Feature Archives

The Campaign for Sensible Transportation states: The City of Santa Cruz is proposing to build a new five-level parking garage above a new relocated city library on the parking lot bordered by Lincoln, Cedar and Cathcart Streets, where the Farmer's Market currently meets. The City should implement a Commuter Benefits Program first, before it considers the construction of a much more costly garage. The Campaign is urging the City to follow the recommendations of its parking consultants: Offer incentives to people who work downtown to get to work on bus, carpool, bicycle and walking. This is a less costly and more environmentally sound way to increase customer parking than building another garage.

Fishery scientists are expecting a record low return of fall-run Chinook salmon to the Klamath River this year, due to a combination of several years of drought, water diversions in the Klamath Basin and to the Sacramento River and the continued presence of the PacifiCorp dams. Tribal, commercial and recreational fishermen are currently waiting for the decision by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) on the fishing seasons at its meeting in Sacramento on April 10, but the outlook is dismal, based on the low Klamath salmon estimates.

On April 4, the Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in their opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Citing​ ​DAPL’s​ ​violation​ ​of​ ​treaty​ ​rights,​ ​destruction​ ​of​ ​sacred​ ​sites​ ​and​ ​the​ ​threat​ ​posed​ ​to​ ​Standing​ ​Rock’s​ ​water​ ​supply,​ ​the​ ​city’s agenda report​ ​advised ​that​ ​Santa​ ​Cruz​ ​join​ ​the many​ cities​ across the country ​in​ ​officially “Standing​ ​with​ ​Standing​ ​Rock.” The Council’s resolution was formed as part of a collaborative effort between the city and a coalition of Santa Cruz residents working toward the divestment of city funds from major banks funding the project.

Commercial Dungeness crab gear entangled a record number of whales in 2016, contributing to a third straight record-breaking year for entanglements along the U.S. West Coast, according to information released this week by the National Marine Fisheries Service. While whale entanglements are reported up and down the coast, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has recently seen the highest number of entanglements. “Whales are suffering slow, painful deaths because there are too many crab traps in Monterey Bay,” said Catherine Kilduff of the Center for Biological Diversity.

In the first comprehensive review of the more than 4,000 native bee species in North America and Hawaii, the Center for Biological Diversity has found that more than half the species with sufficient data to assess are declining. Nearly 1 in 4 is imperiled and at increasing risk of extinction. The widespread decline of European honeybees has been well documented in recent years, but until now much less has been revealed about the 4,337 native bee species in North America and Hawaii. The new analysis reveals that more than 700 species are in trouble from a range of serious threats.

Two Bay Area Air Quality Management District employees charge in a new lawsuit that they were bullied, retaliated against, and fired for exposing the illegal destruction of agency documents that are required to be maintained for a record of the violations of air pollution laws by corporations. They say they had tried to stop the destruction of the documents but that the agency's top managers continued to engage in destroying citations, compliance records, and settlement agreements for air pollution control violations by major companies like Chevron, Shell, Tosco, Pacific Steel Casting, and many other companies.

The annual overwintering count of monarch butterflies released on February 9 confirms Monarch numbers fell by nearly one-third from last year’s count, indicating an ongoing risk of extinction for America’s most well-known butterfly. Scientists report that this year’s population is down by 27 percent from last year’s count, and down by more than 80 percent from the mid-1990s. A survey of monarch butterflies overwintering in California shows that the Western population has not rebounded. On the West Coast of California, key sites such as Pismo Beach and Natural Bridges saw lower populations this year than in the prior year.