State laws sometimes create visible changes in the local built environment. One example already noted in this blog is marijuana legalization, which has spawned a number of new retail businesses in Santa Cruz.
The state law was enacted in 2018, but legal challenges put it on hold until this year, when finally confirmed by the state Supreme Court on March 26. The anticipated outcome, however, had already begun to cause a reduction in the number of bail bonds offices in the area around the County Court House (Water and Ocean streets).
On Ocean Street, one of the two bail bond businesses (Diaz Bros.) has closed, and both of the bail bond offices on on Water Street have now taken down their signs. Santa Cruz Bail Bonds (pictured above) opted to consolidate with a legal documents preparation business next door and share space there, giving up its separate space. These businesses were just a small part of the local business scene, but their disappearance marks big changes in the workings of our local criminal justice system.
Santa Cruz Changes locations can be found on this Google Map.
