The level of violence in Santa Cruz has shot up, and City Council is determined to do something about it, regardless of the cost. On Tuesday, City Manager Dick Wilson was authorized to fill eight vacant positions on the SCPD, even if it costs the city $1 million. It was a bold move, considering that the city is struggling with a $4 million deficit. Mayor Mike Rotkin is now suggesting a new public safety tax to help defray costs.
According to City Councilmembers Ryan Coonerty, Lynn Robinson and Cynthia Mathews, some of that money could be used to improve lighting and install surveillance cameras downtown. They also want the police to work more closely with private security guards hired by local businesses and have offered to help businesses pay for some of the damages.
These ideas were raised at a meeting they held with members of the Downtown Association. The meeting was not without incident, however. Micah Posner, a member of the Santa Cruz Hub for Sustainable Transportation, and several other participants were asked to leave the meeting, ostensibly because their groups are not members of the Downtown Association. Posner in particular was eyed with suspicion because his group also leases space to the SubRosa Café, an anarchist meeting place that has been linked to the riots. He responded that “We do not appreciate the indiscriminate backlash against radical and alternative organizations,” and claimed that he and others have been harassed in the wake of the incident and even threatened with physical violence.
Meanwhile, City Council also offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people involved in the May Day riot. Also eligible to receive the reward money will be anyone who provides similar information about the recent gang murders in Santa Cruz of Tyler Tenorio and Carl Reimer. Read more at Mercury News.
