Santa Cruz County’s Semillitas program helps families build wealth for their children from birth, offering every newborn since 2021 a college savings account with up to $500 in potential deposits. More than a financial tool, write Semillitas director Crystal Gonzalez and former Santa Cruz mayor Ryan Coonerty, it’s “a statement of community values.”
Ryan Coonerty
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
UC Santa Cruz needs to admit more local students
Santa Cruz High School students face one of the lowest acceptance rates to UC Santa Cruz in the state — even as wealthier schools hundreds of miles away fare far better. Former supervisor and UCSC professor Ryan Coonerty argues it’s time for the university to give local students priority.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Pop quiz: My UCSC students understand free speech — do you?
UC Santa Cruz lecturer Ryan Coonerty has spent the year teaching on newsy topics, including antisemitism and free speech. Coonerty, a former Santa Cruz mayor and member of the county board of supervisors, says he’s buoyed by his students’ attitudes and aptitude. He also offers his final exam. Could you pass it?
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Coonerty: Data drove my work, but Santa Cruz’s stories have my heart
Ryan Coonerty is bidding farewell to public life after 16 years in office. Here, he talks about his legacy, his Santa Cruz family’s addiction to stories (his sister owns and runs Bookshop Santa Cruz) and why atoms rightly rule the universe. He also shares his biggest mistake.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Hey Santa Cruz, let’s take a break from writing political measures and jump into each others’ bathtubs
Recent ballot measures have pitted neighbor against Santa Cruz neighbor with totally unnecessary political vitriol and expense, former mayor and outgoing county supervisor Ryan Coonerty writes. It’s no fun to take a metaphorical bath with people you disagree with, but it’s an absolutely necessary, perspective-broadening step that leads to greater understanding on all sides.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Ryan Coonerty: Who will be Santa Cruz’s George Washington and three other election hot takes
Ryan Coonerty, outgoing District 3 Santa Cruz County supervisor, offers four insights on Tuesday’s election results, along with a bit of wry humor. From the defeat of Measure D to low voter turnout and a historic supervisor runoff, he walks us through the ups and downs of election season and even helps us understand why Santa Cruz today is like Philadelphia circa 1787.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Life, death and Measure D: A lose-lose proposition for us all
Ryan Coonerty dreams of getting hit by a meteor rather than face another discussion about Measure D. The 3rd District Supervisor says the intensity of debate around Measure D is pointless given one stark political reality: No matter how the vote goes, without compromises, Santa Cruz County won’t build anything for decades.