Paul Cocking.
Op-ed in the SC Sentinel, 1/27/22
Our top two questions of the moment are, of course, where to put the homeless camp and where to put the library.
Of course, the library staff would like to have a brand new library designed from the ground up with an easy transition from the old building to the new. They don’t have enough bond money (that was advertised to fix up the existing building) so they have joined forces with various city departments who have long seen the Farmers Market lot as low-hanging fruit for a parking structure … and parking money is a whole lot easier to come by than raising taxes.
With three structures within a five-minute walk this does not seem like a priority on its face, and my 30-year history downtown sees no need … and the south end of Pacific with all its new developments seems like a much better location – noteworthy is the new 200-room hotel with no parking....
Paul Cocking is the owner of Gabriella Cafe in downtown Santa Cruz.