UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive writes that the university is taking community and student concerns about housing and traffic seriously and outlines UCSC’s efforts to address both persistent community concerns. She highlights new and planned projects that she says will increase student housing by more than 40% within a decade, including a two-year housing guarantee for incoming students. Larive also writes that campus vehicle trips are lower than they were 20 years ago, despite enrollment growth, and says UCSC will continue taking responsibility for its impact on the broader Santa Cruz community.
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Say yes to Measure E: A temporary commitment to protect the community we share
Measure E supporters District 5 Santa Cruz County Supervisor Monica Martinez and Watsonville City Councilmember Maria Orozco urge county voters to approve a five-year, half-cent sales tax to protect essential health and safety-net services. They argue that federal cuts to Medi-Cal and CalFresh could leave thousands of local residents without healthcare and food assistance. The estimated $27 million raised annually would support healthcare, emergency services, behavioral health, food security and housing stability, they write. The authors say Measure E is a temporary bridge to help preserve a local healthcare system while local and state leaders search for longer-term solutions to federal cuts.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Step inside: The magic of Santa Cruz County Open Studios
Open Studios has begun. For the first three weekends of October, Santa Cruz County artists are opening their studios — inviting us into the places where the work gets made. This year, close to 350 artists are participating, including 69 newcomers, with a new preview exhibit at MK Gallery offering a first look at what’s to come. There’s also a new app to help art lovers find artists and plan their studio-hopping adventures across the county. We stepped inside the preview to meet some of the artists and get a taste of the work and creative energy waiting behind those studio doors.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Community Bridges built ECM to prevent health crises. Now the state funding is shifting and we have to close the program
California created enhanced care management to help Medi-Cal patients with complex health and social needs before they reach the emergency room. Community Bridges spent three years building a community-based program that now serves more than 200 people. But, Community Bridges CEO Ray Cancino writes, a shift toward encounter-based reimbursement is making the relationship-building, outreach and coordination that prevention requires increasingly difficult to sustain and Community Bridges will now be forced to close the program. Cancino questions whether the new payment model will actually save money — or simply move the costs downstream.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz County has healthy kelp; we shouldn’t close our coast to fishing
After nearly three years, the fight over proposed no-take marine protected areas along the Santa Cruz County coast is headed for a final decision. County Supervisors Justin Cummings and Manu Koenig argue that the proposals are too broad, lack scientific justification and would unnecessarily restrict local fishing access. State wildlife and Ocean Protection Council staff have recommended denying both petitions, finding insufficient scientific justification for the proposed closures. Now the decision rests with the California Fish and Game Commission — and local residents have one final chance Wednesday to make their voices heard via comments.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Ryan Coonerty has the stronger record on public safety
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident touts the credentials of mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty on issues of public safety.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Why Bright Plaza matters for Santa Cruz’s housing future
Bright Plaza has become a talking point in the city of Santa Cruz’s debate over housing, development and neighborhood change. The site could eventually hold more than 200 affordable homes, along with space for local businesses. Here, Workbench owners Jamileh Cannon, Tim Gordin and Sibley Simon explain the reasoning behind the project – and that building here follows a long-standing city plan for denser housing along commercial corridors. They address the concerns surrounding the project, explain why they believe Santa Cruz needs to make room for more housing, and invite the public to join Tuesday’s community meeting about the project.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Made in Santa Cruz: Why Art Matters | I.B. Bayo
“Made in Santa Cruz: Why Art Matters” is a video series, published every other Sunday, exploring the artists who shape Santa Cruz County’s creative landscape. Each episode offers a peek into an artist’s practice, the places and experiences that inform their work, and the ways creativity helps us see our community differently. Today’s artist is I.B. Bayo.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Dolly Parton’s legacy lives on: 20,000 books to Santa Cruz County children
One year in, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has delivered nearly 20,000 free books to young children across Santa Cruz County. More than 3,000 local children now receive a new, age-appropriate book in the mail every month — building home libraries and a love of reading from the earliest years. As communities celebrate Parton’s legacy through the first-ever “Give Like Dolly Day,” David Brody and Sheree Storm of First 5 Santa Cruz County say this is only the beginning of impact in our county. With community support, they say the next 20,000 books can reach even more young readers. Here, they explain how to sign kids up for the program and support Parton’s work locally.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Eight waste streams and one free Saturday – why does Santa Cruz County make legal junk disposal so hard?
Santa Cruz County wants residents to dispose of waste responsibly, but the system can make that surprisingly difficult, writes Steve Smith, who experienced these problems firsthand. A simple garage cleanout can mean eight different waste streams, multiple destinations, limited hours and hundreds of dollars in fees. Illegal dumping is never justified, he writes, but a cumbersome legal alternative doesn’t make the problem easier to solve. If Santa Cruz County wants cleaner roadsides, he believes it should make doing the right thing simpler, cheaper and more convenient.
