Press Banner

This early March, Scotts Valley city officials gave sighs of relief when voters approved Measure Z, an increased sales tax to support the slowly spiraling city funds.  However, shortly after the last Press Banner editorial on the matter, the shelter in place order began and decimated two of the city’s largest resources for revenue, sales tax and hotel tax.  While the city won’t understand the effect of SIP on sales tax until later in the month (sales goes through the County first, then the City), the City Council is already aware of large drops in hotel tax.  Due to these current circumstances, despite the passing of Measure Z and rigorous City Council efforts to support local business (like the Economic Recovery Subcommittee, temporary outdoor seating, and Restart Toolkits), the City of Scotts Valley’s is moving toward budget cuts.

Last Friday morning, June 19th the SV chamber and owners of Erik's DeliCafe, re-created the days of 1973, when Erik opened his first Deli in Scotts Valley! We were able to get some new friends from Aptos to bring their beautiful horse and pony with old school trotting cart and help us re-imagine those days.

Most of us had hoped that the COVID-19 pandemic would be slightly diminished by now so that we could resume our regularly scheduled summer plans of days at the beach, evenings around the fire pit and weekends with friends and families. We had vacations planned, tires rotated in preparation, and road trips mapped out with a beeline away from the reality of coronavirus. I dare say a lot of us are damned disappointed right now. Coronavirus cases are surging, not plummeting, across the United States, and California is looking the pandemic square in the eye as the numbers of infected continue to rise in the wake of canceled plans and stymied getaways. The 4th of July celebrations in our towns have been scrapped due to the pandemic, and that leaves local leaders looking for innovative ways to celebrate the red, white and blue while remaining socially distant and observing statewide regulations to minimize the spread. Luckily, we’re blessed with some whip-smart community folks who are thinking outside the box and endeavoring to make the best out of a less-than celebratory situation. Here’s what to look for when it comes to marking Independence Day in the valleys. Scotts Valley: Tune in for a virtual 4th of July parade and watch family, friends, sports teams, local businesses and the partially inebriated deck out their rides, horses, wagons and relatives in epic fashion. View the event online at myscottsvalley.com and the city’s social media sites including the following Facebook pages (you can quit FB after the 4th): City of Scotts Valley 4th of July, the Scotts Valley Chamber and the Press Banner. The parade will be archived for on-demand viewing throughout the entire month of July! Be sure to step outside on the 4th to watch the flyover in town from 2-3pm. Boulder Creek: The Boulder Creek Business Association has wrested the town’s plans to celebrate the 4th from the grips of the virus, and is planning to stream the Virtual 4th of July Parade and Concert on their Facebook page beginning at 10am. Contributors were asked to submit videos that panned from left to right as they will be set to a pre-planned soundtrack of spirit. Entertainment will also include music by Mira Goto, The Four Stringers, Brad Martin, Aki Kumar Band, Wildcat Mountain Ramblers and Chas Crowder. And as for a tradition that dates over 100 years? BCBA President Justin Acton is hoping to create some memories. “Our town has been doing this for so long, and I’m inspired that some important dignitaries have submitted videos, pictures and messages for our residents. We’ll have the Boulder Creek Museum submitting some great historical information, our world-famous Jazzercise dancers have a great routine planned, and the whole event will be hosted by KBCZ’s station manager Tina Davey. “The 4th of July is always such a huge community event in town—I’m looking forward to seeing how we capture that spirit.”  Other parades and events such as the World’s Shortest Parade in Aptos, the fireworks over Skypark and the pancake breakfasts hosted by Boulder Creek Fire and Ben Lomond Fire have all been scuttled by the virus. The pancake breakfasts are not only community events, but also fundraisers for the volunteer departments, and these cancellations negatively impact their bottom line. If you’d like to show your support, donations for the Boulder Creek Fire Department can be sent to 13230 Central Avenue, Boulder Creek, 95006. To help fill Ben Lomond’s coffers, donations can be mailed to 9430 Highway 9, Ben Lomond, 95005. Keep your mask on and your sparklers away from the cats, and we will see you online. 

           The recent media coverage of racial injustice sparked debate on the effectiveness of policing methods in the United States. Protests both internationally and locally raise awareness about the everyday challenges that people of color face, as well as next steps we can take to make law enforcement increasingly more fair. Several students from Scotts Valley High give their opinions about police reform.

Taking a spin down Scotts Valley Drive, may have noticed new friendly faces in passing.  While the seniors of Scotts Valley High School haven’t gathered altogether in person since March, their yearbook photos are currently chumming it up with fellow passerby thanks to the Scotts Valley High School Parent Club. Two instrumental members of the installation, Jane McElrone, Club President, and Carolyn Auman, member, had much to say and more to thank regarding the congratulatory banners.

  It’s the little things that count… For Mr. Rogers it was the little children of all nationalities, tall ones, short ones, children who were born without blemish and those who were born with disabilities of all kinds.  These are the children that were important to Fred Rogers. 

A few weeks ago, a small, majority-white city with no tradition of protest may have seemed an unlikely venue for a homegrown Black Lives Matter demonstration. In a pattern that has repeated across the country, young people here chose to organize within their own community, rather than remain silent or commute to a larger city where they might protest anonymously. More than 300 protesters marched down Scotts Valley Drive last Wednesday, in what Police Chief Steve Walpole described as the city's first protest in history.