Lookout believes in journalism that is a dialogue, a link to democracy. That’s why we want to hear from you. Your perspectives will make us, our reporting and our community better. Today, we publish our first letters to the editor. Help make our work at Lookout collaborative by giving us feedback, direction, tips and by […]
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Martin Quigley UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
Plant where you live. Lookout Santa Cruz – Community Voices.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Fear was never part of the school day, but this is the country we live in now
Claudia Sternbach used to be a teaching assistant at Santa Cruz Montessori, and writes that she is horrified and furious at Tuesday’s school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Eighteen-year-old Salvador Ramos killed 21 people, 19 of them children. Sternbach has a grandson in second grade in Los Angeles and says that fear should not be part of the school day. She demands action from Republican lawmakers on gun violence.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Felipe Hernandez for District 4 County Supervisor: Choose an experienced consensus-builder who has earned community trust
Felipe Hernandez, an Iraq War veteran and the son of an apple picker, says he has the experience and temperament to represent Watsonville and fight for the city’s interests. He cites his multiple endorsements and record of success as reasons voters should choose him for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Jimmy Dutra for District 4 County Supervisor: We need a proven leader to represent the Pajaro Valley
Jimmy Dutra says the Pajaro Valley has been overlooked for too long. It’s time for a strong, community-centered voice on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, he writes. He argues that his experience and success as mayor of Watsonville and his connection to the community make him the right candidate.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Ed Acosta for District 4 County Supervisor: Watsonville needs trusted leadership rooted in the community
Ed Acosta began working in Watsonville agriculture as a teen, when he worked in the strawberry fields. He continues to work in agriculture and writes that he has strong ideas on job creation and workforce maintenance and protection. He is not a career politician, but calls himself a man of action and argues that he’s the best choice for District 4.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I believed I was doing enough to address our housing affordability challenges. I wasn’t.
Santa Cruz needs to break old habits when it comes to affordable housing. That means local elected officials have to approve projects — even ones their constituents oppose, writes Don Lane, former Santa Cruz mayor and an affordable housing advocate. Lane says he has revised his own thinking on affordable housing and aims to push others to do the same. The consequences of not building, he says, are catastrophic for our community.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Get your head straight on Measure D: Walk the coastal corridor
Measure D is giving us all a headache. Part of the problem is perspective, 1st District Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manu Koenig writes. Our views are shaped by where we live. People on the Westside experience the trail differently than those in Aptos or Watsonville. Koenig explains why and suggests we leave our own neighborhoods and look at the coastal corridor from another viewpoint. He supports Measure D, and says we need to respect each others’ differences and be open to changing our minds.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Opinion: Vote no on Measure D: Transportation justice demands a no vote
Measure D is inequitable and environmentally short-sighted. We believe Measure D will forever cut off North County and South County from alternate transportation and will reinforce disparities between north and south. Using the rail corridor for both rail and trail will unite us. Removing the tracks will pull us apart forever.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Opinion: Vote yes on Measure D: Let’s build a trail now
Measure D is the best chance Santa Cruz County has to build a safe and transit-oriented trail from Watsonville to Davenport. We dismiss the “deceptive” campaign slogans of our opponents and explain the facts and objective reports supporting our view. Greenway pits grassroots citizen activists against those who have held power and been wrong about the rail corridor for 35 years.