Liberals in Santa Cruz have created a crippling double bind. On the one hand, they want the city and county to provide services to the poor; neighborhood amenities; good wages and job protections for city and county workers. On the other hand, they oppose, virtually every development project that comes along.
Poisons Found in Birds of Prey
Walk in any direction in Santa Cruz and chances are you’ll come across a box of rat poison before long. The small, plastic cartons look like overgrown Roach Motels and are usually found near trashcans and alleyways, pressed flush against a wall. Inside are any of a number of toxic concoctions. The worst contain anti-coagulant chemicals that, once ingested by a rodent, cause internal bleeding and eventual death. What’s less known about these deadly rodenticides is that they are potentially lethal to other animals, especially birds of prey, for which rats and mice are a steady meal.
Building Code Warriors
It seemed like plenty of folks at Monday night’s monthly Building, Accessibility and Fire Code Appeals Board meeting were anticipating fireworks, including a sheriff’s deputy who said, very sweetly, that he was there to “keep an eye on things.”
Bike Week Race
A commuter race leaves one contestant in the slow lane.
City Council Cracks Down on Hookah Parlors
The Santa Cruz City Council is not a fan of hookah parlors. Last Tuesday, city leaders took all of three minutes to discuss and approve a set of tough new restrictions that outlaws hookah parlors from setting up shop near schools and parks, and also caps the number of parlors allowed in city limits at two. The new laws come in addition to previous regulations that keep hookah parlors from serving food or beverages—including water—and from having live music.
A March Toward Machinery
With several lecturers and professors already holding pink slips, it seems all but certain that UCSC will follow through with its rumored plans to phase out its Community Studies program. Retired professor and Santa Cruz resident Paul Lee knows what it’s like to be deemed expendable.
Running Meter 2
A bit of topical doggerel.
Group Scrutinizes Santa Cruz Commuter Habits
In the near future Santa Cruz city officials will start pedaling to work, downtown merchants will hop on the bus and busboys will carpool if the Campaign for Sensible Transportation has its way.
Battling Belief Systems Won’t Be Resolved on May 19
While television ads, political mailings and news coverage of the state’s seemingly never-ending budget battles would lead a person to believe that the election is about ratifying a $40 billion solution to California’s budget problems, it is not that simple
Think Local First Spreads the Money Around
The goal was to turn $500 into $15,000 in local commerce in 30 days. The method was for five local banks to donate $100 apiece to five lucky raffle ticket winners, then for the recipient of each check to spend it at one of TLF’s 150 member businesses, each of which would, in turn, repeat the process. In theory, by keeping the money within the community, each $100 check would be spent dozens of times, thus producing thousands of dollars in revenue for goods and services along the way.
