Newbie Santa Cruz launch inquiry

New on this site but not new to fishing and I grew up in Santa Cruz, so even posting this question seems lame... However...

Looks like a blowout along the Marin Coast for 8/9 so I'm thinking of fishing out of Santa Cruz tomorrow and trying for halibut straight out.   Do you guys just use the boat launch and pay the regular associated fee's or is there some special wink wink, nod nod, locals only thingy that works?

There are no fish in Santa Cruz, sorry.

I think you have to pay $10 to launch from the SUP/kayak area on the Aldo's side.

Or you can launch for free from Capitola, Seabright, or 4 Mile.

  It's $5 to launch and another $5 to park (or the special deal of $10 to launch and park).
   If there's a special wink-wink thing, I'd like to know what it is too, but I'm probably not going to find out about it in writing.  But does everybody pay? I doubt it.  The Harbor does have some dedicated parking checkers, one "looks like" a retired cop, and I don't know if his authority extends to staking out the parking lot/ramps to collar the scofflaws.
   Some people park in the loading zone spaces near the Kiosk at the Aldo's (westside) entrance, pay $5 and launch, then park on the public streets above Aldo's, then return to the loading zone to load up - all perfectly legal, so far as I know.   
    Some people buy annual passes that allow them to park and launch.