You’ve probably never heard of surf lifesaving — but Santa Cruz is quietly becoming a national powerhouse at it, writes Dan Ackerstein, who manages the Westcliff Surf Lifesaving Club. Yes, we all saw lifeguard Ryder Williams get national attention for his heroic Seabright save, but what you might have missed is this year, six Santa Cruz-area athletes earned spots on the U.S. youth national team. That means 30% of the Americans headed to the world championships hail from the 831 area code.
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
My car was totaled by a drunk driver; the loss was so much more
A drunk driver destroyed community activist Peggy Flynn’s parked car — and with it, she lost her hard-earned sense of independence, security and accomplishment. Now she’s navigating insurance companies, rental cars, unexpected expenses and the exhausting search for a replacement she – a woman in her 70s living on a fixed income – might never be able to afford. Even the missing hair clips from her wrecked car have become symbols of everything she lost — and the fairness she hopes to reclaim.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Made in Santa Cruz: Why Art Matters | Sea Creature Designs
“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 makers are crab rope artists Stephanie Michelet and Jason Rimmer of Sea Creature Designs.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
What California’s new antisemitism law means for Santa Cruz County schools
A new California law this year brings stronger protections against antisemitism – and new standards for what is taught – in Santa Cruz County classrooms, writes Aptos resident Gil Stein. Teachers unions and other opponents warned that AB 715 would silence teachers and interfere with discussion of Israel and the Middle East, but courts have so far rejected that argument. Here, Stein raises the question: Is demanding accuracy and freedom from discriminatory bias really an attack on free speech?
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Even bright people get confused about Santa Cruz housing – especially now in Seabright
The debate over Workbench’s proposed Bright Plaza project has become tangled in misunderstandings about what is actually being proposed, how the city approval process works, what qualifies as affordable housing and where higher-density housing belongs, writes affordable housing advocate and former Santa Cruz mayor Don Lane. Santa Cruz can disagree about development without letting misinformation, hyperbole and name-calling replace thoughtful debate, he writes. Before we decide what kinds of housing belong in our community, he insists that we should separate preliminary drawings from actual proposals, affordable housing from market-rate housing and legitimate concerns from exaggerated claims.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Gov. Newsom, please sign AB 2222 – real investment in the local news Californians need
Lookout founder and CEO Ken Doctor urges Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign Assembly Bill 2222 – now on his desk – into law. “By creating refundable tax credits for employing full-time and part-time journalists,” he writes, “the Community NEWS Act is a tonic to the digital wars on fact and truth. It would be of significant help to those in the real news media, legacy and start-up.”
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
To the editor: Remove Flock cameras – we don’t need more surveillance
In a letter to the editor, a Watsonville resident outlines his opposition to Flock Safety cameras.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
What does a $950 bus ride have to do with Jack O’Neill’s Santa Cruz legacy?
Jack O’Neill believed every child should have the chance to experience the ocean. Land-use attorney Monica Hammer, who sits on the planning commission for the City of Santa Cruz and the board of O’Neill Sea Odyssey, learned about the ocean’s power from her Danish father, an avid sailor. Once we form a relationship with the natural world, we have a reason to care for it, she writes. Today, a lack of transportation – about $950 in school bus fare – is keeping some classes of local children from making that connection, and from discovering an ocean that is waiting less than an hour away. O’Neill hopes to change that by providing up to 85% of the transportation costs.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Suddenly Seabright? Where has Ryan Coonerty been on development all this time?
Ami Chen Mills, running for mayor of Santa Cruz, pushes back against the assertion by her opponent, Ryan Coonerty, that she has taken a stance “too late” on the project proposed at Seabright and Soquel avenues. She presents the politics behind the Seabright project, criticizes Coonerty’s record on development and local control and explains her own evolving approach to the housing crisis. She argues for truly affordable housing, tenant protections, neighborhood-scale development and stronger local oversight.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Check the lake like you check the weather
Menlo Park student Amanda Lee-Shen’s experience with dangerous water at Pinto Lake sparked a mission to help others stay safe on Santa Cruz County’s waters. Here, the 11th grader at Castilleja School explains why checking lake conditions for harmful algal blooms should be as routine as checking the weather. She shares what to look for, how California’s warning signs work and why pets and wildlife face risks, especially from now through October. Her message is simple: Before you head to the lake, check the water.
