In this first part of a three-part Sunday series, Lookout digs into the questions surrounding homelessness in Santa Cruz County. First up, how has a beautiful place with a progressive and generous population become a statewide epicenter for the needy?
Grace Stetson
Grace comes to Lookout from just over the hill, originally from Sunnyvale but with a variety of journalism experience from across the country.After doing her undergrad at Seattle University, Grace earned a master’s in journalism at Northwestern’s Medill School, where she focused on housing and gentrification issues via roles with The Chicago Reader, Illinois Public Media, and WNYC.In 2018, she moved to Brooklyn, where she joined the team at Dateline NBC as a full-time program coordinator. In this position, she balanced reporting work for the show’s online Cold Case Spotlights vertical with assistant production on special episodes, and connected with the Story Development team in preparing daily briefs on news-of-the-day.Since returning to the South Bay Area in Sept. 2020, Grace has freelanced for local publications such as San Jose Spotlight, Metro Silicon Valley, and The Six Fifty. Having lived in many places across the U.S. and worked for small, mid-tier, and larger markets, Grace is excited to delve back into community journalism with Lookout Santa Cruz.“This team and endeavor is such an exciting opportunity, and an exciting vision for what the future of local news can look like,” she says. “I can’t wait to have the chance to serve this community with high-quality, in-depth journalism.”
Posted inHousing & Development
Affordable housing ideas in the spotlight: Forum to detail two possible Santa Cruz ballot measures
On Thursday, the people behind two potential ballot measures will explain how their plans would increase affordable housing in the city of Santa Cruz should they get on the November ballot. Some city officials and activists, however, aren’t so sure.
Posted inEnvironment
‘The time is now’: Santa Cruzans call for transit equity, accessibility
On Friday, Equity Transit held a march and rally with nearly 100 attendees calling for increased and accessible transit options throughout Santa Cruz County. “Transit inequities affect lots of people in different camps, and we’re all affected by it,” organizer Michael Wool said. “It’s a very multifaceted problem, we have to come at it from many different angles.”
Posted inHousing & Development
Are Santa Cruzans dividing up their lots? A look at SB 9 one month in, as new law gets digested
Senate Bill 9, signed into law last fall by Gov. Gavin Newsom, allows California homeowners and property owners to either subdivide their lots or build duplexes. The law officially went into effect Jan. 1 — but how much of an impact has it made locally, if at all?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
$500K grant to expand broadband access to as many as 4,000 low-income families
New Leaf Community Markets brand manager Lindsay Gizdich said the store is moving from Pacific Avenue in order to have…
Posted inUncategorized
Santa Cruz council moves 130 Center St. project forward
A 233-unit mixed-use downtown development unanimously approved by Santa Cruz’s planning commission faced an appeal in November, but while those community concerns led to further delay, UCSC students and advocates rallied together to push the project forward, leading to unanimous approval by the city council.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
‘A lot of increased interest, a lot of desire’: New business permit extensions aim to revitalize downtown
The city of Santa Cruz has seen a hit to downtown businesses throughout the COVID pandemic, but on Tuesday, the city council authorized a new rule making it easier for businesses to reopen or move into a vacant spot.
Posted inHousing & Development
From landing pad to uncertainty in six months: Santa Cruz’s housing market swerved on this reporter again
With the future unclear yet again, will Grace have to return to the endless Craigslist and Facebook searches she long ago came to dread? Come along on our affordability correspondent’s latest quixotic journey through the rental market.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
City closing temporary unhoused site at Depot Park
New Leaf Community Markets brand manager Lindsay Gizdich said the store is moving from Pacific Avenue in order to have…
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How many are homeless in Santa Cruz County? An already COVID-delayed count pushed by Omicron
Though the Point-In-Time Count normally happens every two years, next month will be the first time Santa Cruz County’s unhoused have been tallied since before the pandemic. And that date itself was pushed back a month due to the Omicron surge. The last time — in January 2019 — the unhoused totaled 2,167 people, though many believe the current number is far greater.