The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to put a half-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot and declared a state of financial distress amid ongoing challenges.
Tania Ortiz
Tania Ortiz joins Lookout Santa Cruz as the California Local News Fellow to cover South County. Tania earned her master’s degree in journalism in December 2023 from Syracuse University, where she was a Newhouse Diversity News Fellow. In Syracuse, she covered life and culture for Syracuse.com, writing features on local artists and organizations making an impact on the community.
While studying for her master’s, Tania also reported on feminist collectives in Mexico and their efforts to support families of femicide victims as a Pulitzer Center grantee. She’s also written for other publications such as the Charleston City Paper, The South Side Stand and the Los Angeles Journal.
Originally from Oceanside, Tania is excited to be reporting in her home state after living on the East Coast for two years. She looks forward to learning more about Santa Cruz County and connecting with the community through her reporting.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Q&A: Interim CEO Tim Moran on the future, growth and finances of Watsonville Community Hospital
Lookout spoke with interim Watsonville Community Hospital CEO Tim Moran, who just finished his first two weeks into his new role, about what he hopes to accomplish throughout his six-month tenure.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes explican el impacto del fallo de EE. UU. sobre el TPS
A finales de junio, la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos dictaminó que el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) tiene mayor autoridad para poner fin al Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS) para ciertos países sin la intervención de tribunales federales inferiores. Defensores locales de los derechos de los inmigrantes afirman que el fallo ha generado más temor entre las personas beneficiarias del TPS.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s Watsonville Strawberry Festival
The annual Strawberry Festival returns to the streets of downtown Watsonville this weekend; here’s everything you need to know.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Immigration advocates offer insight, impact of U.S. ruling on TPS
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in late June that the Department of Homeland Security has more authority to end temporary protected status for certain countries without facing interference from lower federal courts. Local immigration advocates say the ruling has led to more fear among immigrants under TPS.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Coin flip settles first district in Capitola’s shift to neighborhood elections
Capitola city leaders are one step closer to finalizing its district-based election system. The five-member city council selected a district map and which seats will be up for election in 2028, when the city will begin its formal transition into districts.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘Where are we supposed to go?’: Watsonville’s new camping ban deepens anxiety for unhoused residents
For eight years, 58-year-old farmworker Alejandro Garcia has struggled to find a safe place to sleep in Watsonville. His anxiety is now compounding as the city implements new rules that ban camping along rivers and sloughs, allowing crews to clear encampments without warning.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
State energy commission determines New Leaf Energy’s application for Watsonville project ‘incomplete’
The California Energy Commission has determined that an application from Massachusetts-based developer New Leaf Energy for its proposed battery storage facility located in Watsonville is incomplete following a 30-day review. The state energy commission finished its initial review of New Leaf’s application on July 8. It determined that the developers need additional information for more […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Watsonville approves ‘no encampment zones’ along sloughs, levee and downtown plaza
Watsonville City Council will decide whether to make changes to its camping ordinance, establishing “no encampment zones” in areas such the Struve Slough, the Pajaro River levee and other public spaces around the city.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Moss Landing battery plant cleanup enters tougher next phase, with demolition expected into 2027
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is gearing up to begin the next phase of its Moss Landing cleanup efforts, following a massive January 2025 fire that damaged a large portion of a battery storage facility.
