Monterey County officials have approved more than $1 million in funding to help finish construction of a 34-unit “tiny village” in Watsonville. The project is a joint effort between Santa Cruz and Monterey counties to address homelessness along the Pajaro River levee.
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 inPolitics & Policy
Newsom signs Laird’s battery storage safety bill in wake of Moss Landing fire
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a new law, authored by state Sen. John Laird, requiring battery storage developers to coordinate with local fire departments before submitting an application for their projects, following a massive fire at a facility in Moss Landing.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County’s Latino Affairs Commission pushes to turn symbolic immigration sanctuary pledge into binding law
Santa Cruz County officials are facing pressure to do more than promise to safeguard the area’s immigrant community from federal immigration actions – such as passing a legally binding ordinance.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
La Comisión de Asuntos Latinos del Condado impulsa convertir la promesa simbólica de santuario migratorio en ley vinculante
Los funcionarios del condado de Santa Cruz enfrentan presión para hacer más que prometer proteger a la comunidad inmigrante del área de las acciones federales de inmigración.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Pajaro River levee cleanup scatters an unhoused community, creating new challenges for outreach workers
In the weeks following a massive encampment cleanup along the Pajaro River levee, unhoused residents have moved upstream, which has created challenges for the homelessness outreach team tasked with helping some levee residents find shelter.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Here’s how the federal shutdown is affecting Santa Cruz County governments, schools and nonprofits
Most Santa Cruz County agencies and nonprofits say they have monthlong buffers against the federal government shutdown, though some child care and agricultural programs could face threats if the impasse stretches well beyond October.
Posted inLatest News
Watsonville activist nears end of monthlong hunger strike after brief hospitalization
Tuesday marks the final day of Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez’s monthlong hunger strike to protest the application of pesticides near schools in the Pajaro Valley. On Friday, Dieguez checked into the hospital after experiencing intense stomach pain, but told Lookout that he’s feeling better and on track to finish out his fast.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County supervisors will take up Watsonville battery storage plant safety issues Nov. 18
After the Moss Landing battery plant fire, New Leaf Energy’s plan to build a storage facility outside Watsonville has gotten more controversial. As Santa Cruz County’s environment commission finalizes its recommendations, the board of supervisors will decide how to move forward in November.
Posted inLatest News
Telemundo 23 ends its local news, leaving Central Coast without a Spanish-language newscast
KION’s Spanish-language affiliate Telemundo 23, also based in Salinas, abruptly shuttered its newsroom on Tuesday, leaving the Central Coast without a Spanish newscast.
Posted inLatest News
Telemundo 23 pone fin a sus noticias locales, dejando a la Costa Central sin noticiero en español
La filial en español de KION, Telemundo 23, con sede en Salinas, cerró abruptamente su sala de redacción el martes, dejando a la Costa Central sin un noticiero en español.