Columns

A quiet revolution is underway in Santa Cruz Mountains’ lush valleys amidst the towering redwoods and winding creeks. It’s a tale of resilience, community and the enduring power of connections—the resurgence of networking in the San Lorenzo Valley (SLV). As we gathered together after the...

Easter Sunday was supposed to be spent with my visiting elderly parents. They had set out on a road trip from Arkansas to see friends along the way, spend time with other family in Clovis, Calif., and then make their way here for the...

What happens to a plant when the thermometer tops 100 degrees? Planning for more hot weather this summer is a requirement for a successful garden. Are there some plants that can survive tough times more easily? Photosynthesis is one of the most remarkable biochemical processes...

Recently, the County won approval from the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to make it easier for survivors of the CZU Fire to get started on an important aspect of rebuilding their homes. Rather than going to the Regional Water Board for approval...

Santa Cruz County recently received some unsettling, although not surprising, news that we are the most expensive rental housing market in the United States. In rankings compiled by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the Santa Cruz-Watsonville market topped even San Francisco, San Jose, Salinas...

Setting goals is essential for the City to be successful. The City Council discussed and approved nine strategic goals for 2023-24 to allow Scotts Valley to focus on the most important issues we face. Seven of these goals follow. Others will be described in...

While waiting at a stoplight on Glen Arbor Road in Ben Lomond I glanced over at the long row of lovely golden yellow daffodils gracing the side of the road. Those daffodils have appeared each of the 18 years I have lived here announcing that...

In the movie Independence Day, we heard “….We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We're going to survive! So today, we celebrate our Independence Day!”  We did fight, we did struggle, and we...

As I reflect on 2022, it’s difficult to imagine another year that brought as much change to Santa Cruz County in terms of policymaking and planning. As we continued recovering from the CZU Fire and Covid-19 pandemic, the Board of Supervisors completed a number...

According to the Tax Foundation, California is 34th in the country—not last—in property taxes and Proposition 13 gives us an effective tax rate of 0.7%. Houses are assessed with purchase or new construction and then tax increases limited to 2% yearly. The tax is...