Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: On Nov. 8, we have an opportunity to elect a mayor of Santa Cruz with the experience, leadership and track record of getting things done. That candidate is Fred Keeley. Santa Cruz is at a […]
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Remembering Deborah Pembrook, Santa Cruz’s anti-trafficking matriarch
Santa Cruz — and the world — lost a “matriarch” of the anti-human-trafficking movement when Deborah Pembrook died suddenly in April. Pembrook, a survivor of child sex trafficking, escaped years of continuous exploitation by heading west and settling in Santa Cruz in 1989. She made a life out of helping survivors — including those in Santa Cruz — and devoted her time to pushing the nation to rethink how trafficking is approached. Jess Torres, a survivor who considers Pembrook a mentor, writes about her legacy and the work still to do.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Please remove the pop-up ads
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: I realize you need revenue to continue this (much appreciated!) daily read of Lookout, however, the “new” pop-up ads which sneak in on the right side are extremely annoying! If there is another way to […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Let’s applaud Santa Cruz city leaders for finally tackling homelessness
The City of Santa Cruz has finally adopted a real plan to address homelessness, which is a change from past practice. The city has a three-year plan to help transition people into housing and clear city streets and parks of encampments. Mike Rotkin, longtime mayor of Santa Cruz, wants us to give our city leaders credit for trying to tackle this longtime issue. He also wants us to use our votes to fund city taxes that fight homelessness, he writes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Get rid of the old guard — vote for Joy for mayor
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: I wish to add my voice to the many in Santa Cruz who are calling for new leadership. In particular I would like everyone to vote for Joy Schendledecker for mayor. She has new and […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I’m an autistic person and I preferred life on Zoom. Do we really have to go back to living like it’s 2019?
Megan Kalomiris, a science writer and 2022 UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Program graduate, has autism and struggles with social interaction. For her, in-person meetings, small talk and socializing feel like “exams I could never study for or pass.” COVID-19 gave her a break, a chance to feel more “normal.” “For the first time, neurotypical people were feeling a bit of what I regularly experience: a world not built for your needs,” she writes. Now, with restrictions mostly lifted, she makes a plea to keep the inclusivity she so cherished.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
We created a net-zero building for NIAC in Santa Cruz. Maybe you would like to use it?
Pamela Davis, CEO of the Nonprofits Insurance Alliance of California, is a bit of an anomaly — a woman atop an insurance company. Her leadership style involves compassion and humility and she founded the nonprofit when everyone said she would fail. She is also passionate about the environment — about “caring as deeply about other living things as you do about yourself” — and, with the NIA board, helped build a three-story, net-zero building on Santa Cruz’s Westside. Now, NIA is opening the building’s community room — a large conference room with an outdoor, landscaped terrace — to any local nonprofit that needs a space to meet. It even has turtles.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Grace is right — kids should have phones for safety
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: Grace is right that she should have a phone. There are advantages for parents, too. They can check the GPS for location of where their kids are. The phone can be controlled by the parents’ […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Somos padres y educadores y queremos hablar sobre la seguridad escolar en el condado de Santa Cruz
Seis educadores — cuatro de los cuales son padres — están preocupados por la seguridad y bienestar general de los niños en nuestras escuelas. El tiroteo en Uvalde, Texas, en mayo, y el apuñalamiento fatal en la escuela secundaria de Aptos hace un año han aumentado los temores en todo el país y el condado. Pero, este grupo propone que avancemos más allá del miedo a través de discusiones francas y profundas sobre cómo son la seguridad y bienestar, y cómo lograrlos. Les gustaría que la comunidad considerara tres temas: salud mental, justicia restaurativa, y la práctica contenciosa de poner policías armados en la escuela.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I spent years watching my mother suffer from Alzheimer’s; we need to find a cure
Claudia Sternbach knows the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. She spent years watching helplessly, she writes, as her mother declined and forgot key moments and people. For decades, Sternbach has helped raise awareness of the disease through the Alzheimer Association’s annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s. This year’s Santa Cruz County event is Saturday.
