News

Letters to the Editor: May 22 – May 28

By
• May 21, 2013

Readers debate the needle exchange and Santa Cruz geography.

We Believe

Re: “The Bigger Victory” (Currents, May 8): Thanks Fred! You said that better than I could and I agree wholeheartedly!

Henry Carter
Santa Cruz

Yes, West End

Re: “Where Exactly is Our West End?” (Epicure, May 1): If you look around in the businesses in the West End/West Side, you will see a brochure and map created by many of the businesses identifying and marketing the region as “West End.” I give out the maps in my tasting room. The project was spearheaded by Mark & Kelly Sanchez of Kelly’s Bakery, who I believe get the credit for starting the revitalization of this end of town to begin with. The brochure was a good idea and good branding, and very much enforces the fact that a lot of us are already calling this the West End. Furthermore, the West End moniker is much more appropriate than West Side for anyone who isn’t local, as “West Side” is unfortunately also a gang name.

There is a lot of very inaccurate press regarding this restaurant. I’ve seen many things about “big outside money” involved. The family of one of the main partners has lived in Santa Cruz County for over 100 years. It is a local project by local folks and will provide another great dining option for locals and visitors.
I own one of the 10 wineries within walking distance in the West End. Four of us have been door-to-door next to each other since June of 2008. It works great—we all do good business. Why can’t beer places do well with it too?

There is certainly enough room for another good locally owned eatery and wine and beer establishment in this ever more exciting part of town.

Jeff Emery 
Proprietor, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

We Were Told There Would Be No Map

This week's (May 8) letters to the editor criticizing Christina Waters' article about the new West End Taproom missed a crucial point! She claims that what locals call the “Westside” is actually the northern end of town, as though we just have this wacky local disregard for geography. The Westside is, in fact, south west of downtown, west of the San Lorenzo, and north of, well, pretty much just the ocean.

Veronica Garrett
Santa Cruz

Geography Crisis II

When I see car decals, t-shirts, hats etc. in and around Santa Cruz that say “Nor-Cal” (which is frequently), I can't help but wonder: where the heck do these people think they're living? Haven't they heard of the CENTRAL Coast or the CENTRAL Valley? C'mon folks, we live in Central California (Cen-Cal) not Northern California! Get with the program!

Name Withheld By Request
Santa Cruz

FROM THE WEB

Like They’re Addicted Or Something!

Re: “Sticking Points” Currents, May 15): How are the 700,000 needles being filled with illegal drugs that cost from $60 to $200 a day? I am no math whiz either, but that is a lot of crimes committed to fill those needles, and man, who is making bank on the illegal drug sales?

Chris Brown

Goal Tending

The studies show that the needle exchange program is working and meeting its goals, but Ken Collins knows otherwise, so we should shut the program down?  Is that really how we want to make public policy decisions?

Tim Goncharoff

  • https://www.santacruz.com/news/letters_to_the_editor_may_22_may_28.html Robert Marsh

    I posted this note in the restaurant section but I feel it should also be listed in the letters section as well. I would add an almost disbelief note that some folks feel Westside is a gang term. So, what are the colors? Slug yellow and grass green? Or tan brown and grape purple? Give me a break folks, you seem to have too much time on your hands to really believe Westside is a gang term. The rest of my views were already listed elsewhere.

    I have done business in Santa Cruz for 30 years and have lived in the area being recast as the West End. I have never ever heard any business I deal with call their business location the “West End”. More tellingly, the New Leaf in the “West End” goes by two names: New Leaf Westside and New Leaf Fair Ave, I cannot recall any of the wine buyers or owners of that business referring to the it as New Leaf “West End”. Moreover, ask a realtor if a house listed in their portfolio on what is called the “Westside” is referred to as “West End”. I doubt it, because “Westside” probably means an extra 1 or 2 hundred thousand in valuation for the house than a “West End” listing would garner. I would counsel the new restaurant, which was talked out of using “Westside” as their locator, to use either the Westside or Swift Street designation. It is hard enough for people to find businesses even with GPS and Yelp, why add an extra unnecessary impediment because a few feel a need to rename an area for their own unstated purposes.

  • https://www.santacruz.com/news/2013/05/21/letters_to_the_editor_may_22_may_28 Robert Marsh

    I posted this note in the restaurant section but I feel it should also be listed in the letters section as well. I would add an almost disbelief note that some folks feel Westside is a gang term. So, what are the colors? Slug yellow and grass green? Or tan brown and grape purple? Give me a break folks, you seem to have too much time on your hands to really believe Westside is a gang term. The rest of my views were already listed elsewhere.

    I have done business in Santa Cruz for 30 years and have lived in the area being recast as the West End. I have never ever heard any business I deal with call their business location the “West End”. More tellingly, the New Leaf in the “West End” goes by two names: New Leaf Westside and New Leaf Fair Ave, I cannot recall any of the wine buyers or owners of that business referring to the it as New Leaf “West End”. Moreover, ask a realtor if a house listed in their portfolio on what is called the “Westside” is referred to as “West End”. I doubt it, because “Westside” probably means an extra 1 or 2 hundred thousand in valuation for the house than a “West End” listing would garner. I would counsel the new restaurant, which was talked out of using “Westside” as their locator, to use either the Westside or Swift Street designation. It is hard enough for people to find businesses even with GPS and Yelp, why add an extra unnecessary impediment because a few feel a need to rename an area for their own unstated purposes.