According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the oldest documented example of journalism was in ancient Rome. Said to date from before 59 BCE, the Acta Diurnal chronicled important daily events—some official (court news, government decrees) and partly private (notices of births, marriages, and deaths). As with journalism for the next few millennia, these communiques bound the society together by sharing information. But a more ancient way of sharing information was through the creation of maps—the earliest of which have been found in cave paintings, showing the location of hunting and fishing territories.
Maps are a significant component of the California Local website. Our Santa Cruz County Traffic & Transportation map shows congestion areas, real-time updated traffic cameras, and lane closure reports. And just launching this week are six new maps showing such amenities as public restrooms, dog parks, other open spaces, birding spots and the Santa Cruz Rail Trail.
The most significant of these, however, is a map of bicycle routes created in collaboration with members of the cycling community. California Local co-founder Chris Neklason, who built the maps, sees this collaboration as a fundamental part of community journalism. In a blog post titled “How Community Journalism Works Online,” Neklason writes that California Local’s methods of “providing an account of the community” will include members of the community “participating in the making and shaping of the account.”
Launched just a few days ago—auspiciously during Bicycle Safety Month—the Santa Cruz County bike map is the type of interaction that embodies this participation. The map is live now, but that’s only the beginning. We invite local cyclists to join the discussion and share their knowledge.
Working Alone and Together
Cycling is a fun and health-inducing activity, and those are great motivators. Many bike commuters have an even better reason to pedal their way to work, home, the beach, and the farmers market—by getting out of their cars, they are avoiding using the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emmissions.
And yet, most of us know that while individual actions such as this are crucial, we need big collective efforts if we are going to keep our planet from burning up. This week, the California Air Resources Board did just that when it released its bold plan to wean our state from its fossil fuel addiction. Find out more below.
You might also enjoy a couple more blog posts by our friend Chris—one of which explains his reasonable obsession with traffic telemetry. The other is the deepest dive extent into what California Local is, how it works, and why we are doing what we’re doing.
Accurate Traffic Information Is Vital
We take a look under the hood of California Local’s Traffic and Transportation portal, which provides comprehensive information on local road and traffic conditions, current CHP incidents and traffic congestion hot spots.
California's New Climate Change Blueprint
Plan would almost eliminate oil and shift to renewable energy sources. But where’s the update on the controversial pollution-trading market known as cap and trade?
Building a Better Bike Map
Recent discussions in social media revealed a lack of maps of safe local bike routes. So we connected with local bike experts to start a crowdsourced project to create some.
• Why the Rail Trail Issue Has Divided Santa Cruz County Residents
What’s wrong with the rail trail debate is what’s wrong with American democracy in 2022, Wallace Baine writes. Why isn’t “Maybe,” or “It’s Complicated,” or “This Is Not My Field,” or “Whatever, Dude” one of the answers to a profound question of how we live our lives, recreate and commute in Santa Cruz County?
(05/15/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
• Election 2022: 7 Things to Know for California’s Primary Election
It’s time for California voters to start wrapping their brains around how to vote in next month’s primary election. Here’s what every voter needs to know.
(05/15/2022) → Read the full Santa Cruz County Sentinel report
• Ecology Action Supports Public Planning; Opposes Measure D
Elaborating on its opposition to Measure D, Ecology Action explains that public planning processes aim to include diverse voices in local decision-making, whereas voter referendums sidestep planning and minimize a complex issue into a simple “yes” or “no” vote.
(05/15/2022) → Ecology Action
• We Are Already on the Right Track: No on Measure D
The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County has supported the Rail Trail project since 2015. A piece on the group’s stance on Measure D explains, “Another long public planning and vetting process would be repeated with the passage of the 2022 Measure D, further delaying the trail’s completion.”
(05/15/2022) → Land Trust of Santa Cruz County
• Measure D: A Lose-Lose Proposition for Us All
Writing for Lookout Santa Cruz’s Community Voices, 3rd District Supervisor Ryan Coonerty says the intensity of debate around Measure D is pointless given one stark political reality: No matter how the vote goes, without compromises, Santa Cruz County won’t build anything for decades.
(05/14/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
• Voters Hear From Candidates for Assembly, Board of Supervisors
Hopefuls in two North County races in the June 7 primary—four candidates for the state Assembly District 28 and three running for the 3rd supervisorial district—took the stage at the Hotel Paradox in front of a hybrid in-person and virtual crowd.
(05/12/2022) → Read the full Santa Cruz County Sentinel report
• Santa Cruz Staffs Up to Carry Out Homeless Plan
City leaders agreed to bolster the workforce in order to carry out efforts spelled out in the new three-year Homelessness Response Action Plan. The spending approvals monopolized the Santa Cruz City Council’s evening meeting agenda.
(05/11/2022) → Read the full Santa Cruz County Sentinel report
• Bicycle Safety Month Brings Reminders About Rules of the Road
May is National Bicycle Safety Month, providing an opportunity for the California Highway Patrol and Office of Traffic Safety to remind everyone on the road—cyclists, pedestrians and drivers—that traffic safety laws are in place to save lives.
(05/11/2022) → Read the full Santa Cruz County Sentinel report
• Santa Cruz Starbucks Stores Become First to Unionize in State
Workers at two Starbucks stores in Santa Cruz have unionized, becoming the first stores in California to join the ranks of the coffee giant’s organized baristas and shift supervisors.
(05/10/2022) → Los Angeles Times
