Stray Population Influx Strains Resources for Santa Cruz County Animal Shelters
In 2023, Santa Cruz County animal shelters experienced a 23 percent increase in animal intake, with a 56 percent rise overall in the last two years. This jump called local communities and organizations to action to support animals in need. Adoptable “Prescilla” located at Santa...
Running on Empty: Students Voice Safety Concerns at Second TAPS Town Hall
Following December’s fatal loop bus crash that killed beloved community member and bus driver Dan Stevenson, students were finally able to address administrators last Friday. It took months of planning, preparation, and one rescheduled meeting to finally get Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) leadership on...
A Look Inside Santa Cruz County Main Jail
The only sunlight that penetrates the concrete walls of Santa Cruz County Main Jail seeps past a ceiling of barbed wire and metal into the exercise yard. If they’re lucky and the weather is just right, incarcerated people in the general population can spend at...
Activists Unite in Weeklong Global Strike for Palestine
On one of the first warm days of the year, families flocked towards the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Sticky-fingered children grabbed arcade controllers. Spilled popcorn and candy wrappers littered the ground. But unlike any other day, a chant could be heard in the distance with...
Remembering Dan Stevenson, Beloved Community Member and Bus Driver
Dan Stevenson — California native, beloved friend, partner, and Santa Cruz Metro and loop bus driver — was honored in a vigil held by the Worker Student Solidarity Coalition at UC Santa Cruz on Jan. 29. Dan Stevenson was born in Richmond, California in 1964....
TAPS Receives Unsatisfactory Rating From California Highway Patrol
In the wake of a tumultuous fall quarter for Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS), the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has issued a safety and compliance report regarding TAPS operations after being requested by the university. CHP’s report, conducted on Jan. 3 and issued on Jan....
Demands, Democracy, and Divestment: Community Confronts UC Regents at First Meetings of 2024
Seated on the ground, legs crossed and arms intertwined, students and alumni from the University of California (UC) staged a non-violent sit-in at the UC Board of Regents’ first meetings of 2024. Calls to divest from war profiteering and invest in student and worker welfare...
UCSC Admits First-year Winter Class as Part of a “Strategic Enrollment Strategy”
Emma Do received a letter of acceptance from UC Santa Cruz in July 2023 after months of being waitlisted. Originally set to start at UC Riverside in the fall, Do jumped at the opportunity to attend her father’s alma mater. But the offer came with...
The First Step in a Long Road: SUA Holds its First of Two TAPS Town Halls
Over 30 UC Santa Cruz community members gathered to air grievances about the safety and reliability of transportation on campus. The Student Union Assembly (SUA) held the first of two town hall events regarding the Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) department. Attendees gathered on Zoom...
Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties Face Ongoing Lawsuit From Pajaro Valley Residents After Levee Failure
Flooding in Pajaro Valley during storms has turned into a disastrous routine. When the levee fails, agricultural areas are disheveled and submerged. Homes are evacuated to avoid the unlivable conditions that follow. In the wake of last spring’s disaster, Pajaro Valley residents are once again...