Re: Requiem for the Santa Cruz Branch
Author: Tony Johnson
Date: 01-05-2012 - 13:26
My wife and I lived in Santa Cruz for 11 years before we retired in 1994 and moved to Oregon. In the 1950s I remember watching the Suntan Specials arrive at the Beach Boardwalk behind two Espee 2-8-0s. For about 8 years my grandfather rented a nice house somewhere around 33rd Avenue. It was the second house from the beach and we loved spending time there. Santa Cruz was truly a great place to live and enjoy the beach and nearby mountains.
I don't expect the county of City of Santa Cruz to change their attitude towards attracking new business that employes more the a dozen people, or brings large amounts of payroll tax revenues. While we were living there the city was trying to stick it to large car dealerships, so many of the dealers finally had enough and moved a few blocks outside the city limits and set up shop in Capitola, a city that welcomes new business. I remember sometime around 1990 the U.S. Navy fleet was told they weren't welcome to help celebrate their regular "fleet week" visit, so the neighboring city of Capitola invited them and all the business went there.
If Santa Cruz wants to keep having quaint little boutiques, book stores, yogurt shops and so on, that's fine, it's their choice, but don't squawk when the city can't afford all the services the public wants. The City will never be able to save the Santa Cruz Branch as a profitable (or even unprofitable) rail line. It'll be a bike trail.
Here in southern Oregon we have somewhat the same situation. I live in Central Point (next to Medford) and twelve miles south is Ashland. They have yet to discover that the sixties are over. They want to tax everone they think is too rich, and spend it on the homeless, legalized marijuana, and listen to anti-capitalist swill on Jefferson Public Radio. I'll stay put here because I can still wave the American Flag here and be proud of the work I do.
Now if only CORP would reopen the Siskiyou Line between Ashland and Weed.