Third-year student Amanda Safi wants UC Santa Cruz to pay more attention to menstruators. She is a period activist who was thrilled in December when the university started supplying free period products in bathrooms. It’s a great step, she writes, but the university should put the products in regularly serviced dispensers — just like toilet paper. And the products should be safe for users and for the environment, which they are currently not, she says. “Having period products in baskets when we put toilet paper in dispensers sends the message that menstruators are an afterthought,” Safi argues.
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The Queer and Trans Youth Council creates a zine with hopes to support LGBTQIA+ high school students
The Queer and Trans Youth Council of Santa Cruz County, a program of the Queer Youth Task Force, is a youth-led council that focuses on building community and leadership skills. Each year the council members create and complete a project that will help build a safer county for our LGBTQIA+ youth. This year they are […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Neighborhood Courts offer restorative justice: Let’s keep low-level offenders out of court
Imagine someone hits your car and leaves the scene. Or maybe your child or friend gets caught shoplifting or with a fake ID. Should that person face court, a possible criminal record? Danitza Torres, coordinator of Santa Cruz County’s Neighborhood Courts program, thinks there is a better way, one that involves restorative justice and a chance for people to take responsibility for their actions and for victims to get closure on low-level offenses. Neighborhood Courts have resolved 130 cases in the county in the two years since it started. Torres explains how it works here and puts out a call for volunteers to serve as panelists to help resolve cases.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz is not immune to hate — let’s build our own table of cooperation
John Brown Childs — a UC Santa Cruz distinguished professor emeritus of sociology and veteran of the civil rights movement — has spent a lifetime thinking about resolving conflict. Earlier this month, while sitting outside a cafe in Santa Cruz County, he was the victim of hate speech, making that work both more immediate and more personal. Nader Oweis, former UCSC chief of police and now chief of police at Sonoma State University, also worries about increasing intolerance and polarization. As our country has become more divided socially and politically and more affected by gun violence, the two advocate for more ways of bringing people of different constituencies “to the table” to solve racism, inequity and violence.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Remembering fire captain Brian Tracy: How do I do justice to the man who stole my heart in minutes?
Brian Tracy, a 16-year veteran of the Santa Cruz Fire Department, lost his two-year battle against brain cancer on April 27. He was 43. His wife, Stephanie, remembers him — and offers a lesson for all of us.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Ligiah Villalobos: Educating Lost People of Mexican Descent through the Medium of Film
Editor’s note: Lookout’s high school journalism challenge invited students to write a profile of an unsung hero who is making a positive difference in our community, inspired by our popular “Unsung Santa Cruz” series. This student participated in his class at Diamond Technology Institute. A mother and son, hundreds of miles apart, physically separated by […]
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The U.S. Senate should approve the U.N. high seas treaty — we need this protection for our ocean
Environmentalist Dan Haifley says the newly minted United Nations high seas treaty will protect the “wild west” of international waters, fight climate change and preserve biodiversity, and that the U.S. Senate, which failed to ratify the previous agreement on seabed mining, should approve it. The U.N. vote is scheduled for June 19.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Unsung Santa Cruz: Counselor Zamora helps students succeed in a post-pandemic world
Roberto Zamora, an academic counselor at Rolling Hills Middle School, is an unsung hero dedicated to helping students navigate their educational journeys. Born in Mexico and raised in Watsonville, Zamora goes above and beyond to support not only students but also his colleagues, offering guidance, assistance and even acts of kindness like buying lunch for those in need. His passion for making a difference, fueled by his own experiences, makes him an invaluable asset to the community of Santa Cruz County.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Unsung Santa Cruz: Recent Storms Prove our Neighbors are More Than Just Neighbors
In the close-knit community of Santa Cruz County, neighbors proved to be unsung heroes during the recent devastating storms. With properties flooded and homes damaged, residents faced challenging situations. However, amid the chaos, the unity and support within the community shone through. Neighbors came together to help each other, from tearing out wet carpet to offering food trades, showcasing the true strength and kindness of Santa Cruz County residents in times of crisis.