Santa Cruz County might soon be asking voters to pay more in taxes – but what, asks local activist Kevin Norton, should residents expect in return? The county has a growing budget deficit and taxes are often the quickest fix. But is the money being well spent? Norton questions the county’s reliance on highly paid, outsourced consultants and suggests some of that funding might better go toward investing in local staff and initiatives that build community.
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
What Santa Cruz County should look for in California’s next governor – the poll leaders aren’t right for us
Santa Cruz County shouldn’t rely on early polls or political hype when choosing its next governor, writes Casey Beyer, former CEO for the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce. With a crowded field, volatile race dynamics and many undecided voters, front-runners might not reflect local priorities. Instead, Beyer believes our focus should be on candidates who address housing, jobs, homelessness and climate resilience. He sees Betty Yee and Matt Mahan as contenders who will be most aligned with the county’s needs, despite trailing in statewide polls.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The real cause of gentrification in Santa Cruz isn’t new housing
OPINION: Have we built too much housing in Santa Cruz or not nearly enough? Housing activist and former Santa Cruz mayor Don Lane reminds us that Santa Cruz spent decades limiting growth.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I’m 20 and I’ve spent years struggling with the myth of being ‘fixed’ of mental illness
OPINION: After years of medication for anxiety, UC Santa Cruz student Veronica Morris thought she was “over it,” healed. Then her anxiety returned in unexpected ways.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The last patch of old Santa Cruz dirt: Pleasure Point’s female surf statue is kicking up a community dilemma
OPINION: While Pleasure Point’s female surfer statue has broad support, Nikki Hotvedt takes issue with the proposed location and a process she says has moved forward too quickly.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
If there had been a stop sign at Bay and Meder, my UCSC friend would be safe; the city must fix this intersection
A UC Santa Cruz student was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident at Bay Drive and Meder Street on Jan. 30. His high school friend and fellow UCSC student Aidan Smith has struggled to cope with the crash and has come to see it as more than just a tragic accident. The risks at Bay and Meder were already known, he writes. He believes the intersection is dangerous and urges the city to change the traffic pattern by adding a stop sign or something to slow drivers down and permit easier crossing before another life is changed forever.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Getting our housing facts straight before Santa Cruz votes
Housing is taking center stage in Santa Cruz County’s June primaries and November elections, writes housing activist and former Santa Cruz mayor Don Lane. He worries that community debates are often clouded by misinformation. Here, he argues that many new downtown Santa Cruz developments are in fact affordable and part of a long-overdue housing push. He points to decades of underbuilding as the root of today’s shortage and rising costs. As voters head to the polls, he urges a fact-based conversation about who gets to live in the community.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Spring is here, but respiratory viruses haven’t gone away
We saw higher-than-usual temperatures in March, but that doesn’t mean virus season is over in Santa Cruz County, writes Santa Cruz family medicine physician Patrick Cudahy. Viruses are still out there, he says, and while flu dominates in winter, COVID-19 strains tend to surge in warmer months. Since October, flu cases have caused 48 hospitalizations, compared to 22 for COVID-19 and 12 for RSV. Norovirus remains a concern, although local wastewater testing numbers remain low. Still, Cudahy warns, overlapping infections and shifting seasonal patterns can have serious consequences. He urges readers to wash hands, stay home when sick and get vaccinated.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: It’s distressing to see so many haters on Lookout’s Facebook posts
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident laments what she sees as an excess of negativity in the social media comments section.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: What an asset our symphony is
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident salutes the Santa Cruz Symphony for a brilliant recent performance.