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.
News
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.
Colleges Facing Cuts Again
With California’s budget still straining, it was inevitable that the new governor would search desperately for places to cut. And it was inevitable that all the old favorites would be targeted. This means that higher education—one of the only “flexible parts of the budget,” in Gov. Brown’s words—is on the chopping block again, with a proposed $1.4 billion in budget cuts. The UC and CSU systems will each face $500 million in state funding cuts, while the community college network can expect another $400 million in cuts.
Building Evacuated in Bomb Scare
The University Town Center was evacuated on Monday morning after a suspicious package was found on the third floor of the building. The bomb squad investigating the object determined that it was a laptop with some wires protruding. The object was first noticed by an IRS employee, who immediately notified the police—the floor is shared by the IRS and the ACLU. Occupants of the building were allowed to return shortly after 12:30pm.
SPCA Gets New Shed
People across Santa Cruz County have been rallying to help the local SPCA after what can only be called a very tough week. A shed that stored free dog food for needy families was broken into last week, but since the news went out, some $7,000 worth of pet food has poured in from concerned residents. Then there was the shed itself, which was replaced thanks to the efforts of Billy Klinkefus.
