By Cami “Clemensen” Corvin
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) finds itself at a crossroads, and the public deserves honesty. The truth is, this trail project is bleeding money dry, and the numbers don’t add up.
Recently, RTC Executive Director Sarah Christensen said: “We don’t have the luxury of time and staff may not be able to just go out and try to find $72 million … there’s very few options at this point.”
That statement should have been a wake-up call. Instead, the RTC continues pushing forward as if money will magically appear. The reality is simple: there is no realistic path to cover the $72 million shortfall.
Even more troubling is how residents are being treated along the way. Communities like Blue & Gold Mobile Home Park have been threatened with litigation over encroachments, despite the fact that RTC staff themselves acknowledge there is no budget for lawsuits. How does threatening legal action make sense when you don’t have the money to litigate? That is not bold leadership—it is reckless resource mismanagement.
Meanwhile, the people most affected are those with the least power to fight back. Many residents in these mobile home communities are seniors on fixed incomes who have invested their life savings in their homes. These are not “obstructionists.” These are our neighbors, and they are being scapegoated for pointing out the financial holes in a project that was shaky from the start. And while seniors are forced to live with uncertainty, brand-new million-dollar condos just yards away remain untouched. The inequity could not be clearer.
Let’s also be honest about what voters approved. Residents supported investment in transportation and trails, but they never signed a blank check. The public was led to believe that grants and state funding would make the difference. Instead, the RTC is on the verge of losing existing grant money because deadlines cannot be met, while new funding cycles are slipping out of reach. When the collapse comes, blame will likely be shifted to “obstructionists” in the community, when in fact it was poor planning and unrealistic budgeting that set us up for failure.
Here’s the bottom line: I am not advocating for the train, nor am I advocating for the full build-out of the trail. My advocacy is — and always has been — for protecting low-income seniors and families who stand to lose their homes if this project moves forward as planned. Housing stability is not negotiable. No public works project should ever come at the cost of pushing our most vulnerable neighbors into displacement.
That said, there is a middle ground that acknowledges fiscal reality while still delivering community benefit. An interim trail could provide access now, without requiring $72 million we don’t have, without triggering lawsuits we can’t afford, and without threatening people’s homes. An interim trail is not about taking sides in the train-versus-trail debate—it’s about common sense. It’s about giving the public something usable today while protecting the stability of the residents who have the most to lose.
It is time for RTC staff and commissioners to wake up. Continuing down this path is not a sign of commitment—it is a refusal to face reality. Every additional dollar spent on consultants, surveys, and legal posturing is money drained from a county that already cannot meet its basic needs. Our roads are crumbling, our transit system is struggling, and essential services are underfunded. Yet we are being asked to chase an underfunded dream at the expense of residents who can least afford the burden.
Someone needs to be the adult in the room and call it. Stop the financial hemorrhage. Stop the empty threats. Stop scapegoating the very people who are most at risk. A project that cannot be funded is not progress—it is a distraction, and it is hurting our community.
The RTC has a duty to pursue solutions that are financially responsible, equitable, and transparent. Right now, we are getting none of the above. The time for magical thinking is over. If we truly want progress, we should focus on what can be built now—an interim trail—while protecting the homes and dignity of the low-income seniors who have carried this county on their shoulders for decades.
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Cami “Clemensen” Corvin is a longtime local whose family has lived in Santa Cruz County for more than 100 years. She is an advocate for low-income housing and senior living, and is deeply committed to community welfare, preserving the region’s rich history, and protecting local animals and marine life.