Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin unpacks the deluge of state affordable housing laws passed in recent years and uses them to buttress an argument against Measure M. He says if M passes Tuesday in the city of Santa Cruz, the state will get even more control over local building projects.
Election 2024
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz for sale: Growth at what price? Measure M is a wake-up call about overbuilding
Laura Lee, who supports a yes vote on Santa Cruz’s Measure M, believes developers want to turn the city into a profit center at the expense of quality of life. She cites articles outlining how hedge funds and sports franchises distort community livability by overdevelopment. “Are justice, diversity and caring for others and our environment secondary to winning?” she writes.
Posted inHousing & Development
With housing at the heart of Santa Cruz’s election wrangling, a question: How do we make room for others?
The affordability crisis has long been the elephant in the room in all aspects of Santa Cruz County politics. At the core, all voters must ask themselves, how much are they willing to sacrifice for others?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Labor’s big blitz leads third-party spending in Santa Cruz County races
Service Employees International Union Local 521 has spent big in Santa Cruz County supervisor and Santa Cruz City Council races this cycle. Santa Cruz Together and the owner of a local pedicab also jumped into independently advertising local candidates ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Where is the money coming from in Santa Cruz County supervisor races?
Across three races for seats on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, money has been flowing from all over the county and even beyond its borders.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Fact check: Will buildings in Santa Cruz’s downtown expansion plan be only 7 to 8 stories tall?
When the Santa Cruz Warriors announced their opposition to Measure M, the organization shared a letter written by former Santa Cruz mayor Hilary Bryant and United Way of Santa Cruz County CEO Keisha Browder that included a statement that no buildings in the Warriors development project would exceed 85 feet — about seven or eight stories. Is that true?
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Kim De Serpa for supervisor
In a letter to the editor, an Aptos resident urges readers to vote for Kim De Serpa for District 2 county supervisor.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Prop 1 explainer: Santa Cruz County faces ‘tough call’ on statewide mental health measure
California’s Proposition 1 is yet another thorny piece of legislation Santa Cruz County voters will face on the March 5 primary. Supporters think the measure focuses mental health money on housing those most vulnerable, while opponents worry about a cut to county-administered services and the construction of involuntary behavioral health treatment facilities. Even unhoused advocates and homelessness service providers say it’s tough to decide how to vote.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letters to the editor: Manu Koenig has always responded to me
After reading and hearing some of the rhetoric surrounding Manu Koenig at the Feb. 5 Lookout election forum, I felt the need to share my experiences as not only a District 1 resident, but as a community member who has reached out to the district supervisor’s office a number of times. Prior to knowing too […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Santa Cruz rent is 54% higher than the national average. That’s why I say no on M.
In a letter to the editor, a Live Oak resident outlines why her personal experience with Santa Cruz’s housing market has her urging a vote against Measure M.