.Opinion February 22, 2017

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Wild Edge

Re: Green Screening (GT, 2/1): While city leaders are working on a Draft Parks Master Plan, they’re simultaneously crafting a Draft EIR for a development which could destroy a de facto park.

Ocean Street Extension, which stretches beyond city boundaries, provides city and county residents with quiet refuge immediately after turning off at the cemetery. The rural, bottlenecked street, once called “Italian Gardens,” is lush with organic farms, leading into redwood forest and access to the San Lorenzo River. For obvious reasons, the street is utilized regularly by joggers, walkers and cyclists from beyond the immediate neighborhood. For many of these visitors, the area adjacent to the cemetery is the jumping-off point (i.e., parking) while others utilize it simply as a quick pullout point to make phone calls or eat lunch in their vehicles—PG&E, Davey Tree, Xfinity and other commercial vehicles are frequently seen there. This spot is also crucial for overflow parking during funeral services with large attendance, such as occurred with the services for the slain SCPD officers several years ago.

So, what’s the threat? A proposal for 10 three-story buildings in a 40 unit condo-complex on the hillside next to the crematory, of which only 15 percent will be “affordable.” Parking along the cemetery would become severely limited and will create new hazards for pedestrians and cyclists. The development is not along a city traffic corridor. There is no bus service. The bike lane? Gone, in order to squeeze in a dangerous new intersection with an extended turn lane; Graham Hill Road commuters, take note.

The deer that graze on that hillside know where the wild edge is. Tell our city leaders that you know too. All too often, we don’t know what we’ve got ’til it’s gone.

Teresa Aquino

Santa Cruz

Null and Voids

My response to your cover story on young “culinary masterminds” (GT, 2/15) was disbelief that Santa Cruz diners are craving chicken feet or offal. What would most likely be more welcome would be some or all of the following:  a good Spanish restaurant, a good Vietnamese restaurant, a good New Orleans restaurant (a step beyond the casual Roux Dat), a Peruvian restaurant, and most of all a real New York-style deli. Someone please fill these voids.  

Judi Riva

Santa Cruz

Friendly Fire

Strange that our new president is demonizing NATO and insulting our allies. Shortly after 9/11, I saw a televised interview; it was a German pilot and his international crew describing the protective patrols that he and his team were flying over the Golden Gate Bridge. Our NATO allies were flying protective missions on the West Coast (and, I assume, on the East Coast, as well). Do we really want to disrespect our NATO alliances?

Shirley Marcus  

Capitola

CORRECTION

GT’s story “Uncommon Ground” reported that Debora Wade filed a temporary restraining order against her neighbor Micah Posner. It should have also reported that a judge threw the restraining order out and ordered Wade to pay $500 toward Posner’s legal fees. We regret the omission.

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OPEN ART
Robbie Schoen, director of the Felix Kulpa Gallery on Elm Street, suffered a massive stroke on Friday, Feb. 10. Fans and friends of Schoen have raised $25,000 so far through an online fund to support Schoen’s rehab. In the past few days, he has been talking and following simple directions. For updates and to give, visit youcaring.com/robbiesrehab. Donors can also bring or mail checks into any location of Santa Cruz County Bank.