A memorial rally and bike ride took place in Santa Cruz on August 16th. At Bay View Elementary School, Takashi Yogi rode his bicycle to generate power for an amplified sound system. Speakers addressed the crowd, composed of mostly cross-town type bikers, about the need for safer transportation conditions for people commuting without automobiles, such as students that walk and bike to schools.
Robert, a friend and colleague of John Myslin, the teacher that two years ago was killed by a truck at the intersection of Mission and Bay while riding his bike to school, spoke about how safe and meticulous John was in every respect. Robert was upset to learn that John was blamed for his death. He is also troubled seeing Bay View Elementary School students ride their bikes to school while going the wrong way on Mission and listening to iPods.
Carolyn, a coordinator with local bicycle advocacy organization People Power!, clarified that King Street is not necessarily a safe alternative to biking on Mission, but rather a dangerous road to ride a bike on since there are no bike lanes, cars parked on both sides of the street, and fast moving cars.
People Power! is leading the call to create a bicycle boulevard on King Street. Micah Posner, a spokesperson for the organization, says the plan is being modeled after bicycle boulevards in other cities, such as Berkeley. Read More and View Photos
On July 23rd, as the California budget bill moves to the state legislature, local residents, some dressed as jelly fish and a sea anemone, held an afternoon demonstration in front of the Chevron on Ocean St. in Santa Cruz to oppose a plan to open the Central Coast to new drilling for the first time in 40 years. Demonstrators, including the staff of Save Our Shores, a non-profit organization based in Santa Cruz working since 1978 to prevent oil drilling in the Monterey Bay, are calling on the legislature to oppose new drilling off the California Coast, and instead pass an oil severance tax which would reportedly raise $1 billion a year from existing leases. 
On July 3rd, a busy pre-holiday afternoon in downtown Santa Cruz, numerous stores were displaying a declaration printed by local homeless rights advocates. The pledge reads, “This business does not discriminate. We support Human Rights for the homeless community, including the right to sleep at night–not anywhere and everywhere–but somewhere.”
On June 17th, community members, organized by the newly formed Alliance Against Gang Enhancements, rallied and handed out flyers on the steps of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse and the corner of Ocean and Water to educate the public about the realities of gang enhanced sentences. Organizers say that the sentencing “enhancements” [sic] broadly criminalize youth and do not deter future gang crimes. Rather, they result in huge costs passed on to taxpayers and overcriminalize youth in marginalized communities.
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.
