Wednesday, Sept. 3, is upon us, folks – another marine-layer-y day for some around Santa Cruz County, with more sun in the mountains and temperatures ranging from the 60s to around 90 in the warmest locales.
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Tania Ortiz is up first with the latest in our Ask Lookout series, digging into the question of whether the battery energy storage facility proposed for outside Watsonville is the only such project under consideration in the county. It is, say officials and developers, but some residents are worried that sites identified in Live Oak and Aptos in a draft county ordinance could yet be on the table.
A long-planned Cabrillo College-UC Santa Cruz student housing project is set to break ground later this month at Cabrillo’s Aptos campus, Hillary Ojeda reports. The joint 624-bed development is slated to open in fall 2027 and will also include a child care center for students of both schools.
Jessica M. Pasko is in the mix with her weekly survey of Santa Cruz County business, leading off with a Boulder Creek-based company whose wildfire detection and notification technology was born in the aftermath of 2020’s CZU fire.
And with the Santa Cruz County Fair just a week away, Wallace Baine has a preview, reporting that while there’s no shortage of the old-school charm that brings us back year after year, the 2025 version has some new attractions, plus a new CEO at the helm.
Wallace will also be front and center Wednesday evening in downtown Santa Cruz’s Abbott Square as he hosts the final Lookout Trivia Night of the summer – so get a team together and RSVP for free here.
How about some hump day headlines?
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Ask Lookout: Is Santa Cruz County considering additional locations for battery storage facilities?
Santa Cruz County residents are concerned that the battery storage facility proposed outside Watsonville is not the only possible location within the county for battery storage. County officials and developers say the South County project is the only pending application and viable location. Tania Ortiz digs in.
➤ ASK LOOKOUT: You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers
Joint Cabrillo-UCSC student housing project to finally break ground this month
Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz will break ground Sept. 29 on a long-planned, $111 million joint student housing and child care project at Cabrillo’s Aptos campus, marking the community college’s first-ever student housing. Slated to open in fall 2027 with 624 beds — 60% reserved for Cabrillo students — the complex will also feature a child care center, wellness resources and priority housing for low-income and housing-insecure students. Hillary Ojeda has the latest.
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I won’t keep you from getting on with your Wednesday, but do make sure you’re staying current with Lookout’s award-winning Santa Cruz County coverage as the week rolls along. Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, sign up here for breaking news alerts and for all of our other newsletters, and if there’s a social media component to your online diet, come connect with Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and/or Bluesky.
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Have an excellent Wednesday – thanks for reading.
Will McCahill