UCSC’s plan to grow to 28,000 students would be devastating to Santa Cruz. Creating an urban-style mega-campus would make traffic jams much worse, greatly exacerbate our housing crisis, demand more water supply, and degrade the campus’s natural beauty, diverse habitats, and quality of education.

Santa Cruz, the smallest host city in the UC system, is already over-burdened with far more than our fair share of UC students. There are numerous other areas that the UC system can expand to.  UC Merced, the 1,100 acres UCSC owns in Marina, or the creative use of off-site learning are all better alternatives.

Habitat And Watershed Caretakers (HAWC), a local environmental group, recently filed a lawsuit to stop UCSC’s 2021 growth plan on the grounds of numerous violations of the California Environmental Quality Act and is optimistic that it can win. In 2012, HAWC prevailed in a lawsuit against UCSC which stopped the proposed sprawling development of the North Campus, an area which serves as a valuable link to Wilder Ranch State Park. 

We strongly urge the City of Santa Cruz to join HAWC in taking legal action against the UC Regents and UCSC. Stand firm and insist on capping enrollment at the currently authorized limit of 19,500 students, as was called for in Measure U in 2018 and approved by 77% of voters. 

SUPPORT OUR LAWSUIT

Our goal is to raise $25,000 to fulfill our matching grants. Your donation will help defeat the UC Regents and UCSC in Court!

Tax-deductible contributions can be made using a credit card or PayPal using the link:  https://donorbox.org/habitat-and-watershed-caretakers

Or by check made out to our non-profit fiscal sponsor: 
Environment in the Public Interest (notate HAWC legal fund on the check) and send to: 
EPI-Center
1013 Monterey Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401