Morning Lookout: A Measure D unicorn; District 4 Supervisor candidates make their cases
Hello and good morning. It’s Thursday, May 26, and Santa Cruz County will be a little cooler after nature’s air conditioning kicked in yesterday, with temperatures ranging from the 60s to the upper 70s under partly cloudy skies.
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And we have much in the way of local news, and local voices, this morning. Mark Conley found a unicorn: a knowledgeable Santa Cruz voter still undecided on Measure D. Ron Goodman knows lots more than most about the many grays in what advocates paint as a black-or-white issue — read what he told Mark here.
In our Community Voices opinion forum, Election 2022 coverage continues, with the three candidates for District 4 Santa Cruz County Supervisor making their cases today with op-ed pieces. Here’s what Ed Acosta, Jimmy Dutra and Felipe Hernandez have to say.
Local writer Claudia Sternbach is also making her voice heard in the wake of Tuesday’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. “How much are our children supposed to carry on their slender shoulders?”, she asks in a Community Voices piece.
And the issue of homelessness at UC Santa Cruz has come up this election season, with State Assembly District 28 candidate Joe Thompson citing a statistic that 9% of UCSC students don’t have secure housing. Grace Stetson takes a look at what that figure does, and doesn’t, tell us.
Grace also looks into a $5 million contribution from tech giant Apple toward the Pacific Station South development that broke ground last week in downtown Santa Cruz.
OK, to the headlines.
A knowledgeable ‘undecided’ on Measure D? Those folks are hard to find, but we tracked one down
Ron Goodman, a software engineer and bike advocate, shares his valuable rail/trail insights. The former director of Bike Santa Cruz County knows lots more than most voters about the many grays in what advocates paint as a black-or-white issue. What can we learn from his fair-minded assessment? Here’s what he told Mark Conley.
➤ WALLACE BAINE ON MEASURE D: A train runs through us: Why the polarizing rail trail issue has divided us in a time that demands unityFear 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. Read her full Community Voices op-ed here.
➤ “WE HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS GOODBYE”: These are the 21 victims of the Texas school shooting (Los Angeles Times)
Greenway opposition urges voters to vote “NO” on deceptive Measure D
Greenway opposition urges voters to vote “NO” on deceptive Measure D
DISTRICT 4 CANDIDATES COMMUNITY VOICES OP-EDS
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. Read his full Community Voices opinion piece here.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. Read his full Community Voices opinion piece here.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. Read his full Community Voices opinion piece here.
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Are 9% of UC Santa Cruz students homeless?
It’s a shocking number that has come up in debates ahead of June’s election. Lookout looks into where the number comes from and what it does and doesn’t mean. Grace Stetson reports.
➤ FROM LAST FALL: How two new UCSC student-led groups are trying to tackle the housing crisis (Lookout)
$5M from Apple helps fund Santa Cruz’s new Pacific Station South project
As the city of Santa Cruz was raising funds for the Pacific Station redevelopment, one unusual donor came forward: Silicon Valley-based Apple. Here’s what Lookout learned about the tech company’s loan for the project.
➤ LAST WEEK: Pac Station South groundbreaking begins remake of Lower Pacific (Lookout)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON STUDENT ACCESS
Around the county ...
➤ Santa Cruz settles $250K city workplace misconduct claim (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
➤ Watsonville students learn cooking skills during after-school program (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
➤ Fire burning in riverbed in King City, evacuations ordered (KSBW-TV)
That’ll burn off that mental marine layer this Thursday. If your thoughts might be turning toward the end of the workweek, Wallace Baine will be along later with his Weekender newsletter, surveying the local arts and entertainment scene and offering some recommendations for fun stuff coming up. Get Weekender, along with our other newsletters and breaking news alerts, delivered right to you by visiting our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center. You can also keep tabs throughout the day by bookmarking our website and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
All this vital local journalism isn’t possible without community support — so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member. And spread the word!
Now, onward into Thursday.
Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz
