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As with every vote I see at this time in history, I ask: Will we vote from a place of light and empowerment, or from a place of darkness and fear? Will we focus on what we want to create, or what we don’t want to create?

Know this, what you focus on will grow. 

Measure M was an opportunity for Santa Cruz city residents to vote for self-empowerment, to secure a way to represent ourselves in local politics, and create a future with more equity, diversity, and sustainability. This comes from the twofold objectives of Measure M. 

One, to give citizens a vote in shaping the future of their town by giving each of us a vote before any part of the city can be rezoned for increased height limits. 

Second, to increase the proportion of affordable housing (vs. market-rate housing) that gets built, in order to create a more prosperous, equitable, and diverse community for all of us. Why have the affordable housing groups in this town embraced/pandered to a profit-driven development model in hopes of securing a few scraps of “affordable” housing at the cost of exponentially increasing the proportion of market-rate units? The resulting ever-diverging proportion of these housing types, is in fact making the situation worse.

Harnessing a profit-model as a means to create affordable housing is a fallacy that actually increases inequality and threatens the stability of our community. We must look to a model designed to create affordable housing, not profit, if we want to successfully address our affordable housing crisis.

I hope that in this election, the citizens of Santa Cruz voted to have a voice in creating the livable, diverse kind of town they want in the future, and that they simply did not vote from a place of fear. Further, my hope is that Measure M passes, and sets a precedent in the state of California of citizens inserting self-determination back into local politics. 

Thank you for your time and coverage of Measure M during this election season.

Susan Monheit, retired state water regulator, scientist, Measure M leader

Santa Cruz