Posted inEvents, Politics & Policy

A lot of disagreement: Measure O galvanizes competing visions of downtown Santa Cruz

Lot 4 could become one of the most significant downtown Santa Cruz construction projects since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, with a new main branch public library, 120 units of affordable housing and a three-level parking garage. But if Measure O proponents win at the polls, the current library will be renovated and plans will begin for a new parklike space. No matter which way the vote falls, it’s nearly certain that downtown Santa Cruz will get a new library and that the farmers market will continue to operate. The big questions are when and where.

Posted inEvents, Latest News

Phase 2 of Benchlands clearing done, but only one in three people leaving is moving into armory

Phase 2 of the City of Santa Cruz’s efforts to clear the Benchlands homeless encampment began and ended Monday, with about 50 individuals being forced out of the area east of the San Lorenzo River. Shelter space is limited as is, and there are at least seven more zones to be cleared. If shelter options run out, the city will have to pause the clearing process.

Posted inEvents, Politics & Policy

‘Yoda on your shoulder’: Three times he was nearly murdered but a ‘cop whisperer’ brought him back

Not all brains require the post-traumatic stress gymnastics that Karen Lansing is able to put them through, but the ones that do need it desperately. Some officers — like Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputy Alex Spencer, who was ambushed by Steven Carrillo on June 6, 2020 — find themselves suddenly thrust into a position where they must confront the unknowns of what just happened deep inside their mind. It’s a strange, emotional, highly necessary trip, Spencer relates.

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