Andy Schiffrin News Today

"At the end of the day, we're on the hook for the cost increase," explained Mitch Weiss, interim executive director of the commission. "We're not in a strong negotiating position."

The rail-trail Commentary by Justin Cummings and Andy Schiffrin (April 23) has a laundry list of arguments for building the “Ultimate” trail. Such a trail means leaving the unused tracks in place and building an inferior, more expensive trail. Yet not once do they mention the elephant in the room and the only rational reason […]

"Rail consultants have stated that in order to meet the travel time requirements from Watsonville to Santa Cruz, a new passenger train would need to reach speeds of up to 60 mph. However, the topographical challenges of the Branch Line make it difficult to achieve these desired speeds while also accommodating a trail," writes Brian Peoples in a Guest Commentary.

Thank you, Justin Cummings and Andy Schiffrin for your straightforward, concise, detailed summary of the rail trail options, costs and potential outcomes. After so many opinions have been expressed in these pages and elsewhere, it is very rewarding to read the facts. The facts. I have cut the commentary out and will refer to it […]

Dang — another misinformed letter about the railroad (“What happens to right-of-way if it’s abandoned?” Sentinel, April 25). I consider it my duty to correct the matter. I performed the title research that supported the public purchase of the railroad property before the deal closed. I worked as an expert consultant for Union Pacific Railroad […]

"Don’t be misled by the never-ending cries for the Interim and Trail Only options," write Justin Cummings and Andy Schiffrin in a Guest Commentary. "Any attempts to pursue them will be fruitless and the opportunity for a safe, protected pedestrian and bicycle path through the county will be lost."

"It's no guarantee that we're going to be able to do this project ultimately; that we'll have the money," said Andy Schiffrin, the alternate for Commissioner Justin Cummings. "But by approving the project--or urging the county to approve the project--we make it possible to potentially do it and we stay on track."

"My mother Dana Potter, moved to Santa Cruz in 1948 to run a florist and nursery business on Ocean Street," writes columnist Ross Eric Gibson. "Her parents, Poppy and Hopie Potter, decided to join her, driving from Maryland to Santa Cruz in a 1949 Chevy, calling themselves the new '49ers. They bought a home on West Cliff Drive, a neighborhood with a small population and a large number of vacant summer cottages."

"Measure M is about direct democracy," writes Susan Monheit in a Guest Commentary. "Your voice being heard above those of profit-driven developers who have the city’s ear. Measure M gives you, the voter, a channel for input that is respected and counted before neighborhoods — including yours — can be up-zoned to build unnecessary high-rise development that exceeds current building height limits."

Among the improvements Metro staff said would come in the second phase are a 43% increase in overall service, 15-minute day service that is currently not offered anywhere in the county, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and free fares for all riders.