https://momentoftruth.substack.com/p/update-from-the-campaign-trail-and
Their "off the cuff" comments were quite surprising and refreshing.
Privacy’s Defender: Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Executive Director Cindy Cohn’s Journey Inside the Privacy Battles That Shaped Today’s Internet.
Cindy Cohn has devoted her life to the fight for digital rights. She’s tangled with federal officials to keep our online conversations secure from the government’s prying eyes, fought to ensure that you are told when your information has been turned over to the government, and argued before judges to protect our right to speak and to share science and knowledge on the internet.
In Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance (MIT Press), Cindy weaves her own personal story with her role as a leading legal voice representing the rights and interests of technology users, innovators, whistleblowers, and researchers during the Crypto Wars of the 1990s, battles over NSA’s dragnet internet spying revealed in the 2000s, and the fight against FBI gag orders.
The full UCSC talk can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Moz890JD4
In this video, Hector Marin, a candidate for the Santa Cruz City Council, interviews Kenzie, a student at UCSC. They discuss several pressing issues currently impacting students and union workers within the community:
Public Transportation: Kenzie points out that the reliable operation of local buses is a significant factor for both students and university workers (including AFSCME union members) who depend heavily on public transit.
Housing Affordability & Scarcity: Despite having the privilege to live on campus for her four years, Kenzie mentions that finding affordable housing is a major anxiety for students. She notes that finding single or double rooms off-campus is extremely difficult due to high costs and scarcity.
I’m a retired fire Captain from over the hill living in Santa Cruz. Adding all these mid rises increases something in my world called Target Hazards. Hotels, apartments, and concentration of Hazardous Materials are just a few. We are adding high density housing all around the City of Santa Cruz. We have one, just one Truck company. This is the vehicle that has that large mechanical 110’ ladder on it. When people need rescuing this equipment is crucial if the only escape route is the balcony. Very common with apartments and hallways that are blocked by fire. Furthermore more Engine companies are needed as well. These structures require a lot of people to mitigate. I have heard nothing of Santa Cruz Fire Department or the city council advocating and addressing these life safety threats. Most cities assess developers the initial cost of these needed resources. Then of course the city picks up the rest. This city is already severely underserved by it’s Fire Department. Why is that not also a part of the discussion here. I think citizens should demand a moratorium on construction until this is resolved or the building canceled all together. - Jack Preston, retired SJ Fire Captain
In this program Matt Farrell and Sally Arnold talk about the threats to our rail and trail future and how FORT is launching a Summer of Action to keep our county on track. For more details: https://www.mobilize.us/railandtrail/event/946293/
@ The Cruz Room
Sample some tunes here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-437567039
Ryan Coonerty is a salaried consultant for developer Owen Lawlor among other developers. Owen Lawlor promised our community workforce housing in 2018, he failed to deliver. Instead he sold his so called workforce housing project to Anton DevCo for $22 million. Where is that workforce housing??? All I see is so called "resort style" luxury housing, that few if any local can afford.
Lawlor and Helick promising workforce housing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUMkhT7yXTg
Steve Eggert revealing how much he paid Lawlor for the entitled project which became The Anton Pacific:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls7GbEv93_k
Ryan Coonerty and his developer friends supported the recall of Chris Krohn, by some estimates over $200k was raised from mostly developer/real estate interests. I suspect developers ultimately made untold millions on their investment in that recall.
Big Money: Campaign Finance Totals for the Recall in Santa Cruz:
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/22/18830898.php
Coonerty commentary on recall:
https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2020/02/13/guest-commentary-the-recall-and-us/
Ryan Coonerty supports and advises Matt Mahan, San Jose Mayor of the Surveillance State. I believe Coonerty will deliver to the police any surveillance tech they want. I worked hard with the Get the Flock Out people to get mass surveillance out of our city. I do not want it to come back.
https://www.sjmayormatt.com/ryan-coonerty
https://www.kqed.org/news/12064587/civil-liberties-groups-sue-san-jose-over-license-plate-reader-use
Santa Cruz is not a company that needs to show profit to shareholders, so we don't need a Coonerty CEO, with all of his beloved dashboards. We need a mayor that cares about all of us, not just those above the AMI. Santa Cruz is being curated for the rich, Ryan Coonerty's friends have made this all so very clear. I have heard so much worse, and it really triggers me when I hear Coonerty speak of his plans for Santa Cruz.
“Within the next several years, there will be thousands of new residents, and they have wallets, and friends and family... ...The curation of the new downtown will also bring residents who’ve avoided it.” - Reuben Helick
Designed to foster true dialogue and connection, with learning in both directions. This is your opportunity to meet and speak to the participating candidates.
It's not too late to register to vote in Santa Cruz.
https://www.votescount.com/
All five Santa Cruz mayoral candidates will be in the KSQD studio TODAY at 5 PM. They will answer questions about their positions on housing, transportation, public utilities, policing, privacy, climate change, government transparency, and more. For an opportunity to hear mayoral candidates Ryan Coonerty, Ami Chen-Mills, Chris Krohn, Gillian Greensite, and Joy Shendeldecker, tune in to Talk of the Bay, TODAY at 5 PM, on KSQD, community radio for the Monterey Bay.
Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/M1isnkt7IxA
This clip is from a community meeting to oppose the proposed lithium Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at 90 Minto Road.
Recorded: Sunday, April 26, 2026, at Pinto Lake City Park.
A longer clip with questions from the audience can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVs7gUWtx8c
Talk of the Bay's From the Streets host Omar Dieguez & co-host Adela talk with a "Pachuco" family that represents the heart of Chicano culture, they keeping it alive through style, art, community work, and love. "Órale ponte trucha," as we talk cultura, lowriders, fashion, and giving back because our traditions live on through us and through our youth.
Airing live tonight, Mon, May 4th from 5-6pm on KSQD, 89.5, 89.7, & 90.7FM
Beyond philosophy, the show dives into urgent local issues and policy reform, specifically targeting the needs of South County. Elias, running for District 4 County Supervisor, outlines a platform focused on budget transparency, environmental justice regarding pesticide buffer zones, and support for the Rail Trail to improve transit equity. Both guests critique current systems that prioritize the funding of law enforcement and probation over direct community reinvestment, calling for a shift in education that emphasizes mental health over the policing of students. The show serves as a call to action for Watsonville residents to demand leadership rooted in indigenous values and cultural healing, ensuring that la comunidad y la cultura are the primary focus of the political conversation.
"Downtown Cultural and Historic Venue Preservation Act"