Housing in Santa Cruz is a rat race, homeowner Michael Levy argues, and we are passing the hurt on to our children and community by buying and selling at absurdly inflated prices. “I am guessing that most of us, given the choice, would opt for a housing system that is not inherently a scary place of winners and losers,” he writes. He supports Measure N, the empty home tax, as a way of getting funds to make housing more equal.
Election Op-Eds
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
In Watsonville’s lone contested council race, only challenger Bilicich responds to Lookout questions
Watsonville has four city council seats up for election this November, but only one seat, District 7, has a race. The others are uncontested. In District 7, Mayor Ari Parker, the incumbent, faces veteran politician Nancy A. Bilicich. Lookout asked each candidate to answer two questions. Only Bilicich responded; here are her answers.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Five candidates for three Capitola City Council seats; budget, revitalizing mall, affordable housing are top concerns
The Capitola City Council race has five candidates vying for three seats. Only one candidate — Yvette Brooks, the incumbent and mayor in 2021 — has served on the council. The others are new to politics and offer diverse experiences and expertise. Joe Clarke is a retired Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s sergeant; Enrique Dolmo Jr. is an athletic director; Gerry Jensen owns a construction and development company; and Alexander Pedersen has a home enhancement business. Lookout asked each to answer two questions. Their answers are here.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Scotts Valley council race pits three candidates for two seats. All want to fix budget; the difference is how.
Three candidates — Derek Timm, Allan Timms and Jim Reed — are vying for two open seats on the Scotts Valley City Council, with the top two vote-getters winning the seats. Reed and Timm are incumbents, with Reed having served for almost 16 years, while Timms is a political newcomer who got his American citizenship in January. Timm, a veteran of four years on the council, has endorsed Timms. Lookout asked each candidate to answer two questions. Their answers are here.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
District 4 supervisor candidates battle for ground in Watsonville, citing infrastructure and proper representation as area’s greatest needs
Jimmy Dutra and Felipe Hernandez, both Watsonville natives and veteran politicians, are competing for the District 4 seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, a seat held by the retiring Greg Caput. The two squared off in the June primary, with Dutra receiving 3,003 votes to Hernandez’s 2,539. Here, Dutra and Hernandez answer two Lookout questions.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Port commissioner candidates cite harbor capacity, Murray Street bridge construction plans as biggest issues
The Santa Cruz Port District Commission, the five-person governing body for the port district, has two open seats and three candidates, two of whom are incumbents and veteran commissioners. Reed Geisreiter, incumbent and current chair, served from 2009-2018 and then was elected again in 2019. He worries that the harbor has reached capacity. Toby Goddard, the other incumbent, has served for the past 16 years and cites concerns about planned Murray Street bridge construction. Dick Starr, the challenger, is the son of a commissioner and is a newcomer. Lookout asked them two questions and their responses are here. Starr did not respond to Lookout’s requests.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Yes on N: It’s a vital step on the road to affordability
Miriam Greenberg and Steven McKay, both UC Santa Cruz sociology professors, argue that Measure N is a needed step in the fight for affordable housing in Santa Cruz. The crisis is so dire, they say, we need to throw “everything plus the kitchen sink” at it. Both have done extensive research on housing and insist we need to vote for N if we want to be a place that lives up to its values.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
We’re housing experts: This is why Measure O’s logic doesn’t add up
Four Santa Cruz community members with 75 years of experience insist Measure O doesn’t make sense if we really care about creating affordable housing. Stopping the city’s project will add years of planning and bureaucracy, they write, and might not yield any new housing. “The proponents (of Measure O) lack sufficient knowledge of the affordable housing development process,” they say. They explain why here.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Measure O deserves a no; the rest is magical thinking and pixie dust
The opposition to the proposed new downtown Santa Cruz library began with parking — specifically people opposed to ever adding any parking downtown. Over time, Mike Rotkin writes, others found reasons to oppose the project and joined the effort in support of Measure O. But nothing changes the fact that the proposed library will be bigger and better for less cost than rebuilding a library on its current site.
Posted inEndorsements
A Lookout View: Vote Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson for District 3 Santa Cruz County Supervisor
Lookout Endorsement: No matter who becomes the next District 3 supervisor, Santa Cruz County will benefit. The Lookout editorial board likes both candidates, but endorses Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson over Justing Cummings because we think she has the momentum the moment requires. We believe she will do the hard work and be the consensus-builder our community needs to address pressing issues of affordable housing, homelessness, mental health and climate change.