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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

City of Santa Cruz wins lawsuit over sugary drink tax, but an appeal is likely

By Max Chun

The City of Santa Cruz announced Tuesday that it has won a lawsuit brought by industry groups over Measure Z, the sugar-sweetened beverage tax that voters approved in November 2024. The city expects an appeal.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Civil grand jury faults Santa Cruz transportation commission for decades of flawed rail planning

By Hillary Ojeda

A new civil grand jury report faults the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission for decades of flawed planning on the coastal rail corridor. It says officials advanced proposals without adequately accounting for engineering, legal and financial realities, and recommends that the commission adopt stronger project evaluation and strategic planning processes.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Supervisors shelve battery storage ordinance after Watsonville project moves to state

By Tania Ortiz

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to shelve a local ordinance regulating battery storage systems following a decision by the developer of a project proposed for outside Watsonville to seek approval through the state.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Dominican Hospital nurses and staff rally against proposed cuts

By Hillary Ojeda

Dozens of staff members and supporters rallied outside Santa Cruz’s Dominican Hospital on Tuesday to oppose proposed layoffs and reductions to part-time status affecting 22 nurse educators, monitor technicians and unit coordinators, arguing that the cuts would undermine patient safety and place additional burdens on front-line nurses.

Credit: Jeff Chiu / Associated Press

California bans ‘sell by’ food labels to cut food waste and confusion

By Olga R. Rodriguez / Associated Press

A California law going into effect Wednesday bans the use of “sell by” labels on food packaging. Manufacturers selling food in California must now use two standardized labels — a “best if used by” label for peak quality and a “use by” label for product safety.

Credit: Shelby Knowles for CalMatters

California school libraries blindsided by ‘catastrophic’ budget cut

By Carolyn Jones / CalMatters

California’s latest budget cut $5.5 million for K-12 school libraries. That money pays online fees for student research materials.

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Best of Santa Cruz County events, July 3-5

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

Friday, Jul. 3

Saturday, Jul. 4

Sunday, Jul. 5

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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...