Government
Santa Cruz City Council Votes to Ban Additional Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Mar 9th
On Tuesday, March 9th, the Santa Cruz City Council voted 6-0 to support a recommendation from the city staff which bans the opening of an additional medical marijuana dispensary in Santa Cruz. This was the first reading of the vote and there will be a second vote in two weeks to finalize the ruling.
Under the new ordinance, Greenway Compassionate Relief and Santa Cruz Patients Collective (SCPC), the two existing medical marijuana dispensaries, will be permitted to operate a cultivation facility up to 3,000 square feet, which must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The new ordinance specifically bans any new dispensaries from opening, and it also specifies that the entire city is off-limits for dispensaries, except for two industrial zones in the Westside and Harvey West area. Read More and View Photos
Oral Arguments Presented on Motion to Overturn the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA)
Jul 13th
On July 13th, defense attorneys for Joseph Buddenberg, Maryam Khajavi, Nathan Pope and Adriana Stumpo (the AETA 4) presented oral arguments on their motion to strike down the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. The AETA 4 are being represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC), and other well-respected civil rights attorneys, including Tony Serra. The defense demanded that the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) be struck down as unconstitutional before Judge Ronald Whyte of the United States District Court, Northern District of California in San Jose.
The AETA is being used for the first time since its passage by Congress in 2006 to do exactly what civil rights advocates feared it would do – criminalize activities protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The oral arguments presented on July 13th were not about the allegations as directly applied to the AETA 4, but rather that the whole case should be dismissed now because AETA itself is unconstitutional.
Photo of the AETA 4 courtesy of the AETA 4 Support Committee. From left to right: Nathan Pope, Adriana Stumpo, Maryam Khajavi and Joseph Buddenberg.
Rally at Natural Bridges to Save State Parks & Beaches
Jun 1st
If approved by the state legislature, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget plan will close 220 of 279 State Parks and Beaches, including each and every State Park and Beach in Santa Cruz County.
The proposed Santa Cruz County State Park and Beach closures are Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Castle Rock State Park, Castro Adobe State Historic Park, Coast Dairies State Park, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Lighthouse Field State Beach, Manresa State Beach, Manresa Uplands State Park, Natural Bridges State Beach, New Brighton State Beach, Palm State Beach, Rio Del Mar State Beach, Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park, Seabright State Beach, Seacliff State Beach, Sunset State Beach, The Forest of Nisene Marks, Twin Lakes State Beach and Wilder Ranch State Park.
A rally to save State Parks and Beaches took place on June 1st at Natural Bridges State Beach. On June 2nd, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks took a bus to Sacramento for the only public hearing on this proposal before the Legislative Budget Conference Committee. Read More and View Photos
Speaking Out for Equal Rites and Against Proposition 8
May 26th
On May 26th, the California Supreme Court issued its ruling on the validity of the Proposition 8 ballot initiative and upheld a voter-mandated ban on same-sex marriage. The 6-1 decision will allow the state constitution to define marriage as only that between a man and a woman. Demonstrations to protest discrimination have been taking place throughout the day in California and elsewhere in the nation. In San Francisco, police arrested more than 150 protesters for blocking an intersection near City Hall shortly after the ruling was announced.
Here in Santa Cruz, hundreds of people of rallied at 5pm at the Town Clock and marched a short distance. Read More and View Photos
Rally in Santa Cruz Against Proposition 8
Nov 15th
On November 15th, hundreds of people rallied in Santa Cruz to protest the passage of California’s Proposition 8. The rally, which began at the Santa Cruz County Courthouse and ended at the Clock Tower, was part of nation and worldwide events against the passage of California’s Proposition 8 and other anti-gay legislation in the November U.S. elections. Read More and View Photos | More Photos
