End the complaining. Coastal trail is plenty wide

I’m always amused by folks who complain that the trail on the Santa Cruz County Coastal Rail Trail is too narrow. Have they been on the trail? I ride the trail frequently on my bike and have yet to encounter a traffic jam. Skaters, runners, walkers, people in wheelchairs, bikers, strollers, scooters, families, dogs, school kids — they all seem to fit within the smooth, flat 12-foot-wide asphalt trail.

Out of curiosity, I measured the San Lorenzo River levee trail: 10.5 feet wide. And the very popular Arana Gulch trail (which often includes small crowds of cow-gawkers): Only 8 feet wide. Yet it seems to work. I’ve not encountered a frustrated commuter on any of these trails.

Get out there and enjoy! Trail sections are finished and more are coming.

— Curt Coleman, Santa Cruz

SC should stop using taxation for revenue

The vice mayor is against “special interests” to generate “revenue for our community” based on youth commission input and taxation. Not sure about you, but (a) youths shouldn’t make real-life consequential policy proposals; and (b) stop using taxation measures to raise revenue, like the soda tax measure, so city and planning managers, executive CEOs to school superintendents continue receiving a six-figure salary while not reducing pension plans that are causing budget deficits.

Santa Cruz city and county with more than 60 advisory committees, 10 school districts, three police departments, a sheriff’s department and 36 fire agencies/stations need restructuring and consolidation to cut their deficits and not propose another bond or sales tax measure to balance the government’s budgets.

Secondly, Joe Mathews (Commentary, May 31) tells Santa Cruz to rebel and “seize back power over taxation, whether state law allows it or not.” Ironically, Joe quotes “state” legislator Scott Weiner who’s made a mockery of local government’s “home rule” remedy over dense housing development while our elected officials pass developers’ housing costs onto property owners and future renters.

Resist Santa Cruz!

— Jeff Staben, Soquel

A call for utility companies to end summer shutoffs

As you well know, summer is almost here, and with it will come deadly heat waves supercharged by the climate crisis. Yet in 27 states, it’s perfectly legal for utility companies to shut off electricity on the hottest days of summer, leaving individuals and families without air conditioning in extreme temperatures and threatening their health and safety.

Shutting off power and preventing access to lifesaving air conditioning in the summer can have life-or-death consequences. We need to shine a spotlight on this critical issue and raise our voices to demand change.

Utility companies and local leaders everywhere must act to end utility shutoffs on the hottest days of summer. Save lives — stop the summer shutoffs.

— Mark Ginsburg, Santa Cruz

Sober drivers ensure safer summer roads

The longer and warmer days bring more traveling. Freedom comes with following laws.

When 16 in 1992, I was hit by a drunken driver. Medical care and therapy in the Bay Area and Central Valley made up half of my teenage life. After three decades, I communicate with a deep tone, read lips, cannot drive and I walk unsteadily.

Look at the results for the Independence Day weekend maximum enforcement period for 2023 and 2024: The CHP made 1,224 DUI arrests in 2023 and made 1,336 DUI arrests in 2024. Drivers, please make DUI arrests come down this year.

Holidays are coming. You can avoid disturbing memories like a crash, injuries and even death if you stay sober if driving.

Taking Highway 1 to go home after drinking at a festivity? A sober driver ensures safe summer roads. Freedom and safety go hand in hand.

– Lori Martin, Tracy

Surely, tax cuts coming due to tariff revenue

Did you read (not in the Santa Cruz Sentinel surely), that President Trump’s tariffs are already bringing in $3 billion a day into the United States Treasury?

Soon, part of this money will be returned to taxpayers in the form of tax cuts.

— Steven Ward, Santa Cruz