UC Santa Cruz students are doing their part to keep California’s promise of higher education, but soaring housing costs threaten their ability to stay in school and graduate, write Mel Levine and Jesse Torres, who advocate for public higher education and increased investment in California’s colleges and universities. The authors argue that Proposition 1, which includes $350 million for affordable student housing at UC and CSU campuses, could help ease the crisis for students and the Santa Cruz community.
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Why is Proposition 38 sidelining UC Santa Cruz?
California is asking taxpayers to take on $8.4 billion in debt for research, but a provision in Proposition 38 could leave UC Santa Cruz without a guaranteed voice in how some of that money is distributed. Former NIH official Robert M. Kaplan, who chairs the No on 38 campaign, says seven University of California campuses get designated seats on a research council, while UCSC, UC Santa Barbara and UC Merced are left out. He argues that UCSC’s strong record of winning federal research grants makes its exclusion hard to justify. Kaplan urges Santa Cruz voters to ask why some campuses get a seat at the table while others don’t — especially when taxpayers will be paying off the bonds for decades.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Yes on Prop 45: Cutting costly delays means more affordable homes for California veterans
California veterans advocate Marion Moses says the state’s housing approval process is leaving veterans waiting years for affordable homes. She points to Liberty Lane, an 80-unit development for veterans that took nine years to open and saw costs rise from $30 million to $51 million. Moses argues that Proposition 45 would speed up approvals and limit costly legal delays while preserving environmental review and public input. She urges Santa Cruz County voters to support the measure so veterans can find housing sooner and taxpayers aren’t left footing the bill for years of delays.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: Joe Clarke and Tory Del Favero for Capitola City Council
Capitola has five good candidates competing for three city council seats, but this race has been clouded by an ugly controversy that has raised questions beyond the candidates themselves. Lookout’s editorial board doesn’t believe the furor over TJ Welch’s past comments about the LGBTQ+ community has merit as a measure of his fitness to serve, yet the episode has exposed rifts beneath Capitola’s friendly, small-town veneer. We endorse incumbent Joe Clarke and Tory Del Favero, but the rancor surrounding the race, along with real differences in the candidates’ visions for the city, has left us unable to choose a third. Here’s what the editorial board sees in the candidates — and why this election matters for Capitola’s future.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Give Measure E a chance before closing Watsonville’s maternity unit – a physician’s perspective
Watsonville Community Hospital is considering closing its maternity and newborn care units, raising concerns among doctors and nurses about the risks to mothers and babies. Dr. Madhu Raghavan, a pediatrician who has practiced in Watsonville for 39 years, says longer travel times could put families at risk. She urges the hospital board to give Measure E a chance to bring in new county funding before making a final decision. Raghavan also calls for exploring other funding sources to keep these essential services open.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Watsonville Community Hospital’s maternity care is a regional responsibility – we can’t let it close
Watsonville Community Hospital loses about $27,000 a day providing labor and delivery services, raising questions about whether it can sustain the unit without jeopardizing its finances. Closing it would force families to travel farther for care and shift pressure to other hospitals, write Gail Newel, David Ghilarducci and Dori Rose Inda, all of whom have held healthcare leadership roles in Santa Cruz County. The authors call on regional healthcare providers, insurers and public agencies to share the costs of preserving maternity care, arguing that Watsonville cannot wait for a statewide solution. The Pajaro Valley Health Care District board is slated to vote Wednesday afternoon on the fate of the services.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: How we choose our 2026 election endorsements
What the Lookout Editorial Board looks for in candidates, how we evaluate them and why we believe endorsements matter.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Ryan Coonerty has spent 25 years showing up for Santa Cruz – let’s make him mayor
Ryan Coonerty has spent 25 years dedicated to public service and work on wildfire recovery, affordable housing, early childhood programs and coastal preservation, write Carol Fuller, Richelle Noroyan and Leslie Steiner. His experience, dedication to the community and record of delivering results, they argue, make him uniquely prepared to lead the city through its challenges. The authors criticize his opponent, Ami Chen Mills, for opposing a major affordable housing and library project and question her approach to homelessness. They also dismiss her campaign rhetoric and cynical attacks on Coonerty as devoid of substance. They believe Santa Cruz needs experienced, pragmatic leadership, not division and obstruction.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The next Santa Cruz mayor? Vote for a transparent, open and visionary candidate, Ami Chen Mills
Joy Schendledecker and Chris Krohn – who ran for the office in the primary – endorse Ami Chen Mills for Santa Cruz mayor, arguing that the city needs a new direction on development, affordability and transparency. They criticize her opponent Ryan Coonerty’s ties to developers and the growth-friendly political establishment. The former mayoral candidates say Chen Mills would prioritize neighborhood input, design review, affordable housing and more open government. They frame the race as a choice between continuing current policies and putting residents’ interests first.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Yes on D to protect our ocean
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident urges a yes vote on Measure D to give locals a voice on proposed oil drilling and mining of the Santa Cruz County coast.
