In the February 13th issue of the Santa Cruz Sentinel a front-page article by Shanna McCord quotes Santa Cruz Vice-Mayor Coonerty as saying "There is a sense of urgency now because people don't feel comfortable downtown. We have to respond to that." Coonerty, Counilmembers Lynn Robinson and Cynthia Mathews have teamed up to increase police funding, staffing, and enforcement of the new 15-minute law which criminalizes anyone but a city worker from remaining in a parking structure for longer than 15 minutes, subject to a $160 fine. Despite repeated complaints of homeless people "sleeping all over the place," there is no plan to increase any shelter or legalized sleeping options. Coonerty's plan, concocted from complaints from his customers at Bookshop Santa Cruz, is to increase the criminalization of homelessness. Read more

See also: The Coonerties also Criminalize Their Customers || War on the Poor || Downtown Ordinances Now Easily Available || Confronting the Coonerty in his Lair: Another Protest at B.S. Santa Cruz || Santa Cruz Homeless crack down in full selective force || Watch The Cops As They Watch You || Know Your Rights || Humanity For Homeless now partially funded by the homeless || Cop Watch - making an official complaint on an officer