GET READY TO GIVE
We are just beginning our plans for the 36th year of the Veterans Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Once again this year we will be hosting the meal at the Veterans Memorial Building and we are thrilled to be serving the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
As always, we invite all our friends to attend and hope you can also volunteer some of your time and energy. Details on how you can sign up for this year’s dinner will be coming soon.
Below you will find the link to this year’s fundraising effort. Know that every dollar you contribute helps bring joy to our guests and gratitude from all of us. INFO: gofund.me/1a8f01fae
Steve Pleich | Santa Cruz
PARKING PROBLEM
Recently, I was surprised after a walk at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center on the Westside to find a Warning Ticket on my windshield! UCSC is now charging over $5.50/hour to park, including handicap parking.
I am a disabled senior with limited mobility and I enjoy walking at the Seymour Center because I am able to go bench-to-bench-to-bench. Handicap parking has always been free on campus and there are usually only 3-4 other cars in the 90-space Lot 201, unless Seymour is having a special event. It is a lot specifically designated with the CA Coastal Commission for public coastal access and Seymour visitors.
Public access to the beach is guaranteed by the CA Coastal Commission. There is an agreement included in the UCSC CLRDP that states there needs to be a minimum of 40 spaces exclusively reserved for public coastal access and Seymour Center visitors. The agreement states they are limited to charging no more than $1.50/hour for parking. Any modification requires a 30-day notice to the Coastal Commission with a separate development authorization (NOID), which UCSC did not request so UCSC is in violation of that agreement.
The agreement also designates a small lot (Lot 207) exclusively for public coastal access next to the entrance at Delaware with 9 spaces that are free for 3 hours. The distance to the ocean from Lot 207 is a problem for me as a handicapped person.
As of July 1, 2026 ALL parking Monday thru Friday is now $5.50/hour with a 45-cent transaction fee via an app. It is free after 5pm and on weekends. To put this in perspective, parking in SC City lots is $2/hour (free handicap parking). Admittance to the Seymour Discovery Center is $12/adult… and UCSC expects weekday visitors to pay for parking on top of that? Volunteers at the Seymour Center are also expected to pay for parking now.
So let me get this straight… parking for tourists on weekends is free, but us locals whose taxes pay for UCSC and who are impacted daily by UCSC have to pay exorbitant rates to park in an almost empty lot. Ironically, students park bumper-to-bumper for FREE on the street in my neighborhood to take the bus up to campus. So WE pay for their off-campus parking and the fees for parking at Seymour go to programs to improve on-campus parking and sidewalks.
This is just another case of UCSC not being good neighbors and they are expecting Santa Cruz residents to help make up the $53 million deficit THEY created.
To stop UCSC from charging $5.50/hour, please share your opinion with the CA Coastal Commission; email ce**********@********ca.gov or Ki********@********ca.gov. If the Coastal Commission does not hear from the public within 30 working days of the NOID, UCSC can charge whatever they want.
Whitney Wilde | Santa Cruz
