LosGatosObserver.com

A cool coastal breeze flows between the coaches lining the uneven asphalt of the Surf and Sand Mobile Home Park overlooking the Monterey Bay. A community made up largely of retirees, the Capitola park’s future is looking dim. While a few residents use the Surf and Sand as the location of a second home, the formerly over-55 park is the only home to many of its residents, and its closure will leave many homeless. (With slide show)

Thursday at the Santa Cruz clock tower, women’s services advocates rallied to protest the complete elimination of state support to domestic violence services under the state’s Department of Public Health.

As the economy dips, so does support among Californians for policies that curb global warming, according to the most recent Public Policy Institute of California survey. While a majority still believe it’s important to reduce greenhouse gases, the survey, Californians and the Environment, indicates that support for AB 32—the 2006 law that requires emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020—has declined seven points since last year. 

The California budget crisis dealt the state parks system a new blow today when the governor vetoed an addition $6.2 million in funding, which will probably lead to the closure of at least 100 parks. According to the new budget, the state is cutting a total of $22.2 million from the parks budget. “It’s frustrating that the governor chose to make these additional cuts, despite the fact that our state parks are economic generators for Santa Cruz County and the state,” says Bonny Hawley, executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, “an important fact as we continue to plumb the bottom of the Great Recession.

California’s belated state budget agreement brings good news to parks lovers: barring any unforeseen circumstances, California will cut $8 million from its state parks rather than $70 million, and just a few parks might close rather than 220. Over the next couple of weeks the California State Parks Department will look closely at each park. “Those with high attendance and revenue will likely be safe. At the moment we’re not sure which ones will have to close,” says Roy Stearns, Deputy Director of Communications of California State Parks. “Santa Cruz County has a lot of state parks that have high revenue and attendance.

Following the example of Santa Cruz’s Think Local First campaign, the city of Capitola is now urging citizens to “Shop Capitola” and support local businesses. Shoppers should expect to see the emblem of a red and white life preserver popping up all around the city.

The clash of steel and the patter and squeak of athletic shoes fill the Waldorf High School gym. People wearing white and full of energy dance forward and backward, trying to catch their opponents off guard or waiting for the most opportune moment to attack. A beeping sound accompanied by a red or green light on the scoring machine resting on a chair identifies the winner of the point, or touché. (With slide show)

If Gov. Schwarzenegger caves to political pressure, a new pesticide called methyl iodide could replace methyl bromide as the primary pest-fighter used by strawberry farmers. This might come as some relief to environmentalists who’ve been pushing the phaseout of the ozone-depleting methyl bromide. But there’s a catch: its would-be replacement is a highly volatile carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent.