For the first time outside of a Santa Cruz City Council meeting, city leaders and consultants met with community members Tuesday to discuss a 50-year vision for the future of West Cliff Drive. Attendees widely agreed that safeguarding coastal resources should be prioritized, and that the city should think twice about restoring the road to its original form.
Civic Life
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville city leaders weigh vision for downtown’s future
With the goal of creating an active, vibrant and walkable downtown featuring a mix of shops, restaurants, housing and office spaces that still maintains the area’s historic character, the downtown plan goes to the Watsonville City Council for a vote next Tuesday.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How Laphonza Butler could reshape California’s U.S. Senate race
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pick to replace the late Dianne Feinstein is set to be sworn in Tuesday as California’s U.S. senator. She isn’t saying whether she will run next year, but if she does, it would change the dynamics of the Senate race.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz police making progress in BLM mural vandalism case; repainting plans in the works
The Santa Cruz Police Department is working through evidence and leads related to the July vandalism of the downtown Black Lives Matter mural. Police chief Bernie Escalante says he hopes that the case will be resolved soon, and SC Equity Collab is beginning to look toward a repainting.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Let’s hold our state accountable for pesticide regulation: Urge Gov. Newsom to sign AB 652
California likes to brag about its robust environmental laws, writes local activist Woody Rehanek, but it rarely talks about the troubling pattern of pesticide use and public health. A September “People’s Tribunal on Pesticide Use and Civil Rights in California” helped illuminate disparities in exposure. It also highlights problems in our state’s decentralized regulatory system, which allows county agricultural commissioners to wield unchecked power. A proposed solution, Assembly Bill 652, aims to establish stronger rules to hold the Department of Pesticide Regulation accountable for these practices.
Posted inLatest News
Kevin McCarthy ousted as speaker, throwing Washington into chaos
Hard-line conservative Republicans joined with Democrats to remove the Bakersfield Republican from the speaker’s chair. Kevin McCarthy’s ejection from the speakership is the latest blow to the power and reach of California’s congressional delegation, following former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s exit from House leadership and the recent death of longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Why is Santa Cruz County so bullish on hydrogen-powered public transit?
Santa Cruz Metro recently made the largest single purchase of hydrogen buses in the country. Electric battery power dominates the zero-emission transportation sector, but the county opted for hydrogen in part to tackle the challenges posed by the region’s hilly terrain. The decision comes with its fair share of risks and barriers, most significantly the high cost of hydrogen.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Who is Laphonza Butler? What to know about Newsom’s pick for Feinstein’s Senate seat
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to fill the Senate seat that was held by Dianne Feinstein, who died Friday. Who is Butler?
Posted inLatest News
With El Niño looming, Santa Cruz city crews rush to tackle West Cliff repairs ahead of coming winter
The City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department is preparing for the winter by prioritizing West Cliff Drive repairs and performing maintenance on the San Lorenzo River levee to ensure its capacity is sufficient to handle increased water flow in the event of a rainy winter. That could come true, with an El Niño pattern looming in the Pacific Ocean.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
With the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, whom will Newsom appoint?
The death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein means that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has to decide who will fill her seat. He has said he would appoint a caretaker, not one of the three Democrats who are already running — Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.