Thursday, April 23, is here, Lookout friends, and the Santa Cruz County forecast calls for some patchy morning fog and then mostly sunny skies, warming as high as the mid-70s in mountain spots.
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Lily Belli whets our appetite this morning with news on the latest additions to downtown Santa Cruz’s Abbott Square – farmers market standby India Gourmet is now open in the main hall, and Luna’s Borikén Bites aims to bring Puerto Rican flavors to the Octagon by early next month.
Max Chun continues our series on Santa Cruz mayoral candidates, checking in with activist and educator Ami Chen Mills. She’s aiming to get more people engaged in local politics as part of her latest run for office. It’s part of Lookout’s free Election 2026 coverage.
Thursday is a day of protest for staff members at the Santa Cruz County Office of the Public Defender, Hillary Ojeda reports. They’re joining a statewide push demanding that the California Legislature establish a dedicated funding stream for the constitutionally mandated service that provides legal representation for people accused of crimes but who can’t afford private attorneys.
And in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, Laura Marcus, CEO of Dientes Community Dental Care, argues against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to cut Medi-Cal dental benefits. Marcus writes that the proposed budget savings would actually shift higher costs onto hospitals and vulnerable communities.
Those and plenty more Thursday headlines, comin’ right up.
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Abbott Square adds Indian food, Puerto Rican flavors with two new kiosks
Two new vendors are joining Abbott Square Market, with longstanding farmers market stall India Gourmet opening a permanent kiosk and Luna’s Borikén Bites preparing to debut Puerto Rican dishes in the Octagon. The additions expand the downtown Santa Cruz food hall’s lineup with globally inspired menus. Lily Belli has the latest.
Ami Chen Mills envisions a mayorship with more community conversations, leading to more people engaged in politics
Ami Chen Mills, an educator, writer and activist, aims to bring more community involvement to city government should she become Santa Cruz’s next mayor. She aspires to be an educator in office, too, with the hope of getting more people excited about and engaged in politics. Here’s what she told Max Chun.
DAILY DIGEST
That’s plenty to digest for a Thursday morning, so we’ll give you some time to do just that … but there’s more coming from Lookout, so make sure you’re plugged in. Sign up for free here for breaking news alerts via email and for all of our other newsletters – including Weekender, your cheat sheet to eating well and going out around Santa Cruz County, coming later. Get access to all of our award-winning local coverage right on that trusty smartphone by downloading the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and follow Lookout on social media via Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and/or Threads.
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Thanks for reading, and enjoy that Thursday sunshine.
Will McCahill