Life Capitola/Soquel - January 2013

High School Sports Inside Page 2

Bag Ban on Page 3

Restaurant Feature Michael’s on Main Page 5

Council on Page 2

Sports on Page 2

******ECRW

SSEDD

M******

POSTA

L CU

STOM

ERC

APITO

LA, C

A 95010

SOQ

UEL, C

A 95073

PRSRT STDU

.S. POSTA

GE PA

IDPERM

IT NO

. 23

Monthly publication dedicated to covering everything in

Capitola/Soquel, C

A.

Restaurant

JANUARY 2013 EVERYTHING CAPITOLA & SOQUEL

Capitola moves forward on baning the bagBy ROSEANN HERNANDEZOf Life Capitola/Soquel

CAPITOLA—Capitola has moved forward on a citywide ban of single-use plastic bags, putting the city in line with existing policies in place in unincorporated areas of the county and the city of Watsonville.

Both the city of Capitola and the city of Santa Cruz — which passed its ordinance in July — will have their bans come into effect in April.

The City Council unanimously approved the ordinance, which would ban plastic carrier bags at grocery stores and retail establishments. Restaurants will be exempt, after receiving a slew of public support.

Save Our Shores Executive Director Laura Kasa, who, along with a group from the en-vironmental action group, gave out more than

A shoppers exits the target store at the Capitola Mall where plastic bags are still the norm. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Life Capitola/Soquel

Plastic bag ban

Michael’s on Main features

local artistBy ERIK CHALHOUBOf Life Capitola/Soquel

SOQUEL — Aptos artist David Flem-ing currently has his oil on canvas art-work on display at Michael’s on Main in Soquel.

Fleming, who has a B.S. in industri-al design at San Jose State University, is a former car stylist, working for Ford in Detroit. His most notable success, he said, was designing the rear-end of a 1969 Mustang.

After two years, he returned to Cali-

By TARMO HANNULAOf Life Capitola/Soquel

CAPITOLA — Hundreds of large Humboldt squid have been washing up on area beaches over the past few weeks, and beachgoers have report-ed fi nding the dead reddish squid at Seascape, Rio del Mar, Pleasure Point, Twin Lakes State Beach and on the west side of Santa Cruz.

“The million dollar question is, no one knows why they do it,” said Bal-do Marinovic, a research biologist with the Institute of Marine Science at UC Santa Cruz. “The second part of that is that they do do it. These an-imals are outsiders here and are not part of the ecosystem. But they have come here with warm water pulses and during El Niño in the past.”

Marinovic said the squid are more common in southern California, Mexico and Central America. The last time the squids were recorded in this area was in 2010 but they abruptly vanished until now, Ma-rinovic said. With the current new pulse of warmer water, they’re start-ing to show up even as far north as Oregon.

“The ones that have been washing up are sub-adults and their behavior is not breeding activity,” Marinovic said.

Researchers are suggesting two theories about the sudden appear-ance: That the squids represent a new group of juveniles who were on the move until they reached con-ditions they couldn’t handle so they ended up weakened and eventually beached; the second theory is that the squid were somewhat sick, may-be from toxic food such as algae blooms.

“However, the few squid that have been looked at did not reveal toxin levels,” Marinovic said. “The bigger issue is that they are back now. These squid are top voracious predators and they’re going after rockfi sh and anchovies, which could really affect the eco-system

“These animals are designed for deeper conditions,” Marinovic said. “Who knows, maybe they just made a wrong turn and messed up.”

Humboldt squid are about 3-feet long, with an 18-inch body. In warmer waters to the south mature adults can reach more than six feet and weigh 30 to 40 pounds.

“They are fi shed commercially,” Marinovic said, “but they are tough-er than market squid.”

The squids travel in large, exten-sive schools of up to several hun-dred. They usually congregate in vast depths during the day and come up to feed at the surface at night. They are eaten by dolphins, whales, tunas and billfi sh.

“If you spot them at the beach you can touch them, but be cautious,” Marinovic said. “If they are dead they are harmless, but if they are alive they do have a substantial beak and cause damage. Their suckers also have tiny teeth that can rasp and tear when they grab on. Don’t let them clamp on and suck on you and don’t bring these home and cook them. They are amazing animals.”

Large squid washing up

By GLENN CRAVENSOf Life Capitola/Soquel

While Soquel High’s winter sports teams are in full gear, some fall sports student-athletes had an opportunity to shine in the spotlight one fi nal time.

Fabiano Hale, the do-it-all running back for the Knights’ football team, was named the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Most Valuable Player for the 2012 season.

The award capped off a season in which he fi n-ished with 40 rushing touchdowns, most of any in Soquel High history. He also fi nished with 2,452 rushing yards, which was not only a new school record, but also a new Santa Cruz County sin-gle-season record.

He won the MVP one year after being named the SCCAL Junior of the Year. His junior season – more than 1,300 yards and 22 touchdowns – paled in comparison to what he eventually did as a senior.

In the annual Lions Bowl at Cabrillo College, he had 127 yards and one touchdown as the North Santa Cruz County All-Stars defeated their south-ern counterparts 24-20. Hale’s touchdown, which came in the second half, put the North Team ahead 21-0.

Kevin Kiff, who went both ways on the football fi eld, was named the SCCAL Defensive Player of the Year. Kiff, who played in the secondary at times, helped the Knights improve on defense from a year earlier. The Knights allowed 22.5 points a game in 2012, 7.5 points less per game

Soquel High School Sports Round-Up

Soquel High’s Zoe LeRoy-Antaki tries to pass the ball to a teammate during the Knights’ game against Watsonville last month at Soquel High. Le-Roy-Antaki is one of 10 seniors on the team. Photo by Glenn Cravens/Life Capitola/Soquel

from a year earlier.Kiff also had a shining moment in the Lions

Bowl, as he caught a touchdown pass in the All-Star contest.

Six Soquel players were named to the all-SC-CAL fi rst team. On offense, quarterback Lucas

Capitola City Council RecapTop-ranked Capitola looks forward to solving its few problems in 2013

By ROSEANN HERNANDEZOf Life Capitola/Soquel

CAPITOLA—With a healthy tax base, great weather, a popular police chief and a roster of community events to keep residents engaged all year long — Capitola is sitting pretty.

In the results of a recent Benchmark Study comparing Capitola with similar California cities, the beachside commu-nity achieved top marks for its fi nancial policies, service delivery and overall

This oil on canvas painting, titled "Blue-berry Pie," by Aptos artist David Fleming is one of 13 of his paintings now showing in the main dining room at Michaels on Main restaurant in Soquel through Febru-ary. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Life Capito-la/Soquel

Artist on Page3

2 - Life Capitola/Soquel - January 2013

Sports Continued from page 1

Council Continued from page 1

850 Park Ave. #5A, Capitola. 2 bedroom/2 bath condo, 1134 sq. ft. $599,000

(408) 799-5175www.omnisquare.com

DRE# 01820835

Jalayne Forrester

of New Brighton Beachof f NNew Brighton Beach

Spectacular Ocean ViewsSpectacular Ocean Views

mls# 81237087Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm 207 Monterey Avenue, Capitola Village 831.465.0923

Celebrating Baby’s First Two Years with Joyful Gifts & Unique Apparel

Publisher-Jeremy BurkeGeneralManager-Victoria NelsonAssociatePublisher-Brad Koyak

Editor-Tom DunlapEditorial

Erik Chalhoub, Todd GuildTarmo Hannula, Roseann Hernandez

Glenn Cravens, Laura NessPhotography-Tarmo Hannula

AdvertisingManager - Jeanie JohnsonAdvertisingSales

Tina Chavez, Susie RonzanoJessica Woods, Jillian Hogan

Production - Daryl NelsonDesign-Jeremy Burke & Brad Koyak

Life Capitola/Soquel is published month-ly. All rights reserved, material may not be

reprinted without wri� en consent from the publisher. Life Capitola/Soquel made every eff ort to maintain the accuracy of

information presented in this publication, but assumes no responsibility for errors,

changes or omissions. Life Capitola/Soquel is a division of the Register-Paja-

ronian and Aptos Life. Publishing in Santa Cruz County since 1894.

Contact�UsLife Capitola/Soquel

831-761-7300

Thank�you�for�reading!

Cordoza, Matthew Sisco, David Salinas and Evan Zigman were awarded the honor. On defense, Caleb Fidiam and Elvis Plecq were given the nod.

The Knights’ girls soccer team is off to another fast start as they try to make a run at the SCCAL championship.

They ended their nonleague campaign 4-1, outscoring their opponents 15-6. Ken-dra Bonsall has been one of the fi recrackers of the team, leading the squad in goals.

She had two goals in their nonleague contest in December against Watsonville, the defending Monterey Bay League cham-pions. She broke through in the fi rst two minutes against the Wildcatz and then put the pressure on the Wildcatz all game.

The girls will get to show their skills in front of their home crowd on Jan. 8 against St. Francis Central Coast Catholic. They’ll get a crack at the defending SCCAL cham-pions, Scotts Valley, on Jan. 15.

The boys soccer team had a much-im-proved nonleague campaign from a year ago, going 3-2-3. The Knights started the season going 3-0-3, getting victories against Scotts Valley, Cupertino and Carmel.

Omar Marquez has been the catalyst,

scoring seven goals so far this season for the Knights. Eduardo Covarrubias, the team’s main goalkeeper, has averaged 3.1 saves a game in nonleague play.

The girls basketball team has shown ear-ly in the season it has what it takes to repeat as Central Coast Section champions. The Knights have started the season 7-1, getting wins against Los Gatos, Pacifi c Collegiate and North Salinas.

The showdown with previously unde-feated North Salinas fi nished in a 37-31 decision in favor of the Knights. Maddi-son Rocha, one of the stars of last year’s championship squad, had 12 points against the mighty Vikings. Tyler Stewart had nine points in the win.

Soquel competed in the annual Sweet 16 Holiday Tournament before starting SC-CAL play against Aptos and Scotts Valley. The Knights faced Santa Cruz, the team that beat them in the SCCAL tournament fi nal last season, on Jan.8.

The boys basketball team also has a win-ning record in nonleague play, going 5-2. Its most notable mark so far has been win-ning the 57th annual Emmett Thompson Memorial Dad’s Club Tournament at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.

In the tournament fi nals, the Knights de-feated Santa Cruz 48-44. Sam Walters led the squad with 15 points, and Cody Valcar-cel had 14 points in the win. Valcarcel and Walters are both averaging double digits this season, with Tucker Wiget not far be-hind.

Soquel will start league play against de-fending tournament champion Aptos before traveling to Scotts Valley. Santa Cruz, the team it lost to in the regular season fi nale, will head to the Knights’ gym on Jan. 8.

Soquel High’s Fabiano Hale runs with the football during the fi rst half of the 2012 Lions Bowl at Cabrillo College. Hale was voted the Most Valuable Player of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League. Photo by Glenn Cravens/Life Capitola/Soquel

Soquel High’s Chrissie Heath battles for the ball against a Watsonville defender during the fi rst half of their game last month at Soquel High. Heath is one of 10 seniors on the team. Photo by Glenn Cravens/Life Capitola/Soquel

constituency satisfaction. Where Capitola did not do so well when

compared with Carmel, Laguna Beach, Sausalito, Carpinteria, Pismo Beach and Scotts Valley was in the state of its roads and pavement.

But it appears there is a silver lining even in that regard.

Money generated from the passage of Measure O, which increases Capitola sales tax by one quarter of 1 percent, will go to-ward maintaining general services such as street improvements.

At December’s City Council meeting, it was announced that money from the sales tax increase would go toward funding road improvements — so-called “chip and seal” — along with one public works offi cer (in a department that is down by four), one community service offi cer, as well as re-plenish budget reserves that took a hit from the Capitola Village fl ood of 2011.

The city continues to deal with litigation issues resulting from the fallout from the fl ood as insurance companies argue over claims.

Capitola Councilman Dennis Norton said overall, people like Capitola’s gov-ernment; it enjoys the best tax base of all county jurisdictions, and public safety, which remains a top issue for residents, is handled by a well-thought-of and highly competent police force.

Calling Capitola Police Chief Rudy Es-calante the most popular person in town, Norton said Escalante was tough, commu-

nity-minded and a great communicator. Sworn in as the new police chief in April, Escalante served as Watsonville’s Deputy Police Chief for more than two-and-a-half years.

Former Capitola Police Chief Mike Card retired after serving in the department since 1973.

Parking continues to be an issue for the beachside community — with the City Council voting in August to convert the former Pacifi c Cove Mobile Home Park into a temporary municipal parking lot at a cost of $1,000,000.

The lot would add approximately 240 spaces, pay stations and a public bathroom.

Norton, who has been on the council for 12 years, serving as mayor for three of them, offered the only dissenting vote back in August, and believes the temporary lot would detract from moving forward on a permanent solution.

A multitier parking structure in the up-per Pacifi c Cove area, Norton believes, is the only realistic solution that will help ease congestion in the village while keep-ing anymore open space from being turned over to parking.

“We cannot afford to pave any more land,” Norton said.

Open space comes at a premium in Capitola, and during a City council candi-dates forum in October, Capitola residents weighed in on the issue — asking prospec-tive candidates about dog parks and recre-ational spaces.

Norton said that with more than 2,000 dogs in Capitola there is a cry for a dog park in the city.

Dogs are not allowed on Capitola beach-es and the nearest dog park is in Aptos.

Norton said the McGregor property near New Brighton State Beach, which the city currently owns, could be a possible loca-tion for a dog park.

Earlier this year in March, the City Council approved a fact fi nding mission to determine whether the city should allow the plot to go up for bid, opening it up to a hotel development.

Capitola’s famed Rispin Mansion could be a source of open space, according toNorton.

Thoroughly entombed now — with fenc-es blocking pedestrian access — the cityspent $648,850 on clearing out and secur-ing the property earlier this year.

The property has been boarded up since a mysterious fi re gutted the building and effectively tabled plans to turn the mansion into a hotel.

Norton said the fences should be taken off, and it should be made safe and accessi-ble for the public to enjoy — and could seein the future — a time when it could be a place to watch an outdoor movie or listento a concert.

The fate of the Capitola landmark has been in fl ux for years and though it remainsa public concern, Norton said “we don’t have to make a decision on every property now.”

Life Capitola/Soquel - January 2013 - 3

Artist Continued from page 1

ENHANCE YOUR LIFE IN 2013!

Top 10 Reasons to Join Seascape Sports Club1. Seascape offers over 50 weekly group exercise classes

2. Regular exercise cuts ricks of death from heart disease by 50%

3. Seascape has a state-of-the-art fitness and wellness center

4. Regular exercise promotes leaner, healthier, wealthier lifestyle

5. Seascape’s junior Olympic size lap pool is heated year round

6. Regular exercise builds brain cells and brain power

7. Seascape has more tennis players, tennis teams and tennis events.

8. Playing tennis provides valuable interval training (On Our Hard or Clay Courts)

9. Seascape has more junior programs (+Junior Activity Center Under Construction)

10. NEW MEMBERS RECEIVE THREE MONTHS FREE DUES*

Seascape Sports Club • 1505 Seascape Blvd. •Aptos • (831) 688-1993 • www.SeascapeSportsClub.com

*Restrictions apply (Offer Ends 1/31/2013)

150 reusable bags at the Capitola Mall during the holiday shopping rush, said the ban made sense locally.

“We have to do this locally, because on the statewide level — they are just not ready,” said Kasa.

Since the plastic bag ban in the unincor-porated area of the county went into effect nine months ago, Kasa said, the organiza-tion’s regular beach cleanups have turned up significantly fewer plastic bags along the region’s coast line and river beds — from 19 bags per clean up down to eight.

Kasa is hopeful that once the Capitola and Santa Cruz bans take hold, there will be even less plastic circulating in the en-vironment.

One item in the proposed ordinance Kasa does not agree with is the allowance for re-usable plastic bags that are at least 2.25 mm thick, which she believes was a concession made to plastic bag manufacturers.

A group called Save the Plastic Bag Co-

alition representing the interests of plastic bag manufacturers has been reportedly threatening legal action against jurisdic-tions enacting single-use plastic bag bans across the state.

“It is still allowing plastic bags to get into the environment,” Kasa said, adding that Save Our Shores intends to lobby those stores who supply the heavy-weight bags to stop the practice.

One grocery store chain, which has never carried plastic bags during their its 27-year history, is New Leaf Community Markets, which has two locations in Capitola.

Founder and co-owner Scott Roseman, who joked that he had more reusable bags in his car than golf clubs, said that he was happy all the jurisdictions in the county were moving towards a universal ban but that ul-timately, the state needed to adopt a similar measure as well and then the country.

“And I think its heading in that direc-tion,” Roseman said.

Capitola’s proposed ordinance includes a 25 cent fee for the purchase of a paper bag.

At 25 cents, the proposed fee would be one of the highest in the county. In Watson-ville and in the unincorporated areas it is 10 cents per paper bag, but that will rise to 25 cents in April.

Since 1993, New Leaf has operated the Envirotoken program. For every customer who brings in a reusable bag they receive a token worth 10 cents to donate to a non-profit environmental organization.

Participating organizations are select-ed by customers each May and since the program started, New Leaf shoppers have reused more than 3 million bags resulting in a donation of more than $216,000.

Roseman said that five years ago New Leaf began to significantly discount cloth and reusable bags, selling them pretty much at-cost and over the years they have seen a consistent decrease in the use of new

bags as more and more customers bring re-usables.

Yet, even with all that education and the incentive of the Envirotoken program — which Roseman said is especially ex-citing to kids who like to drop the tokens in the donation stations — a majority of customers still requested new bags at the checkout.

But all that started to change earlier this year in January when San Jose enacted its plastic carrier bag ban — the largest city in the state to do so, requiring the grocery store to charge 10 cents for a new, paper bag.

To New Leaf’s amazement, they found that despite never offering plastic bags and the adoption of the Envirotoken program, the fee motivated more people to bring in reusable bags.

“The bag ban and requiring retailers to charge for paper bags really motivated peo-ple; the ban really has worked,” said Rose-man.

Bag Ban Continued from page 1

fornia to work for Lockheed as an off-road vehicle designer. Later on, he worked for Porsche in Stuttgart, Germany.

In 1974, Fleming returned to school to study painting, becoming a teacher shortly thereafter. He retired in 2002.

“I’ve liked art all of my life,” Fleming said. “I decided at some point that when I retired, I wanted to become a full-time art-ist.”

With his background in car design, Fleming said it is similar “in a lot of ways” to painting.

“It has a lot to do with aesthetics,” he said.

Fleming has been a participant in the Santa Cruz County Open Studios since 1996, and has shown his work in galleries such as the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara and the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas.

Michael’s on Main is located at 2591 Main St. in Soquel. Fleming will have his work up through February. To see more of Fleming’s work, visit members.cruzio.com/~fleming.

Above: “Cabrillo Music Festival Rehearsal” is oil on canvas. Right: This cityscape oil on canvas painting is titled “On Ramp.” Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Life Capitola/Soquel


Kinder Esthetics atat Fusion Salon

1051 41st Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA . 95062

(831)479-3727

Permanent makeup specialistPermanent makeup specialist Nicole KinderNicole KinderPermanent MakeupWaxingWedding and special event makeupFacialsMicrodermabrasionChemical peels

By ERIK CHALHOUBof Life Capitola/Soquel

APTOS — As the world welcomes 2013, many new state laws went into ef-fect on Jan. 1, including changes to texting while driving, a boost for driverless cars, how DUI suspects will be tested and col-lege-funding changes called the California Dream Act (part 2).

A new law will also require condo and apartment owners to have a carbon monox-ide detector in their dwelling.

“The changes to California’s traffi c safe-ty laws are designed to protect the motoring public,” stated California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Citizens are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these new laws in advance of the new year.”

The following is a summary of some of the new laws, starting with traffi c laws. For a complete look at all new California laws, visit www.LegInfo.ca.gov.

AB 1536: Electronic Wireless Commu-nications

This law allows California drivers to use hands-free technology to talk and text while driving. This will require the use of a device that is specifi cally designed and confi gured to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation to dictate, send or listen to a text-based communication. The device is required to also be used in a

voice-operated, hands-free manner to be in compliance with the law.

AB 2020: Driving Under the Infl uenceThe law no longer allows a person who

has been arrested and is suspected of driv-ing under the infl uence of drugs the option of a urine test. Prior to this change, a person had the option of submitting either urine or blood to determine the drug content of their blood.

AB 45: Charter-Party Carriers of Passen-gers: Alcoholic Beverages: Open Contain-ers

This new law prohibits underage drink-ing in charter-party carriers (limos, buses, etc.) and makes the carrier and driver re-sponsible for communicating this to their passengers. The law also requires a desig-nee, who is at least 25 years of age, to be present whenever there are passengers who are under 21 years of age on board the ve-hicle and alcohol is being transported. The designee shall be responsible for ensuring the rules are followed, and the safety of the underage passengers throughout the dura-tion of the trip.

AB 1708: Financial Responsibility and Insurance

Drivers will now have the option of pro-viding proof of insurance and registration on an electronic device (smartphone, tab-let, etc.), when it is requested by law en-forcement.

New Laws 2013AB 2405: High Occupancy Toll LanesThis law creates the Choose Clean Cars

Act, which allows cars with a Clean Air Vehicle Sticker free access to carpool lanes that are converted to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes.

SB 1298: Autonomous VehiclesThis new law allows driverless cars to be

operated on public roads for testing purpos-es, provided that each vehicle has a fully li-censed and bonded operator in the driver’s seat to take control if necessary. The bill also instructs the Department of Motor Ve-hicles to adopt regulations that govern the licensing, bonding, testing and operation of autonomous vehicle technology.

SB 1047: Emergency Services: SeniorsSimilar to an AMBER Alert, the CHP

would activate a “Silver Alert” upon re-quest if a person, age 65 or older, is reported missing to a law enforcement agency and that agency determines that certain criteria is met. The criteria includes: the person is missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances or the law enforcement agency believes the person is in danger due to age, health, mental or physical disabili-ty, environment or weather conditions; the person is in the company of a potentially

dangerous person; or there are other factors indicating that the person may be in peril. Finally, there is information available, if given to the public, may assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.

AB 2189: Driver LicenseThis law allows a driver’s license appli-

cant who provides satisfactory proof that his or her presence in the United States is authorized under federal law, but who isnot eligible for a social security account number, is eligible to receive an originaldriver’s license if he or she meets all otherqualifi cations for licensure.

SB 1303: Automated Traffi c Enforce-ment Systems

This new law establishes consistency in the operations of red-light enforcementcameras throughout the state by requiring governmental agencies to follow specifi ed guidelines regarding intersections, signageand the notice to appear.

AB 2489: License Plates: Obstruction or Alteration

This new law prevents the altering and positioning of license plates from its orig-inal markings and clarifi es the penalty imposed for obscuring the readability of license plates.

• Grass-fed, grass finished beef fromN-A Ranch in Santa Cruz

• Pasture raised pigs from Devil’s GulchRanch in Nicasio

• Pasture raised coastal lamb from MarinSun Farms in the Bay Area Food Shed

• Only locally sourced & local seasonal organic ingredients• Custom sausage blend, custom cutting & cured meats

10110 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003

831-662-2BBQ831-662-2BBQwww.SidsSmokehouse.com

(2227)(2227)

Happy Hour Happy Hour 7 Days A Week: 7 Days A Week:

3-6 pm3-6 pmTAKEOUT & CATERINGTAKEOUT & CATERINGOpen 7 Days a WeekOpen 7 Days a Week

Football Football Sunday BrunchSunday Brunch

9am to 1pm9am to 1pm


By TODD GUILDOf Life Capitola/Soquel

When entering Michael’s on Main, it is immediately evident you will be well cared for.

Diners first walk through a spacious tree-lined patio and outdoor dining area, and immediately enter a comfortable, open lobby with a full bar. There, custom-ers relax in overstuffed chairs and at small tables as they sip drinks and enjoy their meals.

Both the bar and the restaurant are ringed by large picture windows that not only afford an outdoor view but also let in enough daylight to negate the need for lights during the day. Natural wood makes up much of the decor, and local art on the walls rotates every two months.

Life Capitola/Soquel photographer Tar-mo Hannula and I went there for lunch and were immediately greeted by a friend-ly hostess who seated us and left us with menus and a wine menu.

Our server was quickly at our table, and Tarmo decided to try the Classic Rueben ($13), which promised pastrami, sauer-kraut, thousand island dressing and mus-tard on rye with pickles.

Tarmo’s sandwich came with a gener-ous pile of sweet potato fries.

Based on a suggestion by our server Rose, and being an Asian food aficio-nado, I ordered the pork bahn mi ($13), the restaurant’s take on a Vietnamese sandwich. Mine came with Gilroy garlic “criss-cut” fries.

I also tried the soup of the day, a, excel-lent curried zucchini that was just spicy enough to bring a touch of heat to the creamy bisque-like dish.

Tarmo proclaimed his sandwich de-licious, with toppings and dressing that accompanied perfectly the moist and fla-vorful meat.

“It’s served really hot, too,” he said. “The cheese is perfectly melted.”

My sandwich was good, and was a valiant attempt to stay true to Vietnam’s quintessential street food. It had pickled carrots and radishes, along with jalapeño and cilantro, along with what the menu described as spicy aioli.

A good Vietnamese sandwich has French bread that is crispy outside and tender inside, and that is precisely what this excellent homemade bread offered.

But I was hoping for a bit more flavor and spice from the toppings, particularly from the jalapeños and the cilantro, both

of which I found lacking. I was also dis-appointed by the pork, which I found a tad dry.

I doubt the latter concern was the restaurant’s fault, as health-conscious Californians’ demand for healthier offer-ings has sadly driven the fat — and thus much of the tenderness and flavor — out of many types of meat.

I wished I had instead ordered the Kobe beef burger ($14) or the blackened chick-en wrap ($13) with black beans, shredded lettuce, cheese, avocado and chipotle ai-oli.

My fries, however, were exquisite, per-fectly cooked and seasoned with enough garlic to bring its flavor.

Similarly, Tarmo’s sweet potato fries were both sweet and salty and somehow maintained their crispiness while staying moist in the middle.

The lunch menu also offered a turkey club ($12), which features the restaurant’s house-smoked turkey.

We also considered the “small plate” menu ($6 - $15) with appetizers ranging from macaroni and cheese to oysters to calamari.

The menu also offered salads ($8 - $16), including a Caesar ($12), a shrimp Louie ($16) and roasted beet ($14).

I hope to return later to sample the din-ner menu, which offers such dishes as pis-tachio crusted salmon ($25), braised short ribs ($21) and a grilled portabella mush-room ($17).

What stood out the most for both of us was the service. We were approached throughout our meal by three friendly em-ployees who asked if we needed anything.

Several walls are festooned with proc-lamations and commendations from law-makers and celebrities, including Con-gressman Sam Farr, Abel Moldonado and

Included in this array is a business of the year plaque from the California State Senate.

Perhaps his favorite plaque comes from Julia Child, with whom proprietor Mi-chael Clark studied.

Born and raised in England, proprietor Michael Clark has spent his life in the restaurant business, where he started out on the bottom of the food chain.

“I started washing pots and pans in En-gland when I was young,” he said.

Clark now comes with an impressive resume that includes two degrees in hotel and restaurant management and training at the Savoy Hotel and the Connaught Ho-tel, both in London.

He also opened the Hyatt Union Square in San Francisco and was one of the open-ing chefs at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco and the now closed Car-nelian Room. He also has worked at the Beach and Tennis Club at Pebble Beach and in the Mansion House in Watsonville.

Clark opened the restaurant in Novem-ber 2001, with the mission of serving “cutting edge comfort cuisine.”

As it turned out, comfort was exactly what was needed coming as it did in the wake of in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror-ist attacks. Diners were seeking out famil-iar dishes such as yankee pot roast ($18), which has become one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

“I just wanted to serve good home cooking,” he said.

Clark prides himself on his efforts for his restaurant to be green, which includes purchasing his produce from local organic farms, recycling and composting every-thing he can and using locally produced cooking oil that in turn is converted into biodiesel fuel when he is finished with it.

He also grows some of his produce in a small garden just off the back deck, which offers several tables that overlook Soquel Creek. Surrounded by towering sycamore trees, the tiled deck is just one of the areas of the restaurant that plays host to numer-ous special events throughout the year.

That philosophy also extends to his wine menu.

“You see a strong emphasis on Califor-nia wines,” he said.

In addition to a family of loyal custom-ers, Clark has also built a loyal team of employees, 65 percent of which he con-siders long-term and most of whom have customers who ask for them by name.

He prides himself on fresh organic pro-duce from the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets, which Clark, 62, or one of his employees purchases from the Ap-tos market every Saturday.

“I feel I am very blessed to live here, from the ocean to the agriculture that comes out of here,” Clark said.

Michael’s on Main a local gem

Photos by Tarmo Hannula/Life Capitola/Soquel Above: Michael Clark, owner of Michael’s on Main restaurant in Soquel, stands beside a collection of accolades and proclamations about his business. Right: Rose Hahne serves up lunch, a pork bahn mi sandwich (on table) and a “Classic Rueben” at Michael’s on Main. Below: The “Classic Rueben” is served with kosher dill pickle and sweet potato fires. Below: Bright colors and plenty of natural light set an inviting atmospher in the bar at Michael’s on Main.


By Roseann HernandezOf Life Capitola/Soquel

Winter is here and retail stores are stocking up with after-Christmas items faster than you can say Happy New Year.

Head out to Target and you will see all manner of Christmas lights and wrapping paper discounted. This year, instead of in-vesting in sweater sets and collectors editions of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” head on out to the center of antiques and collectibles and spend a worthwhile afternoon visiting the myriad of antiques shops in Capitola and Soquel.

For more than 20 years, the Traders Empo-rium has been the Aladdin’s cave of antiques and collectibles in Soquel. With thirty-two dealers located underneath the historic Quon-set hut on Soquel Drive, the shopper can find everything from World War II memorabilia, read-along records from the 1960s to vintage jewelry.

Constance Lombardo has been working at Traders Emporium for 18 years and is the dealer behind Collectibles by Constance, selling dollhouse furniture and miniatures.

She’s originally from New York — you can catch her Brooklyn accent as she wel-comes you into the store.

The self-ascribed “only game in town,” Lombardo started collecting dollhouse fix-tures and fittings when she was given a doll-house and started searching for furniture, which she said wasn’t easy.

Her stall is filled with dainty furniture for every room — upholstered sofas, kitchen sets complete with miniature appliances and an-tique style chairs and settees ready to be tak-en home and set up for a Victorian tea party.

Capitola City Councilman Dennis Norton has a stall in Traders Emporium, selling nau-tical-themed collectibles. An avid collector, he opened the stall about eight months ago to free up some space in his home.

He shows a bamboo cane fishing road — a delicate, hand-crafted thing of beauty that can be put up for display or used to make the catch of the day.

Further down Soquel Drive is Le Petite Cottage Chic, where they specialize in shab-by chic interior decoration and feature unique

jewelry by local artists.Rachel Johnson, the jeweler behind “Chels

Creations,” creates one-off pendants, neck-laces, bracelets and earrings. Standing over an impressive jewelry display, Johnson said she is really enjoying using sea glass in her work and sees it as a “cool way to be creative and environmentally friendly.”

If you are looking for a statement piece for your home or garden, Center Street Antiques & Interiors has you covered.

With 27 dealers located in the 5,000-square-foot building, it feels like you are walking through 27 different stores, each one with its own theme or specialty.

Jennifer Boodt, one of the dealers at Cen-ter Street, has been passionate about vintage goods since she was a teenager shopping at thrift stores. Then she got hooked on refur-bishing furniture and made a career of trans-forming the worn and dated into character pieces for the home and garden.

“You get addicted to the hunt,” said Boodt. “Finding and fixing is in the blood.”

Center Street gets new merchandise every day. Walking through the former grocery store, you see mirrors with grand Roco-co-style frames, French imports, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, kitchen cupboards that would not be out of place in a French country cottage and unique one-offs where artisans have recycled throw-away items and created something functional and beautiful.

Light fixtures that are made from drum hoops, old windows that have been turned into a mini atrium and snow shoes that will never see the bottom of someone’s feet again but will soon be hanging on the walls of a buyer’s conservatory.

Industrial antiques are really hot at the mo-ment, said Boodt, pointing to a display of or-gan gears, while shabby chic interior design pieces — furniture that is distressed or gives the appearance of age — continue to be pop-ular.

“Here you can get something with charac-ter,” said Boodt. “And you know your friend won’t have the exact same thing.”

Shopping in Soquel Village


Lively And Local

www.cafecruz.comCheck out our delicious menu online at Reservations Welcomed

831.476.3801

• Sustainable Seafood, Natural Meats

• Many fresh, local & organic ingredients

• Heated Outdoor Dining

• Open Copper-backed Kitchen, Full Bar

• Covered Patio Garden Room

Lunch: 11:30-2:30PM Mon-Sat

Dinner: 5:30PM Nightly 5:00PM Sunday

Bar Menu: 3:00PM Mon-Sat

Conveniently located at 2621 41st Ave Soquel, CA 95073

howBy Zach Friend

Have you ever wondered how to get more involved in your community? Do you have a professional or academic special-ty or maybe just a passion for a subject? Consider seeking appointment to a county commission, committee or advisory body.

County advisory bodies play a key role in providing advice to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in subjects as varied as public safety, the environment and the arts, seniors and youth issues, housing and more. In fact, the board appoints local res-idents to more than 40 advisory bodies.

Some of these advisory bodies are state mandates, but the majority were estab-lished by previous boards to ensure our community has a voice and involvement in local governmental decisions. Each ad-visory body has its own time commitment, with some meeting occasionally and some meeting nearly as often the Board of Su-pervisors.

All play an important role in taking an in-depth look at policy concerns facing our county and keeping the board connected with these issues.

How do you apply for appointment?The County of Santa Cruz website

(www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us) maintains a link with information on all of the adviso-ry bodies, including the specifi c openings for our district. Some appointments are at-large appointments, meaning any member of the board can nominate an appointee, while some are specifi c to residents of our geographic district.

Lastly, some appointees are required to represent particular groups (such as seniors or the disabled community). In all cases, the entire Board of Supervisors takes ac-tion to appoint the applicant at a regular board meeting.

If you are interested in learning more about a particular advisory body, there is contact information and detailed informa-tion about the body via the county website. Specifi cally, from the main webpage click on the “government” tab and then “com-missions, committees and advisory bod-ies.”

If, after Jan. 7 (when I offi cially take of-fi ce) you have any additional questions that you can’t fi nd on the website, please feel free to contact our offi ce and we will help you with the information. Thank you for taking an interest in serving on a local ad-visory body!

Want to serve on a committee? Here’s AB 1452: Child Passenger Restraints

Hospitals, clinics and birthing centers will now be required to provide and dis-cuss contact information regarding child safety seat requirements, installation and inspection to parents and caregivers upon discharge of a child, if the child is less than eight years of age.

AB 1854: Infl atable Restraint SystemsThis law makes it illegal for a person to

knowingly distribute or sell a previously deployed air bag or component that will no longer meet the original equipment form, function or proper operation.

The following is a list of bills authored or joint-authored by Assemblymember Luis Alejo.

AB 276: Central Coast Public Hospital Authority

AB 276 creates a Central Coast Public Hospital Authority within Monterey Coun-ty. The bill provides management, adminis-tration and other controls for the continued operation of one or more other healthcare facilities that may be affi liated or consol-idated with Natividad Medical Center, to serve as a designated public safety net hos-pital and ensure the viability of the health care safety net in Monterey County.

AB 1337: Paternity ClaimsAB 1337 fi xes an oversight problem in

the procedure for establishing legal pater-nity of a child whose mother is deceased. The bill adds clarifi cation by specifying that an alleged father is to serve legal no-tice to a second degree relative, the persons with physical custody of the child.

AB 1865: Greater Access to Legal Ser-vices

AB 1865 gives all bar associations the op-portunity to provide legal services and repre-sent people who have received an unlawful detainer notice in court by listing them as a resource on the unlawful detainer notice.

AB 1908: Reasonable Notice for School Employees

AB 1908 extends the notifi cation of lay-off from 45 days to 60 days for classifi ed school employees. Classifi ed school em-ployees include secretaries, bus drivers, food service workers, groundskeepers, se-curity personnel, teacher’s aides, instruc-tional assistants, custodians, maintenance workers and health care assistants.

AB 1915: Safe Routes to School Bus

StopsAB 1915 specifi es that the Califor-

nia Safe Routes to School program may support infrastructure improvements to increase safety and promote walking to school bus stops. AB 1915 amends the Safe Routes to School program by specifying that these infrastructure improvements are an allowable use of up to 10 percent of the program funds.

AB 2174: Best Farming PracticesThe Fertilizer Research and Education

Program (FREP) was established in 1990 to provide funding for research and educa-tion regarding the use and handling of fer-tilizing material. FREP is funded through a mill fee on the sale of fertilizer. This bill clarifi es that the fund can be used to pro-vide technical assistance to farmers on the appropriate use of fertilizing material.

AB 2180: Health Care Districts’ Em-ployment Contracts

AB 2180 requires local health care districts to include in their employment agreements with hospital administrators or CEOs specifi c information regarding com-pensation, retirement benefi ts, severance and any other benefi t that differ from those available to other full-time employees. AB 2180 allows the public and board members to have a reference point for information regarding executive compensation.

SB 965: Public Access to the State and Regional Water Boards

SB 965 broadens the ability of the pub-lic to share information with State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) members. The bill establishes a new standard for Californians to have ac-cess to and communicate with State Boards and Commissions.

SB 1003: Brown Act: Injunctive and Declaratory Relief for Past Actions

SB 1003 amends local government open meeting laws to authorize legal action against a legislative body to determine if certain ongoing or past actions of that body within the last nine months have violated those laws.

AB 1525: Financial Elder Abuse Preven-tion

AB 1525 requires specifi ed money trans-mission licensees to provide, on or before April 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, each

Laws Continued from page 4

STAFF REPORT

Central Fire District offi cials are re-minding residents to be fi re safe when dis-posing of ashes from fi replaces or wood stoves. Hot coals and embers can be con-cealed in fi replace ash and smolder for hours.

When disposing of ashes, always use a metal can with a lid. Store the metal con-tainer outside, away from your home and combustible materials until the ashes are cool.

Water can be added to the container to reduce cooling time. Coals and embers can stay hot for hours or even days. Never

store ashes inside of your home or garage. Do not dispose of ashes with household garbage. Cooled ashes can be used as fer-tilizer, but do not dispose of ashes in com-post, fi re offi cials said.

Never use trash or charcoal as fuel. These may give off toxic gases when they burn. Flammable liquids should not be used to light fi res. Vapors from the liquids can fl ash back when lit and cause burn in-juries.

These are just a few common sense ideas, fi re offi cials said. For more fi re safety information, check the Central Fire District website at www.centralfpd.com or contact your local fi re department.

Fireplace safety reminder

B8 - Aptos Life - January 2013 www.AptosLife.com

Fresh. Local. Organic. All-Natural.

Here are our recipes of the month

KALE and AVOCADO SALAD1 bunch of Dinosaur Kale1 bunch of Basil1/2 medium red onion1 cup cherry tomatoes1 avocado1 tablespoon lemon juice1 tablespoon olive oil1 tablespoon Braggs Amino Acids or tamari

Directions: Remove Stems from kale, fi nely chifi nade basil into thin ribbons, Th inly slice red onion, slice cherry tomatoes in 1/2, dice avocado, add lemon juice, olive oil, Braggs Amino Acids or tamari toss ingredients together cover and put in refrigerator.Let salad sit in refrigerater for 3-12 hours before serving Serves 2-4. If you have always wanted an easy and tasty way to get you greens in, we hope this will become a staple in your home just as it has in ours!!

KALE & AVOCADO SALAD

BROCCOLI and ALMOND1 head of broccoli1 bunch green onion1/2 cup toasted and chopped almonds1/2 cup Raisins1 tablespoon lemon juice1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar1/3 cup mayonaisesalt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a mixing bowl add broccoli cut into bite size pieces, thinly sliced green onion, lemon juice, white balsamic, mayonnaise and salt and pepper, mix thoroughly and sprinkle almonds on top. Just a general note on nuts -If you enjoy them raw by all means leave them untoasted. We have always found that by lightly toasting them they really do shine and hold up a bit better if they are being used in salads with dressings.

BROCCOLI & ALMOND

We carry an array of organic, local, regional, and sustainable products.Our meats include Meyers, Certifi ed Humane Vegetarian fed Angus Beef and Mary’s Air

Chilled Chicken. Our dairy includes Clover all natural and organic milk and yogurt. Our eggs come from our local Aptos Glaum Egg Ranch.

You will fi nd local Surf City Coff ee and Santa Cruz Coff ee Roasting Company on our shelves along with Marianne’s and Polar Bear ice cream in our freezers. Kelly’s French bakery delivers fresh bread and baked goods daily. Gianna’s cakes and cookies are the perfect hostess gift .

16 B Seascape Village, Aptos, CA16 B Seascape Village, Aptos, CA

Fresh. Local. Organic. All-Natural.SeascapeFoods.com | 831.685.3134SeascapeFoods.com | 831.685.3134

SPINACH, PEAS and PESTO1 cup organic garden peas3 cups washed organic baby spinach1/3 cup toasted pine nuts3/4 cups pesto

PESTO:1 bunch of basil3 sprigs parsley1/2 clove garlicJuice of 1/2 lemon1/2 cup olive oilsalt and pepper to taste1 Tablespoon pine nuts or walnuts

Directions: Combine thawed(if frozen) garden peas and spinach in a bowl and set aside. For Pesto: Combine all ingredients well in a blender or food processor. Toss lightly with pesto and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. You’ll have a deli-cious, heart healthy salad you’ll want to keep eating. You’ll defi nitely want to add this salad to your favorites list! Serve cold within 4 hours of making Serves 2-4. Th is salad is also great when sautéed lightly and added to your favorite pasta! Here at Seascape Foods we really enjoy the mild fl avor of DeLallo whole wheat pasta.

SPINACH, PEAS & PESTO

anic baby spinachne nuts

taste

SALADle

e

Wine Tasting FridaysOnly $5 | 4-6 pm

Catering available, call us or visit us online.

Coming Next month: Green

Garbanzo Bean Salad

Documents

Life Capitola/Soquel - January 2013