Candidates Talking About River Levees

Santa Cruz installed a new disc golf course this past summer near the San Lorenzo River. (Jacob Pierce)

The San Lorenzo River levees are notorious for their beer cans, cigarette butts and remnants of leftover encampments. But with the election approaching and public safety issues on voters’ minds, the levees have Santa Cruz City Council candidates brainstorming about creative ways to remove these stigmas and shore up the bastion of natural beauty.

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Summer Soaking in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Laine Otto, 9, is stoked to be swimming in water that isn't a pool. Photo by Chip Scheuer.

There’s nothing quite like swimming in the redwoods. It’s more liberating than swimming in a normal pool and less unsettling than treading water in the open ocean. There are no Great Whites in the San Lorenzo River, and the biggest risks are getting poison oak on your way there or maybe stubbing your toe. And even at its chilliest, the water is never as cold as the ocean is around these parts.

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