Opinion

The familiar hum of a well-oiled machine is a comforting sound. It suggests efficiency, precision, and a harmonious system. This is an analogy I provided to Town Council at a council meeting on Aug. 6, as I, along with Chair Eleanor Yick, presented the...

“Where are you from?” It’s a common question, and one that can be quite loaded for people of diverse ethnicities. On its face, it’s a plain question based on curiosity, filled with nostalgia, or awe. But it could also carry covert racism and hatred, carrying the connotation...

Emerging contaminants, also known as “contaminants of emerging concern,” are substances in the environment that may be detrimental to wildlife and/or human health. Some emerging contaminants are chemicals and compounds entering bodies of water like lakes and rivers, which are identified, tracked, studied, and ultimately...

Candidate profile one-sided About Dinah Cotton’s article “An afternoon meeting with a prospective Congressman” Just read your Evan Low article.  Very one sided considering the activities Low took to keep a recount from happening. His main contributor appears to be PG&E; his packing of the democrats’ vote to...

Most conscientious attorneys are worry warts/party poopers. We’re paid to consider all potential scenarios. Thus, it came as no shock to me that I reacted first with pleasant surprise and then with concern when I heard that the State of California had awarded LGS...

What were your favorite school memories as a child? Mine included counting roly-polies in the grass at recess, having mud-sliding contests after school, and picking wildflowers with my friends. Some of my least favorite memories were having to play soccer on plastic turf on...

As we draw nearer to Thanksgiving, I am reminded of this holiday’s origins and significance. There are some interesting and noteworthy parallels with today’s world, two years after Covid-19 began. While Thanksgiving has only been a national holiday since it was established in 1863 by...

There are serious problems with ALPR systems Santa Cruz recently demonstrated why automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems deserve far more scrutiny than they often receive. On January 13, the Santa Cruz City Council voted 6–1 to terminate its contract with Flock Safety after discovering...

I love Mary Poppins. It’s true. I attribute my fandom to my childhood growing up on Guernsey, a coastal island rock, delivering less than a spoonful of sugar—and more a dose of dreary. Winter months dragged as rain fell from a bleak sky. I...

The Game We’re All Losing Ah, game theory in urban planning—a concept so elusive and mysterious that it might as well come with a decoder ring and a secret handshake. Mr. Suzuki’s editorial raises a valid point: if you’re going to criticize something, you should...