Justin Marc, a second-generation Santa Cruz milkman, spent 19 months in jail in Santa Cruz for check fraud, fueled by an addiction to crack. While incarcerated, he found his voice as a poet. He was released two years ago, on Aug. 31, 2021, and has been sober for four years as of last week. Here, in both video and written form, he tells his story, often in rhyme. “That’s how words come out in my thoughts,” he says. “The rhyme is automatic.”
Civic Life
Posted inEducation
In tense meeting, Cabrillo College votes to put off renaming until at least 2028
After a lengthy and heated discussion Monday night, Cabrillo College’s governing board voted 6-1 to delay any talk of renaming the college until at least 2028.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
After months of inactivity, a city council seat in Santa Cruz suddenly becomes highly competitive
Three candidates — Gabriela Trigueiro, David Tannaci and Jasmeen Miah — have so far thrown their hats into the ring to represent District 1, in the northeast section of the city of Santa Cruz. Each spoke with Christopher Neely about why they’re running in the March 5 election.
Posted inEnvironment
A new, sophisticated sea-level rise study will drive Santa Cruz County’s coastline policies on climate change
Historically hesitant to adopt the state’s philosophy on how to handle sea level rise and an eroding coastline, Santa Cruz County just received nearly $1 million from the California Coastal Commission for its most sophisticated sea level rise vulnerability study to date. One top county official said the study will drive the county’s coastline strategy on climate change.
Posted inLatest News
With some West Cliff-area repairs still a year out, Westside residents push for better traffic safety measures
More than 70 residents in the Santa Cruz neighborhoods adjacent to West Cliff Drive have signed a petition to remove the temporary cul-de-sacs on Alta Avenue and Oxford Way and introduce stronger traffic calming measures in the surrounding streets. Although the city’s public works department says it will continue to work with the resident group and install more road safety measures, the fully closed stretch of West Cliff Drive west of Woodrow Avenue will remain so for another year, meaning increased traffic on nearby streets is far from over.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz needs more housing density; misguided advocates are making our housing problems worse
Economist Richard McGahey, who has held federal, state and local leadership roles and is regarded as a national expert on urban and regional economic development, has a message for Santa Cruz: Stop supporting misguided housing petitions and policies aimed at curtailing growth. The only way to move Santa Cruz off the list of the nation’s most expensive cities, he says, is to build. He lives part-time in Santa Cruz and points to the petition by the group Housing for People as an example of ill-considered advocacy.
Posted inEducation
The winner in latest Cabrillo renaming delay? That a larger conversation continues
On one hand, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a morally dubious character. On the other hand, Wallace Baine writes, an institutional change like the proposed renaming of Santa Cruz County’s community college should leave room to allow community members to get used to that change. So while a decision to put off Cabrillo College’s name change will displease many, the time will allow for some honest examinations.
Posted inHousing & Development
Even the least expensive areas of California are becoming unaffordable, and more desirable
See which California cities are the most costly to live in. Several studies agree: The premium to live in California might be 40% to 50% over the national average.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Still no housing option for convicted sex offender Michael Cheek following state committee meeting
Michael Cheek’s release remains in limbo as a state-mandate committee did not identify any viable housing options for him at its Thursday meeting. Cheek is due back in court Tuesday, when Liberty Healthcare Corporation — the state contractor trying to find him a home — is expected to bring more options.
Posted inLatest News
City set to restore two-way traffic to stretch of West Cliff Drive
Two-way traffic on West Cliff Drive could be back as soon as the beginning of 2024, with Santa Cruz’s public works department recommending that the city council vote next week to restore both lanes between Columbia Street and Woodrow Avenue. The section between Woodrow and Almar Avenue that’s been completely closed to traffic is still about a year away from repair.