Letters to the Editor | Published June 9, 2023
The hard truth
Regarding Lynn McKibbin’s May 19 letter, “Dignity Health Closes Boulder Creek Clinic,” I had a prior warning of what was to come when I got the official notice from Dignity Health, and it was what I expected.
I can pick out many statements...
Editor’s notebook: Changes to the Press-Banner
You may have noticed that the newspaper you are holding has the words “Postal Customer” on the upper right-hand corner of the back cover.
The Mountain Gardener | For the Love of Roses
January is almost over with nary a raindrop. Our days have been lovely and many of my plants have started growing earlier than usual. Guess I can’t put off pruning my Compassion rose any longer. I see some outstanding new rose varieties available for...
Plain Talk About Food | Bacon In My Chowder?
It was cold and raining (when hasn’t it been?) as I stepped from my warm car in front of Stagnaro’s Fish Market on the Santa Cruz wharf yesterday.
Usually, I love to spend an extra minute or two, perusing their showcases filled with seafood straight...
The Mountain Gardener Celebrates 900 Columns
Well, it’s come to this—my 900th column. Starting way back in October of 2005, my first column appeared in the newly combined San Lorenzo Valley Press and the Scotts Valley Banner, which was re-named the Press Banner. This is how it all got started.
My...
The Mountain Gardener | Adding a Dry Creek Bed to Landscape
With so many people replacing their thirsty lawns with low water-use plants, I’m getting lots of requests for ideas about what to do with all that empty space. The sky’s the limit when you have a blank slate. Let me get you started.
If your...
Letters to the Editor, June 26th
I am writing to state disappointment with the SC City Council for approving the massive Tesla-only charging station in Kings Village Shopping Center. Scotts Valley has exactly one other EV charge station which is at the Walgreens also in Kings Village. That one is rarely used because it is not a common brand and most people with EV cars do not have accounts with that company. There are many non-Tesla EV's driving around Scotts Valley and SLV. I see them all the time. To approve so much space for Tesla-only charging is disgraceful. They should have required that each charge station support any EV. If that is not technologically possible they should have required one conventional Level-2 charge station for every one or two Tesla chargers. I suggest replacing some of the dozen or so that were installed with chargers that can be used by a wider variety of consumers. Teslas can use convention charge stations, but non--Tesla EVs can NOT use these Tesla chargers. Did anyone in the planning department even look into the overall E=V charging situation in Scotts Valley before approving these? It seems not.
News Briefs | Published July 4, 2025
Tree removal leads to temporary closure on Big Basin Highway
Caltrans will temporarily close a section of southbound Highway 236 (Big Basin Highway) left on...