Plus Letters to Good Times…
Thanks, Friend
More Gore
Best of the Online Comments
It’s the hot issue at the moment—the proposed Desalination Plant in Santa Cruz. Here’s the lowdown: The city of Santa Cruz has plans to create a desalination plant, which would offset water deficits. Those deficits are created in drought-ridden summer months, but if the city continues to grow—hello UC Santa Cruz—some believe water supplies will be further taxed. The desalination plant will remove millions of gallons of seawater each day but, some note, only about half that amount will be converted into drinkable water. The rest of the brine will be transported to a water plant and then blended with treated wastewater, and then put back in the bay. The issue has both sides debating the significance of the plant. This week, writer Amy Coombs presented the issue—and a number of questions—to community activists and water district representatives. You may find what they each share rather illuminating. It all unfolds in this week’s cover story. Dive in. Continue to send us your thoughts on the Desalination Plant issue to [email protected]. Let’s keep the dialogue flowing. On a lighter note, see all that’s unfolding on the music scene this week, beginning with writer DNA’s latest insights into Chuck Prophet, who’s coming to town. Plus: Take note of our ongoing Love Your Local Band spotlight, which shines the light on locals making strides in the music scene. (That’s all in the Music section.)
What’s left? Fun. Now that June is here, we’re truly in the summer season, so indulge in something festive.
Thanks for reading. Until next time …
Greg Archer | Editor-in-Chief
Letters to Good Times Editor
Thanks, Friend
I want to thank Zach Friend, representing the position of the Santa Cruz Police Department, for his enlightening article (“May Day Riots: A Community at a Crossroads”). You have helped my wife and I make a very crucial decision about moving into the Santa Cruz community for our retirement years. We planned to purchase and renovate a small home to live in for the next 20 years. We love your climate, restaurants, sea food, ice cream, and enjoy hiking West Cliff Drive and your beaches. We have spent an average of $40,000 a year for the last 30 years in our community for what we need. That money has gone to: accountants, tax preparation, auto repair, tires, brakes, gas, barber and beautician, books and newspapers, building materials, clothing, shoes, hiking gear, coffee and pastries at local cafés, electrical home repairs, entertainment, movies, theater, travel, financial services, stockbroker, furniture, interior decor, gifts, grocery, breads, meat, gym and spa, home needs—linen, towels, carpets, cleaning—insurance needs, landscape care, lawyer, legal services, medical, dental, eye care (eventual hearing aids), new vehicles, garden supplies, painters and painting supplies, patio gear, plumbing and hardware, property taxes, remodeling, new appliances, restaurants (love to eat out), sales taxes, tree trimming and utilities.
We try to do our part and donate to church and charities (always buying frozen cookie dough and magazine subscriptions we don’t really need, but to help kids in the neighborhood go to camp and for their school) and we regularly volunteer time for nonprofits and community projects. Enough about us, this is about Santa Cruz, a community enduring painful cut-backs in important services like pre-school programs due to drastically reduced tax income.
The article emphasized that the Santa Cruz Police Department was trying very hard to understand priority/priorities (used 13 times in the article). Not once in the article did I find the word protect/protection. SCORE: Priorities 13, Protection 0. Why would any retiree invest what’s left of their retirement money in Santa Cruz living if they (and their property) are not afforded protection?
Jim Griffin
Los Gatos
More Gore
I was happy to see the story in the 5/27 issue about Al Gore’s recent visit. I feel the man has much to say about climate changes and can be an inspiration to us all.
John Franklin
Santa Cruz
Best of the Online Comments
Regarding Al Gore, the real Gore-y truth is this is one man who will never have an open debate on the issues. And you have to wonder why I’ve listened to the Panetta Lecture Series for years, and this is one of the only times I’ve heard someone who has handed him an open platform to propagandize his positions. Total hypocrite. “Stop eating meat,” yet his personal choice is to only cut back. And I really wonder who will profit from his carbon offset program? It’s funny to think that he offsets his own carbon footprint by paying offsets to a company he holds an interest in, Generation Investment Management. This guy does not want to save the planet, he is more worried about controlling others and what they eat, drive, and how they live, and making a profit off of it.
I don’t really have a deep enough understanding of the situation to have an educated position, but if this is the leader of the “Stop Climate Change,” movement, I have a hard time believing that he wants anything more than to dig into my wallet. ’Cause I hope everyone knows that if something like Cap and Trade goes through, WE WILL BE PAYING THE BILL, not CORPORATIONS. They will only pass the increases in fees and fines along to the consumer. Wake up, unless you want the government controlling your thermostat, the time you spend in your car, the time you spend in the shower, and other things I can’t think of right now. One final thought: has anyone thought about how our coastlines have formed? Do you think they ALWAYS looked like they do now? If so, you need to go back to sixth grade science class. WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP.
—Lost 17
