“I believe listening to your child and honoring their feelings is the kindest and bravest and most loving thing to do,” Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach writes after hearing her 9-year-old grandson’s easy, matter-of-fact mention of a classmate with they/them pronouns. “The folks who are trying to take away the rights of trans people need to get educated.”
Opinion from Community Voices
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I’m helping build a Capitola park for kids with special needs. My late daughter Kayla would have loved it.
Lisa Harvey-Duren lost her beloved daughter Kayla nearly five years ago to a genetic condition. During her short life, Kayla radiated joy and fought the odds to survive and thrive, Harvey-Duren writes. Kayla could have benefited from more inclusive playgrounds for children with special needs. Now, the City of Capitola is set to create one at Jade Street Park and nonprofit County Park Friends has launched a $1 million fundraising campaign to help cover the $1.82 million cost. Despite Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, most playgrounds are not accessible for kids with disabilities. “Can you simply imagine how discouraging that is for a child and their family?” Harvey-Duren says.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
‘I want to reassure the public,’ parklets and outdoor dining are staying in Santa Cruz
The City of Santa Cruz does not want to remove any of the outdoor dining spaces that popped up during the pandemic. Quite the contrary, says Bonnie Lipscomb, Santa Cruz’s economic development director. The city wants to help restaurants keep the parklets and outdoor dining options and transition from temporary to permanent permits. The process can take time, she says, but the city is working to streamline it. The ultimate goal, she says, is to keep these spaces open long-term and keep dining outdoors safe and accessible to all.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I have worked for Native Animal Rescue for seven years — calls have exploded since 2021
Native Animal Rescue of Santa Cruz County makes close to 3,000 rescues a year — nearly double what it did as little as two years ago. Here, Amy Red Feather, the agency’s wildlife supervisor, makes a plea to humans to be more careful of other species. She also takes us through the recent rescue of a Seabright pelican who got her foot hooked and tangled in a fishing line.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Cabrillo College name needs to change, trustee Steve Trujillo writes — it’s the right thing to do
School leaders have put off a vote on the Cabrillo College name change until at least 2028. But Steve Trujillo, a trustee, thinks this is a mistake and wants the name removed. “To say Cabrillo was merely exploring is laughable,” he writes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Let’s hold our state accountable for pesticide regulation: Urge Gov. Newsom to sign AB 652
California likes to brag about its robust environmental laws, writes local activist Woody Rehanek, but it rarely talks about the troubling pattern of pesticide use and public health. A September “People’s Tribunal on Pesticide Use and Civil Rights in California” helped illuminate disparities in exposure. It also highlights problems in our state’s decentralized regulatory system, which allows county agricultural commissioners to wield unchecked power. A proposed solution, Assembly Bill 652, aims to establish stronger rules to hold the Department of Pesticide Regulation accountable for these practices.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The Santa Cruz music scene is great, but the volume might be giving you hearing loss
Electrical engineer and part-time drummer Ron Green has a suggestion for his fellow musicians: Bring the volume down. He says his ears often ring when he leaves shows, which does not bode well for long-term hearing health. “It seems impossible to attend a live music show without the use of some sort of ear protection,” he writes. “This does more damage than most people realize.”
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The California Legislature has the backs of the LGBTQIA+ community — here’s how
Three of Santa Cruz County’s state legislators — Assemblymember Dawn Addis, Sen. John Laird and Assemblymember Gail Pellerin — proudly outline strides our state has made in assuring that the rights of LGBTQIA+ people are protected. That includes codifying same-sex marriage, offering support for students in schools and for foster students, offering inclusive health care policies for LGBTQIA+ people and establishing all-gender restroom policies. They explain the details and why this matters here.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Did the scent of fire scare you last week? Join Firewise, meet your neighbors, be ready for disaster
Shareen Bell got spooked by the smell of wildfire that hung in the air around Santa Cruz County last week. It took her back to the CZU fire and reminded her why the organizing work she does at Firewise matters. She is one of the organizing members of the Highland Firewise group on the Westside, and she encourages everyone to get to know their neighbors and create a disaster plan. She explains how and why here.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A far-right hate group is trying to recruit in Santa Cruz County; we stand united to say ‘No’
A coalition of 44 local organizations has united to denounce the group Moms for Liberty, which participated in a meeting in Watsonville last weekend. Moms for Liberty says it advocates parental rights, but is also labeled extremist by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Here, the 44 organizations denounce the tactics, ideas and motivations of Moms for Liberty, which include banning books and limiting discussions about race and LGBTQ+ identities in schools. “We will fight their efforts with vigor and passion every step of the way to protect our most vulnerable kids and their families,” the groups write.