Santa Cruz Sentinel

As a homeowner in the county for 22 years and having witnessed some of the nightmares that friends and acquaintances have had with the permit process, I know he will make this a top priority. People I’ve known and loved have left the area because they could not make reasonable modifications to their homes that made a home livable and affordable for their families. As the county is facing a daunting 9,000-plus additional housing units to comply with state regulations, having someone very familiar with the process of designing and creating affordable housing is probably the number one issue facing our county today. I want my friends’ children to be able to live here. I want our teachers, nurses and fireman to find affordable housing so we can all have a better quality of life.

Mark Primack is the one to facilitate these decisions.

CARYN SIMON

CAPITOLA

Primack will do the job
Let’s all vote Mark Primack for 3rd District Supervisor. It’s about time that we have someone to vote for who really wants to better our community for us all. If you want a truly honest, unbiased person to quickly push our local government toward sorely needed practical improvements, then vote for Mark Primack.

TODD BUNKER

SANTA CRUZ

Return Ebey to office
My vote for director on the Aptos/La Selva Fire District Board will go to Charlene Ebey. One way to gauge the effectiveness of an elected official is to look at the overall operations of the department she or he oversees. Our fire department is not only highly regarded in the profession, but even more important operates under a clearly superior ethos. Department personnel are part of an inclusive environment that accomplishes individual and organization goals. The department’s fiscal foundation is sound — a rarity in government today. And our department enjoys an overwhelming support from the people it serves.

I know from first-hand experience that Ms. Ebey is a major contributor to the success of Aptos/La Selva Fire Department. She understands the role of a director informing public policy, giving employees authority and the importance of listening to the people. The emergency services we receive today are much better than before Ms. Ebey took office. We should reward those public officials who live up to their promises. Ms. Ebey has done just that.

DAVE MACK

LA SELVA BEACH

Best for Capitola
As a mobile-home resident, I want to urge my fellow mobile-home residents in Capitola to vote to re-elect Stephanie Harlan, Bruce Arthur and Dennis Norton to the Capitola City Council.

These three council members have supported us 100 percent in the fight to preserve our city’s mobile-home rent-control ordinance. They also support programs through which mobile-home residents are able to purchase their own park. Also, their over-all performance as leaders in our city has served to preserve and enhance the quality of life we enjoy in Capitola.

One of the council’s most laudable achievements is its effort to save Jade Street Park as a park. After all, this is our city’s only park of any consequence and it would be terrible to see this valuable asset developed into any other use. This council is committed to seeing that doesn’t happen.

Indeed, they deserve the support of everyone in our city.

Harlan, Arthur and Norton have earned our vote on the basis of performance in office. I’ll take performance over campaign promises any time.

DOUG PIGGOTT

CAPITOLA

Vote no on Measure P
We, members of the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz City Youth Soccer Club, strongly urge a "No" vote on Measure P that calls for the repeal of the city’s utility tax. All users of the facilities and services of the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department should consider what an estimated 40-percent departmental budget cut means to your program or your personal enjoyment of neighborhood parks.

The utility tax is 20 percent of our city’s income. This loss of revenue will impact all departments, but since it would not be prudent to reduce police and fire protection or our basic infrastructure, the cuts would fall hardest on things like the facilities we enjoy for our sports, performing arts and large group social activities. We can expect the closing of the Civic Center, reduced maintenance at neighborhood parks and reduced or eliminated support for swimming, baseball, football, basketball, soccer and, literally, a whole catalog of activities.

The board of directors of the Santa Cruz City Youth Soccer Club asks that all other sports clubs, performing arts groups and social groups contact their membership and alert them to the major problems that Measure P creates. Protect our Parks — "Vote No on Measure P."

JOHN HOPE

WARREN ANDERSON

PAT O’BRIEN

LEI CAMPOS BRIDGES

CAROL QUITZAU

JANET DOUTRE

BRYAN MARTIN

TODD TSUKUSHI

TONY SLOSS

SEAN LOVE

SUSAN THORNHILL

SANTA CRUZ

Access is wide open
If Steve Argue managed to pass rent control in the City Council, homeowner-landlords would be likely to sell, which would lower prices. This would attract middle-income families, reverse declining enrollment in the schools and raise the property-tax base. But for all these positives, it would leave the renters he claims to represent with few options, mostly apartment units. Another candidate who seems confused in his platform is Steve Leavitt. Downtown is commercial space, not public space. Access to public space, undeveloped or maintained by and for businesses, is wide open.

TERESA CORAGGIO

SANTA CRUZ

Support Bill Geisreiter
We are pleased to support Bill Geisreiter, incumbent, Santa Cruz Port District Commissioner, for re-election on Nov. 5.

As longtime users of the harbor facility, we are aware of the numerous projects completed in the past few years, such as the new Walton Lighthouse and the Joe Townsend Plaza, both beautiful projects completed during Mr. Geisreiter’s term on the commission. Boaters have benefited by the new fuel-dock float and will soon enjoy a new dry storage area being constructed in the north harbor. Mr. Geisreiter has been a strong supporter of projects that are environmentally sound and has a background in business, which is helpful when important fiscal matters are before the commission.

We encourage you to re-elect Bill Geisreiter to the Santa Cruz Port commission.

HARRY AND MARY BLANCHARD

SANTA CRUZ

Proposition P dangerous
We want voters to know about the dangers of Proposition P.

As members of the city’s unpaid, unpolitical, all-volunteer Arts Commission and Public Art Committee, we want our community to know about the threat to the arts in Santa Cruz.

As in all California cities and towns throughout the state, our local government income was effectively strangled by Proposition 13. As a result, Santa Cruz had to find alternative funding. As in our sister California cities and towns, we enacted the utility tax in order to continue to function as a community.

Now this source for our cultural and arts activities is under attack. Many other local services for all citizens also are threatened.

Our public investments in cultural affairs not only make this a more desirable community. In addition, they generate more business and more tax revenue from visitors and tourists who come here for the symphony, the music festivals, our theatre seasons and our many other arts and cultural features.

Therefore, we are concerned that the proponents of Proposition P, who are against taxes, against government and against the arts and culture we all enjoy, are misrepresenting their cause with specious arguments.

A vote for Proposition P is a vote for trammelling what we have built up in recent decades in a community that we believe takes pride in its parks, its recreational, and its cultural traditions.

Your readers deserve to be informed about this attack on our city, our community and our culture.

CHIP, ARTS COMMISSIONER

DAVID SWANGER, ARTS COMMISSIONER

NANCY MYBERG, ARTS COMMISSIONER

KATHLEEN MOODY, ARTS COMMISSIONER

WOLFGANG ROSENBERG, ARTS COMMISSIONER

JON BALIF, PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE

JANE GREGORIOUS, PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE

CHUCK HILGER, PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE

VANESSA MONTIEL, PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE

GWEN SHUPE, PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE

RICK WALKER, PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE

Commit to better health
Election Day is approaching, and many of us are trying to sort out the issues described in our voter pamphlets, campaign leaflets and ads. When I’m not sure of an issue I look at who has endorsed a specific measure.

The case of Measure S, the so-called "Ban on Water Additives" for Watsonville, is quite instructive.

On one side, in favor of Measure S, is a small group of people who’re best known for taking pot shots at positive endeavors in our community, and newspaper ads that list no local supporters.

Opposed to measure S, we’ve an amazing list of local health-care professionals. I found my own dentist (Dr. Bruce Bruno) and my children’s pediatrician (Dr. Michelle Simon) on the list, as well as virtually every dentist in town.

Also opposed to Measure S are respected business and community leaders, people who’ve invested years in making this a better community — Bruce Woolpert, Rodney Brooks, Luis De La Cruz and Mas Hashimoto, etc.

Add to that the list of important community organizations: the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, Dientes Community Dental Clinic, Salud Para La Gente, Santa Cruz County Medical Society and Monterey Bay Dental Society. They’re all against Measure S.

Why are the endorsements so lopsided? Because the Measure S people are beating a tired old horse — waging a scare campaign against water fluoridation.

Virtually every medical authority in the nation and community recognizes the proven benefits of fluoridation. If ever there were a community that needed fluoridation, Watsonville is it! Three-fourths of our elementary students have signs of tooth decay, and a large number of adults have no access to dental care.

Watsonville — get with the program! Join enlightened communities nationwide and make the commitment for better health.

Vote to defeat Measure S, which will set us back once again at the cost of more pain and expense for local residents.

Measure S is bad for Watsonville’s health. Vote "No on S!

AYDE CAMACHO

WATSONVILLE

Go ahead, fluoridate
The Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust was created in 1998 to focus specifically on the health needs of Pajaro Valley residents. Following extensive research to determine the community’s most pressing health-care needs, the trust found ample evidence of the serious dental crisis facing our community.

High rates of dental disease among young and old alike, poor access to dental care and inadequate resources to provide for needed treatment have combined to negatively affect the community’s public health status. This problem is experienced in the extreme in Watsonville where childhood decay rates soar at three times the national average.

The trust has made grants to support dental screening and treatment efforts at two local non-profit clinics. While screenings and treatment help, the goal of addressing the larger public-health crisis will not succeed without far-reaching prevention and education strategies.

For this reason, the trust’s Board of Directors has joined public-health professionals in supporting fluoridation of the city’s water system to enhance the public health of the community. To address the dental health crisis right herein Watsonville and to promote a healthier community for the future, we encourage you to vote "No on Measure S."

EDISON JENSEN

PAJARO VALLEY COMMUNITY HEALTH TRUST

Hurrah for Sam Farr
First and foremost, Sam Farr has proven to be outstanding as our representative in Congress. He acts with impunity and obvious integrity. I appreciate the Sentinel’s high approval rating for Farr. It behooves all of us in his district to return Farr to the House of Representatives as he has proven to be working for all his constituency. I hope many Republicans will join in to have someone so dedicated to serving well all the people of his district.

NELLI COOK

SANTA CRUZ

Proposition 51 not worth it
State Proposition 51 is bad news for Santa Cruz County. This proposition dedicates funds to a host of pork-barrel projects. The cost for Proposition 51 is $1 billion each and every year. Of all that money Santa Cruz County will receive a one-time-only amount of $7.75 million for new buses and a transit center. The Music Concourse of Golden Gate Park will receive more money ($10 million) than all of Santa Cruz County. The population of Santa Cruz County is about 250,000 and the population of the state is about 34,500,000. If Proposition 51 were to pass, Santa Cruz County’s portion of its costs would be over $7.2 million per year, indefinitely. Paying $7 million every year to get $7 million worth of buses once is an outrageous sucker deal. Vote "No on Proposition 51."

PAUL STORM

BOULDER CREEK

Don’t squander opportunity
With elections just around the corner and many issues that need to be determined locally, we all need to ask ourselves one simple, basic question.

Do we, as individuals, want things to go on the way they are or have been?

If so, we need to vote for people and propositions that support currently held beliefs and actions. If not, we need to vote for some change in personnel and principles.

First, think about the community you want to live in and raise your kids in.

Second, really look at the issues that are in front of you.

Third, vote! Vote what your heart and mind say to vote for.

As an American, it breaks my heart to see 65 percent turn out, 75 percent turn out, heaven forbid we ever get below 50 percent. We have a privilege to make a difference in this country and your vote counts. Even if your candidate does not have a chance, go and vote your conscience and make a difference just because you did it. There are people all around the world who would like to be able to do just that — vote for something to happen — and you can. Our country was founded on this principle and will continue with its implementation.

Please do not squander it.

ROBERT JONES

SANTA CRUZ

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