Letters to the Editor

Letters

February 4, 2026

Readers weigh in on the UCSC Martin Luther King Jr. convocation, lessons from global “Blue Zone” diets, holding climate polluters financially accountable, and a new candidate entering the Santa Cruz County supervisor race.

Editor’s Desk

Editor Brad Kava reflects on the Santa Cruz work ethic, spotlighting Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz’s journey from teen barista to tech leader, and celebrating Grammy wins by John Leopold and Remy Le Boeuf.

The Editor’s Desk

Editor Brad Kava reflects on food, health, local culture, and why Santa Cruz remains a rare place where community, music, and good eating still matter.

Letters

Readers weigh in on dining solo, the use of AI in local media, and the urgent need for microplastics monitoring in public water systems.

The Editor’s Desk

In our cover story, writer DNA reports on a local who has completed the three toughest hikes in the U.S. and lived to tell the tale.

Letters

Readers weigh in on battery energy storage projects, memories of Bob Weir, affordable housing and local school budget cuts.

Letters

At the County building on Jan. 14 the fate of the controversial “Sweet Homes” development at 3500 Paul Sweet Road will be decided.

The Editor’s Desk

Grateful Dead cofounder Bob Weir died last weekend and it feels like the end of an era. I took my 9-year-old son to the Grateful Dead’s original home on Ashbury street...

Letters

Readers weigh in on major local issues, from the future of the Coastal Rail Corridor and interim trail funding to the upcoming MLK March for the Dream in Santa Cruz.

The Editor’s Desk

From the end of MTV to the endurance of local print journalism, this week’s Editor’s Note reflects on Santa Cruz institutions that survive change.

The Editor’s Desk

2025 has been a year of debate with locals looking at two sides of issues that have split our community and hold no easy answers.

Letters

Thank you for the wonderful article on youth poetry, by Addie Mahmassani. I am deeply moved both by the poetry and the entire project...

The Editor’s Desk

Editor Brad Kava reflects on Tokyo’s Golden Gai bar culture, local rum expertise on the Santa Cruz Wharf, and how small businesses can become centers of learning and connection.