Good Times Santa Cruz

Wildfire's Legacy Worries Santa Cruz Winemakersnew

For Santa Cruz Mountain winegrowers, the Lockheed fire that burned 7,800 acres of wild lands above Bonny Doon recently came at exactly the wrong time. Of course there’s never a good time for a wildfire, but the grapes in local vineyards are starting to ripen, a developmental stage called veraison, and they’re particularly vulnerable to “smoke taint.”

Good Times Santa Cruz | Stett Holbrook | 08-27-2009 | Food+Drink

Tags: food, California, wine, small business, wineries, disasters, wildfires

Health Care Reform and Anti-Semitismnew

If you have been watching the health care "debate" you must be aware that it has turned into a grotesque contest on who can come up with the most outrageous Nazi comparison.

Good Times Santa Cruz | Daniela Hurezanu | 08-27-2009 | Commentary

Tags: Health Care Reform, Nazis, anti-Semitism

Experts Give Us the Skinny on Health Care Reformnew

We spoke with two health industry experts and asked them to cut through the noise and give real answers on what health care reform means, and how you can stay abreast of the facts and avoid the fiction.

Good Times Santa Cruz | Curtis Cartier | 08-27-2009 | Politics

Tags: Health Care Reform, Congress, health care

Every Wildfire Brings its Own Financial Storm With Itnew

"California has developed a 'seven points of light' agreement that says if anybody breaks a fire, the departments will send resources," says Cal Fire spokesman Mike Mohler. Yet with so little money to burn, it's hard not to wonder who's getting stuck with the mounting bill.

Good Times Santa Cruz | Jessica Lussenhop | 08-21-2009 | Disasters

Tags: firefighting, California, disaster, economic issues, wildfires

In California, Advocates Push for Reform of Parole Process to Ease Prison Strainnew

California's Board of Parole Hearings grants parole to less than one percent of eligible lifers. Now, as the state's prison system is packed to 200 percent capacity, some are arguing for reform to the parole system that's keeping lifers doing life.

Good Times Santa Cruz | Curtis Cartier | 08-20-2009 | Crime & Justice

Tags: life sentences, California, parole, rehabilitation, prison overcrowding, criminal justice

Life And Death on the Pajaro River Leveenew

Hidden along the banks of the Pajaro River in the brush and high grass, you'll find the casitas -- little houses -- built from tarps, bungee cords, tree limbs and blankets, constructed and tended to by a chronically homeless population of monolingual Spanish speakers.

Good Times Santa Cruz | Jessica Lussenhop | 07-17-2009 | Housing & Development

Tags: emcampments, makeshift housing, Pajaro River, housing, Homelessness, poverty

With One Trademark, Ryan Rittenhouse Unleashed a Battle Royalenew

What began as a simple plan to protect the Santa Cruz Surfing Club name from opportunistic outsiders has erupted into a war of words between three generations of Santa Cruz surfers.

Good Times Santa Cruz | Jessica Lussenhop | 02-23-2009 | Recreation

Tags: law, surfers, Ryan Rittenhouse, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Surfing Club, trademarks

After 15 Years, Medical Marijuana Pioneers Face the End of a Dreamnew

Because of a perfect storm of factors -- plummeting donations, the DEA raid of the property in 2002, death and taxes -- Valerie and Michael Corral can no longer afford to stay in her home, and the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana is losing its iconic garden.

Good Times Santa Cruz | Jessica Lussenhop | 11-13-2008 | Drugs

Tags: California, Medical Marijuana, DEA, Drugs, legal fees, Michael Corral, Valerie Corral, Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana