SAVE OUR SHORES
A proposed development at the corner of Thurber Lane and Soquel Drive in Live Oak deserves the community’s attention. The Anton Solana Apartments project would transform 6.26 acres of wetland and natural habitat into five buildings, ranging from three to five stories, with 173 rental units and 251 parking spaces.
Our neighbors need housing, but this property contains a seasonal stream, riparian woodland, oak woodland, and wet meadow habitat. These play a vital role in flood protection, groundwater recharge, erosion control, water quality, and wildlife preservation. According to the California Housing Finance Agency, approximately 3,300 square feet of disturbance is proposed adjacent to the riparian area. Great horned owls produced four offspring there this season, and the area is home to so many deer and blue herons. The Smith’s blue butterfly has also been seen there.
So far, there has been no EIR or mention of one.
Other concerns include the proposed removal of 13 trees, increased traffic on narrow Thurber Lane, a complete absence of overflow parking options, and questionable sewer capacity. Our Mid-County Groundwater Basin is in “critical overdraft” according to the state Department of Water Resources.
Time is running out to make your voice heard. Public comments must be received by Sunday, October 18, 2026.
Email Madina Castro at the California Housing Finance Agency: mc*****@*******ca.gov Refer to Project: Anton Solana Apartments.
More information: calhfa.ca.gov.
Our wetlands cannot speak for themselves. Our community can.
Linda Goytia | Campbell
NO OVERSTATEMENT
On October 7, Good Times chose to venerate AI pioneer Jaron Lanier with a cover photo and an article, “Reality, Remade,” about Lanier generating AI tools for musical composition. In the article, Lanier referenced testimony by parents who had lost children after AI chatbot conversations. Then he cautioned, “If you overstate your criticisms, it actually doesn’t help anybody.” How exactly does a parent “overstate” the loss of a child? What kind of community embraces a man like this? I, for one, refuse to sing that tune.
Andy Orgain | Live Oak
BUILDING PROBLEMS
When I was in high school, my friend inherited his grandfather’s 1931 Model A Ford 5-window coupe. If you are not familiar with that car, I can tell you it was a popular platform on which to build a hot rod. The fenders, running board, bumpers and anything that might be considered excess weight were quickly removed from my friend’s inheritance. It looked faster, but power was provided by a small factory-equipped 4-cylinder engine. Any authentic hot rod of that day needed to be powered by a V8 and one was soon obtained. It didn’t take long, though, to realize that a V8 was much larger and heavier than the factory 4. Modifications were needed. The frame needed to be reinforced. The transmission, drive shaft and rear end all needed to be upgraded to accommodate the torque of a more powerful engine.
The point is that significant infrastructure upgrades were needed. You can’t just drop a V8 into a Model A and expect it to function properly any more than you can add thousands of housing units into a small city and not expect to make serious infrastructure improvements. Massive population growth requires more than new high-density, high-rise apartment buildings. This is part of the planning process and it hasn’t been done in Santa Cruz.
Tired of outside money buying elections? We can counter this precedent locally in our current mayoral race.
Michael Funari | Santa Cruz
FREE DIAPERS
Dignity Health Dominican Hospital is proud to announce its participation in the Golden State Start initiative, a statewide partnership designed to support new families. As the first hospital in Santa Cruz County to launch the program, Dominican Hospital will now provide 400 free Baby2Baby diapers to every newborn delivered at our facility.
Angela Giacobbe | Dignity Health
