Efforts are underway to qualify a new citizen’s ballot initiative that would raise over $7 million a year for environmental restoration efforts, from wildfire and flood recovery to clean water and beaches. It’s called the “Santa Cruz County Safe Drinking Water, Clean Beaches, Wildfire Risk Reduction, and Wildlife Protection Act.” and it may be on the November 2024 ballot if environmental groups can gather enough signatures to qualify. We hear from Executive Director of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Sarah Newkirk, one of the bill’s supporters, about the benefits of a permanent fund to revive and preserve our local waterways and forests. In this picture, she is proudly wearing a K-Squid rainbow squid hat, which made discussing this serious topic without laughing, more than difficult.
