Welcome to Monday night’s Lookout PM.
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Enrollment decline, budget worries add urgency to consolidation talk across Santa Cruz County’s 10 school districts
The backlash over Live Oak School District’s budget cuts has renewed questions among teachers, parents and even some trustees over whether Live Oak – and other school districts like it – should be folded into neighboring districts to save money. The idea also has its critics. Continue reading…
Carmageddon: RTC eyes replacing 23 train bridges as it moves toward passenger rail in Santa Cruz County
Any manifestation of passenger rail in Santa Cruz County is still years away, but Regional Transportation Commission staff will get going on very early work this year. On Thursday, the commission voted to allow staff to begin preliminary designs and design repairs to existing Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line infrastructure — including the possible replacement of some historic bridges within the county. Continue reading…
Big week in Santa Cruz County politics: E-bikes, West Cliff, cannabis and coastal property sale
Budgets, a vision for a one-way West Cliff Drive, a cannabis moratorium and e-bike restrictions: Political leaders at multiple levels of government in Santa Cruz County have their hands full this week. Continue reading…
The Shapers: Nane Alejandrez has been lending a hand and changing lives for 50 years
From his Santa Cruz home base at Barrios Unidos, Daniel “Nane” Alejandrez has been working for almost 50 years to make lives better for children and families, as well as people trying to make better lives for themselves after incarceration. Continue reading…
Are West Cliff neighbors ready for the influx of traffic if 50-year ‘vision’ is approved by city council Tuesday? I don’t think so.
The Santa Cruz City Council is set to make a big decision Tuesday on whether West Cliff Drive should be a one-way street, writes Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin. But not only do too few people know about the vote, the data the councilmembers are using to get neighborhood feedback is also flawed, he says. He leans on his 26 years of experience on the Santa Cruz City Council to suggest that neighbors will not like the changes in traffic patterns and that the vote should be delayed. Continue reading…
