Mike Rotkin, five-time mayor of Santa Cruz, says the city needs more affordable housing, but we also must be careful what we build. Design, including open space and access to the San Lorenzo River, are key, he says. He cautions against cost-cutting, which could undermine increasingly strong public support for more affordable units.
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Monterey survived redistricting; Santa Cruz can, too
Tyller Williamson, a city councilmember in Monterey, sees redistricting as good for minority communities because it allows them more representation. He also “cautiously supports” an at-large mayor. Monterey transitioned to district elections in November and is still working out the kinks. He’s watching Santa Cruz optimistically and says our two cities can learn from each other.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Dawn Addis for Assembly District 30: It’s time to send a teacher and women’s rights advocate to Sacramento
Dawn Addis says her dislike of former President Donald Trump’s policies and hate-filled political rhetoric inspired her to run for city council in Morro Bay in 2017. A teacher and mom, she is the endorsed Democratic candidate for Assembly District 30. She says she earned the endorsement through grassroots organizing, listening to the needs of local communities, and sharing her record of coalition-building and effective policy choices.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
John Drake for Assembly District 30: ‘To understand my campaign, you have to know my life story’
John Drake is 21 and writes that he’s “sick of” seeing people die on the streets for lack of housing and services. He’s an affordable-housing advocate who has known homelessness and poverty, and helped a family member overcome addiction. He insists our legislators must do better.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Jon Wizard for Assembly District 30: He will make housing and homelessness top priorities
Jon Wizard says he knows Santa Cruz and our issues better than any other candidate. A former firefighter and public safety officer and a council member in Seaside since 2018, Wizard says he understands the Central Coast and is a champion for affordable housing.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Zoë Carter for Assembly District 30: The Central Coast needs a no-nonsense, straight shooter with business experience
Zoë Carter is not interested in empty promises, she writes. She likes straight talk and honest work. As director of operations for the Monterey County Business Council, she helped small businesses and major industries navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and now says she is ready for statewide office. She also focuses on homelessness, health care and energy as prime concerns.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Vicki Nohrden for Assembly District 30: We need to focus on business and reduce crime and taxes
Sacramento needs fixing. Republican Vicki Nohrden argues she is the one to do it. A businesswoman and nonprofit director, she wants to create a more competitive, business-friendly environment in California by reducing taxes and bureaucracy. Less red tape, she argues, will also allow us to build more affordable housing and help solve water and climate change issues.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
It’s all about sex! You dress for our weather — buy plants for our climate, too
Homelessness is California’s biggest crisis and a problem Santa Cruz County cannot seem to get a handle on, as hard as…
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Martin Quigley UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
Plant where you live. Lookout Santa Cruz – Community Voices.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Fear was never part of the school day, but this is the country we live in now
Claudia Sternbach used to be a teaching assistant at Santa Cruz Montessori, and writes that she is horrified and furious at Tuesday’s school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Eighteen-year-old Salvador Ramos killed 21 people, 19 of them children. Sternbach has a grandson in second grade in Los Angeles and says that fear should not be part of the school day. She demands action from Republican lawmakers on gun violence.