No long-term economic impact from SC Warriors

In Sunday’s “Mayor’s Message,” (May 4) Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley lauds “private investment to leverage public infrastructure,” which in this instance refers to building a sports arena in partnership with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Despite Keeley’s claims, economists have uncovered no evidence of positive long-term economic impact of professional sports nor evidence of their impact on economic redevelopment.

Making things worse, Keeley, like so many other elected officials, fails to consider one-time and ongoing opportunity costs. These include the capital investments for roads, bridges, and parks as well as spending on human capital investment such as education and training, all of which have been shown to increase productivity.

As for going into business with professional sports, let us not forget that the Warriors left Oakland for the Chase Center in San Francisco and the Raiders decamped for Las Vegas.

— Dario Calos, Santa Cruz

Kessler captured coming downtown destruction

Stephen Kessler’s piece (May 3) adeptly expresses his ironic acceptance and analysis of the tragicomedy of the destruction of so much that we value downtown, from the heritage trees to the gathering area of the Wednesday farmers market - in order to build a monolith which will,I fear please no one while destroying what could have been an improvement on a valuable town center. It is an overt condemnation of the wasted opportunity represented by the coming megalithic structure

For years I have admired Cynthia Mathews and her work at Planned Parenthood and I feel betrayed by her last act on the local political stage. Fred Keeley’s strange embrace of developers and the overly expensive projects and newest taxation proposal which will hurt both homeowners and prospective home buyers is another disappointment .

I also am appalled at the “ Friends of the Library” for “firing” a citizen member for expressing his opinion. It seems like the spiteful acts of our current president. I imagine that Kessler wanted to remind us of that act. “Free Speech”?

— Anina Van Alstine, Santa Cruz

Misleading signature collecting on tax measure

Last Friday I was asked to sign a petition to put a measure on the ballot “to build affordable housing in Santa Cruz.” I asked the man, soliciting signatures in front of Shopper’s Corner, if his petition was being supported by the city or the Realtors, and he assured me it was the city-supported measure. But it wasn’t. The page he offered me was folded over, hiding the title, but there was a line stating that the petition was supported by the Board of Realtors.

I told him I wouldn’t sign, and that he had misinformed me. He shrugged and said, “well, there are two petitions.” So disappointing.

— Maria Gaura, Santa Cruz

Not too late to hope that Trump can be stopped

I don’t blame Trump for what’s happening to the country. Congress, the Supreme Court, and those that voted for him really are the ones that gave him all the power. Trump is just being the bully that the he has always been and I don’t expect him to change. It will be our own fault if nothing is done to stop him. Hopefully we still can do something in the next midterm election. Hope is not too late.

— Eduardo Díaz, Santa Cruz

The needed remedies of Trump’s first 100 days

Why do the liberal Democrats think President Trump is destroying America? He has brought us closed borders, taken DEI out of the workplace, no men in women sports, bringing back American manufacturing, created DOGE to uncover useless government spending, and given parents more control in their children’s education. Why would Democrat leaders fly to El Salvador to support an MS-13 killer who was deported? President Obama deported three million illegals.

Our military also needed mending. The recruitment was down in every branch. Now men and women want to join the military. They now have a real leader. Furthermore during the Democrats’ four years in power they did nothing for the working men and women. In fact they made it more difficult with so many rules and regulations to even try and open a business.

The hatred on the left is growing. Why aren’t they happy that our country is finally on the right track and respected again around the world?

— Linda L. Eberhardt, Scotts Valley