Jessica ‘a true reporter’ until final moments

My condolences to Sentinel staff and readers, friends and family of dear Jessica York. Scarcely 24 hours before she died, I texted her about the previously unreported emergency closure of Sutter Santa Cruz Main Clinic Urgent Care Department. She immediately called. Her voice was scratchy, raspy, almost a whisper — I didn’t recognize her at first and did not know she was ill. I filled her in on what I’d witnessed — the confusion inside and outside the clinic, two distraught parents cradling a feverish child, patients squinting at small signs taped on the door, directing them to alternative facilities miles away. I declined to be quoted, but suggested how she could learn more. Jessica thanked me warmly and said goodbye.

The first account of the clinic’s closure was authored by PK Hattis, who drew on information provided by Jessica.

Jessica York was a true reporter, serving her colleagues and community with up until her final moments. May she rest in blessed memory.

— Maria Gitin, Capitola

‘That she would die so young’ – Jessica’s passing

I’m shocked and saddened to read of Jessica York’s untimely passing. She wrote with such energy, passion and depth of understanding that it never occurred to me that she would die so young. What a loss to this community, where she helped readers understand the plight of the unhoused and other people whose stories are rarely told from the inside out. She was that rare journalist who combined scrupulous attention to specifics, dedication to accuracy, and, as many others have noted, empathy for the people she was writing about — all written in a voice and style that made me feel like she was right here in my living room talking with me. Her stories enlightened me.

Jessica York was a world-class journalist whose dedicated work graced the pages of our small community newspaper.

I hope that all the Sentinel journalists keep her work in mind as their own standard of excellence.

— Jude Todd, Capitola

Despite disagreements, ‘I sure will miss her’

RIP Jessica York.

Jessica and I had a lot of arguments and also some great conversations where we were in agreement. I felt she was often too close with government officials and slanted the coverage of their cruel policies in a favorable way. Yet she also could put a kind human face on members of our local homeless community.

I feel bad that I was so stern with her during our last visit on the steps of the County Building. She had not responded to my questioning her about her coverage of the Housing Matters presentation where they glorified their progress at a time when it was shown that the shelter was coordinating with the city to sweep the homeless from Coral Street using a $4 million “Encampment Resolution Grant” from the state.

I realize now she may have been unable to respond because of her medical crisis and not because she had been on “vacation” as she had claimed.

I sure will miss her.

— Keith McHenry, co-founder of Food Not Bombs, Santa Cruz

Keeley’s proposed parcel tax ‘Pollyannaish’

James Madison wrote: “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.” Madison, along with most of the Founders, saw government as a “necessary evil,” to be restrained at every turn.

Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley appears not to subscribe to this premise (see Jan. 12’s “Mayor’s Message” in the Sentinel).

Keeley is proposing a new redistributive authority — an annual parcel tax of $96 and a real estate transfer tax on sales over $1.8 million — to provide “affordable housing, workforce housing, and homeless prevention.”

While this is a laudable objective, Keeley’s proposal is ill-conceived. The proposed taxes will increase the cost of all housing in an amount minimally equal to the tax increase plus the cost of the additional bureaucracy required to administer the program.

Keeley’s claim the tax will not be passed on to renters is Pollyannaish.

— Dario Caloss, Santa Cruz