Remembering Mike Rotkin: A Special Talk of the Bay Tribute

Hello again, Santa Cruz and beyond!

Welcome to Talk of the Bay on KSQD 90.7 FM — now proudly broadcasting to more of our coastal neighbors in Salinas and Monterey too! This week’s show is a heartfelt special: “Remembering Mike” — a tribute to the life and legacy of former Santa Cruz mayor, educator, union organizer, and all-around community force, Michael E. Rotkin.

Mike passed away peacefully at his home in Santa Cruz on June 18th, 2025. He leaves behind a deep imprint on our city and our people.

A Studio Full of Stories

To remember Mike, five of us gathered in KSQD’s Harvey West Park studio:

Former Santa Cruz Mayors Tim Fitzmaurice and Jane Weed
Writer and former student of Mike’s, Susie Bright
Lifelong friend and community ally, Ron Pomerantz
And me, Chris Krohn, your host and friend of Mike’s

Together, we shared laughter, grief, admiration, and the kind of stories that only surface when remembering someone who mattered this much.

Who Was Mike Rotkin?

Mike wasn’t just a politician — he was a movement.
Elected to the Santa Cruz City Council in 1978 as a self-described “Marxist-feminist,” Mike rode the wave of progressive politics that crested with UCSC’s founding and reshaped Santa Cruz in the decades that followed.

He served six terms on the City Council and held the position of Mayor five times, always pushing the city to think bigger, act more compassionately, and stay rooted in justice.

As a UCSC lecturer in Community Studies, Mike educated generations on activism, organizing, and the intersections of labor and local policy. He was also a labor organizer, a founding force in the creation of the UC-AFT lecturers’ union — a fierce advocate for working people at the university and beyond.

From the Guests: Memories, Politics, and Music

Tim Fitzmaurice remembered their union work in the 1980s — a time, he said, “filled with love and fire.” The UC-AFT effort was hard, gritty organizing — and Mike was in it for the long haul.

Tim also reflected on the tough moment in 1998 when he, along with a voting bloc of new progressives, chose not to support Mike for Mayor — a political decision rooted in respect for another colleague, but one that nonetheless had emotional weight.

They also shared a different kind of harmony: Tim and Mike occasionally played music together, showcasing another side of Rotkin’s many talents.

Jane Weed, who served alongside Mike in the early 1980s, discussed how his politics evolved — from a firebrand outsider to someone working within the system to push for incremental but lasting change. She recalled their work on curbside recycling, a project that exemplified Mike’s ability to turn radical vision into practical reality.

Susie Bright — writer, labor organizer, and former student — shared a memory of her UCSC internship under Mike’s guidance. It was there she saw firsthand how deeply he believed in student-led action and community-rooted learning. In Mike, she found not only a mentor, but someone who helped shape her political identity.

More recently, Susie honored Mike with chalk art outside the Garfield Park Library, one of many quiet acts of remembrance sprouting across Santa Cruz.

Ron Pomerantz, long-time friend and fellow activist, offered perhaps the most personal reflections. Ron spoke to Mike’s shifting political stances, especially in his later years. While not everyone agreed with every evolution, there was broad recognition that Mike’s love for Santa Cruz — and his drive to make it better — never wavered.

What Wasn’t Built

One of the most poignant segments came from a sound clip we played — Mike discussing what wasn’t built in Santa Cruz. It’s a reminder that sometimes progress is measured not only in what gets done, but what gets stopped: freeways through downtown, uncontrolled growth, displacement.

Rotkin’s legacy is, in many ways, a map of the city we don’t see — the one we avoided through tireless organizing.

A Final Note

We closed the show with reflections on some of Mike’s signature issues:

Israel–Palestine: where he wasn’t afraid to speak hard truths
Traffic and development: where his pragmatism and vision often collided
Corporate expansion vs. local character: a tension Mike watched evolve, especially with once-local businesses like New Leaf turning corporate and reshaping retail zones like River Street.

Through it all, Mike stayed deeply committed to “speaking truth to power” — even as he became a powerful voice himself.

A Celebration of Life

We send our deepest condolences to Mike’s family — Madelyn, Phillip, and Jesse. And to the thousands of others who marched, learned, worked, or simply shared a meal with him along the way.

A public celebration of Mike Rotkin’s life will be held on September 17th — details to follow.

Until then, remember him. Organize like him. Question authority — like he taught us.

And as always, thanks for listening.
Good night, Santa Cruz.

Originally aired: June 26, 2025
Hosted by Chris Krohn

🎶 [Barbra Streisand, “The Way We Were”…]
“Memories… may be beautiful and yet…”