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Sheriff Hart, Supervisor Friend Address Seacliff Residents

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Seacliff Neighbors Toast Jim Hart
Seacliff Neighbors Toast Jim Hart

Last night at the Mediterranean Bar in Seacliff, newly elected sheriff Jim Hart and 2nd District Supervisor Zach Friend addressed a meeting of the Seacliff Improvement Association.

Members of the public who attended had a lot of questions, and Sheriff Hart and Supervisor Friend provided a great amount of detail on a wide ranging set of topics. The meeting lasted about an hour, and if you would like to hear the full extent of the comments from Jim Hart and Zach Friend, you can listen to the recording here:

Audio Recording of Jim Hart, Zach Friend


Download audio file…

Summary of Topics Discussed

Sheriff Hart touched on a number of items:

  • New Burglary suppression program: a deputy will come and walk around exterior of home, talk about weak points, beef up security
  • New Elementary school program to talk about stranger danger and school safety
  • Sheriff is doing clean up of homeless encampments in Aptos
  • Reported that crime is down in Aptos in the past 45 days
  • The department has 15 people studying at the police academy to increase deputies on the streets
  • Establishing a new “Sobering Center” to handle those detained for public drunkenness with a $2.1 million federal grant

Supervisor Zach Friend updated the public on the following:

  • County has re-funded County Parks Department to become a stand-alone department again
  • Seacliff Village Park: they will break ground on that in two months
  • McGregor Drive was completely repaved this year
  • Seacliff Village Undergrounding of utility poles is going forward, it is budgeted for this spring
  • New Broadband Policy will bring high-speed Internet to Aptos and Santa Cruz residents via fiber optic backbone “in the next 18 months”
  • Mar Vista Pedestrian Overcrossing is still scheduled for construction in 2017, but the project does not yet have approval from CalTrans.
  • Aptos Village Redevelopment is moving forward, and they are expecting Barry Swenson Builder (BSB) to apply for permits “soon” but have not yet given a date for that.  BSB is creating a web site with information on the project for the public.
  • Rancho del Mar Redevelopment:  No news on this one, the county has not heard anything from the new owners of the shopping center.
  • Santa Cruz Rail Trail:  no news on this either, they are still waiting for the results of the Passenger Rail Study which the RTC plans to release in April. There is no word on what the passenger rail study might reveal as regards the feasibility of passenger rail service, however building out the trail segments will require private funding as there will be no public funds available for this any time soon.
Seacliff Neighbors Toast Jim Hart

Manuel’s Mexican Restaurant

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Manuel's Mexican Restaurant
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant 4.0 star rating 627 reviews

Manuel’s Mexican Restaurant, located in the Seacliff neighborhood of Aptos, is practically an institution. They first opened their doors in 1965, and have been family owned and busy ever since. They have a traditional Mexican menu with a full bar, beer, and wine. Every meal is of course served with bottomless chips and Manuel’s salsa, the ingredient list for which is a trade secret. They have a lunch special every weekday from 11:30 AM until 3:00 PM, and they’re open seven days per week.

When going to Manuel’s, you have the opportunity to really make a day (or night!) of it. The restaurant is located in the heart of Seacliff Village, just steps from the entrance to Seacliff Beach. It’s right across the street from Marianne’s Ice Cream in Aptos, and located right next door to the Mediterranean, the fabled Aptos watering hole.

See also: Manuel’s Facebook Page, Manuel’s Mexican Restaurant Web Site, Manuel’s on Instagram

Manuel's Mexican Restaurant
Manuel’s Mexican Restaurant in Aptos

Great White Shark Visited Aptos this week

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Great White Shark
Great White Shark Visited Aptos in January

A great white shark visited Aptos this week, on both Saturday and Wednesday. The shark was reportedly about 8 or 9 feet long, and was spotted swimming around the cement boat at Seacliff State Beach.

Shark sightings in Aptos are apparently fairly common between October and February, with several sightings reported in the news media over recent years.

See also: Report on KSBW

Video from Recent Shark Sighting

KSBW Report from 2012

Seb Frey Circa 1974

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Ahh, the 1970’s. So much was happening:  the Vietnam war, Richard Nixon’s impeachment, the Arab oil embargo, Jimmy Carter.  The Grateful Dead were arguably at the top of their game (Cornell ’77 anyone?). Loud clothing was all the rage.

I was oblivious to most of this at the time, except the loud clothing. Thanks to my parents, I totally rocked that.

Here’s a picture of me, Seb Frey circa 1974, age three. Amazingly enough, this is NOT an instagram picture – this is a genuine 1974 photograph (or an unretouched scan of it, anyway)! It was taken at my family’s home on Coates Drive in Seacliff:

Seb Frey, Circa 1974
Picture of me at the family home on Coates Drive in Seacliff, February 1974

You can’t actually see the home, as I’m standing in front of what amounts to a fenced-in patio at the “rear” of the property (the front was considered to be the bluff-side, with the “million dollar” Seacliff Beach and Monterey Bay view). The house was built by my grandfather between 1948 and 1951, as a kind of weekend project. I ended up living in it for many years – college years, and after – but we won’t be seeing too many photos of those times. 🙂

My brother, sister and I bought it from our family and held onto it for I think about 10 years or so, but eventually sold it back in 2008. Sigh. I still spend a lot of time in Seacliff, as today, we live only about a mile away as the crow flies.  Some things change, some things don’t, but one thing is for sure:  my kids are considerably better dressed than I was back in the day.

Aptos Vacation Rental Vote on November 12

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Santa Cruz County Seal
Santa Cruz County Seal

The Santa Cruz County planning commission is meeting for a final Aptos vacation rental vote on November 12. The meeting agenda is posted on the county web site. The meeting starts at 9:00 AM, and is to be held in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, Room 525 in the County Government Center at 701 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz (aka the Courthouse).

The county is proposing to bring vacation rental restrictions to the coastal, suburban areas of Aptos (i.e. Seacliff and Seascape, and Rio del Mar), similar to those currently imposed in the “Live Oak Designated Area” (LODA). This move has the support of many area residents, but not surprisingly, many are also opposed, in particular those in the real estate industry. Paul and Robert Bailey of Bailey Properties have sent a letter to affected owners, and have written a detailed response to the county’s proposed ordinance, both of which are worth taking a few moments to read.

You can also read the complete details of the proposed ordinance here.

Whatever your position on the vacation rental ordinance, this is an issue which many people care deeply about, and concerned citizens are encouraged to attend the meeting on November 12 if at all possible. Those unable to attend but would like to make their voices heard are encouraged to contact the office of Supervisor Zach Friend:

701 Ocean Street, Room 500
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 454-2200 (phone)
Email: zach.friend@co.santa-cruz.ca.us

Aptos in October

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The finest month of the year in Aptos is in October. The tourists are gone, and the fog is gone. It’s just glorious, warm sunny days and crisp evenings…getting crisper as we head towards the end of the month, of course. This year we had some very hot days at the beginning of the month, which was a nice change, as truly hot days are in short supply here in Aptos.

Here’s a picture I took with my iPhone the other day, as we took one of our evening walks on Seacliff Beach:

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Do you need any more proof that October is THE month in Aptos? #aptos #sunset #iphone #instagram

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Nice, huh?

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day…Cabrillo College hosted a Science Expo so we went to check that out. Despite the publicity on it being pretty poor (we only heard about it the day before, and it seems everyone we talked to also got late notice), it was very well attended. It seems Cabrillo is wanting to connect with kids at a younger age to start getting them interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) studies early. They put on a pretty fabulous exposition…it was only two hours long, seems like it should have been longer. I recorded some video:

We could only stay for about forty minutes, because we had to run off to the polo grounds for soccer. My son plays on the Red Sharks, a U-6 (under 6) team…and actually his team is definitely Under 6, as there are only five players on it (most teams have 8 or more players).

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Soccer super stars (and their mascot) #aptos #soccer

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After soccer, we went home and the boys took a bit of a nap, and then we headed on up to the Rodoni Farms Pumpkin Patch, which is something we do pretty much every year. I am pretty sure that with the cost of gas and everything we spend a lot more on pumpkins than if we just went to Trader Joe’s, but it’s a beautiful spot on the coast with room for the kids to run around, play on hay bales, and just let their freak flag fly.

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The annual trip to Rodoni Farms #october #pumpkins #halloween

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After we got our pumpkins, we headed down to Woodstock Pizza in downtown Santa Cruz, which I had actually never been to before. It was great! I give it two thumbs up, for sure. After dinner, we headed on over to Capitola for the Monte Foundation Fireworks. For years, the fireworks had been in Aptos, but this year they moved them to Capitola…grrrr. But it was a beautiful display:

It was a pretty busy day, but it’s kind of par for the course in Aptos in October. In a small town kind of way, of course.

Vacation Rental Restrictions coming to Aptos?

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There is a move afoot to limit the number of vacation rentals in the “coastal” areas of Aptos, specifically Seacliff, Seascape, and Rio del Mar. The limits would be identical to what is now presently permissible in the <a href="http://www.sccoplanning about his.com/Portals/2/County/Planning/policy/052-11LiveOakWeb.pdf” target=”_blank”>Live Oak Designated Area (LODA), which is the coastal area that encompasses Pleasure Point and the area near the Santa Cruz harbor.

If the restrictions are approved by the Santa Cruz county board of Supervisors, the designated areas in Aptos (SADA, or “Seacliff Aptos Designated Area”) would not allow vacation rental permits in excess of 20% of the homes on any one block. There is apparently a concern that the increasing number of homes used as vacation rentals would diminish the availability of homes used for long-term rentals, and increase the cost of renting in Aptos.

There are presently two streets in Aptos which have vacation rentals that exceed 20% of the homes on the street: Beach Drive, and Rio del Mar Boulevard between Beach Drive and the Kingsbury/Cliff Drive intersection. Under the ordinance, no new vacation rental permits would be approved on these streets.

The board of supervisors is to take up the issue at a public hearing on Tuesday, October 28 at 9:00 AM at the Board Chambers, County Administrative Building, 701 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz. People who are concerned with the issue, in favor or against, are encouraged to contact Supervisor Zach Friend or attend the hearing on October 28th.

We have posted some notes from the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission meeting on September 16, for those who are interested in learning more.

Seacliff Aptos Designated Area

Seacliff Aptos Designated Area

New Park coming to Seacliff

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The Santa Cruz Parks Department is planning to build a new county park on the parcel at McGregor Drive and Sea Ridge Road – it’s a plan that has been in the works for years, but is now apparently coming close to becoming reality.

According to the Parks Department, they plan to break ground on the project in the spring of 2015. Money has been earmarked for the project by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, although that money is not yet in the bank and is one factor which could delay the start of the work.

The work will be carried out in phases, with phase 1 consisting of a play structure, a picnic area, landscaping, and a path. Phase 1 is expected to take 4-6 months to complete.

The park does not yet have a name. The Santa Cruz County Parks Commission will be voting on a name at the next commission meeting, on October 20th at 7:00 PM, to be held at the Parks Department main offices at Simpkins Swim Center. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Seacliff Park at McGregor Drive and Sea Ridge Road
Seacliff Park at McGregor Drive and Sea Ridge Road

Seacliff Memorial Wall to be Removed

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Multiple news sources have reported that the Seacliff Memorial Wall, an Aptos gem, is to be stripped of all its memorials.

The wall itself is not public property, and the memorials placed on the wall appear to violate several California civil codes. A private property owner has complained; it is unclear at this time who. The memorials on the wall are to be removed within 60 days, although the California State Parks may come up with an alternative solution.

Supervisor Zach Friend has suggested nothing should be done before the public has had a chance to give their input. Concerned citizens are encouraged to contact Supervisor Friend directly.

An on-line petition has been created to save the memorial wall, with a goal of obtaining 5,000 signatures by August 31.

See also: Santa Cruz sentinel article, KSBW TV Story

Update: August 21, 2014

KSBW News and the Santa Cruz Sentinel are now reporting that the party responsible for ordering the memorials be removed is indeed the owner of the home adjacent to the wall, and on whose property the wall is built. Further, California State Parks is not involved in the removal of the memorials, nor is the Santa Cruz Sheriff.

Seacliff Memory Wall

Seacliff Memory Wall

Walk Through Seacliff’s Amazing Past

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The folks down at the Seacliff Visitor Center are putting on an event dubbed Walk Through Seacliff’s Amazing Past. It’s a 50 minute walk held on Sunday August 10th and 24th, and it starts at 11:30 AM down at the visitor’s center. Participants will learn about the history of the SS Palo Alto, and how efforts by big business to create Seacliff Park “a paradise of land and sea” were crushed in the 1920s and 30s.

You’ll learn about the beginnings of Seacliff State Beach, and how the local Native Americans, the Castro Family, and the Spreckel’s sugar cane empire all helped shape modern day Aptos. They’ll also talk about the notorious past of former Aptos resident, “The Madam of Seacliff.”

Who knew Seacliff ever had a madam? Sounds like a great way to get out and learn more about how Seacliff and Aptos came to be.

Teens on "China Beach"
Teens on “China Beach”