Justin Marc, a second-generation Santa Cruz milkman, spent 19 months in jail in Santa Cruz for check fraud, fueled by an addiction to crack. While incarcerated, he found his voice as a poet. He was released two years ago, on Aug. 31, 2021, and has been sober for four years as of last week. Here, in both video and written form, he tells his story, often in rhyme. “That’s how words come out in my thoughts,” he says. “The rhyme is automatic.”
Health & Wellness
Posted inPolitics & Policy
CARE Courts open in a month, promising hope for families; not everyone is so sure
CARE Courts are set to open in several California counties Oct. 2. Some families and others question the voluntary-compliance aspect of the mental illness law. Santa Cruz County is not required to roll out its CARE Court program until December 2024.
Posted inK-12 Education
Too many students are missing class: Santa Cruz County schools struggle with steep rise in chronic absenteeism
Local school leaders are working to address chronic absenteeism rates that have remained stubbornly high since the pandemic. In addition to sending letters to families, Santa Cruz County districts are knocking on more doors and making more phone calls home. The strategy is a shift from the past three years of messaging that erred on the side of encouraging students to stay home from school for health and safety reasons.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Survey shows support among residents for potential Watsonville Community Hospital property tax
Out of the 400 voters surveyed in the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, 75.5% said they would vote yes on a bond measure to support Watsonville Community Hospital and 2.5% said they were leaning in that direction. About 61% of voters supported a tax at an annual rate of $19 per $100,000 of assessed property value versus a total of 54% of voters who said they would support a higher rate of $24.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
‘Soft psychedelic’ ketamine use is on the rise in Santa Cruz, taking on trauma, death and ‘becoming a better me’
Among a buffet table of other psychedelic drugs, “psychedelic-adjacent” ketamine is gaining popularity as a treatment option for a number of crippling conditions, as well as a means to face the end of life, and even as a method of self-improvement. Legal and legitimate ketamine use is on the rise in Santa Cruz County, where a number of doctors, psychotherapists and other professionals are offering ketamine-based services, and where an emerging support network for those interested in psychedelics is based.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘Crisis of epidemic proportions’: Families, survivors, workers share personal stories of opioid struggles
Nearly 100 community members and service providers came to Watsonville Community Hospital on Thursday afternoon for an International Overdose Awareness Day event. In addition to 21 harm-reduction and substance-use support organizations, a number of people directly affected by the opioid crisis shared their stories, urging awareness and prevention.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The secret to aging in Santa Cruz: Wear that tiny bikini on the inside
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach is sometimes surprised at the gray wave sweeping Santa Cruz. On her regular beach walks, she sees “more and more older folks out catching some rays.” Census data confirms the trend; the county’s 65-84 age bracket grew by 81% between 2010 and 2020. Sternbach, in her 70s, shares her thoughts as she grapples with her own age-related ailments and “being transported to this other existence.”
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County readies to spend millions from opioid settlement funds starting next year
As Santa Cruz County awaits about $26 million in funds stemming from national lawsuits against pharmacies, drug manufacturers and distributors, residents say they want to see that money go toward treatment facilities and supporting vulnerable groups as the dollars roll in over the next decade.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Study: Dementia risk grows with increased exposure to air pollution — including wildfires, ag dust
Long-term exposure to fine particulate pollution could increase the risk of developing dementia, new research says, with exposure to pollution from wildfires and agricultural dust havingthe strongest ties to the prevalence of dementia.
Posted inEnvironment
California’s top methane emitter is a vast cattle feedlot. Regulators are giving it a pass.
A “kid gloves” approach to agricultural emissions, including burping cows, raises questions about an environmentally minded state’s commitment to combating climate change.