Peggy Flynn had an abortion in the 1980s, when she was in her 20s and single. She never told her family. She has also never regretted it, nor had children. She is talking about it now — for the first time — because she is horrified at the leaked Supreme Court decision, which, if finalized, could overturn nearly 50 years of case law. Women have to speak up, she says. All women deserve control over their bodies and the right to decide what constitutes a fulfilling life.
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Life, death and Measure D: A lose-lose proposition for us all
Ryan Coonerty dreams of getting hit by a meteor rather than face another discussion about Measure D. The 3rd District Supervisor says the intensity of debate around Measure D is pointless given one stark political reality: No matter how the vote goes, without compromises, Santa Cruz County won’t build anything for decades.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Joe Thompson for Assembly District 28: We need to empower young people to vote
Joe Thompson is the youngest candidate ever to run for a California Assembly seat. They are 37-40 years younger than their opponents and say the legislature is bogged down with old-fashioned thinking and ideas. They say they’re a voice of change and youth, and the right person to combat climate change and big business. They’ve fought to unionize a Santa Cruz Starbucks shop, where they work as a barista, and are ready to take on bigger issues in Sacramento.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Rob Rennie for Assembly District 28: We need a proven, experienced leader
Rob Rennie believes his experience as a Santa Clara County leader, including as Los Gatos mayor, and his background in engineering and environmentalism make him the best candidate for California’s 28th Assembly District seat. He says he will bring expertise and the mind of a problem-solver to the state’s toughest issues, including COVID-19 recovery, homelessness, affordable housing and climate change.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Gail Pellerin for Assembly District 28: We need an experienced, empathetic Santa Cruz leader — and a dog in Sacto
Gail Pellerin believes she has the experience and empathy our community needs in a leader. Her husband’s 2018 suicide pushed the longtime Santa Cruz County Clerk and local leader to become a mental health crusader. As county clerk, she found creative ways to serve people during the pandemic and worked extra hours to make sure voting and vital services happened. A voting-rights champion with experience in state and local government, she says she has the connections needed to make change happen. She’s also got a secret weapon: her labradoodle, Darwin.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Liz Lawler for Assembly District 28: Vote for a hard worker who cares about details
Liz Lawler cares about details and people and has the work ethic to make big change in Sacramento. That’s why she thinks she is the best candidate to represent California State Assembly District 28. She has served on the Monte Sereno City Council and on the city’s Better Streets Commission. She can also talk for hours about potholes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Live your biblical values: Support the Park Avenue housing project
The housing development slated for Park Avenue in Soquel offers Santa Cruz County residents a chance to live their values. Supporting the unhoused and needy is a biblical obligation. By embracing the project, Rabbi Paula Marcus argues, we fulfill our religious duties.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Mr. W: What my autistic son has taught me about motherhood
Victoria Tatum has spent more than two decades fighting for services for her autistic son, Eliot. As her son became a teen, his anxiety made him increasingly violent. She thinks Santa Cruz families need better intervention, sooner, for families with special needs.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Opinion: Vote no on Measure D
Measure D will hurt our community by permanently ending the rail + trail plan connecting Santa Cruz and Watsonville. Measure D undermines decades of public planning and hurts commuters, the environment and our future economy. That’s why numerous elected officials and more than 30 local organizations oppose Measure D. It deserves a no vote.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Opinion: Vote yes on Measure D
A trail-only option is the best, most realistic option for our Santa Cruz community. It will preserve our natural landscape, can be built now and doesn’t depend on imagined future funding. Measure D makes sense and is the logical way forward.