Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: As the first woman in the U.S. to start an insurance company, I know a bit about executing on a vision that others don’t yet see. I believed in nonprofit organizations and their ability to […]
Opinion from Community Voices
Letters to the editor: Questioning Central Fire truck’s grille flag and chief’s response
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: The front grille on a Central Fire truck that regularly drives slowly along East Cliff Drive is a representation of the Betsy Ross 13-star flag. The drivers drive slowly enough for all to see and […]
Contribute to letters to the editor
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 […]
Martin Quigley UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
Plant where you live. Lookout Santa Cruz – 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

