The Coastal Commission has not yet put OVO on their agenda calendar, which means that it will likely not be discussed until November.
While we await this permit review meeting, we would like to inform you that there's an election coming and you can both vote for the people who have been advocating for you and against the people who have been working tirelessly to craft anti-homeless policies, including OVO!
How do I vote?
If you are living in your vehicle in the city of Santa Cruz (or even in a shelter or tent), you can register to vote by simply using the address of a shelter, a friend, or a cross-street you usually live on!
Register online by Oct 24th (https://registertovote.ca.gov), or in-person at the Santa Cruz County Elections Office at 701 Ocean Street, Room 310, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Then go to the County building to pickup your ballot anytime between Oct 12th and Election Day (Nov 8th). You can drop the ballot into mailboxes marked as "ballot drop offs". The county building will have a very prominent one, right in front. If you need more help voting, contact 415-846-8097.
Who should I vote for?
Joy Schendledecker, a member of Santa Cruz Cares, is running for Mayor. Joy was pivotal in helping gather support for this petition and building the case against the OVO throughout our campaign! Her opponent, Fred Keeley, is a career politician who speaks out of both sides of his mouth. He will work for the richest and most powerful people who have his ear, and we already know what those folks want-- ever greater criminalization of the poor and ever increasing rents.
Justin Cummings is running for District 3 County Board of Supervisors. He voted against TOLO, CSSO, and OVO. While he is not a perfect candidate, he is leagues ahead of his opposition. His opponent, Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, was instrumental in developing and supporting the passage of TOLO, CSSO (camping bans), and OVO. She even voted against compromises made by the Planning Commission, which were formulated after listening to Santa Cruz Cares' appeal, which would've greatly improved the services delivered by OVO while also reducing the scope and impact of its harmful criminalization. Shebreh also promises to pass CSSO and OVO at a county level, making it radically more difficult for folks to survive in this county.
Sean Maxwell is running for City Council District 6. You can vote for him if you live on the lower westside (on the left side of The Circles). He was a member of Planning Commission who supported a series of compromises that would both defang OVO and also radically improve the services offered by safe parking zones. His opponent, Renee Golder, has the same record of Shebreh (mentioned above), but was explicitly launched into office by anti-homeless neighborhood groups.
Hector Marin is running for City Council District 4. You can vote for him if you live near Downtown or Beach Flats. Hector is a renter and service worker, working two jobs and living with 9 housemates to stay in town. He is a long-time advocate for service workers, renters, the unhoused, and black and brown people. His relentless energy and commitment to fight for housing and justice for all make his campaign an incredible privilege for our city. His opponent is a passionless economics teacher at UCSC who is clearly only running because he was tapped at the last minute by local real estate PAC, Santa Cruz Together, to run for this district.
There will be many other things on your ballot to vote for as well, and please do if you have time, but even if you leave the rest of your ballot blank, this will have a major impact for folks living outside in vehicles! Happy voting!