The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary celebrated its 30-year anniversary Sept. 17 with a Santa Cruz gala that was a who’s-who of local leaders, celebrities and activists. Missed it? Watch our video to get a glimpse of the celebrations — including a bevy of blue and green ball gowns and some adorable sea creatures.
Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Reelect Yvette Brooks to Capitola City Council
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: On Nov. 8, we should reelect Yvette Brooks to Capitola City Council. Over the past four years, Yvette has been a tireless advocate and leader, including successfully shepherding the city through an unprecedented pandemic during […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
‘During my incarceration, I was screaming for help’: How I went from incarcerated woman to advocate
Crystal Ross spent six of the past 10 years in jail in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. In this, the second part of a “Conversation” with Lookout Community Voices editor Jody K. Biehl, Crystal talks about the addiction that led her to go to jail and lose her daughters and about “hitting bottom” and finding her way out by advocating for herself and other women in jail. She begs Santa Cruz County to do better, to offer more services and “more compassion” for those with addictions and mental health disorders in our jails. She says Gemma House, the transitional treatment program she is now in, offers a clear model.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: I am frustrated with the standard of care for kids in California. It’s lower than that of animals.
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: Thanks for writing this article. I think it was very well-written. However, as the principal of a school, I often see kids whose parents are in jail or struggle with addiction and homelessness. There is […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Conversations with Jody: ‘I have never had such a horrible experience as I did this past year in the Santa Cruz jail’
Crystal Ross has spent six of the past 10 years in the Santa Cruz and Monterey county jails. She describes her experiences here in a lengthy “Conversation with Jody,” which offers a peek at life “inside.” She describes women wailing to see their children, “unhygienic” facilities, rampant untreated addiction and mental health issues and a system unprepared to meet people’s needs, despite all the money we have thrown at it. Hers is not an easy read, but it’s an important one. Sober now and free since Sept. 17, Crystal says she is working to be an advocate and a voice for others still in jail.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I failed at surfing, but Elkhorn Slough’s otters changed my life
Marisa Messina, an MBA student at Stanford, wanted to be a surfer, but could never quite get vertical on her board. She stumbled into kayaking and fell in love with the harmony she observed among the creatures at Moss Landing’s Elkhorn Slough. Here, she takes us on her journey and urges us to imitate and learn from the animals, plants and algae that surround us.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Fred Keeley has the experience, track record Santa Cruz needs in a mayor
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: On Nov. 8, we have an opportunity to elect a mayor of Santa Cruz with the experience, leadership and track record of getting things done. That candidate is Fred Keeley. Santa Cruz is at a […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Remembering Deborah Pembrook, Santa Cruz’s anti-trafficking matriarch
Santa Cruz — and the world — lost a “matriarch” of the anti-human-trafficking movement when Deborah Pembrook died suddenly in April. Pembrook, a survivor of child sex trafficking, escaped years of continuous exploitation by heading west and settling in Santa Cruz in 1989. She made a life out of helping survivors — including those in Santa Cruz — and devoted her time to pushing the nation to rethink how trafficking is approached. Jess Torres, a survivor who considers Pembrook a mentor, writes about her legacy and the work still to do.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Please remove the pop-up ads
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here. To the editor: I realize you need revenue to continue this (much appreciated!) daily read of Lookout, however, the “new” pop-up ads which sneak in on the right side are extremely annoying! If there is another way to […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Let’s applaud Santa Cruz city leaders for finally tackling homelessness
The City of Santa Cruz has finally adopted a real plan to address homelessness, which is a change from past practice. The city has a three-year plan to help transition people into housing and clear city streets and parks of encampments. Mike Rotkin, longtime mayor of Santa Cruz, wants us to give our city leaders credit for trying to tackle this longtime issue. He also wants us to use our votes to fund city taxes that fight homelessness, he writes.