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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Watsonville City Council approves city’s first homelessness strategic plan

The Watsonville City Council voted to adopt the city’s first homelessness strategic plan at its meeting Tuesday night. The plan outlines the city’s approach to reducing homelessness and connecting unhoused residents to social services.

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Credit: KION

As KION ends local news, KSBW is now only TV broadcaster serving 750K on the Central Coast

In a move that stunned staff and viewers alike, Salinas-based KION abruptly shuttered its newsroom after 56 years, leaving the Central Coast with just one local TV news outlet and raising questions about who will tell the region’s stories.

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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

This week in Santa Cruz County business: Report finds surfing contributes $194M to local economy but faces uncertain future; wineries still feeling CZU effects

A study spearheaded by Save the Waves Coalition and Black Surf Santa Cruz details surfing’s big local economic impact and outlines major threats from climate change, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly look at Santa Cruz County business.

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Credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

Amid federal confusion, California gives state public health department final say in vaccine recommendations

A new state law gives the California Department of Public Health the ultimate decision-making power for issuing vaccine recommendations. California-based insurers are required to cover vaccines that the public health department recommends — and the guidelines are much wider than the federal ones.

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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Habitat restoration underway along Aptos Creek in Forest of Nisene Marks

A habitat restoration project kicked off this week in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos, with California State Parks and the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz working along 1.5 miles of Aptos Creek. Continue reading…

Credit: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

County ag officials warn of invasive beetle in Santa Cruz

An invasive beetle that can damage or kill many types of trees has been found in Santa Cruz, and county agriculture officials are asking for the public’s help to prevent further spread.

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Best of Santa Cruz County events, September 26-28

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

Friday, Sep. 26

Saturday, Sep. 27

Sunday, Sep. 28

Add an event to our calendar

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...