Mike Rotkin arrived in Santa Cruz in 1969, not long after the University of California, and soon not only became a pillar of UCSC’s Community Studies program but launched into the progressive politics that reshaped the city. He served a record five terms as mayor and in a variety of other positions. He passed away at his home Wednesday.
Santa Cruz
Posted inWestside / Downtown
Santa Cruz honors local Pride with IllumiNight and Rainbow Procession
The City of Santa Cruz will be kicking off pride early on Tuesday, May 27, with an IllumiNight Pride Event and Rainbow Procession.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Tensions start to flare as sides submit dueling Santa Cruz housing measures
With the signatures now submitted, local housing advocates and the real estate industry prepare to face off in a battle of ballot measures to go before voters in the city of Santa Cruz this November.
Posted inLatest News
Sheriff’s K9 praised for drug bust; SCPD seeks new police dog training space
As Hazel is praised online for her success in the field with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office K9 team, the Santa Cruz Police Department is seeking new training locations for its canine unit.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz’s moral fight over the property sales transfer tax – be sure to pick your side wisely
Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin comes out against an affordable housing proposal put forth by realtors to rival one proposed by local activists, saying it is an attempt to confuse voters and subvert the democratic process. It’s not about creating housing, he says. He calls on Santa Cruzans to channel the energy used to beat back Big Cola last November to reject this initiative. Signatures on the petitions for the rival initiatives are due May 9. They need 3,620 signatures to qualify for the November ballot in the city.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County health director resigns following proposed layoffs
A day after news broke that Santa Cruz County’s largest department, the Health Services Agency, would propose layoffs and cuts to services and staffing positions, the agency’s director, Mónica Morales, abruptly announced her resignation.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: The Santa Cruz City Council needs a reality check on vacancies downtown
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident writes that the city council is misguided in its efforts to implement the Downtown Vibrancy Ordinance.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Nostalgia isn’t a housing policy – we need to build in Santa Cruz today because of past policies
Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, vice mayor of the City of Santa Cruz, wants to set the record straight on the city’s housing policy and accusations that the city is selling out to developers. “What we’re doing now isn’t about chasing profits, it’s about making up for lost time,” she writes, including years of the city council saying “no” to new housing. “Let’s be clear: Building more affordable housing is not a betrayal of our community’s values,” she writes. “It’s a recommitment to them. It’s about inclusion, equity, and making sure this town doesn’t turn into a playground for the wealthy alone.”
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A popular Santa Cruz Facebook page played a political April Fool’s joke on its 73,000 members. Then came the fallout.
A name change prank on Santa Cruz’s biggest Facebook group by one of its own administrators quickly went awry, fueling long-simmering tensions that the page had grown too political since the 2024 election.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Fact check: Cutting through the fog of competing affordable housing petitions in the city of Santa Cruz
In a city grappling with housing affordability, two rival ballot measures have emerged in Santa Cruz: one backed by the mayor, another by real estate interests. What are the differences between the competing petitions claiming to raise money for affordable housing?