Gov. Jerry Brown is eying the state’s redevelopment agencies’ funds to cover the budget deficit, but in Santa Cruz County, one branch of the redevelopment agency is moving full steam ahead despite an uncertain future. The Economic Development team under its new manager, David Dobson, is focused on fostering local startups and expanding existing businesses. This focus on the private sector, he believes, will spur job growth in the county.
UCSC Scholarship Fund for Shooting Victim
A new scholarship has been created at UCSC in memory of Gabriel Zimmerman, an aide to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who was killed in the Tucson massacre on Saturday. Zimmerman was a UCSC alumnus. The fund was established by two alumni, Alex Clemens and Jonathan Klein, who have no connection to Zimmerman but were inspired by his story. “He embodied the traits you want to see for a person who goes into public service,” said Clemens.
Streetsigns: Dancing In The Dark
Maybe it was the fact that the crowd skewed young, or that the multiuse space at the 418 Project in downtown Santa Cruz has a little bit of a gymnasium feel, or maybe it was the older couple on the fringe of the crowd peering around like someone’s parents, but as the Bane Show was getting underway on Sunday night there was something awkward about the event, in a distinctly high-school-dance kind of way.
City Votes to Extend First Alarm Contract
City Council voted last night to continue employing First Alarm security guards to patrol downtown during the day. The annual cost, $63,000, is 25 percent cheaper than a community service officer. Funding for the program will be drawn from redevelopment funds, though these are already targeted by Gov. Jerry Brown to cover the state’s deficit.
Hit Or Miss With 8 Tens @ Eight
Einstein once explained the concept of relativity by saying, “When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it’s longer than any hour. That’s relativity.”
Attorney Calls for Public Dialog on Street Musicians
The latest incident between Santa Cruz police and the long-displaced band of drummers that once gathered weekly at Wednesday’s downtown farmers market has prompted a local attorney to suggest a new approach to resolving the old and tiresome conflict: talking it out.
Ten Questions for Dale Ockerman
The Musicscool teacher, White Album Ensemble performer and onetime keyboardist for the Doobie Brothers writes us back.
How The Bay Was Saved
Hopkins sits on a rocky knob of land jutting out into the water from a much larger knob of land that constitutes the southernmost tip of the Monterey Bay. It is surrounded by cypress trees that, on foggy mornings (as most are), act like sponges, collecting moisture and letting it loose in fat, missilelike drops.
California Budget: A Ship In Distress
The howling started early on Monday, Jan. 10, the day Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled his plan for closing a $25.4 billion budget shortfall. And it came from all quarters, as might be expected in the case of a budget proposing an unprecedented $12.5 billion in program cuts combined with almost $12 billion in revenue from an extension of tax increases set to expire this year. As the saying goes, there’s something for everyone to hate.
City to Vote on Moving Bike Route
The Pacific Coast Bike Route is a landmark in Santa Cruz. The route, which runs from British Columbia to Southern California, has long passed through the city, running along Mission Street. Originally, the street was chosen because of all the services it provides cyclists. The problem, however, is that it cannot be widened to accommodate separate bike lanes. With traffic on the rise, people on bikes are often forced to compete with cars for their share of the road. In the past year alone, this has resulted in two fatalities.
