Gov. Gavin Newsom wants local jurisdictions to “take back the sidewalks” from homeless encampments; leaders in Santa Cruz County have largely pushed back against what they say is mostly talk from the state’s top political leader.
Fred Keeley
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Tensions start to flare as sides submit dueling Santa Cruz housing measures
With the signatures now submitted, local housing advocates and the real estate industry prepare to face off in a battle of ballot measures to go before voters in the city of Santa Cruz this November.
Posted inHousing & Development
‘I’m interested in making Santa Cruz relevant again’: Mayor Fred Keeley discusses monumental downtown vote
As Santa Cruz weighs a major downtown expansion and a new housing measure, Mayor Fred Keeley faces a defining week. Years of planning come to a head as the city debates growth, change and what kind of future it wants to build.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley dons skates for roller derby birthday celebration
Santa Cruz Roller Derby will be honoring Mayor Fred Keeley with a special gift for his 75th birthday on Saturday, May 10, at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. During halftime, Keeley – who goes by the moniker “Freaky Freddy” on the roller derby track – will be on skates rolling with the Boardwalk Bombshells.
Posted inHousing & Development
Santa Cruz planning commission advances ambitious plan to reshape downtown with taller, denser buildings
More than four years in the making, Santa Cruz’s planning commission has advanced a sweeping proposal to extend the city’s downtown south of Laurel Street toward the coastline, an effort that aims to reshape the city’s urban core with new housing, taller buildings and walkable infrastructure. The proposal now heads to the city council.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘A slap in the face’: As local realtors launch a dueling housing measure, Santa Cruz mayor accuses group of dirty play
A political firestorm is brewing in Santa Cruz as realtors launch a rival housing initiative to one put forward earlier this year by Mayor Fred Keeley and housing groups. Keeley and his allies say they were blindsided by the move.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘It’s a terrible idea’: County plan to allow cannabis lounges draws mixed reviews in the cities
While cannabis lounges received support from Santa Cruz County supervisors on Tuesday, the issue has divided mayors and councilmembers in the county’s four cities.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Amid national ‘sanctuary cities’ concerns, Santa Cruz City Council ponders what to do – privately
Santa Cruz, a sanctuary city since the 1980s, has traditionally recommitted to the policy when deportation rhetoric from the White House has ticked up. The city has so far kept quiet under the new Trump administration – and in mid-January held sanctuary city discussions behind closed doors.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
With Measure Z poised to pass, Santa Cruz jolts national debate around soda taxes as legal battle looms
Santa Cruz’s Measure Z is poised for victory despite a $1.7 million campaign by the beverage industry. The apparent triumph has signaled a potential revival of soda tax initiatives nationwide and challenges to Big Soda’s influence.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz Mayor Keeley says he is cancer-free after a year of treatments
Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley was diagnosed with bladder cancer in July 2023. One year of treatments later, he said he is officially cancer-free. The 74-year-old mayor didn’t miss a single Tuesday city council meeting over the course of his treatment and recovery.