A “bicycle boulevard” on King Street took one step closer to becoming reality at Monday’s Santa Cruz City Council budget hearing. But before anyone hops on a Huffy and coasts down the center lane, they should know that it could still be up to four years before bikes rule the Westside road.
Articles by elgeorge
Don Webber’s Crusade to Save La Bahia
It’s a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean from Don Webber’s balcony. A clear shot between the bell tower and Court of the Mariners of the La Bahia Apartments over the warm and busy sands of Main Beach, it’s a postcard-worthy scene by anyone’s standards.
Mercury Found in Coastal Groundwater
Scientists at UCSC have discovered high levels of an ultra-toxic form of mercury in the groundwater of two coastal sites in California. The groundwater flows, they say, show a previously unknown source for what have been mysteriously high levels of mercury recently found in marine environments and in seafood.
Street Kids, Restaurant, Church Reach Truce
There’s an old saying: don’t shit where you eat. It’s a wise bit of logic—typically not meant literally—reminding people to keep their misdeeds away from where they live and work.
Santa Cruz Ponders Alternative Energy Tax District
Santa Cruz City Councilmember Mike Rotkin spent $63,000 to outfit his house with solar panels. Using the equity in his home and good credit, he easily qualified for a loan from Santa Cruz Community Credit Union and expects to have it paid off in seven years. Considering his savings in energy costs, Rotkin calls investing in solar energy “a no-brainer.” But not everyone has the kind of home equity and credit that qualified the politician and UCSC lecturer for a solar loan.
Skydiving Over Santa Cruz
It’s the most beautiful day I could have picked to jump out of an airplane. Eighty-five degrees at early evening, light breeze out of the west and 13,000 feet between me and the ground.
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.
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.
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.
