Alex Darocy Photography

As a group of approximately one dozen Santa Cruz community members sat in the shade of a tree overlooking the San Lorenzo Park benchlands on the warm afternoon of June 19, a security guard from First Alarm stood nearby them watching every move they made. One of the community members subjected to the close and extended scrutiny said he was cited for being in possession of an open container that was not his, and he thought the initial contact with authorities was due to their perception he was still on probation, and that he would be violating his terms of release if caught doing something wrong. A security guard watches San Lorenzo Park users from approximately 30 feet away, using the pedestrian bridge as cover. The individual cited said he was not on probation and he was unknowingly sitting near the beer bottle when a security guard with First Alarm spotted it during one of several on-foot sweeps made directly through the group of park users that day. Those in the group said t...

On June 7, former workers and community members marched at La Playa Carmel to protest the first year of Sam Grossman's ownership of the hotel. The unionized workers were laid off when the Carmel-by-the-Sea hotel closed in 2011, and since its reopening under Grossman's management, only three of the former 113 workers have been rehired. To those at the demonstration, Grossman's decision not to re-hire the workers has been seen as a union-busting attempt which has not worked. They feel that as a result of the demonstrations in Carmel their negotiations with other establishments in the area have benefited, which has further strengthened their resolve to not quit the battle with La Playa's management. At the end of the rally on June 7, a former La Playa worker named Ramon, who has attended the demonstrations outside of the hotel regularly, said, "I worked here for 22 years and I have some co-workers who worked here for more than 30 years, and it is not fair that th...

This year on May Day, the Santa Cruz community rallied at the Town Clock in support of immigration reform. Workers and community members joined individuals from the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council and other AFL-CIO affiliated organizations for the rally, which included a strong turnrout by Unite Here local 483, the labor union that represents hotel, restaurant, and other hospitality workers in Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay Area. After rallying at the Town Clock, many in the group marched down Pacific Avenue to the Del Mar Theatre to view "Harvest of Empire" at the Reel Work May Day Labor Film Festival. Individuals held signs with messages such as "Citizenship Now," "I Work hard and Pay Taxes," "Keep Families Together," and "Citizenship, Because No Person is Second Class." The Santa Cruz County Community Coalition to Overcome Racism was also represented and food was provided in front of the Del Mar by Food Not Bombs Santa Cruz...