Jasmine Kerber
Dede Boies runs Root Down Farm, an organic poultry and pig operation in Pescadero that sold out of Thanksgiving turkeys in just hours this year.
Agriculture, covid-19, Politics

Good Sales Give California Turkey Farmers Something to be Thankful for

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Root Down Farm sold out of turkeys just two hours after posting their holiday order form online this November. That marked a record speed for the Pescadero, California organic farm. Given the unpredictability of the pandemic, they hadn’t known whether turkey sales would be better, worse, or the same as usual, said the farm’s owner, Dede Boies, who raised about 200 turkeys this year. Boies noted that a change in the ordering procedure might have affected the speed of sales—Root Down posted their order form later this year than in the past, perhaps giving customers a sense of urgency when it went up. But either way, Thanksgiving sales remained strong…

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News, Politics

Prop 22 Sets Precedent for Gig Workers as Independent Contractors

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California voters approved Proposition 22 this Election Day, cementing rideshare and delivery drivers’ status as independent contractors rather than as employees. Moving forward, drivers will be excluded from AB 5, a state law passed last year that made gig workers into employees who would have to receive associated benefits. The vote on Proposition 22 comes as a victory for companies such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, who spent over $200 million in total—a record sum—on a political campaign aimed at passing the measure. The opposing side said drivers, especially those who depend on rideshare or delivery work for their full-time jobs, would suffer under the outcome seen Tuesday. Hector Castellanos,…

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Business, Culture, News

Downtown Mountain View’s Businesses Seeking Creative Ways to Avoid Shuttering

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Since opening on Castro Street in Mountian View 16 years ago, Opal Event Center has served as a nightclub, a wine bar and a corporate event space for rent, but at the moment, it is closed because of the pandemic and its owners are developing plans to survive. Opal’s 3,800-square-foot space contains two bars and a stage a DJ used to occupy on Friday and Saturday nights. But during the work week, couches and coffee tables arranged over the dance floor made it an appealing spot for companies looking to rent a place for interviews, lunches or holiday parties. The dual-purpose business model proved an efficient use of valuable downtown…

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Culture

Drive-in Circus Performers Prove the Show Must Go On

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REDWOOD CITY, California — Rows of cars honked their praise for a trapeze artist and a “human cannonball” at the Zoppé Italian Family Circus’ drive-in show. The circus has performed in Redwood City annually for the past thirteen years but shifted to a new format this time around to adapt to coronavirus public health guidelines. After debuting their drive-in show in Ventura in July, Zoppé brought it to Redwood City, where they will be performing through October 25. The drive-in circus represents a novel way of adjusting entertainment to an era in which large, indoor crowds are forbidden. The entertainment industry has struggled during the pandemic as music, dance and…

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