The governor’s proposal to close 220 of the state’s 279 state parks as a cost-cutting measure could shoot California’s economy in the foot. Results of two university studies have concluded that California’s state parks generate more money than they cost to operate, and local park advocates assure that tourism in Santa Cruz County will suffer if the parks go off-limits. (With slide show)
News
Santa Cruz Nonprofits the Latest Victims of Budget Cuts
Though the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council was spared the budgetary scalpel at a meeting of the Santa Cruz City Council Tuesday, other organizations throughout the city were not as fortunate. The city voted to keep the CVC’s funding at the same level as last year, and decided the same for the County Cultural Council, but 52 other nonprofits face an across-the-board 25 percent cut in municipal funding. The cuts saved the city a total of $300,000.
UCSC Facing Tough Budget Cuts
The finger pointing is well underway as regents of the UC system meet in San Francisco to decide on how to implement the necessary budget cuts for the coming year. The meeting comes in the wake of an $800 million cut in state funding to the 10-school system, compounded by an additional $335 million deficit expected over the next two years because of increasing costs.
Life And Death on the Pajaro River Levee
In Watsonville, within certain circles, it is a well known fact that if your wife or parents kick you out, or if you’re down on your luck, or if you just don’t want to be found, you can go down to the river levee. There, hidden along the banks of the Pajaro River in the brush and high grass, out of sight from the apartment complex windows and the prefab homes with their Dish Network satellites, you’ll find the casitas–little houses–built from tarps, bungee cords, tree limbs and blankets, constructed and tended to by a chronically homeless population of monolingual Spanish speakers. If you have nowhere to go, on the levee it’s possible to get a bite, maybe a beer and, if you get there early enough, even a bed. Most nights, that is, except for the night of March 25.
Local Man Injures Butt
Yeah, you heard me.
Public Opposes Monterey Desalination Plant
Monterey City Council was packed yesterday with almost 100 people, most of them opposed to a proposed desalination plant in Moss Landing. Apart from concerns over the $300 million price tag for the facility, opponents cited environmental concerns and a general misgivings about Cal Am as the reasons for their resistance to the project. “Corporations should not be profiting from water,” said Peggy Olsen, a Monterey resident.
Pogonip Brushfire Doused
A small brushfire that broke out yesterday afternoon between Harvey West Business Park and UC Santa Cruz was extinguished quickly by fire crews on the ground and a Cal Fire helicopter.
Santa Cruz Cracking Down on Excessive Water Use
With the city of Santa Cruz preparing to tap into its Loch Lomond reservoir because of a severe water shortage, the “water police” have begun to crack down on people using too much water and violating local restrictions.
Critics Take Aim at New Strawberry Pesticide
If Gov. Schwarzenegger caves to political pressure, a new pesticide called methyl iodide could replace methyl bromide as the primary pest-fighter used by strawberry farmers. This might come as some relief to environmentalists who’ve been pushing the phaseout of the ozone-depleting methyl bromide. But there’s a catch: its would-be replacement is a highly volatile carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent.
Tourism Agency’s Fate Lies in the Balance
With Santa Cruz facing a $9.2 million deficit, Santa Cruz municipal lawmakers are considering cutting funding to the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council.
