California set an ambitious target to reduce wildfire hazards each year and is making real progress, write Bradley Franklin and Kyle Greenspan of the PPIC Water Policy Center. Preserving that momentum as federal partnerships fade and state funding declines is crucial.
Commentary
Posted inCommentary
Why Special Olympian Jessa Melcer’s gold-medal win means so much to those of us on the spectrum
Jessa Melcer’s two gold medals and national swimming record have inspired many in Santa Cruz. For one fellow member of the autism community, her journey is a powerful reminder that disabilities do not define what’s possible — and that determination can turn seemingly impossible goals into reality.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Housing Santa Cruz County should disclose its ties to Workbench: the public deserves transparency
Who builds affordable housing in Santa Cruz County — and who decides which projects and policies deserve public support? After examining tax filings, annual reports and public records, local activist Kevin Norton says he uncovered organizational relationships that many residents may not know exist. He argues the findings raise important questions about transparency, governance and public trust in a housing system under enormous pressure.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Steve Trujillo: Let me explain myself
In a letter to the editor, Cabrillo College trustee Steve Trujillo explains his conduct at recent meetings of the school’s governing board.
Posted inCommentary
Tom Lehrer: The man who walked away
Wallace Baine recounts his chance parking garage meeting with Tom Lehrer, the brilliant but reclusive musical satirist who spent many years in Santa Cruz and died Saturday at 97.
Posted inCommentary
‘We are going to survive this’: After cuts to public broadcasting, radio station KAZU fights to keep local news alive
For local fans of NPR, the major cuts to public broadcasting are a blow, though not necessarily a knockout. But taken together with the CBS decision to cancel Stephen Colbert, these two developments mean a serious corrosion of public confidence in the media.
Posted inCommentary
America is facing a moment of reckoning on political violence
In the aftermath of political killings in Minnesota and tense Los Angeles protests, Wallace Baine talks to Santa Cruz activist Nane Alejandrez of Barrios Unidos about why we need to embrace MLK’s philosophy of nonviolence.
Posted inCommentary
After Saturday’s nationwide wave of protest, it’s time for a new Woodstock to unite America
After the nationwide “No Kings” political rallies, it’s time for the anti-authoritarians in the entertainment world to step up, with a concert so game-changing that people will be talking about 50 years from now.
Posted inCommentary
When are America’s artists going to answer the call to protest? June 14 would be a good time to start
A small Santa Cruz theater troupe called Dangerous Neighbors is putting on a show of sketch comedy called “Deflating Fascism,” on the same day that Donald Trump will preside over a showy military parade on his own birthday. It’s a tiny step, but a sharp reminder that it’s time for America’s creative artists to stand against the country’s slide into authoritarianism.
Posted inCommentary
Memorial Day 2025: What they died for then is still worth the fight now
In recent years, Memorial Day has been misunderstood as a celebration of the military. It’s really a time to remember those who never came back and to find the relevance of their sacrifice to our lives today.
