This Week on the Central Coast…
Mentorships in medicine and percussion in Monterey, premium coffee in Santa Cruz, and robots in Salinas.
Monterey
Local Doctor Forms “Minorities in Medicine” Program
Dr. Juan Magaña, a local doctor born in Salinas, founded a mentorship program called “Minorities in Medicine”, funded by Montage Health Foundation. The goal of the program is to mentor aspiring minority doctors to create a more inclusive health care system.
Currently, about 40% of Californians are of Latin descent, but only represent 6% of the medical workforce. "Having a diverse physician workforce in terms of age, demographic, income, geography, ethnicity, and experiences leads to better care," Magaña said.
He also pointed out that some minorities express a lack of trust of the medical system as it is. “A lot of ethnic minorities in this country have some sort of distrust in the medical community, and for good reasons. The medical community has not been impervious of racism and discrimination”. He, again, stressed that the solution to all of this is to have a diverse staff of medical professionals.
Two of the scholars of his Minorities in Medicine program have seen success already. Brenda Torresillas said she never saw a career in the medical field as a possibility for herself. "Someone from East side Salinas is able to not only graduate from college, get a graduate degree, but also going to medical school and practice medicine.”
Michael Parr is a veteran who, after being treated by medics in the military, decided he wanted to do the same. However, injuries kept him from pursuing that career path. Instead of giving up, the program allowed him to continue his dream outside of the military. “I had a foot surgery, and I wasn't physically capable of doing the job that I had before, so when I get out, I tried to find another way to serve and help out the members of my military community,"
School of the Sacred Rhythms Drumming Workshop
Twice a month, Sanga of the Valley, a Trinidadian drummer, hosts a percussion workshop called the School of Sacred Rhythms. The workshops (or funshops, as Sanga prefers to call it) explore the fundamentals of drumming, walking participants through almost meditative exercises as they explore the origins of modern music, tracing its roots back to the rhythms and beats that originated in Africa cultures.
Each class features a guest drummer who will share their experiences with the group. Sanga “promises such talents as Beyonce’s drummer Marcie Chapa or Def Leppard’s Rick Allen.”
Each workshop meets on select Thursdays at Sand City’s Art Park and costs $50. Follow Jayson Fann (one of Sanga’s students) on Facebook for notifications on upcoming workshops.
Santa Cruz
Capitola Wharf has a Reopen Date
Capitola has been waiting for word on when the wharf will be reopened again. For a while, the lack of construction equipment anywhere near the site dispelled hope of a quick recovery. But now there is a tentative time frame. If all goes as planned, without another winter storm to ruin things, the wharf will fully reopen by the end of summer 2024.
The slow start of construction has been due to the numerous permits and calculations necessary for building in the Pacific Ocean. Waves and wind could affect the safety of workers while the construction noise and equipment could affect the safety of sea life. It's a delicate process.
However, the wharf is a critical part of the spirit of Capitola. Chuck Hammers, the owner of Pizza My Heart, stressed how critical it is to get the wharf back in operation, citing how locals loved to walk and fish from the bridge.
Most of the costs of repair will be covered by federal and state grants.
Santa Cruz Crowned the Nation’s Top Coffee City
Santa Cruz was named the best coffee city in the U.S. by the website Favy.com, a review site that bases its evaluations on real user experiences and proof of those reviews in society.
To determine the ranking, Favy used five criteria: cappuccino affordability, walkability, coffee shops, independent coffee shops, and what they call “coffee fanatics”, which includes the amount of times a coffee shop has appeared in other national lists with rankings. For comparison, the average cost of a cappuccino across the cities that were analyzed was $4.46. The most expensive was in Topeka, Kansas ($7.67) and the lowest was in Laredo, Texas ($2.25).
Santa Cruz earned its place on top because it offered the most independent coffee shops (three for every ten thousand residents) and held the highest scores for those shops. Verve and Cat & Cloud have topped lists across the country and earned awards for their craft.
Rounding out the top five are:
Santa Cruz, CA
Olympia, WA
Portland, ME
Boulder, CO
San Francisco, CA
New Cafe with Kid-Friendly Play Space Opening in Scotts Valley
Speaking of top coffee shops, Scotts Valley has a new concept planned to open next year. Haven Cafe is a new cafe with a unique concept: a coffee shop with a kids indoor playground. Owner Shastina Troup, a former preschool teacher, said she was inspired by the stormy weather of last year. She frequently heard parents at school lamenting about the lack of places they could hang out as a family outside of the house with friends.
The kids play area will be monitored by staff so parents can relax without worry. The cafe will offer all the usual fare, including craft espresso beverages and pastries. “The menu will include coffee, pastries from Santa Cruz’s Companion Bakeshop, burritos from Mame’s Burrito Co. in Colorado, sandwiches, fries and a kids menu with familiar items like macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets and fresh fruit.”
Troup plans to open in early 2024. Follow them on Instagram @havencafeandplay for updates.
Salinas
Last week, The International Forum for Agricultural Robotics (FIRA), invited companies from around the world to show off their creations in a farming forum. There was a robot for everything, from carrying picked crops alongside workers, to autonomously pollinating plants, to burning weeds with lasers.
Several hundreds of local students attended the event as well. They are the ideal candidates for these robotics companies, since they live near Salinas. FIRA emphasized the importance of appealing to students who may want to learn to build, program, and service the machines. Instead of workers being on the ground, picking by hand, they may be operating these robotic-enhanced tractors.
FIRA explained that the forum was partly due to the industry’s need for robotics as labor becomes both expensive and scarce. “A lot of crews today that are doing hand labor are not full, people just don't want to do that type of work anymore and a lot of these machines attach to tractors, so we're sort of building the socioeconomic status from being hands on the field to now you're driving the tractor,” said Ben Palone, who works for FIRA. “We're working on a community college program state-wide that will train all these kids on the new stuff, going to take us a while, but we're starting it.”
Hey everyone, just letting you know that I will be taking a short break from The Peninsula Report Newsletter for a little vacation. The next issue will be on October 16. But don’t worry! I’ll still be sharing some good stuff on The Peninsula Report’s Instagram, which you can follow here: