Lights along the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk look pretty reflected in the Pacific Ocean, but the brightness wreaks havoc on the starry skies above.
Many Santa Cruzans celebrated Earth Day this past weekend. But we’re still in the middle of International Dark Sky Week, which also kicked off April 22.
It’s not as well-known as Earth Day, having just come on the scene in 2003, but this new tradition devoted to fighting light pollution and enjoying celestial beauty is an example of how one person can start a movement. Jennifer Barlow, a high school student in Virginia, promoted the idea of turning off lights during the week of April's new moon, and turning on to the sights above. Her idea gained traction, and it’s now supported by the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical League, Sky & Telescope (which published a profile of Barlow in 2006) and the International Dark-Sky Association, or IDA.
The IDA’s purpose is simple: to protect the night from light pollution. Its consequences are greater than merely impeding our ability to enjoy views of the constellations and the Milky Way. Light pollution hurts wildlife, wastes energy, and even has an effect on human health.
For those interested in learning more, you’re in luck. Santa Cruz has its own chapter of the IDA, and its website features links to other organizations and information about the worst light pollution sources in Santa Cruz, as well as how to report nuisance lighting.
California Local Explains It All...
Well, maybe not all of it. But every week you can expect a new crop of “Explainers” on our site. This week, in addition to finding out more about International Dark Sky Week, you can learn about a new report on how drought-plagued California can save more water, and get the lowdown on life in the time of COVID-19, as the disease changes from a pandemic to an “endemic.”
California’s New ‘Endemic’ COVID Plan
California has a new plan for dealing with COVID as the disease becomes endemic. But does that mean the pandemic is over? Here’s what Gov. Newsom is proposing.
Media Matters
Another thing you can count on finding here on the California Local website is news from local media outlets. Our Santa Cruz County media page features links to members of the California Local Media Alliance (see some of their stories below). We also offer a digest of stories from other newspapers, magazines, blogs, radio stations and TV channels (a sampling is included in each week’s newsletter).
We think it’s vital to promote the work of local media. So we’re also interested in a recently introduced bill in the California State Legislature, SB 911, which was proposed in response to the crisis in California’s newspaper industry. Will this bill help? Read more below.
Calling Emergency to Save Journalism
California has lost 25 percent of its newspapers and seen a circulation plummet over the past 15 years. A bill in the State Legislature, SB 911, could help.
The University of California system this fall will begin to pay the tuition for California residents who are Native American. The decision could affect more than 600 students. UC President Michael Drake said the move would “advance critical efforts to expand student diversity and make the University of California more affordable.”
(04/25/2022) → Read the full KCRA NBC 3 report
The Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously for a resolution opposing Measure D. That was not a shock to the YES Greenway collective, which says it is pleased the topic will ultimately be decided by voters.
(04/25/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
“Strange Weather,” an exhibition running through Aug. 14, marks a collaboration between the Museum of Art & History and UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts & Sciences.
(04/25/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
After serving since August on an interim basis, Santa Cruz Fire Department veteran Robert Oatey was officially installed as new fire chief. Oatey was first hired as a firefighter-paramedic in 1999.
(04/21/2022) → Read the full Santa Cruz County Sentinel report
The stories of loss from mothers Sophie Veniel and Carrie Luther inform a much larger picture of fatal fentanyl overdoses. Lookout Local begins a three-part series on the rise of fentanyl-related deaths.
(04/21/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
At a town hall discussion hosted by the Santa Cruz County Mental Health Advisory Board, officials explained who will pick up the phone when someone in crisis dials 9-8-8. After July 16, the number will provide an alternative to 9-1-1 in some circumstances.
(04/21/2022) → Read the full Santa Cruz County Sentinel report
The Rise Together Coalition, which has focused its efforts on advancing racial equity throughout Santa Cruz County, hopes to expand its reach even further.
(04/20/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
In a Sierra Nevada forest torched by wildfire, researcher Anne Nolin and her colleague are studying another factor that might make the snow vanish faster: the scorched trees, which no longer provide much shade and are shedding flecks of carbon.
(04/19/2022) → Read the full Santa Cruz County Sentinel report
Tensions between the two groups—one for a pedestrian greenway, with the other for rail and trail—heated up when YES Greenway accused its opponents of vandalism. No Way Greenway says there is no proof and it’s the group’s latest “dirty trick.”
(04/18/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
