I am writing in support of Measure A because it would benefit everyone in Scotts Valley. This well-structured measure would provide funds that would stay local and be used almost entirely on a badly needed new middle school. Because a healthy fully-functioning community must have an excellent school system, everyone in Scotts Valley should support our youth and vote for Measure A. Children should be our number one investment because the payoff is so big. Whether you are a parent, student, teacher, community member, or business owner, you have a stake in our school system.
I have owned property in different areas of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties for 28 years. I currently own property in Scotts Valley. The school taxes are overwhelming. I currently pay over $1,000 year in property taxes just for schools, and now we are faced with yet another school tax (Measure A) that would cost me another $300/year or more in school taxes. To top it off, our kids are grown and gone. By the way, what happened to the California Lottery school funding?
I hike in the Bonny Doon Ecological reserve quite often but had never seen the waterfall. Since the Martin fire in 2008 I have written several columns about the remarkable comeback nature can make after a natural catastrophe. Each spring I eagerly await the new growth of manzanita, chinquapin, pine and the spring flower display. Recently I joined a group led by botanist and revegetation specialist Val Haley, who has been a volunteer at the reserve since 1993 and knows just about everything there is to know about this unique place on the planet.
One of Santa Cruz County’s longest-running corporate/environmental partnerships kicked off over Memorial Day weekend, with the launching of the 19th annual Save Our Surf campaign.