City on a Hill Press » city council

Q&A with Santa Cruz Mayor Hilary Bryant

City on a Hill Press — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:47:47 +0000

Photo courtesy of Hilary Bryant.

In the opening months of her first term, Mayor Hilary Bryant has seen many changes to the city and community caused by recent spikes in crime and the deaths of police detectives Loran Baker and Elizabeth Butler. Bryant took time out of her schedule to sit down with City on a Hill Press to share her thoughts on how those events impacted Santa Cruz, and to discuss which issues students and residents can expect to see city council tackling in the months to come.

City on a Hill Press: Following the recent tragedies of the police officers, what are your thoughts on the event and the repercussions that ensued?

Mayor Hilary Bryant: One thing that I can point to which was particularly powerful for me was, you know, I have never seen the community come out the way they did at the day of the memorial service in support of our police officers. As sad as I was in that moment, I was so incredibly proud of our city. I think our community is forever changed by the events of Feb. 26. I don’t think that there will be a council agenda that does not have some sort of public safety initiative or discussion.

CHP: What can the students of UCSC do to help the community?

Bryant: I think that it would be really valuable that if students have concerns with safety, they email council or come to council meetings. Your voices are so important. You are community members and this is something that is affecting everybody in the community.

What’s also really important is that our police department really wants the students to call 911. If students see a problem, if something doesn’t look right, or even if they don’t think it’s an emergency, they really want people to call it into 911. If the students have concerns, we want to hear about them. It’s not often I get phone calls or emails from students but when I do, they are very impactful. Going forward, we’re going to have this public safety task force that is about citizens giving us ideas of what problems they want to see tackled and what solutions they have for the challenges we may face.

CHP: What kind of changes in the city can we expect to see in the following months?

Bryant: There will be a lot of focus in terms of our budget and how we want to spend our money. For the first time on council, we’re not looking at budgetary cuts and I think what the community and the students will look at is how that money will be allocated. We have to look to our employees, at our infrastructure and at our funding for programs, like parks and recreation programs that have been cut and how to start restoring those services. Going forward, what we do in terms of public safety will be dependent upon funds. There have been conversations about hiring more police officers, but that’s not a quick process. So, all of this is, in some sense, how we look forward with our community and how we want to see our community.

CHP: Following the recent tragedies of the police officers, what are your thoughts on the event and the repercussions that ensued?

CHP: What can the students of UCSC do to help the community?

CHP: What kind of changes in the city can we expect to see in the following months?

Syringe Exchange Sparks New Debate

City on a Hill Press — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:25:26 +0000

Illustration by Christine Hipp.

What do a recent spike in violent crime, used syringes and the homeless have in common? These three issues have spurred the Santa Cruz City Council to pass new public safety legislation, in the process igniting a debate over the way in which Santa Cruz ought to approach the topic. Street Outreach Supporters (SOS), a local syringe exchange, has become the focal point of conflicting viewpoints in the debate, as SOS comes under fire from the city council.

During a meeting on Feb. 12, the council voted unanimously in favor of measures intended to address crime, drugs and homelessness in Santa Cruz. Along with a decision to increase the budget of the Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD), allowing them to hire more police, the legislation also establishes a six-month-long citizen’s task force on public safety and will give $50,000 to the Parks and Recreation Department to be used in cleaning up parks and beaches marred by trash and criminal activity.

Opponents of the new measures argue the city is headed down the wrong path, turning to greater police presence instead of preventative care and treatment programs, while supporters claim that getting tough makes sense in the wake of the recent Santa Cruz crime spike.

However, the proposition that’s drawn the most criticism is the city council’s ongoing discussion on how to regulate SOS.

A Sharp Issue

Meeting in a closed session on Jan. 22, the city council decided to direct city attorney John Barisone to shut down an SOS location in the lower Ocean area where the exchange had operated out of a van in a laundromat parking lot for 24 years.

This left the county health facility on Emeline Avenue, where the exchange operates three days out of the week, as the sole location in Santa Cruz where used syringes can be exchanged for clean ones.

A steep increase in used syringes found on beaches, parks and around local schools this month have brought the exchange’s services to heightened levels of scrutiny. Still, there is disagreement over how to handle the situation, with supporters of SOS arguing that shutting down the exchange will lead to more used needles, not less, and opponents saying the exchange needs tighter regulation and shouldn’t be allowed to hand out as many needles as it currently does.

“We acknowledge the clear public health benefits of a needle exchange,” said five-term city councilwoman Cynthia Mathews, “but we want to continue discussions that are also responsive to the legitimate concerns of the community.”

According to the mission statement on the SOS website, the exchange aims to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases by providing clean needles to those who need them. The organization’s policy, in accordance with California state law, can give out up to 30 free needles.

Deputy Chief Rick Martinez, who represented many concerned citizens at Tuesday’s meeting, insisted that a “devil may care” attitude was being encouraged by the excessive needle distribution. Stating the stance of the SCPD, Martinez insisted that stricter regulations, such as a one-for-one exchange policy and a possible shift of the exchange’s location to a non-residential neighborhood, are necessary for the exchange to continue to operate.

“These hardcore addicts have to support their habit, and they are not doing it by panhandling,” Martinez said. “They are doing it by committing crime.”

Local journalist and homeless advocate Robert Norse said restrictive policies could do more civic harm than good in the long run.

“Restricting the exchange would pose a greater public health hazard,” Norse said. “If city council wanted to alleviate the issue, they would have given that money [used to increase the number of police officers] to the needle exchange instead.”

Hilary McQuie, California director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, an organization focused on issues of drug usage and public health, cited a recent study comparing the needle exchange programs of Chicago and Hartford. The study found that Chicago’s program, which operated with a 50-to-1 conversion rate, collected nearly 90 percent of the city’s used needles. Hartford’s conservative 1-to-1 model, by contrast, fell below 50 percent.

In an opinion piece on the Santa Cruz Sentinel — a forum where the debate between supporters and opponents of SOS have repeatedly aired their respective views — McQuie said SOS should be allowed to adopt more liberal needle policies, not less.

Proposals have also been made to increase the amount of drop-boxes around Santa Cruz where used needles can be safely disposed of, as well as increased oversight of SOS by Santa Cruz’s Health Services Agency.

Through the Eye of a Needle

Local volunteers calling themselves “The Clean Team” have reported finding used syringes by the hundreds, both on public beaches and the area surrounding Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School, over the past two weekends. The team gathered all of the needles into a large woven basket and uploaded a photo onto Facebook.

The recreational area of Pogonip also has historically been host to a number of campsites and is often littered with used syringes, a situation brought to light during the course of a string of raids on homeless camps in the area by SCPD last summer.

Citing the number of used needles found around Santa Cruz, critics of the local needle exchange point to Santa Clara County’s program as an alternative, which provides half as many needles on a monthly basis to a population that is six times the size of Santa Cruz’s.

For some though, the availability of clean syringes is literally a life or death situation, leading many to seek reforms that do not limit the amount that SOS can hand out.

“The needle exchange saved my life,” said Robert Fryling, a Santa Cruz resident born and raised in the area. He lost both his mother and brother to HIV, which doctors presumed to be contracted via the sharing of used needles.

More Than Skin Deep

Needle exchanges have been the most effective way to facilitate proper used needle disposal, according to a recent study conducted in Miami, Fla. Though SOS denied an interview, according to its website their collection rate is nearly 20,000 used syringes a month, enough to fill an oil drum every week. The Sharp Solutions program, Santa Cruz County’s needle collection agency, reports an average of 200 a month by contrast.

Ideally needle exchanges also function as a method of recovery for drug users seeking a way to get clean, according to SOS’s website. Studies held in Seattle last year suggest that needle exchange participants are five times more likely to enter drug treatment than non-participant injection drug users.

The used syringes in Santa Cruz pose health concerns, but according to SOS’s supporters a lack of clean needles may unleash a brand new batch of health issues, such as the spread of AIDS and other terminal illnesses.

“It’s only because I was clean [from disease] that I could salvage my life from the ashes,” Fryling said.

The city council will continue working with the Santa Cruz City Health Department and the county to establish rules governing the last remaining needle exchange in the weeks ahead.

Forum for the Future City Council

City on a Hill Press — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:30:11 +0000

Illustration by Christine Hipp

It was a night made for politics. Oct. 11, the night the vice-presidential debate aired on TV, was also the night that the College Democrats at UC Santa Cruz held an open forum with the eight candidates for Santa Cruz City Council.

The objective of the forum was to ask the candidates questions that would help the College Democrats decide who to endorse, or support for the four open city council seats, to be voted on Nov. 6.

The candidates in the running for Santa Cruz City Council are: Pamela Comstock, Jake Fusari, Cynthia Mathews, Don Lane, CeCe Pinheiro, Micah Posner, Steve Pleich and Richelle Noroyan. In a group discussion after the meeting, the College Democrats chose to endorse three of the eight candidates — Don Lane, Steve Pleich and Micah Posner.

Questions ranged from topics such as the expansion of UCSC to the new Warriors stadium, which started pouring concrete this week.

The forum talked to four candidates at a time, split between two sessions for about an hour each session.

One issue both groups of candidates spoke to was Measure P, which would guarantee the right for Santa Cruz voters to decide on desalination before the city could authorize such a project.

While all of the candidates were in favor of leaving the ultimate decision on desalination to a public vote, many did not accept Measure P.

“I don’t support Measure P because the city council unanimously voted to allow the measure to go to the ballot,” Noroyan said. “I’m not quite sure why we need it two times. It will cost thousands and thousands of dollars to put this on the ballot, which is money I don’t want the city to spend. I don’t feel cynical enough to think that the city council members will take their word back on that.”

According to San Jose Mercury News, the cost of the city voting on the measure will be around $2 per registered voter, which means the total cost will range from $70,000–90,000.

The growth of UCSC was a topic discussed at length. There were diverging opinions on the expansion of UCSC. Overall, the candidates supported the growth of UCSC provided that the university worked with the city to maintain a balance that will sustain the city and university both.

“I wish that the UC really wouldn’t grow anymore,” said Don Lane, current mayor of Santa Cruz. “It’s important for the city to push back against growth, and we hope a population of 19,000 will be a cap.”

The Long-Range Development Plan, coordinated between the city of Santa Cruz and UCSC provides for a maximum population of 19,500 by 2020.

Don Lane also expressed the concern that the unmonitored growth of UCSC would negatively affect the environment.

Max Perrey, the president of the College Democrats at UCSC explained the decision to endorse Don Lane, Micah Posner and Steve Pleich.

“Don Lane, Micah Posner and Steve Pleich earned our endorsement by demonstrating their deep commitment to the issues important to students,” Perrey said in an e-mail. “Each showed that they are knowledgeable about the big issues facing our campus and in Santa Cruz, and have bold solutions to address them.”

One issue was only briefly discussed before the end of the forum — jobs after graduation. Pleich explained how the city would generate these jobs hand in hand with graduates.

“Graduates aren’t going to be working in retail, they’re not going to be working at the boardwalk, they’re not going to be working in construction, they’re going to be working in high-tech, high-end jobs,” Pleich said. “That’s why we have to have some kind of a platform for them to come down into the city to develop those jobs, to be the entrepreneurs, to basically create their own opportunities. That’s what we need to be supporting, that’s what we need to incentivize. As city council members, we have the power to do that.”

City Council Candidates Tackle Desalination

City on a Hill Press — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:38:20 +0000

Illustration by Maren Slobody

A Santa Cruz City Council forum on the November ballot issue Measure P took place on Sept. 27 to address the pros and cons of building a desalination plant in Santa Cruz County. Desalination is a form of water reclamation that removes salt and other minerals from seawater to produce potable water.

If passed in the November elections, Measure P would prevent the city council from taking legislative action to approve the building of the plant without first putting it up for a county-wide vote.

Held on Sept. 27, the forum opened with moderator Rick Longinotti, member of the Community Water Coalition and co-founder of Desalalternatives.org, highlighting the main issues surrounding desalination. One major issue was cost.

“In 2003 when the city council was presented with the idea of desalination, the total cost was going to be under $32 million dollars, and has gone up since then, quadrupled,” Longinotti said.

Longinotti also addressed the role UC Santa Cruz plays in the decision to build a desalination plant. UCSC growth will increase water demand in Santa Cruz County. In =2006, Santa Cruz passed Measure J, which barred UCSC from receiving city water until it entered a habitat conservation agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service. Although the measure was approved by 80 percent of voters, UCSC lawyers sued to overturn the vote, Longinotti said.

During the Q&A portion of the forum, Longinotti asked the city council candidates about their various stances on the issues of water conservation and desalination.

Cece Pinheiro, executive director of Special Parents Information Network and city council candidate, spoke out against the creation of a plant.

“We need to provide for current needs without degrading the ecosystem,” Pinheiro said. “We need to support future generations.”

Community organizer and city council candidate Micah Posner said it behooves Santa Cruz to research cleaner alternatives that do not generate greenhouse gases. Posner said that by examining only desalination as an alternative source of water, Santa Cruz is “putting all [its] eggs in one basket.”

Posner suggested increasing the use of greywater as a safer alternative to desalination. Greywater is recycled from various sources (except toilets) and purified by filtration through sand and soil, which can then be used for irrigation and gardening, reserving more clean water for bathing and human consumption.

Mayor Don Lane added his own input and said that if a severe drought occurred, people would be forced to cut back 35 percent of their water use. He suggested a test year in which the city would be forced to act as though it were in a state of drought.

Pamela Comstock, another candidate, said a test year would only work in theory.

“Our economy runs on tourism and would be affected by this test year,” Comstock said.

Later in the Q&A, resident Lily Victoria expressed her opposition to the creation of the desalination plant. She stated that during a stage four water shortage emergency a single family home would have access to 224 gallons of water per day, and during a stage five water shortage emergency, a single family would have access to 174 gallons per day. She said the amounts given for both scenarios would be more than adequate.

Not everyone is so optimistic. Brent Haddad, a UCSC professor of environmental studies who did not attend the forum, agreed that Santa Cruz will require alternative water sources in the event of a serious drought, but until an Environmental Investigation Report is published, there is no way of knowing for sure whether desalination is a viable alternative.

Haddad suggested that a good start in water conservation would be to educate UCSC students about the practical uses for greywater, and maybe convince UCSC to recycle used water from the dining halls for use in outdoor irrigation.

Time to Raise the Hotel Tax

City on a Hill Press — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:32:00 +0000

Illustration by Jamie Morton

In the city of Santa Cruz, like other cities across the United States, times are tough. Unlike many places, however, we do have at least one advantage: People still want to visit. According to SantaCruzCA.org, tourism generates over $500 million for the county every year.

To capitalize on this happy circumstance, Mayor Don Lane and other city council members are working to get a measure on the November ballot that would raise hotel taxes from 10 percent to 12 percent.

While a 2 percent hotel tax increase is most likely a negligible expense to tourists, it could be a large gain for the Santa Cruz community.

In a recent press conference with student media (see p. 6), Lane said this could be especially beneficial because all tax money collected from hotels stays local.

In the past, the city has been forced to make many undesirable budget cuts. Local school districts have taken a hit close to $1 million already, and that will likely double this year. The Santa Cruz Metro has scaled back on its bus service since 2009. Not to mention the possibility of a desalination plant in our future — something that could potentially cost millions of dollars down the line.

That the Santa Cruz City Council is looking for creative ways to bring money into the community is commendable and comforting, given the precarious position the city finds itself in. That it would come from outside sources is an even bigger plus, and shows the council is looking out for Santa Cruzans first.

The only drawback is hotel owners might not be fond of having to drive their prices up even more, especially given that compared to other cities, our rates are already pretty high. However, the gains far outweigh the losses, especially when keeping in mind what’s good for Santa Cruz is ultimately good for the hotel industry — nobody wants to visit a run-down city.

To students who may not live in Santa Cruz for more than four or five years, voting on local issues may feel unimportant or arbitrary. Some abstain from voting on local issues because they have not done their research and do not want to harm the local vote with their uninformed ballot.

But getting something like the hotel tax increase on the ballot and voting yes would be a service to the community even the least informed voter can get behind.

Q&A with Mayor Don Lane and Vice Mayor Hilary Bryant

City on a Hill Press — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:31:58 +0000

Santa Cruz Mayor Don Lane and Vice Mayor Hilary Bryant spoke to UCSC student media organizations Feb. 27th. They discussed issues like the state of public schools in Santa Cruz and the local economy.

Mayor Don Lane and Vice Mayor Hilary Bryant spoke with student media organizations at an on-campus press conference last Monday. The pair talked about their efforts to strengthen the local economy, as well as other issues of interest to students and Santa Cruzans.

CHP: What is the city council currently doing to build the local economy?

Bryant: We’ve been working on how to improve technology in the city. I was in a meeting the other day and they said just three doors down they could get fiber optic, but not right here. That’s a challenge — it’s a huge economic development challenge for us. The university has been helpful in that challenge with its ability to bring in educated individuals, but we have to get better at letting businesses know that.

There are actually a lot of smaller tech companies in the area, and these are the future of Santa Cruz. I don’t think we will get a significant number of large tech companies, so we have to build up these small companies and we have to start re-branding ourselves as a tech community. There are a lot of creative thinkers in the area and a lot of amazing projects underway right now. David Haussler is working on the genome project here at Santa Cruz and also has a group working out of the Silicon Valley. What we need to do is make businesses more interested in starting up in Santa Cruz.

Lane: Plantronics is our biggest high-tech employer in the region. UCSC serves as a big motivator for the company to be in the area, and they definitely recognize the school makes it easier for them to find the kind of talent they need. There are so many people that commute to big tech companies, and there is really no reason for them to leave Santa Cruz every day. I know there are dozens of people who live in Santa Cruz and go over to work at Google, and if we could just create a Google satellite office, it would really work for both the company and the community. That way, we are not competing with these big companies — something we simply cannot do — and we are instead bringing them to us.

CHP: Santa Cruz K-12 public schools have recently been dealt budget cuts. Has there been any consideration of privatizing them?

Bryant: We’ve been having this whole charter school conversation lately, but I believe people really care about public education and there are amazing teachers in public education who really care about what they are doing. I don’t think we’re going to go to a system of private schools — just because so many people believe in public education — but to keep the quality of it up, everybody has to be engaged.

Lane: I think it is such a fundamental issue to our society. It is easy to just fall back on the private sector to fix issues, but doing so creates a society of winners and losers. A great public education system is the best barrier against that.

CHP: Amid education cuts, are you confident the upcoming local ballot measure intended to preserve funding for Santa Cruz city schools’ arts, music, and libraries will pass?

Lane: The measure will only renew what is already in place as far as education goes, and
measures like that are easier to pass, so I believe it will go through.

CHP: Are there any local measures you are aware of right now you think would interest students, or the community in general?

Lane: I’m on a task force of the city council that’s looking at hotel taxes. We have been discussing raising the tax rate on hotels from 10 percent to 12 percent, but whether that goes on the ballot is a decision for the city council. It would be very beneficial for Santa Cruz, though, because all the tax money from hotels stays local, whereas everything else that is taxed is shared with the state and federal government.