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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Carmageddon: Dispute between RTC, Aptos Village property owners heading to court

By Max Chun

A dispute between the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission and property owners in Aptos Village about who owns a portion of land along the rail line is moving forward, with a trial expected to begin no earlier than the week of July 13.

Credit: Natasha Leverett / Lookout Santa Cruz

Leif Ames murder trial set for November

By Hillary Ojeda

A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge scheduled a November trial date for Leif Ames, who faces murder charges in the killing of his friend Hubert Cross in Live Oak in 2020. The trial has been delayed on at least eight occasions.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Here are the recommendations for renaming Watsonville’s Cesar Chavez Middle School

By Hillary Ojeda

A Pajaro Valley Unified School District committee has recommended renaming Cesar E. Chavez Middle School either Central Coast Middle School or Tagami Hashimoto Middle School following allegations of sexual abuse against the late civil rights and farmworker advocate that surfaced earlier this year. The school board reviewed the options last week and is expected to vote on a new name at a future meeting.

Lookout in the Classroom 2025-26: A year of growth, student voices and connection

By Jamie Garfield

As another school year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on the students, educators and community partners who helped make this our most impactful year yet.

Credit: Via Peter Van Dyke

OPINION: To honor the women of the water, Santa Cruz needs a female surf statue

By Kaila Pearson and Sarah Gerhardt

Santa Cruz’s iconic surfer statue has long celebrated the city’s surf culture – but it tells only half the story, write two veteran Santa Cruz surfers, Kaila Pearson and Sarah Gerhardt, the first woman to surf Mavericks in 1999. From Antoinette Swan and the Hawaiian princes to generations of pioneering women who challenged barriers in the lineup, women have helped shape Santa Cruz surfing from the beginning, they argue. A companion statue honoring the women of the water would, they write, recognize women’s often-overlooked contributions and reflect the full history of our surf town. If Santa Cruz values its surfing heritage, they believe, it should make that legacy visible for future generations.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

California is getting ready to increase a health insurance tax. Will it affect your premium?

By Ana B. Ibarra / CalMatters

A balance act: To help fund the safety net, lawmakers have voted through a health tax extension that could increase premium costs for Californians with private insurance.

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Best of Santa Cruz County events, June 22-25

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

Monday, Jun. 22

Tuesday, Jun. 23

Wednesday, Jun. 24

Thursday, Jun. 25

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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...