PUBLIC SAFETY & RAIL-TRAIL PLANNING
Public safety is at risk with only a moderate width path along the planned rail corridor trail that will be shared by bikes and e-bikes, pedestrians, children, strollers, dogs and wheelchairs. For public safety, we cannot have e-biking teenagers, tourists and junior high schoolers riding these heavy e-bikes on the same trail as your frail, but still walking older parent, or your toddler. We need a wider trail with separation for the several modes of transportation.
- Della Davis
CROSS WORDS
Arghhh! For the umpteenth time clues seem to have fallen off the bottom of the page! My poor husband was trying to complete the puzzle in GT week of June 14 when he realized some clues were absent, and it’s happened before. Much frustration has ensued. Please restore sanity to our household and be a little more careful with how you print the crossword.
- Isabelle Herbert
VOTING RIGHTS IN DANGER
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by SCOTUS. The Shelby County Decision opened the floodgates to voting discrimination that targets people of color, native Americans, people in poorer areas and many more. For those of us who live in areas like Santa Cruz county, where voting is relatively straightforward, it is easy to overlook these attacks. However, we must not disregard the countywide impact of anti-voter legislation that is being pushed in other parts of our country. These laws diminish our ability to fight the climate crisis, support women’s rights, protect LGBTQ community and much more. We must continue to press our elected officials to make federal protection for voting rights a priority and pass it now. Our democracy is built on our votes and will break without them.
- Natalie Beebe l Aptos
SAVE THE TREES
Flagged trees adjacent to the railroad tracks along Hiawatha Avenue, Pacific Edge Climbing Gym across from Murray Street are only a few of the nearly 400 trees slated to be cut down if the “Ultimate” trail plan is green-lit by Santa Cruz and the Regional Transportation Commission for a bike and pedestrian trail next to the tracks. The rail corridor is the subject of a study to gauge the feasibility of rail service in the future; these trees will be cut down if the trail plan is built before we get the results of this study. A cheaper, faster and less destructive option will leave all the flagged trees—and many others—untouched while we wait for the results of this study.
- Nadene Thorne l Santa Cruz
Woke letters only, please.
All others will be censored as “hate.”