This Week on the Central Coast…
The Golden Bough celebrates 30 years & Santa Cruz Pride Festival celebrates 49. CSUMB and Seaside begin new internship program, Oregon ice cream comes to Cannery Row and SCSPCA joins Adopt-a-Pet day.
Monterey
The Golden Bough Playhouse Celebrates 30 Years with a Remodel
This year, The Golden Bough Playhouse in Carmel is celebrating 30 years with a gift to itself - a major remodel is underway with hopes of completion by July.
The stage is composed of multiple turntables that can move together or independently. Special effects and lighting equipment also lend a unique touch. They “look like the stars from the Starry Night painting”, says the founder and executive director. Additionally, the company will replace all incandescent lights with L.E.D., adding to the 90 solar panels that help make it more energy efficient.
The first production of the season will be Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5”, showing July 5 (pending completion of the remodel) through August 4.
Then, from September 12 through 29, the theater will show Selina Fillinger’s “POTUS”.
The year will round out from November 14 to December 22 with “Jersey Boys”.
A full lineup of PacRep’s upcoming productions can be found at their website.
Seaside launches Internship Program with CSUMB
CSU Monterey Bay has partnered with the City of Seaside to create a new internship program. Eighteen students will have the opportunity to participate in the internship. The program is aimed at students who are interested in a career in public service. Positions include “city manager/administration office, community development and planning, human resources, economic development, city clerk/public affairs and economic development”.
Participating students are required to register in an internship class within the appropriate department. The program includes a scholarship for $700 to help pay for the cost of the class as well as a stipend of $18 per hour for 100 hours of work. For the Legal Studies Internship course, students will work for 100 hours in a city office and write a series of essays detailing their experience.
The City Clerk is hopeful that this program can lead to full-time jobs with the city of Seaside after students graduate.
Nico’s Ice Cream opening in Monterey
Oregon-based ice cream company, Nico’s Ice Cream, is opening its first out-of-state location on Cannery Row. Owner Nico Vergara hopes to open within the next three weeks in the Monterey Canning Company building.
Nico’s specializes in New Zealand-style soft serve, which requires a special machine that blends frozen fruit with ice cream to create a soft-serve-like product. The shop will feature four different flavors: marionberry, blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry.
Nico says he’s not much of a “sweets guy”, but knew there was something special about New Zealand-style ice cream. His first iteration of the business was in the form of a simple custom cart. After a successful summer, Nico was able to open his first brick and mortar location. He now has two locations in Oregon, as well as still using the cart for special events and catering. The Cannery Row location will be his first outside of Oregon.
Salinas
City of Salinas Plans Rent Stabilization
A recent report ranked Salinas as the seventh most expensive place to live in America. As rents have increased, so has the desire for rent stabilization. The newly-drafted ordinance would “stabilize rent, protect tenants from eviction without cause, and prohibit landlords from harassing tenants.” Instructions for how the city would handle violations of the new rules are also included.
The public seems to be in favor of rent-stabilization as some have noted a dramatic increase in rent over recent years, as well as a decrease in jobs and hours. Landlords who spoke against the ordinance claimed it would cause a housing shortage, since people wouldn’t want to buy property to rent anymore.
The details of how much a landlord can increase rent are still under discussion. The next housing committee meeting is on May 28th.
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz SPCA “Adopt-a-Pet Day”
June 1 is California’s first “Adopt-a-Pet Day” and the Santa Cruz SPCA and Animal Shelter have both announced they are participating in the effort. The two organizations will join over 150 shelters across California in waiving adoption fees. All pets will be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped.
The goal of the day is to find homes for the thousands of animals that need adopting. Shelters are overcrowded as the U.S. is experiencing a shortage of veterinarians. "Many communities in California do not have access to affordable veterinary care, including spay and neuter services, which has led to increases in accidental litters and pet homelessness”.
49th Annual Pride Festival and Parade Planned
The Santa Cruz Pride Committee announced the itinerary for the 49th annual Pride Festival and Parade. Events will begin on June 1 with three events:
“SC Dyke / Trans March” begins at 4pm at the Santa Cruz Town Clock.
“Queerlantis, A Sea Oddity Carnival Extravaganza” begins at 9pm at Cocoanut Grove.
This event requires a ticket, which can be purchased here.
There is also a Pink Party at The Rush Inn, though I couldn’t find the details for that event.
The parade starts on June 2 at 11am and will “travel along Pacific Avenue from Cathcart to Locust Streets.“. Among the dozens of parade participants are Cheer SF and the Santa Cruz High School Band. This year, the festival will feature two stages: one at Abbott Square and one on Locust Street. That same day at noon, the festival will begin on Abbott Square, Cooper Street, and at the Museum of Art & History.
The day rounds out with an official after party at Hotel Paradox from 2pm to 7pm. This event features a poolside DJ with special guest appearances throughout the day. Tickets are required for the after party and can be purchased together with Queerlantis, here.