Letters to the Editor March 6-12
Democrats disrespectful during State of the Union
I condemn the Democratic members of Congress for refusing to stand and applaud victims of preventable tragedies during the SOTU address. Their inaction reveals misplaced priorities and a lack of empathy for shattered lives.
Take the 5-year-old girl who...
Rewriting America’s history
George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984” contains the famous slogan: “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
This quote from Orwell’s book is intended to mean that those in power manipulate historical records to shape public perception, justify current...
Nourishing Today, Building Tomorrow: The Next Chapter of Our Food Bank
For more than 50 years, our community has demonstrated what’s possible when neighbors care for one another.
Through floods, emergencies, economic downturns and a global pandemic, our Santa Cruz County neighbors have consistently shown up to ensure that no one faces hunger alone.
Today, we are...
Medina ban was right call
At the Feb. 11 PVUSD Board meeting, trustee Gabe Medina was banned from the PV High campus for 14 days. It was a great example of deflecting the charges to blaming others for not doing enough, a practice that trustee Medina has done for...
Chaos as a political strategy
Donald Trump’s approach to governance is frequently analyzed through chaos theory, where calculated unpredictability, disruption, and rapid, impulsive shifts are used as strategic tools to manage, dominate, or reshape political environments.
This tactic aims to keep opponents off balance, control the agenda and overturn established...
Stuck inside a courtroom with the Telone blues again
In the labyrinthine nature of pesticide reincarnation, it’s hard to know where to begin. 1,3-D (Telone) originated as a byproduct of oil refining.
In the 1930s, Hawaiian pineapple plantations were being decimated by nematodes in the soil; Shell Oil had on hand some barrels of...
In support of Pajaro Valley High School walkout
PVUSD is at risk of endorsing a twisted account of the Pájaro Valley High School walkout, a narrative that strips students of political agency and infringes on their constitutional rights while professing concern for their well-being.
In a window in which the federal government has...
The Pajaro Valley High School student walkout: Separate letters by teachers union/Trustee Medina give different versions of events
Editor's note: this op-ed has been updated to include a response from PVUSD Trustee Gabe Medina, which follows below.
•••
PVHS staff stands united in support of student’s voice, safety
The staff at Pajaro Valley High School, along with our administration and union, PVFT, write in support...
Letters to the Editor, Jan. 23–29
Passenger rail price estimates too high
One can never convince me that restoring the Santa Cruz Branch rail line for passenger rail would cost an estimated $4.2 billion dollars! I am not a transportation planner or consultant however it is obvious something doesn't jive and...
Alliances in turmoil
In September of 1938, Adolph Hitler issued an ultimatum to Czechoslovakia, demanding it transfers the Sudetenland, a border region, to Germany.
He threatened acquisition by force if the country did not comply. This ultimatum led to the Munich Agreement, in which Britain, France, and Italy...
Photo story: Group marches in support of homeless community
About a dozen people march March 29 in downtown Santa Cruz to garner awareness and support for homeless people. Put on by Food Not...







