Opinion

It has been an exciting first month as your County Supervisor for the Fifth District. After being officially sworn in on Dec. 23 by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, I took office on Jan. 6 and was symbolically sworn in during a community celebration on Jan....

“Really,” I thought to myself, what is Brainspotting? After Erin Burton, LCSW, finished her introduction at a local event, I decided to set up an interview with her, excited to better understand her work. In our country today, we recognize the importance of addressing mental...

Forest Lakes Firewise includes more neighbors When I moved to the San Lorenzo Valley in 2018, I fell in love with living in the forest. But then the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex wildfire opened a whole new view of living in the woods. As lucky...

It has proven itself true—that one alone is on a walk, but two together are going somewhere—and our nonprofit, Damians Ladder, has shown this to be a perfect example of “partnering,” going somewhere together. As a small child, my aunt and uncle would take me...

What’s that wet stuff coming from the sky? Hopefully by the time you’re reading this we will have gotten some much-needed rainfall. I wanted to research the latest scientific papers on how climate change is impacting our gardens. Plants have adapted over millennia to their...

“The ultimate irony of crypto… is that crypto is succeeding by doing exactly the opposite of what it was originally intended for… Crypto will make governments and big corporations more, and not less, powerful.” —Mehta, Neel; Agashe, Aditya; Detroja, Parth. Blockchain Bubble or Revolution? Bitcoin...

As a mental health expert, one of the most profound truths I’ve observed is that small, consistent habits can create a ripple effect that transforms lives. Habits shape our days, and in turn, our days shape our lives. When cultivated intentionally, healthy habits can...

A visit to any of our local nurseries at this time of year is like a visit to the candy store for a gardener. There are so many exciting edibles available now and this is the time to get yours. How lucky am I...

As we step into 2025, we must acknowledge the unprecedented events that recently tested our community's resilience. Our long-held scientific belief that tornadoes do not happen in the Santa Cruz Mountains was dispelled. A week later, we saw historic storms destroy a county landmark...

“Be careful what you wish for, it might be more than you can handle.” That thought immediately came to mind, that late afternoon while staring down the hallway of my apartment building many years ago. Women and children were at each end of that hallway, some...