Though the union representing Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter workers has retracted its calls for shelter board members and administrators to be fired, shelter workers told a joint powers authority board meeting on Monday that they are continuing to push for more staff, resources and better pay. Shelter management expects to report on salary study findings in February.
Government
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.
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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.
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Sheriff’s office confirms hunger strike in Santa Cruz jail as inmates say ‘we are treated abominably’
Five inmates are on a hunger strike in the Santa Cruz Main Jail, and their complaints mirror many of the issues cited in a civil grand jury report earlier this year. A similar demonstration led to changes in the jail in May 2019, but activists say the focus should remain on funding programs and services aimed at rehabilitation.
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Santa Cruz’s oversized vehicle ordinance goes into effect Monday. Will it help solve homelessness?
The City of Santa Cruz’s oversized vehicle ordinance goes into effect Monday after a lengthy road to approval. While safe parking services are available for those living in RVs and campers, spaces are often full, and some worry about the ability of their often old vehicles to withstand traveling to and from the designated parking areas.
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Zach Friend won’t seek fourth term as supervisor, ushering in a new era for Santa Cruz County politics
District 2 Supervisor Zach Friend’s decision to not seek a fourth term means a new chapter for the five-member Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, after four multiterm supervisors have retired or announced plans to retire over the past year.
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Gophers, grout and FEMA: How a rodent-hole debacle rocked the San Lorenzo River levee
Ahead of a July FEMA deadline to repair the San Lorenzo River levee, the City of Santa Cruz hired contractors to pour grout in holes in the levee made by rodents. River stewards say workers mistakenly poured the grout in holes containing seedlings, destroying 150 native plants and damaging efforts to rehabilitate the area’s biodiversity. The city says it plans to revamp its bidding process for such contracts in the future, moving away from requirements to accept the lowest bidder.
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Central Coast communities hope to benefit from Rivas’ rise to Assembly speaker. Will he deliver?
Robert Rivas, whose California Assembly District 29 stretches from the southern tip of the Salinas Valley up into Watsonville, Freedom and Corralitos, welcomed exponentially more responsibility and power onto his plate when he was sworn in Friday as Assembly speaker. Political leaders in Santa Cruz County hope Rivas’ ascension will help elevate the profile of a region that has often been overlooked and prioritize Central Coast’s varied challenges, from coastal resilience to farmworker resources.
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Weary parents, young children bused from Texas to L.A. in latest ‘political stunt’
The third group of migrants sent to California in transportation chartered by state governments in Texas and Florida arrived Wednesday, bringing along with it continued controversy.
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Bruce McPherson will not seek reelection to Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in 2024
Friday’s announcement that Bruce McPherson — whose Fifth District includes the San Lorenzo Valley, much of Scotts Valley and part of Santa Cruz — won’t pursue another term on the county board of supervisors cracks open the 2024 field in an already competitive race for county power in the Santa Cruz Mountains.