Ahoy there, Santa Cruz County. It’s Friday, Aug. 29 – once the marine layer burns off it’ll be sunny and warm, with highs from the mid-70s at local beaches to upper 90s in the mountains, and much the same, if slightly cooler, through the Labor Day long weekend.
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Christopher Neely starts us off with an update on a battery energy storage facility proposed for outside Watsonville, reporting that after supervisors put off crafting Santa Cruz County rules for such systems until next summer, the developer behind the Watsonville proposal is “surprised and disappointed” by the delay. New Leaf Energy could pursue a state path that allows such projects to skip the local process, minimize local control and obtain permits within a year to build the battery storage facility.
Max Chun was in Watsonville on Thursday as local officials celebrated the completion of $10 million in upgrades to make Green Valley Road more friendly to cyclists and pedestrians. “There’s about five or six memorials along Green Valley Road,” Supervisor Felipe Hernandez said of the historically dangerous South County artery. “That’s why this project is so important to our community — to save lives of people walking by.”
The Friday headlines also include recommendations aplenty from Wallace Baine for things to do this long weekend and beyond around Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment, but first, a look through the lens of Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud.
Photo of the day
Hip-hop legends The Roots performed Thursday night at the Quarry Amphitheater at UC Santa Cruz. The group, started in Philadelphia in 1987 by singer Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, is on break from its duties as house band for NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and is touring around the United States.
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Battery storage developer aims to advance Watsonville project before next summer, regardless of Santa Cruz County’s rules
Santa Cruz County supervisors postponed battery storage rules until August 2026, a delay that could push developer New Leaf Energy to sidestep local review and seek faster state approval for its $200 million project. Christopher Neely has the latest.
Watsonville’s Green Valley Road gets $10 million safety upgrade for cyclists and pedestrians
Santa Cruz County hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday for the Green Valley Road redevelopment project that began last summer. More Watsonville road improvements are on the way, with Freedom Boulevard slated for a swath of upgrades beginning in 2026. Read more from Max Chun.
DAILY DIGEST
Coming later today from Lookout, among other things, is another taste of the Santa Cruz County food & drink scene in the form of Lily Belli’s Eaters Digest – one of the many newsletters and breaking news alerts you can sign up for here. Take our award-winning local coverage along for the ride by downloading the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and if you’re the social media type, connect with Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky to stay current there.
BEFORE I GO … With our partners at CalMatters, Lookout is hosting a screening of “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink,” a film that chronicles the damage caused by hedge fund ownership of once-proud community newspapers. The Sept. 24 event at the Del Mar Theatre in downtown Santa Cruz will be followed by a panel discussion and kicks off our fundraising efforts for Lookout’s fifth anniversary. Get your tickets and more info here.
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May our Friday be a smooth one, and here’s to a safe, rejuvenative long weekend beyond. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you Monday.
Will McCahill