sebfrey, Author at Bay to Bay Podcast

Episode 10: Santa Cruz County Greenway Presentation

February 24, 2018 sebfrey 01:02:52 Comments Off

Listen to a presentation by Santa Cruz County Greenway about their vision for the future use of the Santa Cruz Branch Line Rail Corridor. The rail corridor is a 32 mile stretch of track that runs from Davenport in the north of the county all the way to Watsonville in the south. The corridor is very scenic and runs through many communities in Santa Cruz, including the city of Santa Cruz, Live Oak, Capitola, Aptos, and La Selva Beach. Santa Cruz County Greenway is promoting a vision of the rail corridor as a linear park, used by pedestrians and bicyclists to get around the county. This is in contrast to the plan promoted by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, which wants to establish passenger rail service on the corridor with a pedestrian and bike path on the side. Listen to the presentation and make up your own mind about how to best use this priceless asset.

Video of the Santa Cruz County Greenway Presentation

As you can see from watching the video of the presentation, the event was well attended – standing room only. There is enormous interest in the future use of the Santa Cruz Branch Line rail corridor. While many people in the community support passenger rail service when it makes sense, many folks feel that it is not the right fit for the Santa Cruz community.

Episode 9: Get the Low-Down on Flooring with Zach Liske

February 16, 2018 sebfrey 00:59:55 Comments Off

With a booming economy comes new home construction, and a lot of remodeling and upgrading. If you’re looking at doing some significant home improvement, you’re probably thinking about flooring – and Zach Liske is an expert on the topic! Listen to an hour of talk and become an expert too. In this episode, Zach talks all about the incredible business he’s built: Floor Huggers. We discuss how and why he built the business, where his business comes from, and of course we talk about the various products available on the market today, and what any discerning buyer should be concerned with.

Floor Huggers specializes in sustainable flooring, and we learn a lot about sustainable flooring products, and what to look for when it comes to quality flooring. We discuss genuine hardwood flooring, recycled flooring, engineered floors, laminate flooring, bamboo – there’s a dizzying array of options and you’re sure to learn a lot about what goes into a quality floor for your home.

We also spend some time talking about a business that sprang out of that, which is EcoDemo – a company that will demolish a home in an eco-friendly manner by recycling many components of it (and by doing so, a home owner can receive a fat tax credit!). Many home owners today are choosing to demolish older homes and rebuild them in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way, and EcoDemo is at the forefront of this trend in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay region.

Floor Angels

At the end, Zach also talks about Floor Angels, a soon-to-be-launched endeavor where Floor Huggers will help a worthy cause (e.g. a non-profit, etc.). A worthy organization can be nominated by the community, and each year Floor Huggers will donate materials and/or labor to help make the new floor a reality. What a tremendous example to set and a great way to give back to the community!

Check out Floor Huggers on Houzz

Check out Floor Huggers on Yelp

Check out Floor Huggers on HomeAdvisor

Episode 8: Digging California Archaeology with Dustin McKenzie

February 9, 2018 sebfrey 01:03:21 Comments Off

In this episode of the Bay to Bay Podcast we talk to Dustin McKenzie of the Cabrillo College anthropology department. Dustin is a local archaeology expert on the history of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. We enjoyed an hour long, wide-ranging chat in which Dustin shared a wealth of information about the people who have historically populated the region. In particular, we discussed:

How long have humans lived in the region, and where they came from
How many people lived here millennia ago, who did they trade with, where they lived
What kind of technology did they have, and what language(s) they spoke
Ancient forms of California government
What life was like for women in ancient California
The arrival of Spanish explorers in California
Archaeological study European history in California
The Spanish Missions vis a vis the experiences of the native people
Where people can go today to see ancient artifacts from California’s history
Archaeology meet-ups in the area where people can go geek out on the subject and meet fellow enthusiasts
Where and how to get a job in archaeology

One thing that really comes through in this episode is the guest’s love for this field of study! It’s infectious, and you’re sure to gain a better appreciation for this field of study, how much work is yet to be done, and the surprising number of opportunities for people interested in pursuing this as a career. Towards the end of our discussion, we talked at some length about the Cabrillo College archaeology summer field program, where participants spend four weeks over the summer doing archaeology work around the region.

Links

Cabrillo College archaeology field school blog: http://ccarchfieldschool.blogspot.com/

Society for California Archaeology: https://scahome.org/

Santa Cruz Archeological Society: http://www.santacruzarchsociety.org/

Episode 7: Great Things to Do in the Bay Area with Seb Frey

February 2, 2018 sebfrey 00:52:02 Comments Off

In this episode of the Bay to Bay Podcast, our host Seb Frey does a solo session. Just Seb, the microphone, a loose set of notes, and the peace and quiet of an early morning to fill with talk about the magnificent area he lives in. He shares why he loves living in the San Francisco and Monterey bay region, and what keeps him here. He goes on to describe many of the attractions and things to do in the area which he has personally enjoyed over living in the area over four decades. Come explore the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas through the eyes and voice of a native and (nearly) life-long resident of this amazing California region.

In this monologue, Seb shares many of his favorite places to go and things to do, including (but not limited to!):

Episode 6: Real Estate Appraisal with Kristina Campbell

January 24, 2018 sebfrey 01:04:19 Comments Off

In this episode of the Bay to Bay Podcast, we speak with Kristina Campbell, a licensed real estate appraiser who works exclusively in the Santa Cruz County (California) market. It was a wide ranging and engaging discussion, touching on a number of appraisal issues that will be of interest to anyone who is thinking about buying, selling, or refinancing a property. One thing that really shines through in this discussion is that appraisal is an art form – but one that is held to a very high standard by lenders, regulators, courts, and other arms of government. Ever wonder which home upgrades really deliver the most bang for the buck? How you figure out how much your “million dollar view” is actually worth? Then you’ll definitely want to download and listen to this episode of the Bay to Bay Podcast!

Need a residential real estate appraisal in Santa Cruz county? You can reach Kristina via email at coasthomeappraisal@gmail.com, or by phone at (831) 247-7223

Episode 5: Kevin Gonzales Talks about the Video Business

January 14, 2018 sebfrey 00:51:09 Comments Off

For the fifth episode of the Bay to Bay Podcast, we have our first live guest – video producer Kevin Gonzales of 12 Point Productions. Kevin shares his story with us – where he comes from, how he ended up living in the San Francisco Bay Area, how he got started in the business of professional video production, and where he wants to go with his career. Kevin’s got a gift for gab, and he offers up a lot of entertaining stories of his journey through life. He also talks about his upcoming short film, The Litter Bug.

Episode 4: Capitola Discusses Future of the Rail Corridor

January 14, 2018 sebfrey 02:39:23 Comments Off

On January 11, 2018 the Capitola City Council held a public meeting to discuss the future the Santa Cruz Branch Line rail corridor as it passes through the city of Capitola. The council heard from advocates for a rail-with-trail (as specified in the Monterey Bay Scenic Sanctuary Trail plan) as well as though preferring a trail-only solution (as advocated by the folks at TrailNow and the Santa Cruz County Greenway). The meeting was packed – it was standing room only before the meeting commenced, which shows the high amount of interest in the future of the Santa Cruz rail corridor. Many of the speakers did not live in Capitola, although owned businesses, work in, or visit the area frequently. Many good points were raised by the speakers and by the audience. If you want to learn more about the issues surrounding the use of this valuable community asset, listening to this meeting is a great way to start.

You can also watch the video of this presentation on AptosCommunityNews.org

Episode 3: Introduction from Your Host, Seb Frey

January 7, 2018 sebfrey 00:16:56 Comments Off

Episode 3 of the Bay to Bay Podcast is an introduction from your host, Seb Frey. Seb has lived most of his life in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. He was born in Oakland but grew up in Berkeley. As a child, he went to San Francisco regularly as a member of the San Francisco Boy’s Chorus. At age 17, he moved south to attend UC Santa Cruz. After a 14 year career in the Information Technology industry, he transitioned into real estate sales in 2003.

Listen to Seb as he shares information about himself, his career, and what he hopes to accomplish with the Bay to Bay Podcast. Also, he invites people to come on the show and talk about their experiences here in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay region.

Episode 2: California 2018 Housing Market Forecast

January 1, 2018 sebfrey 01:05:25 Comments Off

Listen to a recording of the presentation on the 2018 California housing market, given by Leslie Appleton-Young at the California Association of Realtors Conference and Expo in San Diego in October 2017. Leslie is the chief economist for the California Association of Realtors, and she always gives very detailed and insightful prognostications for the future of the housing market. This was recorded in a noisy banquet hall and there’s some echo and the clatter of cutlery on china, but otherwise the sound quality is acceptable.

Episode 1: The Housing Crisis in Santa Cruz

December 31, 2017 sebfrey 0:44:00 Comments Off

This is our first episode of the Bay to Bay Podcast! Last week, I appeared on KSCO radio to talk with producer Brad Polisuk about the Santa Cruz Housing Crisis. I was joined by Evan Siroky from Santa Cruz YIMBYs (“Yes In My Back Yard”) and Robert Singleton of the Santa Cruz County Business Council. There was a lot of food for thought and not anywhere near enough time to digest it all. I have turned the 2 o’clock hour from that show, on which I appeared, as the inaugural episode of the Bay to Bay Podcast.

While we were talking about the housing crisis in Santa Cruz in particular, the truth is that there is a housing crisis all over California, and the reasons for it are pretty much the same no matter which town you are talking about.

Your Host

sebfrey