Santa Cruz Local

Santa Cruz Local recently published a three-part investigation into how public money is spent on homeless services in Santa Cruz County. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss why we took on this investigation and several of the key takeaways from our reporting. We also hear from some key leaders in homeless services management.

Read the transcript with links to our related stories.

santacruzlocal.org/2023/08/02/podcast-how-homeless-services-money

• Read part one “How homeless services money has been spent in Santa Cruz County”: santacruzlocal.org/2023/05/05/homeless-services-money-part-1

• Read part two “Money sources, constraints and problems with homeless services spending in Santa Cruz County”: santacruzlocal.org/2023/05/05/homeless-services-money-part-2

• Read part three “Is homeless services spending effective in Santa Cruz County?”: santacruzlocal.org/2023/05/05/homeless-services-money-part-3

• Listen to Santa Cruz Local podcast Ep. 96 “How Santa Cruz County could solve chronic homelessness”: santacruzlocal.org/2021/12/17/podcast-96

In today’s episode we meet the five candidates for Capitola City Council. They are Yvette Lopez Brooks, Joe Clarke, Enrique Dolmo Jr., Gerry Jensen and Alexander Pedersen. The five candidates are running for three seats. They appear before Capitola voters on the Nov. 8 ballot.

We explain what a council member does. Then we press the candidates on the issues important to Capitola residents.

Read the transcript with links to our related stories. https://santacruzlocal.org/

Read Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide: https://tinyurl.com/ep-103-guide

Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide for Capitola City Council: https://santacruzlocal.org/election/2022-nov-08/capitola-city-council/

Santa Cruz Local is supported by its members. Join us! Keep local journalism strong with a membership today. https://tinyurl.com/ep-103-membership

Make a one-time donation to Santa Cruz Local’s newsroom: https://tinyurl.com/ep-103-donate

Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal

Subscribe to Santa Cruz Local’s email newsletter for free. We’re in your inbox twice a week. https://tinyurl.com/ep-103-newsletter

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. For the first time, Santa Cruz voters will choose a mayor. We meet the two candidates: Joy Schendledecker and Fred Keeley.

We explain the new format for Santa Cruz City Council elections and the new mayoral role. Then we press the candidates on the issues important to Santa Cruz residents.

Read the transcript with links to our related stories. https://santacruzlocal.org/

Read Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide. https://tinyurl.com/ep-102-election-guide

Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide for Santa Cruz City Council: https://tinyurl.com/ep-102-sc-guide

Santa Cruz Local is supported by its members. Join us! Keep local journalism strong with a membership today. https://tinyurl.com/ep-102-membership

Make a one-time donation to Santa Cruz Local’s newsroom. https://tinyurl.com/ep-102-donate

Subscribe to Santa Cruz Local’s email newsletter for free. We’re in your inbox twice a week. https://tinyurl.com/ep-102-newsletter

Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal

We meet two candidates for Santa Cruz City Council: Renee Golder and Sean Maxwell. They’re running for the District 6 seat on the Nov. 8 ballot.

You’ll vote in the District 6 council race if you live in these areas: areas of the Lower Westside west of Younglove Avenue and Columbia Street; areas along Western Drive; and a western part of the UC Santa Cruz main campus.

We explain what a council member does. Then we press the candidates on the issues important to Santa Cruz residents.

Read the transcript with links to our related stories. https://santacruzlocal.org/

Read Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide. https://tinyurl.com/ep-101-election-guide

Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide for Santa Cruz City Council with map of District 4: https://tinyurl.com/ep-101-map

Santa Cruz Local is supported by its members. Join us! Keep local journalism strong with a membership today. https://tinyurl.com/ep-101-membership

Make a one-time donation to Santa Cruz Local’s newsroom. https://tinyurl.com/ep-101-donate

Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal

Subscribe to Santa Cruz Local’s email newsletter for free. We’re in your inbox twice a week. https://tinyurl.com/ep-101-newsletter

We meet three candidates for Santa Cruz City Council: Hector Marin, Gregory Hyver and Scott Newsome. They’re running for the District 4 seat on the Nov. 8 ballot.

You’ll vote in the District 4 council race if you live in these areas: Downtown; Beach Flats; part of the Upper Westside, east of Bay Street and south of High Street; and areas along Mission Street generally east of Laurent Street.

We explain what a council member does. Then we press the candidates on the issues important to Santa Cruz residents.

Read the transcript with links to our related stories. https://tinyurl.com/ep-100-transcript

Read Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide. https://tinyurl.com/election-guide-ep-100

Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide for Santa Cruz City Council with map of District 4: https://santacruzlocal.org/election/2022-nov-08/santa-cruz-city-council/

Santa Cruz Local is supported by its members. Join us! Keep local journalism strong with a membership today. https://tinyurl.com/ep-100-membership

Make a one-time donation to Santa Cruz Local’s newsroom. https://tinyurl.com/ep-100-donate

Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal

Subscribe to Santa Cruz Local’s email newsletter for free. We’re in your inbox twice a week. https://tinyurl.com/ep-100-newsletter

In the Nov. 8 election, Scotts Valley voters will choose two city council members. In today’s episode we’ll learn about the role of a council member. Then we’ll meet the three candidates: Derek Timm, Allan Timms and Jim Reed. Santa Cruz Local presses the candidates on the issues important to Scotts Valley residents.

Read the transcript with links to our related stories. https://tinyurl.com/ep-99-transcript

Read Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide. https://tinyurl.com/SCL-election-guide

Santa Cruz Local is supported by its members. Join us! Keep local journalism strong with a membership today. https://tinyurl.com/ep-99-membership

Make a one-time donation to Santa Cruz Local’s newsroom. https://tinyurl.com/donate-ep-99

Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal

Subscribe to Santa Cruz Local’s email newsletter for free. We’re in your inbox twice a week.

https://tinyurl.com/ep-99-newsletter

Santa Cruz Local wants you to decide what the local candidates talk about as they compete for your vote in the Nov. 8 election. This year, Santa Cruz Local’s team conducted nearly 300 interviews and collected 150 survey responses from Santa Cruz County residents.

Here is what residents told us they want from local government, in order of frequency:

- Affordable housing development

- Help paying rent

- Solutions to homelessness

- Better wages and jobs

- More bike and walk infrastructure

In today’s episode, we’ll hear from residents about why they care about these issues. We’ll hear voices not normally heard by local government or local media.

Read the transcript with links to our related stories. https://tinyurl.com/ep-98-transcript

Read Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide. https://tinyurl.com/SCL-guide

Santa Cruz Local is supported by its members. Join us! Keep local journalism strong with a membership today. https://tinyurl.com/ep-98-membership

Make a one-time donation to Santa Cruz Local’s newsroom. https://tinyurl.com/ep-98-donate

Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal

Subscribe free to Santa Cruz Local’s email newsletter. We’re in your inbox twice a week. https://tinyurl.com/ep-98-newsletter

In the June 7 primary election, North Coast and Santa Cruz residents will choose a new District 3 representative on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. We hear from residents about their priorities for the election. Then we meet candidates Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Justin Cummings and Ami Chen Mills and press them on residents’ concerns.

We hear from the candidates on their plans to:

Develop affordable housing. [21:17]

Expand rent assistance programs. [27:47]

Address homelessness. [34:59]

Attract employers and create higher-paying jobs. [43:25]

Repair roads, expand law enforcement and improve cellphone service on the North Coast. [50:10]

Prioritize bike and walk projects and improve public transit. [57:07]

We also press Justin Cummings and Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson on their voting records on the Santa Cruz City Council. [1:03:40]

Read the transcript with links to our related stories. https://tinyurl.com/ep-97-transcript

Read Santa Cruz Local’s Elections Guide with information on this and other races. https://tinyurl.com/SCL-guide

Santa Cruz Local is supported by its members. Join us! Keep local journalism strong with a membership today. https://tinyurl.com/ep-97-membership

Make a one-time donation to Santa Cruz Local’s newsroom. https://tinyurl.com/ep-97-donate

Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal

Subscribe free to Santa Cruz Local’s email newsletter. We’re in your inbox twice a week. https://tinyurl.com/ep-97-newsletter

Editor's note: This podcast has been updated to correct the year that Ami Chen Mills left the executive director role at the Center for Sustainable Change.

Bakersfield and Kern County, California, solved chronic homelessness in part through better coordination of service providers, shared housing databases and a fearless approach to experimentation and results monitoring. Despite Santa Cruz County’s housing shortage, there are lessons from Kern County that start with making housing searches more efficient for the unhoused. In Santa Cruz Local Ep. 96, Kara Meyberg Guzman travels to Bakersfield to learn the successes and limitations of the area’s approach to homelessness. Former Santa Cruz Mayor Don Lane and Santa Cruz County leaders discuss strategies to solve homelessness that center on permanent housing.

Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/transcript-SCL-96

Read more in Santa Cruz Local’s Solutions to Homelessness series: https://tinyurl.com/solutions-ep96

Santa Cruz Local is supported by its members. Join us! Keep local journalism strong with a membership today. https://tinyurl.com/ep-96-membership

Make a one-time donation to Santa Cruz Local’s newsroom. https://tinyurl.com/donate-scl-96

Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal

We hear from four Santa Cruz County residents: a 25-year-old caregiver in Santa Cruz, a 54-year-old janitor in Watsonville, a father of three in Santa Cruz and a 24-year-old sales associate in Capitola. They share their experiences with homelessness and the keys to getting housed. This episode is part of Santa Cruz Local’s Solutions to Homelessness Series.

Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ep95-transcript

Support local journalism with a Santa Cruz Local membership: https://tinyurl.com/podcastSCLmembership

Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal

Sign up for Santa Cruz Local’s free email newsletter. We’re in your inbox twice a week: https://tinyurl.com/SCL-podcast-signup

Read more stories in Santa Cruz Local’s Solutions to Homelessness Series: https://tinyurl.com/SCLhomeless-series