Santa Cruz City Schools officials and the teachers union are getting closer to reaching an agreement on pensions.
Articles by Danny Wool
Budget Crisis Hits the Courts
Faced with a projected $2.3 million budget deficit, the Santa Cruz County Superior Court system has decided to consolidate its operations.
Gang Violence Up in Watsonville
Crime may be down in Watsonville, according to figures released yesterday. It may even be the lowest it’s been since 2000. There is, however, one type of crime that is on rise in the city. Gang violence increased 41 percent from 2008 to 2009.
A Hairy Experience
When Logan Mella goes to school today, his friends won’t recognize him. He had his hair shaved off to donate to Locks of Love.
Poachers Killing Off Steelhead Trout
In the 1960s, steelhead trout were a common sight in the rivers and lakes of Santa Cruz County and throughout the Central Coast. Since then, however, their numbers have dropped by as much as 80 percent, and their future looks grim. A major culprit, say environmentalists, are poachers, particularly poachers who catch the fish with illegal gill nets.
PRIDE in Santa Cruz
Gang violence still isn’t a problem in Santa Cruz the way it is in other Bay Area cities, and the SCPD wants to keep it that way.
Santa Cruz Makes a Bid to Google
San Jose is doing it. So is Topeka, Kansas, which renamed itself Google for the month. Duluth, Minnesota called on one of the state’s favorite sons (no, not Jesse Ventura) to make their pitch, while the mayor of Sarasota, Florida, took a dive into shark tank to get Google’s attention. Everybody wants Google (except the Germans). Everybody wants to be the first in America to test out Google’s new high-speed fiber-optic network. And everybody means Santa Cruz too.
Marine Sanctuary Center Coming to Santa Cruz
Seven years ago, Santa Cruz beat out 22 locations along California’s Central Coast in its bid to house the new Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center. After seven years, the bids to construct the $17 million center will be going out this spring. Construction is expected to begin this summer.
Single in Santa Cruz? Forget About Home Ownership
Interest rates may be historically low and the cost of houses may be dropping, but if you are single don’t expect to be buying a home in Santa Cruz any time soon. According to the 2010 Paycheck to Paycheck study, which was released on Tuesday by the Center for Housing Policy, it takes $128,656 in income to qualify to buy a median priced home for $431,000. That’s because Santa Cruz is one of the five most expensive places to buy a home anywhere in the U.S.
Teachers Slam School District for Retirement Deal
In a desperate effort to save money, the Santa Cruz City District hired an outside firm, Public Agency Retirement Services, to come up with a new retirement plan.
