The high-rise push has spawned a backlash, exposing sharp divisions over growth and underscoring the complexities, even in a city known for its progressive politics, of trying to keep desirable communities affordable for the teachers, waiters, firefighters and store clerks who provide the bulk of services.
Election 2024
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors backs sales tax ballot measure, parking ban near Henry Cowell
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to place the question of a sales tax rate increase on the March 5 primary ballot. The proposal would increase the county’s sales tax by a half-cent to 9.5%, funds local leaders say they need to address weather-related infrastructure issues and to pay salaries that reflect the escalating cost of living. Supervisors also proposed a parking ban on Highway 9 near Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County says sales tax increase crucial to funding services
Voters in March could decide on whether to increase Santa Cruz County’s sales tax rate by a half-cent to 9.5% if the board of supervisors approves including the question on the March 5 primary ballot. The increase could bring in $10 million annually to a county struggling financially.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Let’s not fall for falsehoods: This is what the Housing for People initiative does and doesn’t do
The Housing for People initiative on downtown building will appear on the March ballot in the city of Santa Cruz. Between now and then, voters will need to decide where they stand. Here, retired city planner and Housing for People member Frank Barron pushes back on a Nov. 30 Lookout opinion piece critical of the initiative. The criticism, Barron says, is “full of inaccuracies.”
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Board approves putting Watsonville Community Hospital bond measure on ballot
Pajaro Valley Health Care District governing board members unanimously voted to place a $116 million bond measure on the March 5 ballot. A recent survey showed the district could likely receive enough votes to approve the measure.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Here’s what they don’t tell you about the Housing for People ballot initiative
“Not a single leading affordable housing group in our area has indicated support for this initiative,” write longtime Santa Cruz housing advocates Diana Alfaro, Don Lane and Elizabeth Madrigal. “To put it bluntly, the Housing for People name is just a political deception – especially egregious at a time when we need genuine affordable housing efforts.
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Watsonville / Pajaro
Pajaro Valley Health Care District board to vote Wednesday on placing $105M bond measure on March ballot
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District board will vote Wednesday on whether to ask voters to support a $105 million bond measure to help Watsonville Community Hospital buy the hospital buildings and the land they sit on and to help fund health care services. The district currently pays about $4 million a year to lease […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz doesn’t need taller buildings; it needs a vision for sustainable affordable housing
Longtime Santa Cruz resident Laura Lee believes the Santa Cruz downtown expansion plan “moves us in the wrong direction.” She thinks the boom will impair views, cause traffic congestion, overwhelm public services and detract from the small-town way of life she cherishes. The expansion plan, she writes, has caused “a substantial portion of city residents” to lose confidence in city leaders: “We see them placing corporate profits above resident priorities.”
Posted inLatest News
Petition to limit building height in Santa Cruz officially qualifies for March ballot
City of Santa Cruz voters will likely get the chance to vote in March on whether they want a say before developers build taller than the city’s existing height limits. The citizen-led effort to put the question on the ballot has citywide implications, but is inspired by a city vision for a 1,600-unit downtown expansion to south of Laurel Street.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Sheriff Jim Hart makes decision on District 5 county supervisor race
What Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart might do was a big unknown in the race to replace the retiring Bruce McPherson in District 5, which stretches from north of the city of Santa Cruz to the Santa Clara County line. Nonprofit CEO Monica Martinez announced Oct. 30 that Hart had endorsed her candidacy, giving her a boost in a three-person field that also includes Christopher Bradford and Theresa Bond.