Feature Archives

Volunteers transformed a run-down warehouse space and bleak parking lot in downtown Santa Cruz into a cozy community and performance space with a large patio surrounded by a beautiful garden. Inside and outside, people gather around small tables for coffee and conversation, reading, talking, meeting, and enjoying performances and art.

On June 17th, community members, organized by the newly formed Alliance Against Gang Enhancements, rallied and handed out flyers on the steps of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse and the corner of Ocean and Water to educate the public about the realities of gang enhanced sentences. Organizers say that the sentencing "enhancements" [sic] broadly criminalize youth and do not deter future gang crimes. Rather, they result in huge costs passed on to taxpayers and overcriminalize youth in marginalized communities.

The 17th annual Santa Cruz Dyke March takes place on Saturday, June 6th, the night before Pride. Frootie Flavors, Beaver Fever and Lisa Pawlak are featured at the 2:30pm rally at the Town Clock. There will be a march around 6pm, followed by an after party.

For 30 years, Life Lab Science Program has been helping educators and students bring learning to life in the garden. Based in Santa Cruz, Life Lab has been a leader in the garden-based learning movement locally and across the nation. On May 30th, Life Lab celebrated its 30-year history with a birthday party in and around the Garden Classroom, located on the UC Santa Cruz Farm.

If approved by the state legislature, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget plan will close 220 of 279 State Parks and Beaches, including each and every State Park and Beach in Santa Cruz County. The only public hearing on this proposal took place in Sacramento on June 2nd before the Legislative Budget Conference Committee.

On May 28th, students, staff, workers, and faculty rallied at the base of the UC Santa Cruz campus to protest the UC administration’s decision to cut Community Studies department staff, Latin American Latina/o Studies professors, and director positions at the American Indian Resource Center and the Women’s Center. The rally was organized by the New UC coalition to ensure universal access to education, and to promote freedom of thought in the university.

The weather is warming and this years summer crops at the Beach Flats Community Garden in Santa Cruz are coming up. It's been over a year since the Garden was first threatened with closure. Despite various threats, gardeners continue to plant, tend and harvest.