Santa Cruz County Local News

On November 21st, 2024, Congress passed the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, aka HR 9495. If signed into law, the bill would hand huge powers to the Trump administration to declare any nonprofit they dislike to be a "terrorist-supporting" organization and strip them of their nonprofit status without having to share the evidence as to why this designation was given in the first place.
Democrats, including Monterey Bay area Congressional Representative Jimmy Panetta, voted for it against stiff opposition from local nonprofit leaders and activists who lobbied hard and whittled down the number of Democratic votes from 72 on a previous vote to 15.
In this interview, we hear from local activist, Rick Longinotti, Lead Counsel for the ACLU, Kia Hamadanchy, and Eric Gorovitz, attorney at Adler and Colvin law firm in San Francisco, and author of the blog, A&C Nonprofit News.
Slate Article
Jimmy Panetta's Letter Explaining his VoteCongressman Panetta Response

The countdown is down to just hours for Aptos as it prepares for Friday night’s Central Coast Section Division III semifinals game at Palo Alto.

After capturing the program’s first-ever Central Coast Section title, Aptos was looking to keep this season’s magical run alive.

Santa Cruz Warriors forward Kevin Knox led the team in scoring for the second game in a row, finishing with 25 points in a 108-98 loss to the Stockton Kings at Adventist Health Arena on Wednesday night.

The long-anticipated Highway 17 Wildlife and Trail Crossing Project reached a significant milestone with completion of the environmental review by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen). This is a significant step forward for this project that will enhance both wildlife health and safety and recreational access across the heavily used Highway 17 in an area that is a known roadkill hotspot.Midpen, with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), are working to construct a wildlife undercrossing and a separate trail overcrossing across Highway 17 to improve wildlife passage, habitat connectivity and regional trail connections. Midpen’s review of the project met the criteria of both the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), making the project eligible for federal funding.

Published in cooperation between 99bitcoins and Good Times

A Just Transition for All:
Workers and Communities for a Carbon-Free Future
with Dr. J. Mijin Cha

 Sustainability Now! Sunday, November 24, 2024, 5-6 PM
 
To avert the worst impacts of climate change, a transition away from fossil fuels is necessary. However, what this transition looks like and what would make a transition “just,” remain open questions. What workers are missing from “green” economy discussions? What role do workers play in the fight for a future without fossil fuels? How can workers and communities ensure the transition is “just”?
Join host Ronnie Lipschutz for a conversation with UCSC Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies J. Mijin Cha, whose new book, A Just Transition for All, will be published by MIT Press in December. Her research examines the intersection of inequality and the climate crisis in which the energy transition is leveraged to advance a more just future.
That’s on Sustainability Now!, Sunday, November 24, 2024, from 5-6 PM right here on community radio for the Monterey Bay Region, KSQD 90.7 FM, KSQT 87.9 FM, K207FE (FX) 89.5 and KSQD.org, streaming on the internet.

Steve Pleich talks about the best and worst of times.

Live Music Santa Cruz! The New Year's Eve roundup of concerts. Here’s an easy at-a-glance music guide for Santa Cruz County! Whether you’re into rock, jazz, folk, or country, the SLV Post’s live music roundup has something for everyone.

A new overhead rail line near the Boardwalk and a bridge or tunnel crossing Highway 1 at Cabrillo College are amongst two new proposals that the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) revealed last week at its Watsonville and Live Oak community meetings.

By Mary Andersen

Bahia Brunelle talks about the wonders of walking.

Local nonprofits work incredibly hard to improve the quality of life in Santa Cruz County, from cleaning our beaches and monitoring our drinking water quality to mentoring our children and providing informative local news. Now it’s our turn: Visit SantaCruzGives.org to learn about and donate to one or more of this year’s 63 participating organizations whose programs benefit our community.

Mark Twain declared that A Christmas Carol had no heart, to which Charles Pasternak, Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s artistic director, says, “Bah, Humbug!” Pasternak has adapted Charles Dickens’ beloved novella and will direct the production that opens next week.

Emerging from the Appalachian mist for three moonlit performances, In Some Dark Valley: The Testimony of Reverend Brand is coming to the Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre this month with a haunting solo performance by Robert Bailey.

THURSDAY 11/21

Two feel good—and taste good—stories are finding synergy in Watsonville.

By Andrew Steingrube

Brad Kava | Good Times Editor

SAVE THE TREES NOT THE ROAD