Opinion from Community Voices
Jewish law requires COVID-19 vaccines, and so does Simcha preschool: We must protect the most vulnerable
Temple Beth El’s preschool program, Simcha, is requiring all children, teachers and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend the play-centered program in Aptos. Some families have objected to the temple board’s vaccine decision and have left the program. Rabbi Paula Marcus, the congregation’s longtime leader, argues that caring for the most vulnerable among us, and thus getting ourselves and our children vaccinated, draws directly from the commandment to preserve life — which the Jewish faith places above all others.
Santa Cruz’s arts community needs a protective ‘SCAARF’ to survive
Longtime mixed media artist Sara Friedlander has a retrospective at the Curated by the Sea gallery in downtown Santa Cruz through Sept. 10, with her friend and fellow artist Dee Hooker. Friedlander’s art has encouraged us to rethink immigration, the systemic oppression of women, climate change, the threat to democracy and more. In a Community Voices op-ed, she writes about the need to support Santa Cruz’s artists through the “SCAARF fundraising wall of art,” which is showing along with their exhibit. Check it out; you might get to take home your favorite piece.
My new yoga place is not a safe space. How could it be?
Santa Cruz yogi Valerie Moselle has been trying — and failing — to quit teaching yoga. She loves it, but she also believes yoga is too often a “colonized white space of privilege, rife with cultural appropriation and spiritual bypassing.” In a Community Voices op-ed, she explores the dichotomy and her own mixed feelings and writes about the warning sign she’d like to post outside her studio for her students.
I don’t want high school to end; the pandemic cheated me out of two years
Maren Detlefs started Santa Cruz High School as a senior Wednesday and already doesn’t want high school to end. Maren is excited for college, they write, but feels cheated by the pandemic and wants to milk this final year for all the experiences they lost since COVID-19 hit in 2020. Maren is technical director in the school’s theater program and describes how the chaos backstage, the long weeks hot-gluing sets together and the roar of the audience at a final performance offers a sense of belonging the actors will miss dearly when high school ends.
‘Remember the butterflies?’ The monarchs are on their way — let’s plan a welcome feast
For decades, Natural Bridges State Beach has attracted monarch butterflies and crowds eager to glimpse their delicate beauty. Their numbers are now dwindling — down 99.9% since the 1980s — and the iconic orange and black insects are coming in smaller numbers to Santa Cruz. Longtime resident and writer Claudia Sternbach remembers trips with her in-laws, her Montessori class and the day the Loma Prieta earthquake solidified her love for the colorful, winged visitors. She also helps us think about what small acts we can do to help them survive.
I’m 17 and had a pregnancy scare; here’s my take on Roe
Autumn Gafforio is entering her senior year this week at Santa Cruz High School, has a serious boyfriend, uses contraceptives and in June worried she might be pregnant. She missed her period just as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The timing and the way her life suddenly mirrored a national issue stunned her and made her realize the strong feelings she has about abortion. She feels compelled to tell her story.
Cocaine ruined my last year as a teen; UCSC and my family saved me
Madison Barneaux spent their last year as a teen addicted to cocaine. The electric rush they felt after their first line rapidly turned dark. Cocaine caused them to lose 40 pounds and their connection to themselves and their family. Coming to UC Santa Cruz saved them. So did their family. Madison details their journey here and explains why we should all be talking about addiction.
We’re so close to saving Watsonville hospital; your help is crucial now
A group trying to save Watsonville Community Hospital has raised slightly more than $59 million in the past six months to acquire the bankrupt institution — one of only two hospitals in Santa Cruz County. The group still needs $7.8 million more and is looking for additional community help. Here, 19 local business leaders outline why the hospital is worth saving and why the business plan is solid.
I think microdosing should be legal: Let’s fight depression and anxiety with ancient medicine
LeTa Jussila believes “magic” mushrooms could be key to helping us escape depression, alleviate anxiety and migraines and overcome trauma and PTSD. Standing among the redwoods in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, she explains in this video what psilocybin is and how Santa Cruz and our nation are moving toward decriminalizing it for medicinal purposes. She thinks our country made a mistake by making plants illegal in the late 1960s and that many of us could benefit from taking small doses of mushrooms (microdosing) regularly.