Michael A. Lewis's Blog

As I’ve noted here time after time (go to Bioregionalism for example), political activism, environmentalism and social organization are most effective at the local level, where we have direct contacts with fellow citizens, elected officials and candidates for local government offices.

We’re in the run-up for the Santa Cruz City Council Mayor election coming up in June, and five candidates have joined the fray. The first to announce is Ryan Coonerty, past City Council Mayor and County Supervis...

Santa Cruz is widely known for its scenic beauty and recreational opportunities. With greenbelts, parks and open spaces, numerous beaches, ocean views and unparalleled waves, abundant aerial, terrestrial and marine wildlife, Santa Cruz has long enjoyed an economy based on recreation and tourism.

Since its founding in 1791, European colonization of the Santa Cruz region has been based on resource exploitation and subjugation of indigenous inhabitants who depended on those same resources f...

Two hundred and fourteen years ago, an organized group of handcraftsmen, following a mythical Ned Ludd, rioted throughout Nottinghamshire, England (of Robin Hood fame) destroying hundreds of mechanical knitting machines owned and deployed by wealthy industrialists. The Luddites were not opposed to new technology as such, but rose up against applications of existing technology that put themselves and their families out of work and drove them into poverty. Widespread economic and social impact...

“With its important location, this project is poised to become a unique landmark and a visual statement to the Santa Cruz urban context,” the developer’s project application reads. “The design seamlessly integrates into the urban setting, offering a bold contemporary metropolitan aesthetic, while maintaining a harmonious relationship with the heritage, charactor [sic] and urban vibe of Santa Cruz.” 

This exercise in meaningless hyperbole comes in an article in Lookout Santa Cruz, detail...

“With its important location, this project is poised to become a unique landmark and a visual statement to the Santa Cruz urban context,” the developer’s project application reads. “The design seamlessly integrates into the urban setting, offering a bold contemporary metropolitan aesthetic, while maintaining a harmonious relationship with the heritage, charactor [sic] and urban vibe of Santa Cruz.” 

This exercise in meaningless hyperbole comes in an article in Lookout Santa Cruz, detail...

In downtown Santa Cruz, amidst the rapidly increasing onslaught of multi-story tower blocks, a small oasis of greenery, cooling shade and wildlife has for decades served as a meeting place for Santa Cruz residents and visitors. Generations of Santa Cruzans have enjoyed the Farmers Market and Antique Faire beneath this leafy glen, providing respite from the oppressive canyons of cement and glass that have forever changed the face of the Santa Cruz core.

Nevertheless, Santa Cruz City Fathers an...

Reps. Boebert and Tiffany Reintroduce Legislation to Delist the Gray Wolf

Once again, North American wolves are under attack by ignorant, self-serving politicians in the United States government. Two MAGA Republicans have introduced the oddly named Pet and Livestock Protection Act (see below), supposedly to protect cows and “pets” from wolves. Deploying the following picture attempting to make wolves appear frightening and aggressive, two Republican members of the national asylum for the crim...

Yes, this is a blog about the Natural World in which we all live. Unfortunately, some are less than responsible citizens, who refuse to live in harmony with Nature.

It’s only been a month since the Orange Oval One was sworn into office. For those of us who care about preserving and defending the Natural World, this has been a time of gobsmacking alarm, fear and disbelief. The current intruders into the halls of government are set, yes, dead set, on destroying everything we have worked for...

We Live in the Natural World – yes, we do. All of us. All life. All the time.

However, the majority of humans on this benighted and much abused planet have yet to get the memo, and they haven’t figured it out on their own, either.

There are many things that humans do, or attempt to do, that are decidedly un-Natural, for example:

Continuous population and economic growth, coupled with an economic system based on increasing consumption of finite resources, governed by a hierarchical, ...

My mind is always wandering, sometimes here, sometimes there, sometimes beyond all reckoning. I’m thinking about writing about simplicity, but in trying to write about it, it becomes complicated.

The myriad changes the Trump/Musk regime is pushing forward these days make business as usual more complicated for business and government bureaucracies, and the general public as well. Since a major portion of local government spending comes from national government coffers, local citizens have ...