Lookout PM: SC City Council candidate Hector Marin to be sentenced for driving with suspended license, PCS lockdown due to false threat call, rising costs force local farmers to raise prices

City council candidate Hector Marin due for sentencing Wednesday for driving with a suspended license following 2024 DUI

By Max Chun

District 4 Santa Cruz City Council candidate Hector Marin is due for sentencing on Wednesday for driving with a suspended license following a 2024 arrest for driving under the influence in Santa Clara County.

Santa Cruz County farmers raise prices due to soaring diesel, fertilizer costs

By Dieter Holger

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for shipping energy in the Persian Gulf, has sent the prices of diesel and petroleum-based fertilizer – key farming resources – soaring globally. Now, the supply crunch is coming home to roost in agrarian communities like Santa Cruz County.

Lily Belli on Food: Silver Spur taking over Jeffery’s spot; Live Oak’s thriving school farm; Second Harvest symposium

Lily Belli dishes on the fate of Jeffery’s Restaurant, a dream come to fruition in Live Oak School District, Second Harvest Food Bank seeking community input on food insecurity and much more in her Tuesday newsletter.

With food insecurity getting worse, Second Harvest turns to community for help with solutions

Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County will host its first symposium on food insecurity to get input from community members and elected officials on ways it can support people in need.

Cabrillo College, UCSC among schools affected by nationwide cyberattack

By Hillary Ojeda

Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz were among thousands of schools nationwide impacted last week after a cyberattack on Canvas parent company Instructure forced temporary shutdowns of the learning management platform just as students were preparing for finals. Officials at both campuses said Canvas has since been restored.

Could Chaminade be at risk? Proposed state bill could gut Santa Cruz County hotel ownership

By Jon Bortz

A new California bill, AB 1869, could change how hotel investment companies are taxed and regulated. Jon Bortz, CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, which owns Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz, says the measure – designed to ensure companies that get the tax advantages of being “passive property owners” are just owners, and are not also running them behind the scenes – could force significant changes at the well-known local resort if it becomes law. Bortz warns that it could lead to higher taxes, declining property values and potential impacts on retirement investments tied to hotel real estate. Critics of the bill argue it could also discourage long-term owners from investing in California’s hospitality industry. The bill is scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday.