Hello again, Lookout friends. It’s Monday, Aug. 4, and you guessed it, a mostly sunny day is ahead for Santa Cruz County (give or take some lingering marine layer), with temperatures warming into the 70s and lower 80s.
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Scrutiny continues on the heavily trafficked Bay Avenue corridor in Capitola, William S. Woodhams reports, with residents pushing the city to speed up safety improvements after another pedestrian was struck recently. That followed some short-term fixes the city implemented after the November 2023 hit-and-run death of Debra Towne.
The role of police in schools is the topic in Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Hillary Ojeda reports. Some worry about the powers that school resource officers have to arrest and question students on high school campuses, while law enforcement reps say the program ultimately helps many students avoid entering the justice system.
Christopher Neely checks on in who is spending, and how much, on the competing affordable housing measures on the November ballot in the city of Santa Cruz. Special interests contributed the vast majority of the $260,000 raised through June 30, campaign finance filings show.
Max Chun has his latest traffic-and-transit-focused Carmageddon column, which this week includes an update on work to make Bay Street on the Westside of Santa Cruz more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, plus a look inside the Regional Transportation Commission’s report on proposed passenger rail.
The back-to-work headlines also include Wallace Baine’s story on the playful, trippy vibe of Santa Cruz psychedelic graphic art shop Killer Acid – onward.
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After another pedestrian hit on Capitola’s Bay Avenue, residents demand faster safety fixes
After six pedestrian accidents since 2017, some Capitola residents are demanding immediate safety fixes on Bay Avenue as city officials work toward a $5 million plan to build roundabouts. William S. Woodhams reports.
In Pajaro Valley Unified, parents ask: How much power should police have in schools?
As students prepare to return to class, Pajaro Valley Unified School District is confronting a contentious debate over police powers in schools. Law enforcement officers argue their work prevents many students from ending up in the criminal justice system. More here from Hillary Ojeda.
DAILY DIGEST
As we launch into a week that’ll see many local students and educators head back to school, make sure you’re keeping up with Lookout’s continuing Santa Cruz County coverage. We offer a variety of breaking news alerts and newsletters – coming later Monday, for example, is In the Public Interest, Christopher Neely’s weekly survey of local politics and policy – that you can check out and sign up for here. Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to stay current that way, and if your daily scroll includes social media, give Lookout a follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.
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Here’s to a smooth Monday all around – thanks for reading.
Will McCahill