Welcome to Night Ride. The subject is Homeless. A look at the subject of homelessness, by homeless people in their own words.

Audio: Download the mp3 - part I (49.6 MB) and Download the mp3 - part II (45.1 MB)

(14 Feb, 2005) Santa Cruzans for Responsible Planning (SCRAP) held a press conference this morning at the wharf announcing their petition-drive kick-off. If the group can acquire at least 4,000 valid signatures, the "Coast Hotel" issue will be placed on the ballot for a city-wide vote. Speakers/supporters included at least a half-dozen former SC Mayors.

On February 14, Santa Cruzans for Responsible Planning (SCRAP), a local grassroots organization backed by former Santa Cruz Mayors, held a news conference at the entrance to the Santa Cruz City Wharf. This was the official kickoff for a community-wide referendum campaign to halt the single largest development since UC Santa Cruz.

The proposed development calls for a 270 room hotel, 6-level parking garage and a 23,000 square foot Conference Center.

Opposition to SCRAP's referendum campaign includes the developers (of course!), current employees of the Coast Hotel who would like to have more work in the winter months and SEIU Local 415.

The snowjob is in full swing as the business types who see their pockets lined with $30 million dollars of indebtedness to the public, line up to sing the praises of the mammoth Coast Hotel Project and to dangle carrots in front of citizens who responsibly want City government to have a sufficient revenue stream. This dog and pony show glosses over real concerns that the Sentinel would rather the public not spend much time thinking about. This Sentinel editorial leaves out a lot of these concerns. I have appended them to the front of the editoral from Sunday's paper.

Photos from the January 25th meeting of the Santa Cruz City Council. In the face of significant opposition, councilmembers voted 4-3 in favor of approving a $30million project that would replace the Coast Hotel with a new hotel, conference center, and six-story parking garage.