A city in a time warp

NY Times:

Violence Brings an Identity Crisis in a Free-Spirited California Beach Town


Dueling slogans — “Keep Santa Cruz Weird” versus “Keep Santa Cruz Safe and Clean” — reflect heated debates on the city’s policies toward drug abuse and homelessness.
Back in the 1980's Santa Cruz looked like it had never gotten passed the 1960's.  Hippies were prevalent on the streets and while the "Keep Santa Cruz Weird" slogan is one it got from Austin, Texas, Santa Cruz is not as clean a place as Austin and it is probably even more liberal.

It is the birthplace of wet suits, something of a necessity for surfers in the cold Pacific waters.  It was also the home of ultra light racing sailboats such as the Olson 50 and the Olson 30 that could actually surf down the big waves and sometimes plane like a ski boat.

I think the "Keep Santa Cruz Weird" slogan is probably a polite way of saying, to keep it safe for dope smoking hippie liberals.  When that attitude is prevalent it is hard to keep things safe and clean.

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