Romero Institute

10/15/2026

On September 19, 2026, hundreds of Santa Cruz community members gathered at The 418 Project for “Voting Rights in America: Gerrymandering & the Fight for Fair Representation,” a nonpartisan panel discussion and concert.

This video explores what’s at stake for voting rights across the country, including the history and purpose of the Voting Rights Act, the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais case and its potential to narrow Section 2 of the VRA, the national wave of mid-decade gerrymandering, and the underrepresentation of communities of color. It also features comments from the event’s panelists:

Julia Butterfly Hill, Environmental Activist
Ami Chen Mills, UCSC Lecturer, Journalist & Author
Elaine Johnson, J.D., President of Santa Cruz NAACP
Paco Estrada, Former Mayor of Watsonville
Ryan Coonerty, Lecturer in Politics at UCSC
Daniel Sheehan, Chief Counsel of the Romero Institute

The evening closed with live music from Random Rab and Phreeborn and the Phreequencies.

Read the Good Times coverage: https://www.goodtimes.sc/santa-cruz-voting-rights-town-hall/

Learn more about the Romero Institute’s work for justice and community: https://romeroinstitute.org

Sign up here for future events and updates: bit.ly/SantaCruzVotes

08/28/2026

Santa Cruz friends, please support the Resource Center for Nonviolence and attend this lovely event coming up TOMORROW (Friday)!
----

Dear Friends,

We are honored to invite you to a special screening of Flowers of the Earth, the latest premiere in Science and Nonduality's Wisdom of the Ancestors / Eternal Song film series.

This profound documentary takes us to the red-soil heart of Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil), where the Guarani-Kaiowá people share their unbreakable bond with the land. Through prayer, memory, and resistance, they fight to reclaim their ancestral home—a mother wounded by fences, fire, and exploitation. With intimate interviews and stunning visuals, the film captures their love for the earth and their quiet, defiant call for reforestation—of both land and spirit.

Join us for an evening of reflection and connection, followed by a community conversation led by directors Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo.

Friday, August 28
Doors at 6 PM | Film at 6:30 PM
RCNV, 612 Ocean St., Santa Cruz
Content note—This film series honors Indigenous resilience while addressing legacies of colonization, that may include references to trauma, substance abuse, and violence. We will share Community Agreements at the screening to help ensure a caring, respectful space for all.

Thank you for your support—Your ticket donation supports RCNV and SAND’s work, with 50% of proceeds after production costs going directly to Indigenous-led initiatives in the featured communities. Complimentary tickets are available. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

We hope you’ll join us for an evening of deep listening, collective reflection, and community connection. Please share this email with others who might like to join us, and we'll see you on July 16th at RCNV.

In community,

Your friends at RCNV

07/13/2026

As always, we encourage our Santa Cruz community to support the Resource Center for Nonviolence... This film will be a powerful one — this Thursday @ 6:30.

07/01/2026

Hello Santa Cruz community! Our friends at the Resource Center for Nonviolence are doing this important event! Please support them!

07/01/2026

What if the biggest threat to our planet isn't just "out there," but is actually the system we've built?

🌎 Earth’s Greatest Enemy exposes the military's massive environmental footprint—a story that rarely makes the headlines.

We’re hosting a special screening at RCNV. We’ll watch, we’ll process, and we’ll ask the hard question: How do we build a just, healthy future for all?

📽️ Film + Community Discussion
🗓 Wednesday, July 1 | Doors 5:30 PM
📍 RCNV – 612 Ocean St, Santa Cruz

🎟 No one turned away for lack of funds. Reserve sliding scale and complimentary tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earths-greatest-enemy-at-rcnv-tickets-1990205998717

Come imagine a world beyond militarism with us. This is part of our Loving Justice series—exploring our deep relationship with Mother Earth.

See you in the circle. 🌿

06/12/2026

Dear friends, please join us in sharing this video to stop Trump's oil drilling agenda on the coast of California. We're happy to have produced an event in April with Julia Butterfly Hill and Save Our Shores to mobilize action now in Santa Cruz, and the footage for this video was drawn from that event. The time to act is now. Go to saveourshores.com/drilling.

04/28/2026

04/14/2026

Save the Bay Town Hall & Concert with Julia Butterfly Hill to Stop Offshore Oil Drilling

Sunday, April 26, 2026 03:30 PM PST
846 Front St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA

Join us for an Earth Day inspired discussion with Julia Butterfly Hill and local environmental and political leaders. The Trump Administration plans to sell oil and deep sea mining leases off the California coast next year, including the Monterey Bay. At this event, you’ll learn about the organizing being done to resist this and have an opportunity to join the movement, if you haven't already. Among the experts you’ll hear from are Katie Thompson, executive director of Save Our Shores; Brady Bradshaw, Senior Oceans Campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity; and Sara Nelson, executive director of the Romero Institute. We’ll also be joined by elected officials passionate about preserving our pristine Monterey Bay.

Doors open at 3:30 and talks run from 4 PM to 5:30 PM. At 6 PM we’ll hear live music from Afro Hip-Hop band Dogon Lights and close the evening with an electronic dance set by local legends Heather Christie and Vir McCoy. Music ends by 9 PM.

There will be tabling by environmental organizations and Julia Butterfly Hill will provide a call to action. Following the event, we'll invite you to remain connected to the nonprofits working on this issue.

This gathering is being produced by the Romero Institute, Save Our Shores, Indivisible Santa Cruz, and HeartTribe presents. Our promotion partners are Environteers, Ecologistics, Future Forum, and the Lakota People’s Law Project.

https://events.com/r/en_US/tickets/save-the-bay-town-hall--concert-with-julia-butterfly-hill-to-stop-offshore-oil-drilling-santa-cruz-april-1041682

04/14/2026

Take Action, Today! https://ufos.pro/ufo-pledge-fb