The council chambers in Santa Cruz City Hall has been the scene of countless heated political battles, and at least one melee.
In November, 2021, more than 2,000 people gathered in the bucolic Silicon Valley suburb of Los Gatos for what was called the United Against Hate March. They did so in part because the town's mayor and elected council had been subjected to a slew of attacks in the wake of vaccination mandates and policies promoting diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI). Similar incidents had already happened during public meetings throughout the state and nation, and they have continued ever since. And last Jauary, my friend Fred Keeley, mayor of Santa Cruz, received a death threat following a contentions city council meeting during which protesters stormed the council dais and broke windows in the chambers.
Last month, the Los Gatos town council voted unanimously to cancel its November election because nobody filed to run against the incumbents for two seats that would have been in contention. We've noticed that the same thing has happened in multiple towns and cities throughout Northern California. In this week's edition of The Newsletter, Chris Neklason examines the trend and posits some reasons people might find running for a public office or advisory board—an admitedly serious conmmitment to civic duty—increasingly daunting.
But first, Chris talks with Ryan Coonerty, a former veteran Santa Cruz elected official and, not incidentally, co-host of the podcast "An Honorable Profession," which is about (you guessed it) elected public service.
The Business Community Steps Up
When we talk about how California works here at CALocal, we frequently point out that the civic infrastructure in most cities and towns is made up of a multitude of individuals beyond elected officials and public employees. They include, for instance, the employees and volunteers at nonprofit community groups. In every instance I know of, the local business community is also involved in the work of civic betterment.
One of the best examples of business leaders stepping up to nurture community involvement are local programs such as Leadership Santa Cruz—there are similar organzations in many counties throughout California and beyond, and they are generally founded by local Chambers of Commerce.
An exclusive CalMatters analysis of the latest California homeless count reveals some good news and bad news: Though the growth rate of homelessness appears to be slowing, the overall number of unhoused Californians increased from two years ago.
(09/10/2024) CalMatters
The California state goal to conserve 30% of its land and coastal waters has advanced, with conserved lands reaching 25% and coastal waters 16%.
(09/08/2024) Los Angeles Times
The controversial idea of cash reparations divided even Black advocates in the legislature this year. Here’s what’s next.
(09/06/2024) CalMatters
Amid a Southern California heat wave, about 300 advocates for rent control — with two 10-foot “greedy landlord” puppets — rallied Thursday in downtown Los Angeles, chanting: “The rent is too damn high!”
(09/06/2024) CalMatters
Lawmakers approved two bills to allow some community colleges to provide bachelor’s degrees in nursing. That’s setting up another conflict with the California State University, which already offers these bachelor’s degrees.
(09/05/2024) CalMatters
California voters passed Proposition 22 four years ago. The ballot initiative, backed by Uber, Lyft and other gig companies, promised the state’s more than 1 million gig workers new benefits, such as guaranteed minimum earnings, health care stipends, occupational accident insurance and accidental death insurance.
(09/04/2024) CalMatters
Inland communities with big population booms will experience the most extreme heat days under climate change projections. The combination puts more people at risk — and many cities are unprepared.
(09/04/2024) CalMatters
Information about how the state’s K-12 students are performing is located on several sites and is difficult to understand, a new report finds.
(09/04/2024) CalMatters
The California School Dashboard makes it hard for the public to see how schools and districts are performing over multiple years, concludes the report's lead author.
(09/04/2024) EdSource
California has allocated more than $20 billion to alleviate the state’s homelessness crisis since Gavin Newsom became governor in 2019, but there’s precious little data on how the money was spent and what effect it’s had, other than the number of unhoused people has continued to climb.
(09/04/2024) CalMatters
Almost everyone in California has health insurance. That trend reflects about a decade and a half of policymaking designed to expand access to health care. The state’s average uninsured rate has dropped from nearly one in four Californians in 2009 to less than one in ten today.
(09/03/2024) CalMatters
CalFire received the first of five planes promised by the federal government, a former Coast Guard C-130 Hercules air tanker.
(09/02/2024) https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article291844345.html
California’s unemployment rate, 5.2% of its labor force in July, is no longer the nation’s highest after months of having that dubious distinction.
(09/02/2024) CalMatters
