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483 days for 120 square feet: How Santa Cruz’s permitting process almost killed one entrepreneur’s dream
It took winemaker Megan Bell 483 days to complete the permitting process for her new Margins Wine tasting room, a 120-square-foot space with no food service or bathroom on the Westside in Santa Cruz. She feels Santa Cruz’s permit system is stacked against small business owners like herself; architect Bill Kempf describes it as “the worst” in the county. Continue reading…
‘Two-thirds and apathy’: Watsonville hospital’s Measure N faces uphill battle at the ballot box
Measure N seeks to implement a new tax and raise $116 million for publicly owned Watsonville Community Hospital; however, the campaign will need to rely on the support of a voter base that struggles to turn out. Continue reading…
High school sports roundup: Santa Cruz High one win away from basketball state title game
The top-seeded Santa Cruz High boys basketball team has won its first three games in the CIF Division III state tournament and will face Fresno’s Bullard High on Tuesday night for the NorCal title and a trip to the state championship game in Sacramento. Continue reading…
Take a look inside Watsonville’s hospital as community weighs support for $116M bond
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District is asking voters to approve Measure N, a $116 million bond to replace Watsonville Community Hospital’s aging infrastructure and to purchase the hospital’s building and land it sits on. Community members told Lookout what they think about its potential impacts. Continue reading…
Carmageddon: A look at West Cliff’s 50-year vision — including a one-way road
More than a year of public engagement has culminated in the City of Santa Cruz’s 50-year vision draft for West Cliff Drive. In that vision, the city confirms its intention to transition the coastal road to one-way westbound vehicle traffic. About 50 community members gathered Thursday to share their thoughts on the vision draft for the first time. Continue reading…
