Feature Archives

After an eviction from their previous transmitter site, Free Radio Santa Cruz has found a new site and resumed broadcasting. The collectively run, anti-corporate, community supported station has been providing Santa Cruz with alternative programming to counter mainstream corporate and NPR stations since 1995. Uncle Dennis, a broadcast engineer for Free Radio Santa Cruz, is offering a class in radio engineering during the winter quarter of Free Skool Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz, Calif. — Just as PG&E enters the final phase of its deployment of wireless “smart” meters in California, the largest of the state’s Investor Owned Utilities (IOU’s) has reversed course, quietly beginning to replace the ‘smart’ meters of those reporting health impacts with the old analog version. Consumer rights and health groups immediately seized on the news, demanding that millions of Californians unhappy with their new wireless meters get their analogs returned immediately at no cost.

On October 29, the 18th Annual Peace & Unity March was held in Watsonville. The march was organized to honor victims of gang-related violence in Watsonville and to push for an end to the violence in the community. Sandino Gómez, historian for the Watsonville Brown Berets, recounted how the march began in 1994 to honor Jessica and Jorge Cortéz, 16 and 9 years old, who were gunned down because they had witnessed a gang–related crime. Gómez emphasized that “violence is not the solution” and that everyone present “must be part of the solution”.

The Sacred Sites Peacewalk for a Nuclear Free World departed from San Luis Obispo on October 22nd and arrives in Watsonville on Thursday, October 27th. Marchers are staying in Santa Cruz county through Saturday before heading north to San Jose on Sunday. A schedule of planned Santa Cruz County Peacewalk public happenings has been made available, and community members are encouraged to come out and support the walkers.

In support of a massive hunger strike by prisoners held in California prisons, which originally began at Pelican Bay State Prison and spread to over a dozen other prisons, community members gathered at Laurel Park on the evening of October 8th. Demonstrators marched to the Santa Cruz County Jail where they made noise and gathered in solidarity with the prisoners held in the local jail as well as the prisoners on hunger strike across the state.

Approximately 150 supporters of Occupy Santa Cruz marched on banks the afternoon of October 7th. The march wound its way through the downtown, and stops were made at Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. Protesters attempted to gain entry in order to close their bank accounts as a group, but even though it was normal business hours, all three of the establishments visited had locked their doors to prevent the group from entering. A second march was held on October 12th.

Occupy Santa Cruz rounded out its first day on October 6th with a major decision by the group to change the location of the occupation to Mission Plaza. The occupation began with a long day of organizing. Late in the evening, a group of a dozen or more remained; people continued to discuss the movement, they cooked their meals, and some set up places to sleep in San Lorenzo Park.