What happens when an elected official—acting alone—says thanks but no thanks to tens of thousands of dollars for his financially struggling district to study an issue that a) is hugely important to that district and b) he vehemently opposes?
News
Center for Sustainable Change Wins Big Grant
What if you could change your life as quickly as you can change your mind? That idea is the driving force at the Center for Sustainable Change, a local nonprofit agency. Its work in low-income communities has caught the attention of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which recently awarded the organization a $100,000 grant.
Home Economics of Walnut Commons
If all goes according to plan, Sue Lawson will leave her home in La Selva Beach, where she’s been 32 years, for a new place where she hopes to really get to know the people around her. Lawson intends to move into a proposed 19-unit housing complex that’s up for a city council vote July 24. It would include a community kitchen and activity room—all in the name of getting to know the people next door a little better. “This is why it’s called an intentional community,” the 74-year-old Lawson says. “We meet once a week, and our building isn’t even going to be built for a year and a half.”
Letters to the Editor: July 11-July 17
Readers share their thoughts on a local iconic author, our latest political cartoon and the effort to end homelessness.
Famous Santa Cruzans
Some big stars have walked the streets of our fair town. Here are some worth bragging about.
Top 5 Places for Bike Rides
Biking is a way of life in Santa Cruz. No small wonder, considering we’ve got trails for every skill and endurance level, whether your bike was made by Schwinn or Specialized.
Doing A 180 On Homelessness
Permanent Supportive Housing is a model for solving the problem of homelessness, and it is the backbone of a national grassroots effort called the 100,000 Homes Campaign. With this model, homeless individuals are put into housing—literally, “Here’s an apartment, here’s a key,” no questions asked—and wrapped in any and all supportive services they may need for the rest of their lives until they die, hopefully with dignity and indoors. Santa Cruz has just joined the campaign with its own Project 180/180.
Desal EIR Delayed Again
The environmental impact report for the Santa Cruz desal plant, originally due September 2011, has been delayed a second time. Now city staff has given up on estimating specific months and instead started ballparking seasons.
Pacific Cookie Company Makes Gluten-Free Flavors
The aromas of fresh-baked cookies filling this shop are almost too good to be possible. Always ahead of the curve with home-baked attitude in gourmet packaging, Pacific Cookie Company won our hearts and taste buds 30 years ago, thanks to founders Larry and Shelly Pearson, and has stayed fresh ever since.
Kale, Supplements Provide Solutions to Iron Deficiency
As a child, I went through an anemic phase, a very tired time punctuated by my mother chasing me around the house with a dropper of metallic drops to squirt on my tongue. I was 4. Chomping copious amounts of iron-rich beets and kale, per my mother’s orders, I began to feel a bit more energetic.
