There’s no question that there has been an upswing in violence in Santa Cruz over the past year or so. There have already been six homicides this year, the last one just this past Friday. Teens no longer feel safe walking in parks at night, because of the threat of gang violence and the murder in April of Carl Reimer, 19. A professor at UCSC had his tires slashed. Vandals tagged buildings downtown with graffiti just after shop owners cleaned up from the May Day riot.
News
Cemex Departure Sticks Davenport With Big Bills
In a pastel-toned house just off Highway 1 in Davenport, an 89-year-old man weeps softly into his hands. He says he’s worried that if his sewer and water bills jump from around $2,700 to $4,000 per year, like they’re scheduled to by the end of July, he’ll have to sell the home he’s lived in since 1947. A widower with no children, a fixed income and an advancing case of prostate cancer, he says he can’t bear to think of leaving.
Suspect Arrested in Fatal Shooting
The SCPD arrested James Alexander Oehler, 23, on Saturday for the murder of an as-yet-unnamed Santa Cruz man who had a “significant history of drug-related arrests.”
Farr Proposes $159M In Earmarks
Federal earmarks—love ‘em or hate ‘em? That’s a big question around the country these days, with last year’s budget including $15.9 billion in earmarks for 9,499 projects around the nation. Some argue that they help stimulate the economy. Others claim they just increase the deficit.
Teen Sentenced for 2008 Murder
Jonathan Cardenas was 16 in 2008, when he attended a party at a Beach Hill motel. He and seven other teens had been drinking and smoking pot when a fight broke out between them. Another participant, a 14-year-old, accused Robbie Reynolds, 18, of stealing money from her purse. Reynolds smacked her, and Cardenas and another friend jumped into the fight. Cardenas stabbed Reynolds once in the side. Reynolds later died from the wound.
Bad Beaches = Bad News for Memorial Day Weekend
Oh, the irony! Just yesterday SantaCruz.com.html reported that the Times of London considers Santa Cruz to be the world’s top surfing destination. Closer to home, the Santa Monica-based nonprofit Heal the Bay listed two Santa Cruz beaches on its “Beach Bummer” list for 2010. According to their report, the high levels of bacteria in the water there could put surfers and swimmers at a higher risk for illness. Bad news, for sure, especially as the county prepares for the long Memorial Day weekend.
How Repair California Was Sunk
Repair California was just an idea. Then, overnight, it was the not-for-profit messiah of the Golden State and the darling of nearly every major newspaper on the West Coast. In 2008, the Bay Area Council announced an idea to fix California’s political crisis that was so simple, so glisteningly democratic, that it was sure to fail. Called Repair California, the plan was to convene a new state constitutional convention, an idea that outshone every other proposed initiative on the 2010 ballot before their star went dark. As fast as it arrived, Repair California was gone, leaving a stunned populace to wonder, “What happened to our revolution?”
At UCSC, A Costume Drama
In the back of Robbie Pleasant’s closet, behind a few wrinkled T-shirts and a couple pairs of pants, are rows and rows of costumes. Among them is a black-and-silver collared robe modeled after “Manjoume” from the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh GX. There’s also a white flowing martial-arts-type gi like the one “Aizen” wears in Bleach and a tattered wizardly gown famously donned by “Negi” in Mahou Sensei Negima!
Crawford, Connelly for Judge; Coonerty for Supe
The Santa Cruz Weekly‘s political endorsements for the June 8 primary.
Grim Prospects for City Schools
Mary Hart, Associate Superintendent of Business for County Education, has some grim news for the Santa Cruz City School District. Despite teacher concessions and other steps taken to overcome the deficit, it is unlikely that local schools will be able to rehire teachers or restore abandoned programs. The district is facing a $7 million budget shortfall over the next three years
