In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident outlines what he sees as homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters losing its way.
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Lookout missed important stories
In a letter to the editor, an Aptos resident takes Lookout to task for what he sees as important local news stories left uncovered.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
We’re reducing homelessness in Santa Cruz County; now we must fight to keep the funding
Santa Cruz County is bucking national trends, significantly reducing homelessness through sustained investment, coordination and compassion, writes Mer Stafford, the chair of the Coalition to End Homelessness in Santa Cruz County. But, with this year’s point-in-time count happening Thursday, those gains are now at risk as state and federal funding for housing and homelessness programs face deep cuts. Losing this support would push hundreds of people back into homelessness and undo years of hard-won progress. Stafford urges residents to contact local and state leaders to protect the funding that’s working.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Sweeping encampments to ‘reduce’ homelessness is a Santa Cruz numbers game — not a solution
Clearing the Coral Street encampment days before the point-in-time count won’t house anyone — it just hides the problem, writes Food Not Bombs founder Keith McHenry. By scattering unhoused people out of sight, the City of Santa Cruz can claim progress while worsening daily survival. McHenry writes that he sees up to 200 people every week in rising meal lines in the city and folks complaining about lost tents and property. If Santa Cruz wants honest data and real solutions, he believes we have to stop mistaking displacement for success.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Water decides who wins in California – that’s why I wrote my new novel
OPINION: After a decade of research and writing, Santa Cruz author Victoria Tatum is preparing for the release of her second novel, “More Than Any River,” which transforms California’s water wars into a human story rooted in the Central Valley.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Let’s decriminalize mental illness: Santa Cruz doesn’t need a mental health jail
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark has floated the idea of a new “mental health jail,” pointing to the high number of incarcerated people on psychiatric medication. But jail is not treatment, and incarceration only deepens trauma and mental illness, write Kasi Tkaczyk and Julia Gratton.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Senate should pass Kayla Hamilton Act to prevent tragedies
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident urges the U.S. Senate to pass a law he says will help fix deadly flaws.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Fighting L.A. wildfires broke my heart but prepared me for life outside prison
“When people think of incarcerated people, they often see us as a danger, with our past mistakes magnified,” writes Jose Angel Amezcua, a formerly incarcerated firefighter from Salinas who helped battle the disastrous January 2025 blazes in the Los Angeles area. “Amid the smoke, ash, and destruction of the L.A. fires, people saw us as heroes, recognizing the good we could achieve when given a second chance.”
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Police need to be accountable for Flock sharing
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident takes issue with how the city’s police chief characterized his department’s interactions with Flock Safety data.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I made Santa Cruz the setting for two chapters of my novel – here’s why
Max Talley, a writer living in Santa Barbara, set two pivotal chapters of his recent book “Peace, Love & Haight” in Santa Cruz. Here, he explains why the Beach Boardwalk and the drive north up Highway 1 figure into his hippie crime novel set in 1969.