12-19-22: Past, Future ... and a Present

Santa Cruz County got an early holiday gift on Dec. 7 when the California Transportation Commission approved $115.8 million in grants for transportation projects in the county—including enough to fund almost seven miles of the Coastal Rail Trail from the Santa Cruz Harbor to the Seacliff neighborhood in Aptos. The grant puts an exclamation point at the end of a tumultuous year for the Rail Trail, during which a measure on its very existence was put before the county’s voters—who said yes to both rail and trail.

For local politicians, the past week brought opportunities for some early renditions of “Auld Lang Syne,” as longtime officeholders on the Watsonville City Council and the county Board of Supervisors made their goodbyes. But on the Santa Cruz City Council it was time for to say hello to a new era—one in which city residents voted for their own district rep and also for a mayor who will represent the whole city.

New Beginning

To mark the start of this new era in Santa Cruz politics, Eric Johnson talks to Fred Keeley, who was sworn in as mayor on Dec. 14. The veteran local pol talks about how district representation will change the council and what changes he hopes to bring to city governance. And he also gives a shout out to an old acquaintance—the man who inspired him to become a politician.

Office Politics: Q&A with Mayor Fred Keeley

Fred Keeley was interviewed via Zoom on Wednesday, Dec. 14—the day after he was sworn in as mayor.

He’s served the county and the state in multiple capacities as a public official. Now Fred Keeley is the first popularly elected mayor of his longtime hometown.

Full Steam Ahead

But back to that $115 million gift to Santa Cruz County … Eric Johnson talked to Kirsten Liske of Ecology Action, the Santa Cruz nonprofit that has been leading the community on bicycle transportation issues for decades. Liske explains how significant the grant award is, and what a major impact it will have on the county’s transportation infrastructure. (For more information on the Rail Trail, check out California Local’s Rail Trail tracker.)

Big Win for Santa Cruz Rail Trail

The new money will pay for construction of a trail near this section of Murray Street.

The California Transportation Commission has granted $115 million to the county to implement bike-transportation projects, including the Santa Cruz Rail Trail.

Recent Statewide News

→ View All

• Researchers at New UCSC Facility Capture Images of Proteins

UC Santa Cruz’s new cryo-electron microscopy facility has a unique structure that makes the technique accessible for local researchers and is attracting international business.

(12/18/2022) → Santa Cruz Sentinel

• California Firefighters Get Shorter Workweeks—But Not for 2 Years

Facing a mental health crisis, Cal Fire crews sought less of a workload. But they have to wait two years under their new contract.

(12/15/2022) → Santa Cruz Sentinel

• Satellite Launched to Map the World’s Oceans, Lakes, Rivers

A U.S.-French satellite that will map most of the world's water has rocketed into orbit. The predawn launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base capped a successful year for NASA. The satellite will conduct the first global survey of its kind.

(12/15/2022) → Santa Cruz Sentinel