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Welcome to the official site for Lower Broadway, Santa Cruz CA
Never Again PDF Print E-mail

Needless to say, this has been a horrible week.  Our city was hit with its first homicide and the victim was loved by so many.  Adding on to this horror is that the crime occurred about 200 yards from my front door.  I met Shannon about seven years ago and she quickly became my first client.  Shannon and Ken gave me that initial boost to keep my company moving and be where it is today.  Although my relationship was mostly professional, all of my dear friends were very close to her.  The pain and grieving is beyond any loss I’ve experienced.  My friends are not ok. I’m not sure how or when we will begin to heal.

My neighborhood is broken.  For the past 2 years Lower Broadway has been a nice place to live.  Our problems have been common and simple, car accidents or noise complaints.  We have done a great deal to turn things around in less than a decade.   But something happened the past few years, we let our guard down.  We assumed just because we kept an eye out for each other and contacted the police everything would be fine.  What we disregarded was the environment created by Motel Santa Cruz and the 7-11 on Ocean and Broadway.  An environment letting this animal find comfort and nest, waiting for his prey.

We can’t let this happen again. Never again.  I’ve spoken to several residents of Lower Broadway and will continue to bring our community together and make this part of Santa Cruz safe again.  The police and city leaders have said this was an isolated incident and the area is safe, but we don’t gauge safety by what happens on our street.  Our neighborhood is only safe when we feel safe.  When my friends across the street let their daughter jog again, that’s when our street will be safe.  When my friend two doors down feels ok to garden in her front yard, that’s when our street will be safe.  When I hear the children running around playing again on the corner of Broadway and Campbell, that’s when our street will be safe.  Lower Broadway is currently a ghost town.  People have stopped walking through, I haven’t heard or seen kids playing and there’s talk of some residents moving out.  We can’t let this happen.  It’s time we stepped up as a city and a community and turn this street to a safe and welcoming neighborhood.

Next week we will launch “Never Again”, a community led movement to flush out crime and remove the environment welcoming criminals.  The area from the river levee to Ocean St. will be monitored. We plan on installing 12 surveillance cameras throughout Lower Broadway, the video gathered from these cameras will be fully accessible to Santa Cruz Police.  Signage will be placed notifying visitors of the zero tolerance zone.  If we see any person loitering or any suspicious activity we will call the police or handle the situation ourselves.  Several residents are in the process of arming themselves.  We will organize actions against Motel Santa Cruz to either clean up their act or close their doors.  They are officially on notice, they are not welcome in our community.  We are demanding 7-11 to place security guards 24/7  to keep people from hanging out on their property, if they refuse, we will disrupt their business until they either agree or leave our street.  They are officially on notice, they are not welcome in our community.  Unity Church, it’s time to practice what you preach.  Step up and clean up.  Your property is a haven for drug addicts and transients.  You are officially on notice, you are not welcome in our community.  We plan to work closely with the Santa Cruz Police Dept. and hand over any information they request.

A trust account is being created to raise funds for our program and I welcome everybody to pitch in and help us make this small part of Santa Cruz a better place.  If you didn’t think there was anything you can do, this is your opportunity.  All bank documents and receipts will be posted online at thelowerbroadway.com and at stabsantacruz.com.   As soon as I have the account set up, I will post the info on those sites.

Lastly, this tragedy has changed me.  I want to be with all my friends and family all the time and tell them how much I love them.  Do yourself a favor and hug your family tonight, tell your buddies how important they are to you, don’t let your loved ones leave the house without a kiss, and mostly, don’t forget Shannon. Don’t let this be just another tragedy.  Let’s make this the catalyst that brings us together and make Santa Cruz the city we love a better place.  I’m sure she would have wanted it that way.
 
Construction Driving You Crazy!!!??? PDF Print E-mail

The current construction replacing water mains has been ongoing for about 6 weeks.  The company PUC has not only frustrated most Lower Broadway residents, but has managed to rack up some pretty obvious issues:

  • No flaggers
    • During one way road detours, there has never been a flagger directing traffic to slow down or keep them in the correct lane.
  • Lack of Information
    • We were warned about water shut offs and they occurred the day before or the day after the stated date.
  • Lack of Signage
    • Drivers on Northbound Riverside had no signs telling them they can't turn right on Broadway, causing several near miss head-on accidents
  • Lack of Respect
    • Crew members were seen several times chatting it up with hookers and young women heading downtown and not working
    • Telling local residents "It's not our problem" if our property gets damaged by crew and equipment
  • No Following Regs
    • Signage for parking and traffic changes need to be up for 48 hours before the change. No parking signs were posted only 13 hours before street work.
  • Work schedule
    • PUC dug about ten 2 inch deep and 2 foot wide sections in the street on a Friday and left them open during the weekend causing cars to go full speed over the gaps.  This caused 3 days and nights of thumping traffic noise and endless car damage.  Once again, no street signs slowing traffic down.

I urge you to contact the city of Santa Cruz Water Engineering Dept. at 831-420-5100 and let them know about these issues

I also urge you to contact the company PUC and let them know what a terrible construction company they are:

PUC

1817 Stone Avenue
San Jose CA 95125

408-977-1659
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.pacificunderground.com
 
Rash of Break-Ins PDF Print E-mail

Several homes and cars have been burglarized in the past few weeks on the Lower Broadway.  Please keep an eye out for suspicious activity and always call 911 if you see something wrong.
 
Prevent Car Break-Ins PDF Print E-mail

Follow these simple steps to prevent car break-ins:

 

1. Park in well-lit, high-traffic areas. The best option is a parking structure; the worst option is an alley.
2. Before leaving your car, make sure there is nothing valuable sitting in plain sight. It is best to just not keep expensive items in your car, but for some things (like a stereo), there is no alternative.
3. Roll all of the windows up all the way and lock all the doors. This should be obvious.
4. Keep your car clean, any item may be worth something to a thief.  Even an empty grocery bag.
5. Don't hide things after you park.  A thief could be watching you hide valuables.

 

When purchasing a car:

 

1. Before purchasing a vehicle, do some research on the cars you have in mind. Certain makes and models of vehicles are more frequently/easily broken into than others.
2. If you purchase a custom stereo, try to get one with a detachable faceplate so you can take that with you when you leave the car. I know that seems like a hassle, but trust me – it’s worth it. I’ve had two radios stolen from my car, and both times I had the faceplate in the car.
3. If you install a sound system or any auxiliary video equipment in your car, to try make it as inconspicuous as possible. If someone can look into your windows and see expensive custom systems, they will want to smash those windows.

 
 
2 Bikes Hit in 3 days on Lower Broadway PDF Print E-mail

Just 10 minutes ago another cyclists was hit on Lower Broadway near Campbell St.  What will it take for the city to post more 25 MPH signs or a stop sign on Riverside?  The rider from the most recent accident had a hurt leg and the driver of the truck that hit him was kind enough to take him to the hospital.
 
Prevent Home Burglary PDF Print E-mail

Locks:

  • Use a solid core or metal door for all entrance points
  • Use a quality, heavy-duty, deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt
  • Use a quality, heavy-duty, knob-in-lock set with a dead-latch mechanism
  • Use a heavy-duty, four-screw, strike plate with 3-inch screws to penetrate into a wooden door frame
  • Use a wide-angle 160° peephole mounted no higher than 58 inches

Windows:

  • Secure all accessible windows with secondary blocking devices
  • Block accessible windows open no more than 6 inches for ventilation
  • Make sure someone cannot reach through an open window and unlock the door
  • Make sure someone cannot reach inside the window and remove the blocking device
  • Use anti-lift devices to prevent window from being lifted out
  • Use crime prevention or alarm decals on ground accessible windows

Be a good nieghbor:

  • Get to know all your adjacent neighbors
  • Invite them into your home and establish trust
  • Agree to watch out for each other's home
  • Do small tasks for each other to improve territoriality
  • While on vacation - pick up newspapers, and flyers
  • Offer to occasionally park your car in their driveway
  • Return the favor and communicate often

Lighting:

  • Use interior light timers to establish a pattern of occupancy
  • Exterior lighting should allow 100- feet of visibility
  • Use good lighting along the pathway and at your door
  • Use light timers or photo-cells to turn on/off lights automatically
  • Use infra-red motion sensor lights on the rear of single family homes
 
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