Lookout PM: New state legislation provides hope for Watsonville Community Hospital, recapping Lookout’s Santa Cruz candidate forum, Panetta’s battery storage legislation

Watsonville Community Hospital could receive temporary financial relief thanks to new state legislation

Following the approval late Thursday of a state bill aimed at helping financially troubled hospitals, Watsonville Community Hospital could expect some financial relief to help weather its ongoing challenges.

Santa Cruz candidates discuss the city’s most pressing issues in last forum before primary

By Max Chun

Homelessness, development, hurdles to local business and the city’s budget were among the topics as candidates for Santa Cruz mayor and city council Districts 4 and 6 joined a Lookout forum on Thursday ahead of the June 2 primary election.

Panetta to introduce new legislation Friday aimed at ensuring battery storage systems are safer

By Tania Ortiz

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta is pushing new legislation that would require the federal government to conduct research on the safety of battery storage systems in order to create proper safeguards.

From field to lunch tray: Live Oak’s thriving school farm grows thousands of pounds of produce for students

Live Oak School District celebrated the first full harvest year of its campus farm, which produced 4,800 pounds of organic fruits, vegetables and herbs used in school meals and educational programs across seven schools. The project, built on a former baseball field, combines nutrition, hands-on learning and food access, with students helping prepare fresh meals while the farm also donates surplus produce to local families.

California to provide free diapers to newborns at more than 60 hospitals

By Sophie Austin / Associated Press

California families welcoming newborns will soon receive hundreds of free diapers before leaving the hospital under a first-in-the-nation program announced Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Did Newsom’s $3.8 billion hotels-to-housing program pay off? We filed 100 records requests to find out

By Lauren Hepler / CalMatters and Marisa Kendall / CalMatters

Records analyzed by CalMatters provide a first-of-its-kind look into how California’s historical investment in homeless housing played out.