This Week on the Central Coast…
Salinas native receives a national honor, home kitchens can apply as restaurants in Santa Cruz, and the People’s March for the Dream event is planned.
Salinas
Salinas Native Honored with Congressional Gold Medal
Legislation was signed this week to honor Commander Everett Alvarez Jr., a Salinas native, with a Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. The medal is awarded to individuals “for major achievements that have an impact on American history and culture.” Alvarez is being honored for demonstrating “immense courage and resilience as the nation’s second longest-serving prisoner of war”.
In 1964, when he was a 26-year old Navy pilot, Alvarez was shot down over Vietnam where he was held captive for about eight and a half years. Despite torture, isolation, and starvation, the commander inspired his fellow POWs to “Return with Honor” and to not cooperate with the enemy.
The proposed award was authored by Jimmy Panetta and recently signed into law by the president. In addition to this medal, Commander Everett Alvarez Jr. has been awarded dozens of achievements throughout his time working in the government. Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas was also named after him. Now retired from government service, Alvarez Jr. and his family reside in Maryland where he is the CEO of his own consulting firm.
Santa Cruz
Micro Enterprise Home Kitchens Now Open
Last September, the City of Santa Cruz approved a two-year pilot program that will allow residents to open a small restaurant from their home. The Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) program went into effect at the start of this year. The program requires owners to get certified by the health department and obtain food handler certification.
MEHKOs differ from existing Cottage Food Operations in that they allow owners to produce (almost) any type of food from their approved home, rather than non-perishables. However, the new category comes with some restrictions. MEHKOs are capped at $100k per year and can only serve 30 meals per day or 90 meals per week (that’s about $20 per meal to hit the income limit). They can only have one full-time employee. Foods that are not permitted to be sold include most items that have the potential to produce Botulism, such as fermented foods and many preserved and smoked foods. Raw milk and oysters are also not permitted.
Programs that allow businesses like Cottage Food Operations and Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations can provide important financial opportunities to locals who otherwise wouldn’t have the money or time to open a traditional business. Over the past year, locals have already expressed excitement over the possibilities, including neighborhood supper clubs and pre-made meals to-go for commuters and tourists visiting the boardwalk.
People’s March for the Dream Commemorative Event
Martin Luther King Jr. day is on January 20 and the Santa Cruz branch of the NAACP is planning a commemorative march down Pacific Street to celebrate. The People’s March for the Dream event will begin at 10am at Pacific Avenue and Cathcart Street, rain or shine.
After the march, the NAACP group will hold a resource fair complete with a featured keynote speaker. “The march and resource fair will celebrate King’s message of equality, justice and nonviolence. The Santa Cruz County NAACP invites all community organizations and individuals who support King’s dream to gather and walk together”.
On January 20, The People’s March for the Dream will start at 10am and the resource fair will take place immediately following the march, from 11am to 12pm. Participating in or attending both are free.