Public defender’s op-ed missed mark on Prop. 36

The Guest Commentary (Oct. 15) written by our current public defender missed the mark. Anyone who lives in Santa Cruz knows that property crime and drug use have risen.

Proposition 47 has been an abject failure, claiming to make our streets “safer” while permitting criminals to evade any meaningful consequence for their actions, and not requiring drug treatment for people with clear substance abuse problems. Allowing property crimes, public drug use and stealing to support one’s habit diminishes safety in our community.

Proposition 36 will restore safety by making property crime illegal again, increasing consequences for retail theft, allowing our businesses and shop owners to maintain security. Prop. 36 incentivizes drug and mental health treatment by allowing people to enter treatment instead of being incarcerated.

If there is so much money available now for treatment, as Ms. Rogers alleges, why are there so many obviously mentally ill and drug-addicted individuals all over town? Vote Yes on 36 to make crime illegal again, and to force people with drug problems and mental health problems into treatment.

— Steven McCarty, Santa Cruz

Measure Q offers solution on climate change

As executive director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, I urge local voters to support Measure Q. This initiative represents a crucial step in addressing climate change, which has been reported in local media as a top priority for our community.

For those frustrated by the lack of political action on climate change, Measure Q offers a solution. By voting yes, we can bypass political gridlock and take direct action to protect our community. The measure includes robust oversight and accountability measures, ensuring funds are used transparently and effectively.

Measure Q is the single most impactful way for local voters to make a difference in climate resilience, from protecting our water resources to reducing wildfire risks.

Let’s seize this chance to invest in our future. Vote yes on Measure Q — for our community, our environment, and our shared resilience against climate change.

— Jonathan Hicken, Santa Cruz

Don’t make decisions to enable corporate profits

In a recent Guest Commentary (Oct. 15) a local liquor store owner encouraged voters to vote against a ban on the sale of filtered cigarettes. He argues that since a significant portion of his income comes from the sale of those items it would be bad for business and bad for the community. Using that argument then it seems that instead of discouraging smoking as has been aggressively done for the past half century in the interest of public health, we should be encouraging more people to smoke. After all it would be good for business.

In much the same way, Big Soda has spent nearly $1 million to defeat a Santa Cruz soda tax initiative by trying to convince us a tax on soda is a tax on “basic groceries.”

If the tax encouraged families not to purchase high calorie nutrition-void beverages they would not only save on their purchase but likely much more on the treatment of tooth decay, diabetes and obesity-related diseases.

Corporate profits must not always be the basis of our decisions.

— Michael Funari, Santa Cruz

SC’s Yes on Z campaign not based on truth

Sure, the beverage industry doesn’t like extra taxes on only its products, who would? However, the fact that Yes on Z has been outspent and hardly raised any money, has even spent more money than the little comparatively it collected (it is in the hole) tells me it isn’t so popular a grassroots campaign as it deceptively suggests.

In fact the largest contributors to Yes (due to excellent reporting by the Sentinel) are the city officials that would like to spend that extra money, and that campaign is getting desperate. So desperate, their mailings suggest No on Z is lying about it being illegal to tax groceries, that it is a tax on distributors, which seems like semantic legalese, when the reality is you will pay as consumers for these taxes.

It’s a stretch (close to a lie) for Yes to say any money is assured to be spent on anything they say. It’s general revenue the city can spend any way it chooses. Even on themselves.

— Garrett Philipp, Santa Cruz