Aptos Life May 4, 2022

MAY 4, 2022 • VOL. 9, NO. 12

Vibrant Village How Del Crawford hopes to kickstart Aptos’ cultural scene

BY JOHANNA MILLER

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D

el Crawford wants to show Santa Cruz County why it needs to come back to Aptos Village. Aptos isn’t alone in needing a champion—pretty much every city is facing challenges bringing back crowds in this maybe-post-pandemic-but-tooearly-to-say era. They all should have someone like Del, who owns the Mulberry Gallery on Soquel Drive with his wife, photographer Barbara Crawford.

What I like about Del’s vision is something that is subtly revealed in Johanna Miller’s cover story in this issue: it’s expansive, flexible and open-ended. It can grow as the response grows— and I think the response will grow. All in all, I think there’s something really ambitious here.

Personally, I’ve never heard anyone talk about a plan for a First Friday in Aptos, but it’s one of the ideas Del is working on, and I think it’s a great one.

He’s starting sensibly with his new “Living With Art” series.

These discussions are held at the Mulberry Gallery, and they’ve already got one under their belt.

The next one is with artist Ray Evans, which is fitting because Evans’ exhibit at Mulberry had literally just opened in 2020 when Covid hit. That the gallery was shut down before most people could see his work there had to be hugely disappointing for Evans, but apparently he’s gone on a creative spree in the time since, and I’m looking forward to hearing what he has to say about it.

Also in this issue, our columnist Nicole M. Young has a wonderful piece on what moms really need this (and every) year—some peace of mind. Happy Mother’s Day! Steve Palopoli | Editor

4 4

Cover Story

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Local Scene

8

Word from a Friend

10 Ask Nicole CEO & Executive Editor

Dan Pulcrano Vice President

Lee May Publisher

Jeanie Johnson Editor

Steve Palopoli Contributing writers

John Hibble Zach Friend Johanna Miller Soren E. Croxall Hugh McCormick Adam Joseph Photography

Tarmo Hannula Cover photo

Courtesy of Mulberry Gallery Advertising Director

Debra Whizin

Advertising Sales

Tiffani Petrov Kate Kauffman Ilana Packer Lisa Buckley Sue Lamothe Editorial Production Manager

Phaedra Strecher Production

Rob Chalhoub Hon Truong Aptos Life is published monthly. All rights reserved, material may not be reprinted without written consent from the publisher. Aptos Life made every effort to maintain the accuracy of information presented in this publication, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions. Aptos Life is a division of the Pajaronian. Publishing in Santa Cruz County since 1868.

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LET’S START ‘LIVING’ The first event in Del Crawford’s “Living With Art” series at his Mulberry Gallery featured nature photographer Gero Heine.

By JOHANNA MILLER

Courtesy of Mulberry Gallery

MAY 4, 2022 | APTOS LIFE

Aptos

Gallery owner Del Crawford’s Living With Art series is part of his plan to bring people back to Aptos Village

L

Courtesy of Mulberry Gallery

A RAY OF CREATIVITY The next “Living With Art” event will feature artist Ray Evans, shown here in front of his work.

‘The biggest challenge we face is getting people back into the Village as a destination.’

“We’re trying to be eclectic with what we’re doing,” Crawford said.

“There are so many facets to art, and what you can do with it.”

Crawford hopes that the Living With Art series will gain momentum, and that other businesses in Aptos Village will be inspired to start holding more events. The fact that so many of them are small, locally owned businesses presents plenty of opportunities “Nearly every business here is operated by its owner,” he said. “That’s unique, you don’t see that often. We have so many amazing places here. Top-tier restaurants like Cafe Sparrow and Mentone, Catine … We even have a high-end saddle maker here. They’re all really good people with so much talent.”

Crawford was an organizer of February’s Aptos Wine Wander, an event that hadn’t been held in years. Resurrected by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association, the event offered guests a chance to enjoy tastings at a number of wineries set up around the Village.

“We had hundreds of people attend,” Crawford said. “It was such a win-win for the community,

especially for some of the winemakers who are out in the boonies. It’s often hard for some of them to access customers.”

Jennifer Watson of Serano Real Estate, who participated in and also helped organize the Wine Wander, called it “an overwhelming success.”

“I gauge that by the amount of people that came out, the smiles on their faces and the conversations we were able to have—connection is a good thing, especially since the new village is such a lovely place to meet,” Watson said. “It's reintroducing Aptos to our ‘city center.’”

Crawford said that the experience of working with Watson and other business owners on the Wine Wander has led to them looking at other event opportunities, including possibly staging a children’s puppet show on the Village green once a month, sponsored by neighboring businesses.

“We’d love to bring in kids, their families,” Crawford said.

“I want the community to gather in these great places we have just a short walk away.”

Added Watson: “We are really excited to put on future events

in Aptos Village that include our community, whether it is through the arts, with families, seniors, perhaps even pets, or getting those singles out that are ready to mingle.”

Crawford has also been in conversations with the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County and the organizers of First Fridays Santa Cruz to explore what kinds of recurring events might be possible. Funding, he said, is always an issue.

“The challenge for Santa Cruz County, especially within the arts field, is the economy,” he said. “Basically you’ve got the ag industry in South County, you’ve got the medical industry, county government, and the University. Those are the primary drivers of our economy. So that means for other things, you need to have money and support coming in from the outside.”

The pandemic has not helped. A number of Aptos’ small businesses have struggled, and some even closed due to Covid-19 struggles.

But Crawford said he is still hopeful.

“A lot of doors have closed, but at the same time, a lot more have opened,” he said.

Watson said she encourages people to contact her if they have any ideas for possible events.

“We are a small but mighty community,” she said, “and want to do things that can involve everyone that lives here in some way or another and give visitors another reason to come.”

Living With Art will continue its mission of bringing more events to Aptos with its next installment of the lecture series on May 21.

Registration is required and there is limited seating, so Crawford urges people to sign up early.

“Ultimately the goal of this is to pull together an ambiance of a lifestyle village—to get people to associate the Village with that kind of feeling,” Crawford said.

“There are literally thousands of very talented people around here doing some amazing things.

We want to highlight that.”

For information about Living With Art and to read Barbara Crawford’s ongoing blog visit themulberrygallery.com.

MAY 4, 2022 | APTOS LIFE

ocal artist and gallery owner Del Crawford wants to make Aptos Village a cultural destination.

Crawford and his wife, photographer Barbara Crawford, own the Mulberry Gallery, located on Soquel Drive next to Cafe Sparrow. Last month they kickstarted their monthly Living With Art guest lecture series, where artists come speak to a small live audience.

The series is one of many projects they have been involved in that aim to bring people back into Aptos Village.

“The biggest challenge we face is getting people back into the Village as a destination,” he said. “Not just driving to O’Neill for flip flops, or only to Ser to drink wine … To be here for all of it. To get it back to where it was before—a walking environment with lots of people coming through. And the easiest way to do that, of course, is events.”

The lecture series began with a presentation by acclaimed nature photographer Gero Heine.

Heine’s work has been shown all over the country, featured by the Smithsonian and won numerous awards, including at the One Eyeland Photography Awards, where he won Silver in the World’s Top Landscape Photo Contest.

“I was very interested in the questions that were asked of Gero,” Crawford said. “There were technical questions and then there were wildlife questions. It opened an interesting dialogue.”

The gallery plans to continue the series with another event on May 21, featuring Santa Cruz artist Ray Evans, who specializes in Batik painting.

Crawford described Evans’ work as “quintessentially Santa Cruz.”

“He has a really interesting story,” he said. “He’s a visionary artist. Everything comes from inside his head. His work is large scale, with a lot of symbolism—you see everything, from the mountains to the sea. It’s remarkable.”

Another lecture in June will feature three longtime Santa Cruz Artists who will speak on the history of art in Santa Cruz County. And another possible event will feature local quilters.

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LOCAL SCENE Boardwalk Unveils Summer Lineup

WILLOWBROOK REVISITED The County of Santa Cruz Department of Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services released

renderings of the proposed renovations at Willowbrook County Park.

MAY 4, 2022 | APTOS LIFE

Concepts Released for Memorial Park Project

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The public is invited to explore the conceptual drawings for the planned renovations to the play area at Willowbrook County Park.

The project is in honor of Santa Cruz County Sheriff ’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, who was killed in the line of duty in 2020.

“Unveiling this next element is an exciting milestone in the Reimagining Willowbrook Park Project. Amenities like this play feature and the memorial seating area will be both a tribute to Sgt. Gutzwiller and a great community benefit to the families like his that enjoy this park so much,” says County Parks Director Jeff Gaffney.

The County Parks office, along with the Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriff ’s Association, County Park Friends and Supervisor Zach Friend released initial drawings

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for updating the playground.

Along with more inclusive play areas with new play surfacing, other updates will include the construction and installation of a memorial seating area on the south side of the pedestrian walkway bridge, park entry enhancements, a new flagpole and updates to the sport courts.

“Damon was a devoted father and public servant and this project will provide a safe and inclusive place for his kids and other children to play and remember him,” Friend says.

Current funding goals have yet to be met and opportunities to be a part of the legacy renovations of Willowbrook County Park are still available.

May 5 at the Seascape Golf Club, 610 Clubhouse Drive.

The day includes entertainment on the course, networking with other business professionals, lunch, snacks, drinks, prizes, raffle and a silent auction, and ends with a light dinner and awards ceremony.

Check-in begins at 11am, with a shotgun start at 1pm.

Admission is $170 per golfer, and sponsorships available.

To view the drawings or to participate in the project, visit countyparkfriends.org/ willowbrook.

The Aptos Chamber of Commerce will host a breakfast meeting on May 12 from 7:30-9am featuring guest speaker Cynthia Larive, chancellor of UCSC. Admission is $25 for chamber members or $30 general. To RSVP, visit aptoschamber.com/ event/may-breakfast-meeting-3.

Tourney Tees Off The Aptos Chamber of Commerce’s 31st annual Golf Tournament is scheduled for

Courtesy of County of Santa Cruz

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s summer entertainment schedule will look a little different this year.

Evenings on the Colonnade will feature live music from local Bay Area bands on Thursday evenings starting June 16, and classic movies will return to the beach in front of the Boardwalk on Friday nights starting June 17.

Every Thursday evening from June 16 through Aug. 11, a different musical act from the Bay Area will perform from 8:30–10pm on the Boardwalk’s Colonnade Stage. Friday night movies will run weekly at 9pm from June 17 through Aug. 12 on Main Beach in front of the Boardwalk Colonnade.

Popular movie titles include The Goonies, Iron Man and Ferris

For reservations, visit aptoschamber.com or call 831.688.1467.

Chamber Welcomes UCSC Chancellor

“We are thrilled to bring free and fun family entertainment back to the Boardwalk,” says Boardwalk spokesperson Kris Reyes. “Our guests come for the rides and can stay for the entertainment.

Guests enjoying these fun bands and great movies can also play in the Casino Arcade, Neptune’s Kingdom, shop and enjoy their favorite Boardwalk tasty treats.”

Summer Boardwalk staples that include Free Friday Night Bands on the Beach, Retro Nights and Coca-Cola Nights will not return in 2022, the park announced. In addition, The Lost Boys, filmed on location at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and originally released in 1987, will not be shown during the summer movie series due to licensing restrictions.

However, the iconic movie will be shown at the Boardwalk on Oct. 29 as part of a yet-to-beannounced Halloween event.

For information, visit beachboardwalk.com/ evenings-on-the-colonnade.

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A Plan for Pajaro River

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ver the past 70 years, the communities of Watsonville and Pajaro have lived under the shadow of inadequate flood protection from the levees that protect homes and property along the Pajaro River and tributaries.

The existing levees that protect the communities were built in 1949, and have not since been significantly improved. Today, these levees provide only an 8-year level of flood protection, which is believed to be the lowest of any federal flood control system in California—and one of the lowest in the United States.

The first levee breach and flood occurred in 1955. While a fix was federally authorized in 1966, the project didn’t move forward for nearly 60 years, primarily due to how federal flood projects make it difficult for lowincome communities to compete for funding. As many long-time residents know, the communities suffered from multiple floods, including catastrophic floods in 1995, which caused a loss of two lives and nearly $100 million in damages. Significant flooding occurred again in 1997 and 1998 with major flooding again in 2017.

What is the proposed project?

The flood management project will provide up to 100-year flood protection to the socioeconomically disadvantaged communities of Watsonville and Pajaro and surrounding agricultural areas (Santa Cruz and Monterey counties). Per capita income in these communities is less than half of the state and national averages. This project will provide significant life and economic safety improvements

By Zach Friend Santa Cruz County Supervisor

to both counties ,and even eliminate flood insurance costs for those within the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area.

What is the project cost?

The $400 million project will include construction of levees and improvements, to include setback levees, along the lower Pajaro River and its tributaries.

It will be managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency (PRFMA) and the CA Department of Water Resources.

How will the project be funded?

Funding such a costly project for two federally disadvantaged communities, without the resources that more affluent areas have to help cover costs, has been one of the largest challenges. We have worked extensively with our state and federal partners on ways to position the project for funding, with innumerable meetings with the White House, Congress, Army Corps and state legislative leaders. Just in the last few months, there have been two funding breakthroughs that have put the project on the cusp of reality. These federal projects have cost-share requirements with local communities—in this case, the federal government would pay 65 percent and the local community 35 percent. The State of California agreed to fund 100 percent of the local cost share— up to $181 million of project costs. According to conversations with the Army Corps and White House, our community is the only in the country to have the state commit to such funding. ➝ 10 Additionally, the White

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ASK NICOLE

By Nicole M. Young, MSW

Mom’s Mental Health

M

ay is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it’s also the time of year when we celebrate our mothers, grandmas, aunties, and other mother figures.

As a mother of two (adult) children, I know how fulfilling, demanding, challenging, stressful, and beautiful parenting is. I also know that many mothers feel they need to have all the answers, be ready to handle anything at a moment’s notice, balance multiple demands and schedules, work, find time for their partner AND raise happy, resilient kids— often intuitively or without any additional support.

But trying to be everything to everyone at the expense of our own mental wellness is not healthy or sustainable. So if you’re a mom or mother figure, remember that your mental health matters!

This monthly column provides tips for anyone raising children, based on the worldrenowned Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, available to families in Santa Cruz County.

If you have a question or idea for a future column, email me at triplep@first5scc.org.

MAY 4, 2022 | APTOS LIFE

Dear Nicole,

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I’ve been so focused on my children’s mental and emotional well-being during COVID that I’ve completely neglected my own needs. I was never good at prioritizing selfcare before COVID, and now I’m even worse. I alternate between doing a million things at once for work, my kids, my family and then being so stressed and burned out that I can’t do anything except binge watch TV. I feel guilty that I’m not setting a good example for my kids, but I can’t seem to get off this see-saw. Help!

— Jenna Dear Jenna, I’m sure many parents and caregivers are familiar with that see-saw. I know I am!

Raising children and teens is a

non-stop job that’s rewarding but also exhausting. The constant uncertainty and changes during the pandemic has made parenting even more challenging. This is why “taking care of yourself ” is one of the core principles of positive parenting in the Triple P program. It’s easier said than done, but here are some tips to try:

Allow yourself to slow down.

Practice saying “no” to extra commitments if you can. And don’t feel guilty about taking time to rest and watch TV, or doing something else that helps you relax. If you have young children who need supervision, ask your partner or another caregiver to watch them so you get a true, guilt-free break. If your kids are older and don’t need constant supervision, tell them you’re taking a mental wellness break. Talk about and agree on safe, engaging activities they will do so that you can get a guilt-free, worry-free break.

Recognize signs of stress.

People feel and respond to stress in different ways. Stress is often felt as physical pain or discomfort, which can intensify mental and emotional distress, creating a cycle that is difficult to break.

If you experience tense or stiff muscles, headaches, extreme emotions, difficulty sleeping, constant tiredness, problems concentrating, an upset stomach, or frequent illnesses or infections, those may be signs that your mind and body need a break.

Try to notice these signs before you reach the point where you feel you can’t do anything.

Practice relaxation techniques.

When you notice signs of stress, take a few slow, deep breaths.

Inhale slowly through your nose, pause, then let all the air out and do it again. Or tighten the muscles in one area of your body for 10

seconds, then relax the muscles to relieve the tension. Repeat with a different area of your body, noticing how the tension and relaxation feels each time. Other relaxation techniques include art, exercising, meditating, reading, listening to music, cooking, journaling, or being in nature.

Find a technique that helps you feel calm and practice it every day.

Use affirmations or coping statements.

Thoughts such as, “I can’t deal with this,” or “This will never change” might feel true, but negative thinking can increase stress, anxiety, helplessness, or hopelessness and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Instead, try replacing negative thoughts with an affirmation or coping statement, such as: I’m doing the best I can. My mental well-being is a priority.

Just breathe. I can only do so much. Tomorrow is a new day.

Find self-care techniques that work for you, and turn them into daily habits. Remember that taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, a weakness, or a waste of time.

Nurturing your mental health will reduce the stress of parenting (and everyday life) and provide a healthy model for your children, who are developing their own tools for coping with stress.

Nicole Young is the mother of two children, ages 18 and 22, who also manages Santa Cruz County's Triple P - Positive Parenting Program, the world's leading positive parenting program. Scientifically proven, Triple P is made available locally

by First 5 Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (Mental Health Services Act) and the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department. To find a Triple P parenting class or practitioner, visit http://triplep. first5scc.org, http://www.facebook. com/triplepscc or contact First 5 Santa Cruz County at 465-2217 or triplep@first5scc.org.

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House announced that they have put $67 million of federal funding into the project as part of the Administration’s infrastructure funding that they are focusing on environmental and social justice projects. Approximately $5 million in additional funding has already been provided by the Army Corps as part of the planning and design process. Additional federal funding is expected as the phases of the project are built—equating to the 65 percent total federal cost share.

What is the proposed assessment?

There is a historic level of investment at the state and federal level ($400 million) for this project to rebuild the levees. As part of the funding requirements, however, the local community must promise to maintain levees to strict federal regulations. The cost of the ongoing operations and maintenance is about $1.2 million annually.

Property owners within the benefit zone (those that will receive benefit from the project - generally described as those that would be flooded otherwise) are receiving a ballot regarding this proposed assessment. The average singlefamily residential assessment for levee operations and maintenance is about $16 per month.

Assessments will differ based on property characteristics, like land use type, and relative flood risk.

If the assessment is approved, a Citizens’ Assessment Oversight Committee to represent the interests of property owners in the expenditure of assessment revenues will be created. The Committee would review financial reports, annual audit documents, and annual budget proposals and report back to the community on its findings. If the assessment passes and the project is built, properties that are within the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area will no longer be required to purchase flood insurance once the project is completed.

As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have on this (or any other) county issue. I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at www.facebook. com/supervisorfriend, and you can always call me at 454-2200.

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