About 150 University of California professors, including 33 from UC Santa Cruz, signed a letter urging UC President Michael Drake to take back his call for a “viewpoint-neutral history of the Middle East” in educational programming. Drake’s comments referenced a $7 million commitment to combating rising Islamophobia and antisemitism as campuses grapple with escalating tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.
Santa Cruz
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County says sales tax increase crucial to funding services
Voters in March could decide on whether to increase Santa Cruz County’s sales tax rate by a half-cent to 9.5% if the board of supervisors approves including the question on the March 5 primary ballot. The increase could bring in $10 million annually to a county struggling financially.
Posted inLatest News
Sheriff’s office confirms hunger strike in Santa Cruz jail as inmates say ‘we are treated abominably’
Five inmates are on a hunger strike in the Santa Cruz Main Jail, and their complaints mirror many of the issues cited in a civil grand jury report earlier this year. A similar demonstration led to changes in the jail in May 2019, but activists say the focus should remain on funding programs and services aimed at rehabilitation.
Posted inEnvironment
Rare harlequin duck spotted in Santa Cruz sparks frenzy among birdwatchers
Throngs of birdwatchers have gathered at the Santa Cruz Harbor to catch a glimpse of a female harlequin duck, which is rarely spotted this far south, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz’s oversized vehicle ordinance goes into effect Monday. Will it help solve homelessness?
The City of Santa Cruz’s oversized vehicle ordinance goes into effect Monday after a lengthy road to approval. While safe parking services are available for those living in RVs and campers, spaces are often full, and some worry about the ability of their often old vehicles to withstand traveling to and from the designated parking areas.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Boundless passion: Community pillar Rowland Rebele passes away
An everyman of community betterment, Reb leaves an unmatched legacy of doing good throughout Santa Cruz County.
Posted inHousing & Development
Major downtown Santa Cruz rental housing projects near completion
As the year comes to an end, three housing projects in downtown Santa Cruz are nearly finished. The Cedar Street Family Apartments, an affordable housing complex, is set to welcome residents in February, while the market-rate Anton Pacific apartments aim for move-ins by the end of that month. The developers of Pacific Station South, also intended as affordable housing, expect the project to open in May or June.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz doesn’t need taller buildings; it needs a vision for sustainable affordable housing
Longtime Santa Cruz resident Laura Lee believes the Santa Cruz downtown expansion plan “moves us in the wrong direction.” She thinks the boom will impair views, cause traffic congestion, overwhelm public services and detract from the small-town way of life she cherishes. The expansion plan, she writes, has caused “a substantial portion of city residents” to lose confidence in city leaders: “We see them placing corporate profits above resident priorities.”
Posted inLatest News
Trial time frame tentatively set in murder case of Pleasure Point tech executive Tushar Atre
The trial in the murder case of a tech executive and cannabis entrepreneur Tushar Atre is tentatively set to begin in March 2024. On Monday, an attorney for Kaleb Charters, one of the four men charged in Atre’s kidnapping and murder, challenged DNA evidence and law enforcement statements. Santa Cruz Superior Court Judge Stephen Siegel ordered a Dec. 4 hearing to review the concerns and determine whether to toss out evidence in the case.
Posted inLatest News
Petition to limit building height in Santa Cruz officially qualifies for March ballot
City of Santa Cruz voters will likely get the chance to vote in March on whether they want a say before developers build taller than the city’s existing height limits. The citizen-led effort to put the question on the ballot has citywide implications, but is inspired by a city vision for a 1,600-unit downtown expansion to south of Laurel Street.