Santa Cruz shoulders an outsized share of the county’s shelter beds, safe-parking sites and day services, despite making up less than a quarter of the population, writes local activist Kevin Norton.
Kevin Norton
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz looks like paradise but we’re the most distressed county in the Bay Area – I blame housing
OPINION: Public health data show that Santa Cruz County leads the Bay Area in rates of serious psychological distress and need for mental health or substance-use services. Mental health advocate Kevin Norton believes the real culprit isn’t our lifestyle — it’s our housing costs.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Don’t wait for tragedy: Santa Cruz County must tackle e-bike danger today
Local activist Kevin Norton and surgeon John Maa warn that e-bikes are far more dangerous than most realize — especially for children. In California, e-bike crashes have surged nearly 19-fold since 2018 and were up 177% in Santa Cruz County in 2024, with some injuries resembling motorcycle wrecks.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Why do UCSC students have the worst mental health in the UC system? Let’s start with housing
UC Santa Cruz students report the worst mental health in the UC system, citing stress, anxiety and housing insecurity. Activist Kevin Norton calls on UCSC to provide more on-campus housing, slow enrollment growth and establish stronger ties between students and the wider community.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
We won’t solve homelessness in Santa Cruz County until we face this one truth
Nearly 90% of people experiencing homelessness have endured significant trauma before the age of 18. And those who have adverse childhood experiences are also more likely to develop serious mental health conditions, writes Kevin Norton, a public health professional and trauma survivor. He urges Santa Cruz County to expand trauma screening and public education, especially if we want to truly support unhoused people.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
It’s time for a pedestrian street in Santa Cruz: 95% say yes
Santa Cruz needs a summertime pedestrian zone to enhance its reputation, improve safety and pull folks in, write four members of Pacific for People. The grassroots group is intent on seeing downtown become a more vibrant space, a goal city-dwellers have aspired to since the 1989 earthquake left downtown in rubble. At least 15 cities in California have already established permanent pedestrian streets, they write. It’s time for Santa Cruz to create its own weekend version.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
We need to look more closely at the trauma faced by our first responders in Santa Cruz County
First responders in Santa Cruz County need more trauma-informed services, writes Kevin Norton, who holds a master’s in public health and who has experienced trauma firsthand. About 38% of calls to Santa Cruz police now involve mental health issues, substance use and homelessness, he writes. The toll is wearing on those who respond and he is not surprised by a 2017 study showing more American police officers and emergency medical services professionals died by suicide than in the line of duty. Since 1992, Santa Cruz’s population has increased by 23%, but calls to the fire department increased by 163%, with the majority being medical calls, Norton writes. We need to do more, he says, to help our emergency service workers.