Evictions are rising in Santa Cruz County, largely because of the foreclosure crisis. There were 367 evictions in the county in 2009, compared with just 293 in 2007. More worrying perhaps is that almost one-third—114—were the result of foreclosures.
News
Local Groups March to ‘Take Back the Streets’
Last night, some 70 members of women’s and neighborhood advocacy groups joined with community leaders and the local police department in a protest march against violence.
A Cell Tax for Santa Cruz?
With local unemployment at 13.5 percent, it doesn’t take a scientific poll to tell most people that raising city taxes might be a tough sell. But Santa Cruz city leaders are not most people.
City Manager to Retire
Longtime Santa Cruz City Manager Dick Wilson announced that he will be retiring at the end of July. Wilson served in the position for the past 28 years. In that time, he oversaw the reconstruction of the city’s downtown after it was devastated by the Loma Prieta earthquake. More recently, he has been forced to contend with a declining municipal budget, due to dwindling tax revenues.
Motorcycle Clubs Fight It Out Downtown
Violence in Santa Cruz took a turn yesterday when a group of local Hell’s Angels faced off with bikers from Vagos.
County Names Poet Laureate
The SantaCruz.com team poet commemorates a momentous occasion in Santa Cruz letters.
Ten Questions For Neal Saiki
Neal Saiki, founder of Zero Motorcycles, discusses efficiency, ceviche tostadas and Seabright Ave.
Survey: Californians Bummed About State of the State
According to the latest survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, the Golden State is in an awfully foul mood going into 2010 and the upcoming election season. Two out of every three of those polled said California is headed for “bad economic times” in the next 12 months, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a very low approval rating of 30 percent. The legislature is even worse off, earning a scant 18 percent approval, just shy of the all–time record low of 17 percent. Poll respondents were also very gloomy about the legislators’ ability to work together in 2010—65 percent say they will not.
County Names New Planning Director
Kathleen Molloy Previsich will replace outgoing director Tom Burns at the helm of the Santa Cruz County Planning Department on March 1.
2009 Crime Statistics for Watsonville
Watsonville’s newly minted police chief, Manny Solano, presented the Watsonville city council with a statistical synopsis of crime in 2009.
