SEPTEMBER 2021 • VOL. 8, NO. 36
Fall Arts
Local galleries reopen in style and Open Studios returns BY JOHANNA MILLER
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mid the ongoing up-and-down uncertainty about the current state of Covid, it is so heartening to see the return of local arts touchstones that we missed out on last year. I’ve always liked Open Studios, for instance, but if you told me two years ago that I would feel a wave of giddy relief when it returned after a year’s absence, I would have looked at you like you were crazy. But indeed, it’s back, and we’re thrilled about that around here. Speaking of thrills, I got a similarly inexplicable one looking over the fall calendar of exhibits and other art events prepared by Johanna Miller this month. It’s so … robust! Having recently written about the return of other Santa Cruz County arts institutions like the Santa Cruz Symphony and Santa Cruz Shakespeare, I can’t help but feel a real sense of hope. Art can help us through the worst of times, and Johanna’s story shows just how hard Cabrillo Gallery, Pajaro Valley Arts, the Museum of Art and History and so many other local galleries are working to reconnect us with the local arts scene. I really like the cover of this issue, a piece by Joe Cosentino, because it makes me think of both the roots and the bloom of the effort to create these Fall arts offerings. Elsewhere in this issue, John Hibble wraps up his fascinating and extremely thorough series on the history of the Santa Cruz Railroad, Zach Friend answers questions about local redistricting and Soren E. Croxall has some retirement advice. Thanks for reading! STEVE PALOPOLI Editor
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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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WORD FROM A FRIEND
The Redistricting Process
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Locally, the process to review and potentially redraw local supervisorial districts is underway, and there are a number of ways that the community can get involved. the San Lorenzo Valley and other parts of the northern portion of the county, have populations under the target currently.
How Can I Get Involved? If you’re interested in providing input into the process, there will be four community outreach meetings (there will be additional public hearings by the Board of Supervisors) and you’re encouraged to participate. You can participate in-person or online and all meetings begin at 6:30 pm. They are Sept. 1 at the Santa Cruz County Board Chambers, 701 Ocean Street, fifth floor; Sept. 22 at the Sheriff ’s Office Community Room, 5200 Soquel Avenue in Live Oak; September 29 at the Felton Branch Library, 6121 Gushee Street in Felton; and September 30th at Starlight Elementary, 225 Hammer Drive in Watsonville. The Board of Supervisors public hearings (which are in addition to these community input meetings) will be in the evening on Oct. 26 (with location to be confirmed soon), and during the day on Nov. 9 and 16. The County has a website dedicated to this process at www.santacruzcounty.us/ Redistricting2021 where details of these meetings and ways to provide input can be found.
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.
SEPTEMBER 2021 | APTOS LIFE
edistricting efforts defined by the Elections Code as are underway across a population that share common the state that could social or economic interests that potentially adjust should be included within one the boundaries of supervisorial district to ensure various elective offices. Locally, the effective and fair representation. process to review and potentially redraw local What is the Local supervisorial districts Process? is underway, and there are a number of ways The Elections Code that the community requires robust outreach can get involved. The and opportunity for following will provide public input. The an overview of the state county established a and local redistricting Redistricting Advisory process and ways you Committee, consisting can participate. By Zach Friend of one representative Santa Cruz County from each supervisorial Supervisor district, to help guide the What is redistricting process. The Redistricting? members of the commission are: Redistricting occurs once in a Cheri O’Neil (1st District), Michael decade, and it’s the process of Watkins (2nd District), Kris Reyes redrawing boundaries for various (3rd District), Peter Radin (4th elective offices. The process District), and James Mosher (5th follows the U.S. Census. Due District). Recently, the Board of to the pandemic, the process Supervisors approved an outreach of completing and certifying plan with a proposed schedule the data from the U.S. Census to meet the compressed timeline was delayed, which in turn has for submitting new districts. impacted the timeline for the Per the Election Code, this redistricting process (reducing outreach plan includes extensive the time available to review and outreach to underrepresented potentially redraw districts). In and non-English speaking California, based on information communities. The County from the U.S. Census, a Citizens plans to work via social and Redistricting Commission (created traditional media, communityby voter initiative) redraws based organizations and more the boundaries of California’s to ensure that the community Congressional, State Senate, State is aware of the process and has Assembly, and State Board of an opportunity to participate. Equalization districts. Locally, According to the census counties undertake a process of data, Santa Cruz County has a redrawing the districts for the five population of 270,861, which County Supervisor districts. The means the goal for each district goals is to create districts that, as would be a population target of required by the Voting Rights Act 54,172. Currently, for example, the population of the 2nd District of 1965 and California Elections (which includes Aptos, Corralitos, Code, are substantially equal in La Selva and parts of Capitola and population and ensures contiguity, Watsonville) has a population of communities of interest, 54,637. Some districts, such as integrity of cities and more. the 5th supervisorial district in Communities of interest are
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BY JOHANNA MILLER
BIRD WATCHING
Andree LeBourveau’s “Booted” (left) and a similarly themed sculpture from Gail Ritchie (right) are part of Cabrillo Gallery’s ‘Adaptations’ exhibit.
Fall
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Reawakening 4
Aptos’ Cabrillo Gallery opens annual staff and faculty exhibit
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all is quickly approaching, and with it comes a new slate of art events throughout Santa Cruz County. From online galleries to in-person exhibitions, things are moving forward in the local arts scene after over a year of pandemic closures.
In Santa Cruz, the Museum of Art & History is slowly reopening their museum with new and ongoing shows, as well as the second biennial event, “Frequency: A Festival of Light, Sounds & Digital Culture” Sept. 16-19. In Watsonville, Pajaro Valley Arts continues its outdoor sculpture exhibit, “Sculpture Is,” through the end of October, and has opened a new metalwork exhibit entitled “Reflections.” The ever-popular Open Studios Santa Cruz County event returns Oct. 2-17, inviting residents to visit and engage with local artists at their own personal studios. Meanwhile, here in Aptos, Cabrillo College has kicked off its first show of the school year. Faculty and staff from the school’s visual arts department are being highlighted with the opening of “Adaptations: Cabrillo College Art, Photography & Art History Faculty & Staff
MESS FOR SUCCESS
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Louden Lesley’s photograph ‘Good Messes,’ on exhibit at Cabrillo Gallery.
705 Front St., Santa Cruz
“The Art of the Santa Cruz Speed Wheel” Step into the studio of legendary Santa Cruz artist Jim Phillips, creator of the iconic Screaming Hand artwork, and browse work largely unseen since 1984. Show runs through Jan. 2, 2022. Museum entry is $10 for adults, $5 for kids. For information visit santacruzmah.org.
“Frequency: A Festival of Light, Sounds & Digital Culture” MAH’s new biennial festival is a 4-night event activating the museum, neighboring gardens and plazas with installations of site-responsive work, live performances, interactive technologies and immersive experiences from local and international artists. Runs Sept. 16-19. Fee only required for entrance to museum building.
Santa Cruz Art League 526 Broadway St., Santa Cruz
91st Annual Statewide California Landscape Exhibition For over nine decades, the Santa Cruz Art League’s Statewide Landscape Exhibition has showcased the work of artists across the Golden State who depict California’s foothills, mountains, seashores, and deserts of the interior and coastal regions. Runs Nov. 19–Jan. 9, 2022. Artist’s reception Dec. 5. For more information visit scal.org.
Pajaro Valley Arts 37 Sudden St., Watsonville
“Sculpture Is…” The annual sculpture exhibit is held at Sierra Azul Nursery, 2660 East Lake Ave., Watsonville. The jurors, Susana Arias and Jeff Rosendale, selected over 100 sculptures
created by 42 artists and collaborators.Visit the stunning two-acre demonstration garden, relax under the umbrellas, and spend an afternoon enjoying the exhibit. Runs through Oct. 31. For information visit pvarts.org.
“Reflections” Pajaro Valley Arts presents the exhibit Reflections by the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild (MBMAG), a spectacular display of artisan jewelry and small metal sculpture. It will feature many pieces that are narrative in nature. MBMAG is a nonprofit that is devoted to educating the public about the metal arts, as well as promoting local artists in their pursuit to create new works. Runs Aug. 25–Oct. 3. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held Aug. 29, 2-4pm.
Curated by the Sea 703 Front St., Santa Cruz
“Exhibitionist” This exhibition is a dialogue between 20 artists who create visual and wearable art. The show opens on Sept. 3 and runs through Oct. 30. An artist's reception will be held 6-8pm with live music by jazz musicians Los Improvidors.’ Open 12-4pm Thursday–Saturday, and Sunday–Wednesday by appointment. For information visit curatedbythesea.com.
Tannery Arts Center 1010 River St, Santa Cruz
“Printmakers at the Tannery – Group Show” Paintings and prints by Printmakers at the Tannery (PATT)
members artists, including Julie Erreca, Jane Gregorius, Andrée LeBourveau, Cindy Haug, Lu Lee, Catharina Marlowe, Margaret Niven, AV Pike, Bob Rocco, Lynne Simpson and Frank Trueba. Runs through Sept. 27. Masks required. For information visit firstfridaysantacruz.com.
Open Studios Art Tour Various locations, Santa Cruz County For 35 years, Open Studios’ goal has been to connect artists with people who love art. For the first three weekends in October, artists from the redwoods to the bay open their studios so that friends, neighbors, and strangers from near and far can discover art. Three events will take place: South County (Aptos, Capitola, Freedom, La Selva Beach, Live Oak, Rio del Mar, Watsonville) on Oct. 2-3; North County (Ben Lomand, Bonny Doyon, Boulder Creeks, Brookdale, Davenport, Felton, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley) on Oct. 9-10; and all counties Oct. 16-17. For information visit santacruzopenstudies.com.
First Friday Santa Cruz Online at firstfridaysantacruz.com Looking to stay in touch with the local arts community? The First Friday Artist Registry connects local artists with venues and art enthusiasts. It serves as the largest directory of artists in Santa Cruz County. Visit the group’s website or follow on social media (Facebook, Instagram). Artists can go to bit.ly/3krzSNY for information on how to participate.
SEPTEMBER 2021 | APTOS LIFE
Exhibition.” The show launched virtually Aug. 23 via the gallery’s website, and includes screen printing, painting, ceramics, photography, jewelry, metalwork and more. Program Coordinator Victoria May said that the gallery tries to hold some type of faculty show every year. It gives teachers and staff the opportunity to display their work, but also lets students and the greater community see what these artists create outside of the classroom. “Sometimes, teachers tend to be modest in sharing their own work,” May said. “This [show] is an opportunity for people to see what these teachers pour their heart into, while finding some inspiration.” Much of the work that comes out of these types of shows can be very personal, she added, which is not something students regularly see from their instructors. “Remember when you’re a kid, seeing your teacher outside of school, in a store or something?” May said. “And you’re like, ‘Oh, they go shopping, too?’ I think that can still happen at the college level. It’s awesome to see what your teachers practice—their style, the way they work, how they approach subject matter. That in itself can be fascinating.” May said that while the show does not have a specific theme, she has noticed a lot of nature-themed work, including pieces on how people are concerned about or taking solace in nature, and how humans interact with it. “We’ve also had a few pieces that are about Covid,” she said. “It’s been very interesting to see how people are dealing with that. In indirect ways, they’re examining where they are, the psychological fallouts.” “Adaptations,” as well as the gallery’s next show, will be virtual. Because the initial plan from the college was to be online for the Fall 2020 semester, Cabrillo Gallery had applied for and received a grant for an extensive lighting replacement project for their facility, located on the bottom floor of the library building at the school’s Aptos campus. “Since we were closed anyway, we thought, ‘Let’s just do this,’” May said. When the project is complete, May, along with Gallery Director Beverly Rayner and school officials, will decide on whether they should open the space for the annual “12x12” exhibit at the end of the semester. “We’ll have to reassess, and see where we are,” May said. “We just want to be sure to do things in the safest way possible.” Their next show,“Moving Images: Pause… Restart” will launch Oct. 4. Juried by Clark Buckner, the director of Telematic Media Arts in San Francisco, the exhibit will feature short videos and other types of moving artwork.
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ccording to a report IRA contribution, you must meet produced by the certain requirements (namely, your U.S. Bureau of modified adjusted gross income Labor Statistic, 67% must be below a certain threshold). of private sector Traditional IRAs don’t impose workers had access to some type income restrictions on eligibility of retirement plan in March 2020. to make contributions, however, Of the 67%, 52% only had access whether or not your contribution to a defined contribution will be tax deductible will plan (i.e. 401k, 403b, etc.), depend on a few different 3% only had access to a factors. A qualified tax or defined benefit plan (i.e. financial professional can traditional pension plan), help answer questions and 12% had access to both such as if you are eligible a defined contribution to contribute directly to a and defined benefit plan. Roth IRA or not, whether However, looking at these or not your traditional IRA statistics, it shows that contribution will be eligible fully 33% of workers in the to be tax deductible, and Soren E. Croxall go into further details private sector still may not Financial Advice about the pros and cons have access to any type of retirement plan through of traditional vs. Roth their employer. If you are IRAs and which account one of the 33% who doesn’t have type may be most appropriate access to a retirement plan through given your individual situation. your employer, or maybe you are selfWhat’s nice about traditional employed, there are other types of or Roth IRAs are that they accounts to consider. In this article are eligible to be set up by the we will focus on traditional and Roth individual themselves with no IRAs. In next month’s article, we will need to be tied to an employer. look at a few other account types. Also, depending on whichever custodian you choose to open Traditional or Roth IRA your IRA account with, you potentially have a wider variety If you are looking for a place to start of investment options than saving for retirement, a traditional you would typically have with or Roth IRA would be a good place a workplace retirement plan. to look first. They allow individuals Also, if you are a married couple under the age of 50 to contribute (who file taxes jointly) and one up to $6,000 in 2021. For people spouse doesn’t work, you may over 50, they can contribute an be able to take advantage of a additional $1,000 in 2021 for a spousal IRA for the non-working total contribution of $7,000. The spouse provided you meet certain difference between traditional IRAs eligibility requirements. A spousal and Roth IRAs is how contributions IRA is simply a Roth or traditional are made. Typically, contributions to IRA established in the name of traditional IRAs are made on a pre(and wholly owned by) the nontax basis, the money in the account working spouse. Normally to remains tax deferred, and then contribute to an IRA you must have withdrawals are subject to ordinary earned income from employment income tax. Roth IRA contributions of some type. However, with a are made with after tax dollars and spousal IRA, the working spouse then, provided certain requirements can make a contribution based are met, earnings are potentially taxon their earnings to an IRA free upon withdrawal. Keep in mind account established for the ➝ 10 that to be eligible to make a Roth
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HISTORY CORNER
The Santa Cruz Railroad, Part 3
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rom 1876 to 1880, the Santa Cruz Railroad did reasonably well financially, but was hindered by the competition with the Southern Pacific Railroad at Pajaro. Being a different gauge than the Southern Pacific meant that cars were not interchangeable, and all freight and passengers had to be transferred to different trains at Pajaro. In 1880, the overthe-mountain South Pacific Coast Railroad was completed to Santa Cruz. The Pacific By John Hibble Coast Steamship Aptos History Museum Company was also offering better freight rates in Santa Cruz; therefore, the railroad line saw very little freight business. The construction costs for the Santa Cruz Railroad exceeded $591,000, over twice what F.A. Hihn had estimated. By that time, Hihn was paying the expenses out of his own pocket. Finally, in February 1881, the trestle over the San Lorenzo River was brought down in a flood. Hihn, Spreckels and other stockholders were no longer willing to subsidize operations in the face of competition with the South Pacific Coast and Southern Pacific Railroads. The Santa Cruz Railroad went into bankruptcy.
Consolidation In October of 1881, the Southern Pacific bought the Santa Cruz Railroad at auction and began laying standard-gauge track which was completed by September 1883. The two years of construction severely affected access to Spreckels’ Aptos Hotel. The narrow-gauge locomotives were moved to other locations (e.g., the Jupiter was sent to
BACK TRACKING A ceremony on May 7, 1976 in Aptos marked the 100-year anniversary of the railroad. Guatemala to transport bananas). As soon as standard-gauge track reached Aptos, Southern Pacific built a spur line into Aptos Creek Canyon to harvest the timber. It was the most expensive rail line that they ever constructed. The town of Loma Prieta was built, including a sawmill, post office, express office, stores, cabins, and a hotel. The town grew to 185 residents and the mill was expanded to produce 140,000 board feet of lumber per day at full production. In May of 1883, Frederick Hihn’s Aptos Mill opened on Trout Gulch Creek, just above its junction with Valencia Creek. It was capable of producing 30 to 40 thousand board-feet of lumber per day. The mill was moved to Valencia in 1885. In January of 1887, Southern Pacific bought the over-themountain South Pacific Coast Railroad and controlled Santa Cruz County’s two main railroad lines promoting
tourism and industries. In 1888, Spreckels opened the largest beet sugar factory in North America in Watsonville, using the railroad to haul the raw and finished product. The factory helped Watsonville to weather the depression of the 1890s. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Santa Cruz County by train. By 1918 there were 18 passenger and six freight trains a day arriving and departing Santa Cruz. Trains also provided transportation for high school students. The direction of the morning train determined which high school you went to. Most students in Aptos took the morning train to Watsonville. In 1927, Southern Pacific began the Suntan Special, an excursion train over the mountain from San Jose to the beach in Santa Cruz. The late 1930s were the most popular years of the Suntan Special. It was not uncommon to have 5,000 riders a day. A round trip cost $1.25. At least one
train also ran each operating day along the coast to Watsonville Junction to drop passengers off at Seabright, Capitola, and Aptos. The excursion train was suspended during World War II. Regular passenger service on the Santa Cruz Branch Line was suspended in 1938, and the Aptos train station was torn down in 1940. That same year, a storm closed the over-themountain rail line, and it was eventually abandoned. In April of 1940, the Suntan Special resumed, going around-themountain through Watsonville Junction to Santa Cruz, adding 35 minutes to the trip. From July 1947 until September 1959, the Suntan Special continued during the summer, carrying about 900 passengers per trip. On Sunday, May 7, 1976, a 100year anniversary commemoration was held with the cooperation of Southern Pacific Railroad and the Chambers of Commerce of ➝ 10
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Watsonville, Aptos, and Santa Cruz. It began at Watsonville Junction at 9 a.m., with a ribbon cutting, followed by a 9:30 stop at Aptos, and then a ceremony at the Santa Cruz Depot from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m. and a 1:30 p.m. ceremony at Felton's Roaring Camp. In 1996, Union Pacific Railroad bought the Watsonville-Santa Cruz line.
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non-working spouse (who doesn’t themselves have earned income). Let’s look at a hypothetical example to help illustrate this: Bob and Sally are a married couple and are both 35 years old. Bob is a stay-athome dad, and Sally is the primary breadwinner earning $100,000 per year. Based on Sally’s salary, she could contribute up $6,000 in 2021 to her own traditional or Roth IRA and she could contribute up to $6,000 to a Roth or traditional IRA owned by Bob. Keep in mind that you can only contribute up to the annual maximum per spouse’s IRA account (in 2021, $6,000 for those under 50, $7,000 for those over 50) or up to your total earned income for the year, whichever is less. So, in the above example, if Sally only made $10,000 working this year (not $100,000) then she could only contribute up to $10,000 total between her own IRA and her husband’s spousal IRA (maybe she contributes the max $6,000 to her own account and $4,000 to Bob’s IRA as an example). Whether or not contributions to a spousal traditional IRA (not a Roth) are tax-deductible will depend on if the working spouse has a retirement plan offered through their employer and if household income is below a certain threshold. Again, a qualified tax professional can help you determine if contributions to a spousal traditional IRA would be eligible to be tax deductible or not given your individual situation. Another consideration is the phased rollout of CalSavers to workers in California. CalSavers is a program being run by the state of California aimed at employers who don’t currently offer their employees access to a workplace retirement plan. By June 30, 2022, employers
On October 12, 2012, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission completed acquisition of the Santa Cruz Branch line, which is now owned by the people of Santa Cruz County. The rail right of way is now planned to include a pedestrian/bicycle trail and passenger service in the future. It will be interesting to see what role the rail trail plays in our future given the lack of transportation alternatives. with 5 or more employees who don’t offer an alternative workplace plan to employees are going to be required to opt into CalSavers. The program is essentially a Roth IRA (and has all the same contribution and income limits as mentioned above). However, the program allows for workers who want to participate the ability to establish an account easily (as it will be facilitated through their employer) and contribute via payroll deductions. Lastly, because CalSavers is simply a Roth IRA, if you have a Roth and/ or traditional IRA elsewhere, you total annual contribution to all Roth and traditional IRA accounts in your name in 2021 is $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re older than 50) maximum between all accounts. Having a workplace retirement plan, especially if there are employer matching contributions, is a great benefit. But if you are one of the 33% who do not have access to a plan then you still have opportunities to accumulate retirement assets on your own. If you do have access to a workplace plan, it usually is a good idea to look to maximize contributions to that plan before looking to do outside independent plans on your own. Talk with a financial professional to evaluate your individual situation. Soren Croxall, CFA, CFP® is a registered representative of LPL Financial Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor. LPL Financial and Croxall Capital Planning do not provide tax or legal advice. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
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