Hi everyone — I’m Patrice Boyle, owner of La Posta and the person who started this petition.
Thanks to your support, the Santa Cruz City Council just voted unanimously to pursue converting the unused rail bridge into a temporary pedestrian and cyclist crossing. This will help reconnect our community and support struggling businesses.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the council chambers were tense and emotional as about half of the local business owners from Seabright and the harbor spoke, many warning they’re on the brink of shutting down. Seabright Social, once a neighborhood hub, will be the first business to close because of the bridge closure. As Crow’s Nest owner Charles Maier put it: “This whole thing is an emergency for the businesses around there, but really the whole community is suffering.” Mayor Fred Keeley agreed the impact was foreseeable and said, “I’m unhappy that it took so long to get to where we got today. It should have been here months ago.”
Lookout Santa Cruz story: ‘This is an emergency’: Seabright and harbor business owners demand relief from Murray Street Bridge closure
Local businesses affected by the closure — many whose owners spoke at the meeting:
Seabright Area
- Betty Burgers
- Brady’s Yacht Club
- Day's Market
- Engfer Pizza Works
- Hold Fast Lounge
- Java Junction
- La Posta
- Never Scared Lifestyle
- Seabreeze Cafe
- Seabright Deli
- Seabright Social (closing)
- Shalom
- StarZone
- Stranded Beauty Bar
- The Laundry Room
- Torkc
- Tramonti
- Verve Coffee
Harbor Area
- Aldo’s Harbor Restaurant
- Cafe El Palomar
- Crow’s Nest
- Harbor Café
- H&H Fresh Fish
- Johnny's Harborside
It was inspiring to see so many of these business owners show up to speak passionately about how the closure is hurting their livelihoods.
This is tremendous progress — but the work isn’t done yet. Roaring Camp is the subcontractor that actually runs freight service in Watsonville, while Progressive Rail holds the operating license with the RTC. Both must approve this temporary use. Given the enormous impact on nearby businesses, we believe they will understand the urgency and approve it quickly.
The RTC still needs to take action, and we must maintain momentum:
- Share the petition and story.
- Attend or tune in when the RTC considers this proposal.
- Show our community’s voice remains strong and united.
Thank you for standing with Seabright and Harbor-area businesses — you’re making a real difference.
Warmly,
Patrice Boyle
Owner, La Posta
Organizer of the Murray Street Rail Bridge Petition
https://change.org/open-the-rail-bridge