Opinion

The surprising success this season of the San Francisco Giants had me thinking the other day of Dave Dravecky. Beloved by Giants fans, Dravecky was a popular pitcher until a tumor invaded his throwing arm. After surgery he forged a surprising comeback—until the cancer...

Recently, the attorney general’s office completed paperwork for an initiative that, if qualified for the 2024 ballot and approved by voters, would require California’s nearly 6 million public school students to take a course in personal finance. The proposal, by an organization called Californians for...

Looking over the suffering of his people, the prophet Jeremiah cries out in grief and dismay, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” (Jeremiah 8:22) That is, is there no comfort for the suffering? Is there no relief for the...

Joseph Stalin famously remarked that in an election, “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.” While stakeholders in our democratic system insist that our votes count, in reality, given our electoral system, which consistently features two major political parties, in...

Letter to the Editor, Nov. 7, 2017

Health Trust must be on right side of history The Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley was created through proceeds from the sale of Watsonville Community Hospital to a private entity in 1998. More than $13 million was placed into a trust to benefit the...

Letters to the Editor, March 15, 2019

Thousands of people across Santa Cruz County—and millions more throughout the U.S.—took a pause late Monday morning to look to the skies for a phenomenon that will not happen again for two decades. Californians saw only 30% of the sun being blotted out by the...

For some years now, we have seen a transformation in university life that does not bode well. These changes are in line with changes in public behavior in our society at large, a general coarsening of language, ideas and actions.

Stay hopeful in midst of tragedies It used to be that I would write to my state and federal representatives whenever there was a school shooting. Full of shock and outrage, I asked that they support legislation to outlaw assault rifles and require universal background...