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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

California Fish and Game Commission denies petitions to expand and create new no-take marine protected areas off Santa Cruz County

By Lookout Santa Cruz staff

The California Fish and Game Commission voted Wednesday to deny petitions to expand and create new no-take marine protected areas in Santa Cruz County.

Santa Cruz County Measure E: What to know about the proposed temporary half-cent sales tax

By Tania Ortiz

Santa Cruz County’s Measure E would impose a five-year, half-cent sales tax increase expected to raise about $27 million annually to help address a worsening budget outlook and potential losses in healthcare and other safety-net funding.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz adopts road safety plan, pushes Vision Zero goal to 2050

By Max Chun

The Santa Cruz City Council adopted the city’s Road Safety Action Plan at its Tuesday meeting, setting some milestones over the next several decades and planning next steps to pursue with other agencies as it extended its goal of eliminating deaths on the road to 2050 instead of 2030.

Credit: Visit Santa Cruz County

This week in Santa Cruz County business: Visit Santa Cruz County adds AI trip planner; La Bahia earns Michelin Key

By Jessica M. Pasko

In this week’s look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko notes an artificial intelligence-powered addition to Santa Cruz County’s tourism website, a big distinction for the luxury beachfront La Bahia Hotel & Spa, a new downtown listening lounge and much more.

Credit: UCSC Center for Monster Studies

UCSC’s Festival of Monsters fends off critics and celebrates the misunderstood

By Alia Yee Noll

The Festival of Monsters returns to Santa Cruz from Wednesday to Sunday to discuss monsters in history and media, organized by UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Monster Studies. The festival includes an academic conference and multiple public events such as a film screening, author panels and a game day.

Credit: Jeff Chiu / Associated Press

OPINION: If you are a progressive, vote yes on Prop 3 and Prop 40, and no on the billionaire-backed decoys

By Richard McGahey

California voters face a complicated set of tax initiatives, with major implications for healthcare, public services and the state’s ability to raise revenue. Progressive economist Richard McGahey urges voters to support Proposition 3, which extends existing income tax rates on high earners, and Proposition 40, a one-time 5% tax on billionaire wealth to help offset devastating federal cuts. But two billionaire-backed measures, Props 41 and 42, threaten to undermine the wealth tax and make future tax increases more difficult, he writes. He recommends: vote yes on Props 3 and 40, and no on Props 41 and 42.

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Best of Santa Cruz County events, October 16-18

Here are some events you may be interested in this weekend:

Friday, Oct. 16

Saturday, Oct. 17

Sunday, Oct. 18

Add an event to our calendar

Max Chun is the general-assignment correspondent at Lookout Santa Cruz. Max’s position has pulled him in many different directions, seeing him cover development, COVID, the opioid crisis, labor, courts...