It was a particularly good year for local scandals, and our voters were definitely taking notes. Coming out on top was the continuing Peter Chang soap opera. Charged by DA Ron Ruiz with witness tampering, ex-DA (in the Jurassic age before Art Danner) Chang responded by ... running for Ruiz's job. Second place went to the battle of the bookstores, as megachain Borders muscled its way into downtown Santa Cruz. The plight of the homeless--homeless skateboarders, that is--came in third.
We were puzzled by the number of people who voted for Leonardo DiCaprio's latest bomb, until we realized they were talking about the beach, not The Beach. We're still trying to determine if the same people who voted the Asti Cafe a prime singles spot also chose it as the Silver winner in the Best Place for a Last Date category.
Best irritating local personality
GOLD Bruce Bratton
(Columnist, Metro Santa Cruz)
SILVER Robert Norse
(Homeless Activist)
BRONZE Keith Sugar
(Da Mayor)
Best local politician
GOLD Fred Keeley (California State Assemblyman)
SILVER Mike Rotkin
BRONZE Keith Sugar (Da Mayor)
Best local scandal
GOLD Peter Chang
SILVER Borders
BRONZE Skatepark saga
Best local website
GOLD www.cruzio.com
SILVER www.goodhumans.com
BRONZE www.kittycam.com
Best local park for dogs
BRONZE Lighthouse Field
SILVER Its Beach
BRONZE San Lorenzo Park
Best park for people
GOLD Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
SILVER Frederick Street Park
BRONZE Harvey West Park
Best place for illicit rendezvous
GOLD The Beach
SILVER Lighthouse Point
BRONZE Blue Lagoon Cocktail Lounge
923 Pacific Ave., SC, 423-7117
Best place to bring out-of-towners
GOLD The Boardwalk
SILVER West Cliff Drive
BRONZE Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf
Best place to go on a first date
GOLD The Beach
SILVER Shadowbrook Restaurant
1750 Wharf Rd., Capitola, 475.1511
BRONZE West Cliff Drive
Best place to go on a last date
GOLD The Beach
SILVER Asti Cafe
715 Pacific Ave., SC, 423.7337
BRONZE McDonald's
Best place to take kids
GOLD The Boardwalk
SILVER The Beach
BRONZE Frederick Street Park
Best recall candidate
GOLD Keith Sugar
SILVER Mike Rotkin
BRONZE Michael Hernandez
Best silly local ordinance
GOLD The Camping Ban
SILVER No Skateboarding
BRONZE Hate-Free Zone
Best start-up company
GOLD Lutris Technologies
SILVER Nub Chai
BRONZE Gray Zone Productions
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Best Food & Drink
Reader's Choice
Critic's Choice
Best Arts
Reader's Choice
Critic's Choice
Best Music & Nightlife
Reader's Choice
Critic's Choice
Best Goods & Services
Reader's Choice
Critic's Choice
Best People & Places
Critic's Choice
Best Sports & Recreation
Reader's Choice
Critic's Choice
Best Write-in
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