SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Keep it weird? Or keep it safe and clean?

“Keep Santa Cruz Weird” was the longstanding, if unofficial, motto for this small beachfront city proud of its tolerance and its offbeat vibe. People came for Santa Cruz’s 1960s-imbued live-and-let-live attitude, its progressive politics, the great weather, the University of California campus, the hard-partying surfing scene and the freewheeling drug culture.

But “Keep Santa Cruz Safe and Clean” began appearing on bumpers in recent years as the city was rattled by acts of violence, its streets and parks seemingly overwhelmed by homelessness and drugs. To hear the supporters of the new slogan, Santa Cruz’s famous tolerance was guilty of enabling.

The dueling slogans captured the fight over the city’s politics and policies, as well as its spirit. The debate has only intensified since the recent killings of Sgt. Butch Baker and Officer Elizabeth Butler, the first two police officers to die on duty in the Santa Cruz Police Department’s 157-year history.