Keven Cook urges a “no” vote on the city of Santa Cruz’s Measure C, arguing it’s riddled with three major transfer tax loopholes that benefit investors and developers. He says the measure’s $1.8 million lower threshold, $200,000 cap and condo conversion exemption allow high-value and repeat property sales to largely escape taxation. Cook contends Measure C’s flaws undermine its laudable housing goals and should be rewritten without loopholes before voters approve it.
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I support Measure C, and I’d like to share with you why
OPINION: Seniors on fixed incomes and hardworking essential workers desperately need affordable housing in Santa Cruz, writes Elaine Johnson of nonprofit Housing Santa Cruz County. Johnson argues that Measure C is a balanced approach that will truly address the city’s housing affordability crisis.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Measure B is the better choice for Santa Cruz — reject the insider play of Measure C
OPINION: Renee Mello, president of the Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors, argues that Measure B is a transparent, citizen-led effort to fund affordable housing and climate projects. She criticizes Measure C as an “insider” initiative engineered by Santa Cruz City Hall to skirt the two-thirds supermajority required for special taxes.
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Letter to the editor: I support Workbench’s Capitola Road project
In a letter to the editor, a Live Oak resident expresses support for a housing development by developer Workbench in the face of opposition from some neighbors.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Lookout gets it wrong on ‘No Kings’ protest
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident outlines how the transformative changes of protests during the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement led to change over time after starting small.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Our neighborhood is fighting back against Workbench’s out-of-scale project
OPINION: Live Oak neighbors are pushing back against developer Workbench’s plan for a five-story, 57-unit apartment building at 841 Capitola Rd. They say the project would tower over their homes and properties, eliminate mature trees, and worsen parking and traffic.
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Letter to the editor: Heads-up to voters on Jimmy Panetta’s Israel record
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident writes about Rep. Jimmy Panetta and his support for Israel.
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PVUSD’s ‘controversial issues’ policy isn’t about neutrality – it’s about silence, fear and control
Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s proposed “controversial issues” policy pretends to protect balance, but instead threatens to silence teachers and sanitize truth, writes the Pajaro Valley Teachers Federation. By demanding teacher neutrality and forcing teachers to ask permission before they can discuss tough topics, the district is engaged in censorship, they write. California law already guards against bias, and they believe the proposed policy changes are overreach. They demand the district’s board of trustees reject them in a vote set for Wednesday.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Prop 50’s ‘Election Rigging Response Act’ asks us to fight fire with fire — but at what cost?
Proposition 50 would redraw California’s congressional map to counter Texas’ gerrymandering — aiming to flip the House of Representatives blue and block President Trump’s agenda. But, author Casey Beyer argues, it’s a symbolic gesture with little real power to change outcomes in Washington.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
How Santa Cruz County is investing in kids — starting at birth
Santa Cruz County’s Semillitas program helps families build wealth for their children from birth, offering every newborn since 2021 a college savings account with up to $500 in potential deposits. More than a financial tool, write Semillitas director Crystal Gonzalez and former Santa Cruz mayor Ryan Coonerty, it’s “a statement of community values.”