Victory for Starbucks Workers
For many avid Starbucks customers in Santa Cruz their coffee tasted the same as any other day on May 11, even though there was a fresh sense of victory that surrounded some of their branches. The branch on the corner of Mission and Dufour, and…
Street Vendor Regulations Ramp Up In Santa Cruz
Any city-goer who takes a stroll down Beach Street will be met by a variety of vendors selling products from food to crystals to plushies seven days a week. With new local legislation, that will soon change. Vendors are concerned. What they must now face…
Santa Cruz Starbucks Face the Corporation’s Union Busting Tactics
Starbucks “partners” across the nation with dreams of unionization have been met with heavy resistance by Starbucks corporate in the form of anti-union propaganda, delays of union votes, and policy notices discouraging unionization. Santa Cruz’s Starbucks on Mission Street and on the intersection of Ocean…
Food Not Bombs’ Hectic Start to 2022
Before he got to open the envelope himself, Food Not Bombs (FNB) co-founder Keith McHenry received a call from a local media organization requesting a comment on the city’s most recent cease and desist letter issued to the organization. “I barely had time to reflect…
Santa Cruz Starbucks Joins the Nationwide Push for Unionization
The workers at the Elmwood Avenue Starbucks Coffee branch in Buffalo, NY sparked a fire among their fellow employees across the country by becoming the first Starbucks in the country to win union recognition on Dec. 9 2022. The victory served as an inspiration and…
Watsonville is in the Heart: Honoring the Manong Generation in California’s Central Coast
‘Utang na loob,’ an expression used in the Filipino community, can be loosely translated to a debt of gratitude that one owes to those who have done a deeply impactful favor. Watsonville is in the Heart’s (WIITH) digital archive seeks to repay this debt of…
Food Not Bombs Evicted Again
Food Not Bombs (FNB), a local houseless kitchen and mutual aid group, had fought through an eviction notice filled start to 2022. FNB was initially evicted by the city from a Front St. location, then the county threatened the church they cook at with consequences…
Houseless Community Displaced by Benchlands Flooding
Larry Gardner has been houseless for the past six months. He left his wife, child, and housing to care for his brother who is blind, houseless, and in need of 24-hour assistance. For the first five months, Gardner and his brother found shelter at the…
Local Campaign Aims to Tax Unoccupied Vacation Homes
Affordable housing is a mainstay of Santa Cruz politics. A new campaign led by local renters and homeowners wants to add a new caveat to local policy to help alleviate the housing crisis and spur affordable housing development. The Yes on Empty Home Tax Campaign…
Business Returns to Normal as Supply Chain Crisis Persists
Over a year has passed since local businesses first went into lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and, since then, economic recovery has been unsteady. Business has picked back up, albeit with masks and vaccinations, easing the pressure on local stores. Alana Helms, a…