The City of Santa Cruz lost two police officers on Feb. 26. This is the first time in history a Santa Cruz police officer has been killed in the line of duty.

At 68 years old, Bruce McPherson was sworn into office this last Saturday as a Santa Cruz county supervisor.

The Santa Cruz Capital Improvement Program for 2013-2015 gives an idea of the work being done to keep Santa Cruz functioning for the next few years. Mostly consisting of repairs and upgrades to the city’s infrastructure, the CIP is responsible for making sure that everything works properly and that the city adapts quickly to changing.
conditions. Some projects in the budget for next year include the planning stages of the
proposed Desal plant, a total overhaul of the Arana Gulch area, and the replacement of
incandescent bulbs in street and stop lights with LEDs.

The Santa Cruz City Council passed the Climate Adaptation Plan last month, based on research about the city’s vulnerability to climate change and how to mitigate future climate change disasters.

The City Council Chambers served as a forum open to all locals updating them on the integrated water plan. The benefits and risks of a desalinization plant in Santa Cruz were widely examined.

Growing concerns for the environmental impact of rapidly-accumulated rubbish have prompted a new Santa Cruz City Council policy. On Oct. 11, the city council prohibited the city of Santa Cruz purchasing single-use bottled water for city offices in a 6-0 vote.

September 27, 2011 is no longer just an ordinary day in the city of Santa Cruz. It is now proclaimed in honor of UC Santa Cruz’s mascot Sammy the Slug.

For the next three months, Mayor Coonerty will host a monthly meeting aimed to educate Santa Cruzans about the way local government works and help dispel myths surrounding City Council, budgetary issues, and the relationship of the city and the university.

Water levels in local streams have proven to be a threat to endangered fish species; the city has proposed a plan to provide an optimal habitat, but it also includes the installation of a controversial desalination plant.

Faced with a study that highlights local vendors’ failure to abide by California law regarding the tobacco age requirement, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has voted to enact an annually renewed tobacco retail license. The program will fund education and enforcement programming targeted to reduce youth access to tobacco.