren't fond of firebombers

Raising La Behemoth
Plans for a big new hotel are generating four-star conflict on the Santa Cruz waterfront.

Ten Things to Do With a Bike in Santa Cruz
From tuneups at the Santa Cruz Bike Church and training rides with local cycling clubs to late-night cookie-runs and same-day package delivery, a rundown of exciting activities as bike season arrives.

Santa Cruz Political News: Chris Krohn
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors candidate Chris Krohn and his wife defend using university email to influence an online poll.

The Goldies 2006
Once again, you picked the best of Santa Cruz to be honored with the one and only Goldies Award for 2005. Nice work!

Santa Cruz Politics: Chris Krohn
Former Santa Cruz mayor may have lost his beard, but his politics remain the same as he throws his hat into the District 3 county supe's ring.

Fitness Boot Camp
A crack-of-dawn fitness regime brings back our writer's childhood demons.

Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival
Boarders step aside as the 20th annual festival comes to Steamer Lane.

Dana Priest
The former City on a Hill editor who went on to uncover the CIA's secret prison scandal comes back to Santa Cruz.

Steve Westly
Former eBay executive? Born-again Schwarzenegger critic? Our next governor? Will the real Steve Westly please stand up?

Undercover Follies
A police official investigates himself as undercover operations stir controversy. (Plus: The secrets of the lone bagpiper revealed!)

Magic Bus
Pajaro Valley to introduce California's first biodiesel school bus program.

Dances With Deer
Brant Secunda and students find a Huichol way of knowledge.

Keep Cope Alive
A last-ditch effort to save the Watsonville preschool turns into a bureaucratic community nightmare.

Katrina Reconsidered
A UCSC conference, a homecoming editor and an embedded photographer explore the new New Orleans.

Marijuana-rama
Will locals vote to put pot-related enforcement at the bottom of the cops' to-do list?

Till Government Do Us Part
Santa Cruz's Linda Robinson and her partner were celebrating 13 years together when the California Supreme Court nullified their marriage. Now they fear domestic partner rights will be taken away.

Fair Factor
A campaign to raise the minimum wage citywide sends shock waves through the local business community.

Iraq Is Not a Small Central American Country
At UCSC talk, Juan Cole will offer informed comment on our Middle Eastern adventures.

Resurrecting the Kennedy Mystique
Robert Jr. weds '60s idealism to 'me generation' economics to sell the environmental movement.

The Fantastic Fungi
As the annual Fungus Fair approaches, be warned: bold mushroom gatherers don't always grow old.

Oh Davey, Oh Goliath!
Or how the leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church shattered my belief in faith-based talking animals.

Your Metro Santa Cruz Last-Minute Gift Guide
Strap on your sleigh-belt and get ready for our crash course in last-minute gift-giving.

Temporary Living
15 years after its inception, the Homeless Garden Project is still looking for a place to call home.

Gift Guide
Our exclusive team of nondenominational elves hunt down local solutions to your holiday needs.

Season's Bleatings
Fine ales, sophisticated goats and T-shirts are the most exclusive gifts this holiday season.

Shut Up and Pose
Despite Suicide Girls' lofty claims to the contrary, sometimes a porn site is just a porn site.

It Could Happen Here?
Earthquakes, floods and now avian flu: Santa Cruz disaster experts ponder the possibilities.

Vote Early and Often!
It's our pre-election extravaganza, featuring a lighthearted interview with Tom Tomorrow and the Metro Santa Cruz debut of 'This Modern World' and timely election endorsements from the small cute dog who became president!

Gimme Some Protection
Local high school students sound off about Prop. 73.

Proposition Me, Why Doncha?
If there's one thing Gov. Schwarzenegger has done, it's unite working folk in the fight of their political lives.

Fancy This
The Seventh Sense Fashion Show struts down the runway toward a deeper understanding of human fanciness.

Fall Fashion 2005
Five Santa Cruzans undergo the astounding Metro makeover. Only one will survive to make the cover.

Student Survival '05
Sex, slugs and survival in Santa Cruz.

Banking on a Comeback
For termed-out Democrat Fred Keeley, a so-called Republican power grab could put him back on the fast track.

Waiting for Dubya
Who would leave the mild climes of Santa Cruz for the sweltering heat of Crawford, Texas, to set up camp with Cindy Sheehan? Meet the Mannings.

Kilo Quest
Armed with just his wits, a hand-drawn map and a copy of Twain, Alastair Bland travels the Baja Coast in search of hidden treasure.

Senior Correspondent
A conversation with Bob Edwards about public radio, private enterprise and the future of broadcast journalism.

Engineering Eden
Does your piece of paradise feel too small? Meet local folks who've radically transformed their surroundings in our special Home & Garden issue.

Home Is Where the Art Is
One man's artistic vision converts an ordinary house and garden into an otherworldly home.

The Three Sides of Ishana Bei
A local energy worker triangulates her own DIY answer to Santa Cruz's shortage of space.

What the Bleep Does He Know?
Illuminatus instigator Robert Anton Wilson on life, death and the joy of conspiracy theories.

The Measure X Files
With ballots in the mail, local residents and officials sound off.

Contort Yourself
Get all hot and twisted with our special Health & Fitness issue.

Hot Flashes and New Beginnings
Naturopathic doctors offer another option for women seeking alternatives to synthetic hormone therapy.

Scaling the New Food Pyramid
The food pyramid gets a makeover.

Sphere Factor
In which a journalist confronts circadian rhythms and proper posture in just 48 hours.

London Texting
Technology sent an activist message around the world. Unfortunately, so did the bombs.

Breaking the Cycle
Gemma offers a new life for women getting out of jail.

Redeveloping Santa Cruz
Ceil Cirillo has led the city's Redevelopment Agency for the past 15 years. Will its work ever be finished?

Border Cage Match
As Arnie bombs in the polls, will Mexican immigrants be his deliverance?

Radio Fear
Legislative wrangling threatens the future of local public radio.

Waiting for E.T.
When aliens come knocking, the Santa Cruz Astronomy Club will be ready and waiting.

Twist 'N' Go
Scooters ain't just for hipsters.

Saving Salz
Who pays for cleanup if more contaminants are found during the Tannery Arts Center conversion?

The Show Must Go On
Boulder Creek Art, Wine and Music Festival carries on--in face of Caltrans' opposition to the wine part.

On Your Record
Art Main thought his criminal record was ancient history--until it blocked him from getting a job.

Take the Word 'Mother' and Run With It
In which a cat and a diarist inspire an authentic Mother's Day ode.

Car Cultureisioning Santa Cruz
Part 3 of a series. How Vision Santa Cruz made consensus-planning work in the post-earthquake years.

Green Wave
Our spring fashion issue rides the cutting edge of Surf City style.

The Silent Tsunami
Local resident Shanti Cliff co-founded a nonprofit that supports pre-existing programs to combat the silent tsunami of ongoing poverty.

Saving Public Ryan
Five months ago, Ryan Coonerty was the City Council's golden boy. One doomed hotel project later, he's undergone a steely trial by fire. Will it strengthen his political career?

Occupational Hazards
Houston-born journalist Dahr Jamail comes to Santa Cruz to talk about yet another casualty of the Iraqi occupation--truth in the media.

Tsunami Aftermath
One woman's experience of doing direct relief in Thailand--and of finding out what isn't getting done.

A School for Survivors
Jack Schultz is back from Bali--and has another tsunami relief project in the works.

The Goldies 2005
Once again, you picked the best of Santa Cruz to be honored with the one and only Goldies Award for 2005. Nice work!

Do Protests Work?
Two years after the Iraq war began, protesters are still marching, without apparent effect.

Collision Course
Surfing, river kayaking and surf kayaking come together at Steamer Lane for the 19th annual Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival.

Coast Rumble: Mike Rotkin vs. Ed Porter
Rotkin's right-hand punches counter Porter's left hooks in the battle of the Coast Hotel.

Waking Hours
Santa Cruz Film Festival director Jane Sullivan knows what it means to be a woman in business.

Rebuilding Santa Cruz
In part 2 of our series on Santa Cruz development: How the earthquake shook up the battleground between progressives and conservatives.

SCAP Scrape
The controversy around Santa Cruz AIDS Project has become the hottest story no one wants to talk about--but will anything come of all these accusations?

Forging the Food Chain
A Santa Cruz engineer is rebuilding fisheries and restoring nutrition in Bali.

Totally Expo'd
Weddings scare us. But this weekend's Santa Cruz Bridal Expo at the Cocoanut Grove does not.

Redesigning Santa Cruz
If you really want to understand the debate over the proposed conference center project, you have to go all the way back to the beginning of the battles over development and direction in Santa Cruz. The first part of our new series takes you there.

Skid Roe
Roe v. Wade turns 32 this week. But is the Democratic Party leaving it in the lurch as it searches for new leadership?

Hell, Sweet Hell
The grittiest, muddiest fringe of biking breaks out in a new Santa Cruz film.

Scandalous
The year in scandals, in titillating 20/20 vision.

Go With the Flow
First Night Santa Cruz surges into its 11th year with the theme 'Rivers of Life.' Behind the scenes, Blake Smith and other local organizers are bringing real community back to the arts scene.

Winged Fixation
The story of one man's wild goose chase and how it led him to the crusaders of Native Animal Rescue.

Last-Minute Gift Guide
Our elves have been pounding the pavement in and around downtown Santa Cruz to find ideas for inexpensive last-minute gifts.

Shattered Grass?
It's not looking good for medical marijuana advocates in the landmark case currently before the Supreme Court. As they watch with a mixture of hope and horror, they're already asking the toughest question of all: 'What happens if we lose?'

Talking Turkey
The real story on the bird that's come to represent American Thanksgiving.

Gift Guide 2004
Our guide to the Central Coast in winter, just in time for the holidays.

Comfort Shopping For the Santa Cruz Soul
Can we shop our post-election troubles away? Probably not. But no one is going to stop us from trying.

Free Cliffton McIntire!
A narcoleptic college instructor serves time after the county screws up his work furlough program.

What the Bleep Do We Do Now?
A guide to surviving the next four years.

Who Is Tony Madrigal?
Meet the political upstart whose surprise victory could shake up the Santa Cruz City Council.

This Is the 'War on Terror'
Sikhs consider Kulvir Singh a hero. The American government considers him a terrorist. This is his story.

Vote
Yes on 71! No on J! Our complete election coverage can be your best friend at the ballot box.

50 Reasons to Vote For John Kerry
With all the bad juju in this election, we challenged our frequent and admittedly snarky contributor to keep it positive--and to be serious for once. Of course, he failed miserably, just like we hoped. Here are the results of his carefully numerated attempts to go beyond 'anybody but Bush.'

Taking the Initiative
A Metro Santa Cruz Guide to Voting the Propositions.

Sign Me Up
In a town where people live and breathe politics, City Council candidates grapple with how best to run a campaign.

Through the Looking Glass
A sneak preview of the Seventh Sense Fashion Show.

Peer Pressure
Students get framed in our eye-popping fashion issue.

The Planet Hunter
Despite what 'Rolling Stone' magazine says, the folks at UCSC are doing more than toking hooners in the redwoods. Meet Steven Vogt, UCSC professor and leader in the race to find other worlds.

Investigating the Investigation
Are the answers really in here? A Santa Cruz symposium may shed some light.

Dance This Mess Around
Santa Cruz is a city with live-music laws straight out of 'Footloose.' The way this town treats arts and entertainment is a joke--and no one's laughing.

The Thin Med Line
Downtown Santa Cruz isn't the only place wrestling with culture-vs.-quiet issues. Aptos' Mediterranean Club is a hit with music fans, but is drowning in the county permit process.

Aliens vs. Predators
A modest proposal to open up the presidency of the United States to international talent and make sure Dick Gephardt never runs again.

The Secret Lives Of Beekeepers
Santa Cruz apiarists give our writer a look into the sugar highs and stinging lows of life in the incredible hive mind.

A.N.S.W.E.R. Me This
What if they threw a convention and no protesters came?

Hitchspiking
Is train hopping the last subversive way to travel?

Club of Personality
This man makes Santa Cruz sweat--and love it. Our health issue looks at what makes a fitness guru.

Kicking It, Santa Cruz Style
Hypnosis? Acupuncture? Past-life recognition? Our reporter said he'd try anything to shake the caffeine habit. He wasn't kidding.

Nutritionally Incorrect
Santa Cruz's Bauman College wants to tear down the food pyramid and make you rethink what it means to eat right.

Whose Voice?
The FCC has made the Monterey Bay a national stage for the fight over who owns and controls local media outlets.

Going Native
How to stop the invasion of Santa Cruz with 'habitat gardening'.

Liar Tapper
When the smoking-gun Enron tapes went public, they shocked the entire nation. Santa Cruz's Carl Pechman heard them first.

Mock the Vote
Think the 2000 election was the first time a president has won the White House after losing the popular vote? Think again! It wasn't even the first time an election has been won through tainted Florida recounts and controversial Supreme Court decisions. In honor of America's most patriotic holiday, here's a historical look at the worst election scandals and what they could mean for this election year.

Worth Its Salt?
Desalination is suddenly the next big thing in water solutions. But it may be hazardous to the health of Monterey Bay.

It's All You
Harmon Leon gets a load of guerilla marketing's stealth tactics.

Send in the Sloths
The Museum of Natural History hosts real live wild animals—like sloths! God, we love sloths.

Metro Santa Cruz Turns 10
Looking back at some of Metro Santa Cruz's best and ballsiest moments over the last decade.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Metro Santa Cruz presents an oral history of the Santa Cruz alternative press leading up to our own birth 10 years ago. For those who used to write, we salute you.

Untitled
What's in the lack of a name? It's one of many theories Laurie Anderson is working on as she returns to Santa Cruz hanging off the edge of the art world by her fingertips.

Freedom Unplugged
Cruzio's Chris Neklason says a new FBI plan would force him to allow spying on local Internet users--or give up his business.

Hooked on Tonic
Beauty treatments and warming trends: Metro Santa Cruz's spring fashion issue.

The Goldies 2004
Once again, you picked the best of Santa Cruz to be honored with the one and only Goldies Award for 2004. Nice work!

Z Is for Zen
Santa Cruz hits the Z spot with a place that celebrates effortless car cool from a lost era.

How Saddam Was Sold
Meet the UCSC grad who co-authored the study that sent the Bush administration scrambling with its indictment of the U.S. case for war in Iraq.

Money Change$ Everything
Once again, Political Action Committee money is at the center of an election firestorm in Santa Cruz County. Is there any hope for the founding fathers' vision of democracy?

United We Stand
Metro Santa Cruz's rundown of the March 2 election.

Remember the Titan
NASA scientist Joe Jordan is looking for life among the moons of Saturn and crusading for bold new alternative-energy solutions in Santa Cruz.

Unlicensed to Drive
David Berridge was killed on Highway 1 by an untrained driver. If you want to understand why the battle over granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants in Californis really matters, read his story.

Wedding Guide 2004
Seize the day--and whatever you do, don't let go.

The Mating Game
A UCSC professor reveals what the sex lives of lizards can tell us about the survival of the human race.

Free Charles Booher
What happens when a man gets one spam too many? A Bump in the Night
How Santa Cruz got its biggest party of the year back.

No Yield
Why the bitter divide over Highway 1 is only going to get worse.

A Highway 1 Widening Primer
A quick guide to what might be done to Highway 1, and by whom.

Thinking Outside The Toy Box
Don't cancel Christmas yet--old-school toys are leaving the new fads in the dust.

Say It With Nothing
From buying space on the moon to giving to local charities, the Clutterless Gift Guide proves love doesn't have to take up space.

Fat Lip Service
The secret's out about the hidden dangers of trans fat. But is all this controversy over protecting consumers just a lot of talk?

Om for the Holidays
Metro Santa Cruz presents our annual gift guide--free your mind, and your list will follow.

And Now, Your Moment of Zen
Even when you're shopping, you can find still life in Santa Cruz.

House of Cards
Lefties are trying to trump the U.S. military with dissenting takes on the 'Iraq's Most Wanted' deck--and the results are becoming a phenomenon of their own.

Fall Fashion 2003
Santa Cruz is hot on the heels of fashion with the opening of shoe fetish.

The Haunting of Santa Cruz
'Look! There's a mommy' and other tales of Santa Cruz terror.

Recall Agent Man
Harmon Leon goes undercover with Arnold on the campaign trail.

Reason's Greeting
Readers respond with their top reasons not to vote for Arnold.

Total Recall Coverage
Metro Santa Cruz presents its analysis of the Oct. 7 special election.

Housemates of Horror
Just in time for back to school, we present all-too-true tales of the monsters among us.

Cult Rapture
A conversation with Del Mar midnight-movie maestro Scott Griffin about the new rise of cult films and midnight movies, and how to get people out of bed in the middle of the night.

50 Reasons Not to Vote for Arnold
'Reason #30: As a gubernatorial candidate, he's a P.E. coach.'

The Pay Team
Advertising reps call it Nostalgia Marketing--but some people call it exploiting childhood memories for commercial purposes. Which fool should we pity?

Reality Check 2003
One year after this town's cruel summer, we let Santa Cruz shout out about the state of downtown.

Turning California Green
Recall Gray Davis? For the love of God, why not?

Crash Course
Inside the crunching metal and hot-car-on-car action of the Watsonville Speedway.

One-Night Tan
Our pale writer braves the new, high-tech world of fake tans.

Tom Lindsay: 1957-2003
The death of beloved Santa Cruz AIDS Project executive director rocks the organization he revitalized.

Purple Haze
Santa Cruz is a hot spot for the cottage industry that's sprung up around lavender farming. The downside is that actually doing the farming is enough to drive you crazy.

Fight Club
A medical marijuana insider speaks out against the federal government's newest crackdown--and why it will fail.

Meet Your New Neighbor
Anxiety runs high as the federal government takes over a huge chunk of hard-won Santa Cruz open space.

The Other Oswald
One of the Santa Cruz Film Festival's special guests remembers his time as part of the JFK conspiracy.

Is There Hope?
John Robbins and 'Imagine America' tackle a tough reality for the peace movement.

Quit Your Whining
Marianne Williamson wants the peace movement to get over itself and get back to work.

Tour Off Duty
Two of the last remaining planes from the World War II era of aviation now serve a new purpose--as massive, mobile mechanical museums that come to the Watsonville Airshow this weekend.

Airwaves, Shock Waves
How media conglomerates, lax federal oversight and Colin Powell's son keep politically dissenting messages off the airwaves and away from an unaware public.

Solomon's Mind
Acclaimed media analyst Norman Solomon talks about coverage of Gulf War II and his new book, 'Target Iraq.'

Contents Under Pressure
When some former taggers picked a long-vandalized stretch of wall in Watsonville to spray-paint a mural that stretched over more than a tenth of a mile, it generated some buzz and also some controversy. But when the city was pressured into whitewashing it, that same wall became a blank slate for a debate over graffiti and public art.

Clean Slate
As the incident in Watsonville shows, it's not always easy for taggers to go legit when they try to elevate their work from vandalism to art.

Get the Kinks Out
It's fast fashion in Santa Cruz when Camouflage throws one of its edgy fashion shows. And in honor of all things romantique, our lovelorn wannabe-French-Existentialist correspondent spices up Metro Santa Cruz's annual fashion issue with a peek behind the scenes.

Digging It
Garden within city limits can lead to a different kind of urban sprawl.

Welcome to the Jungle
Few people know there's a survivalist training course in the Santa Clara Mountains. Even fewer have completed it.

You're Only as Good as Your Last War
A modest proposal for keeping the war machine rollin' by addressing the threat of domestic tourism.

Left Behind
Congressman Dennis Kucinich is getting less attention than the other Democrats who've thrown their hat into next year's presidential race. Could it be because he's the most radical of them all?

Watching Baghdad Burn
Keeping up with the war via MSNBC.

The Goldies 2003
Once again, you picked the best of Santa Cruz to be honored with the one and only Goldies Award for 2003. Nice work!

By Any Means Necessary
In this issue honoring the best this area has to offer, Metro Santa Cruz salutes a few of the heroes in our community who give peace a chance in their own--sometimes unusual--ways, by working for positive social change every day.

Kayaks in the Lane
This weekend, they're large and in charge of the local waves.

Green Milestones
Six months after the DEA raided their land and left the threat of incarceration and forfeiture hanging over their heads, medical marijuana activists Valerie and Michael Corral are making plans for the future.

The Strange Life and Times of Charley Parkhurst
Nobody knows if she really was the first woman voter in California. Nobody knows why she spent her life dressing as a man. But the story of Soquel icon Charley Parkhurst turns the legend of the Wild West upside down.

Big Mama
'Mama Mary' Pesto Feed honors pioneering Italian immigrant Mary Carniglia, who made a huge mark on Santa Cruz. Also: Geoffrey Dunn remembers 'Mama Mary,' who happened to be his great-aunt.

Without a Net
The bottom is falling out of Santa Cruz as county programs and innovative but underfunded nonprofits struggle through record deficits and a bleak economy. What can be done to save our social safety net, and does anyone have the guts to do it?

Just Say Whoa
Right in time for Valentine's, we introduce our first annual No Sex Issue.

Troubled Waters
Environmentalists are sending out an SOS as a new wave of luxury liners gets set to anchor in the Monterey Bay Sanctuary.

Built to Spill
Even when the cruise industry plays by the rules, critics say its effects on our waters can be nasty business.

Future Kill
Decades ago, the world's top thinkers promised us a future of flying cars, robot servants and time travel, and their findings were confirmed by 'The Jetsons.' Boy, were they wrong! Or were they? Join the Metro Santa Cruz writers as they take a look at whether we really have 'tomorrow's technology' today.

Vital Signs
Looking for a new way to spread goodwill to all this holiday season? All we are saying is give peace your pants.

Waging Peace
With 2003 fast approaching, resolve to wage peace in the new year. Here are 10 suggestions.

Panic in the Street
A tisket, a tasket, a Pacific Avenue gift basket is a fiendishly simple way to beat last-minute gift-buying anxiety.

Extreme Green
Crusading, visionary and sometimes downright eccentric greens are fighting to temper our dependency on foreign fossil fuels--one potato at a time.

Where The Action Is
A political action committee sparked the biggest controversy in last month's election, but few people know the real story on PACs --and how much influence they have on local elections.

Steal This Gift Guide!
Winona Ryder and her celebrity pals want you to know what's on their wish lists.

The Final Showdown
Metro Santa Cruz lets the supervisor candidates have the last word as one of the most memorable recent election races nears the finish.

What's Your GQ? The day of reckoning, Nov. 5, is fast approaching. Don't know who to choose as the state's governor? Take our test.

Fear Factor
Amid a backdrop of nationwide jitters and several crucial election contests, Metro Santa Cruz offers its endorsements for the Nov. 5 election.

The Numbers Game
A guide to sorting through the phalanx of state propositions.

Port in a Storm
A marine layer of libertarians and a wildly overstocked field of candidates make it a watermark race for Port District Commission.


In the Papers

Metro
Metro Silicon Valley
November 24 - 30, 2010

Metro
Santa Cruz Weekly
November 17 - 24, 2010

The Bohemian
The Bohemian
November 30 - December 6, 2011