Good morning, everyone. It is Monday, April 14 – shaping up to be a mostly sunny (give or take some early fog) and warm one around Santa Cruz County, with temps topping 80 in the toastiest locales.
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Efforts to close some downtown Santa Cruz streets to cars are gaining steam, Christopher Neely reports. The Pacific for People group has focused a stretch of Pacific Avenue and Cooper Street in its push to make downtown a more vibrant gathering place, and the city council could move toward a pilot program this month.
The Capitola City Council, meanwhile, has a special meeting set for this week to consider plans for the Coastal Rail Trail along Park Avenue, Max Chun reports in his weekly Carmageddon feature. A pair of options is on the table.
Max also has a story on former members of the minor league Santa Cruz Warriors now on the roster of their parent club as the Golden State Warriors head into the NBA postseason. Quinten Post, Gui Santos and Jackson Rowe will be on hand Tuesday when the Warriors host the Memphis Grizzlies in a high-stakes play-in game.
Lookout this morning published an investigative piece in partnership with CalMatters on how California’s DMV lets deadly drivers stay on the road. CalMatters asked the district attorneys of all 58 counties in the state to provide data on vehicular manslaughter cases for the past five years, and the only county not to provide the information was Santa Cruz.
The Monday headlines also include Wallace Baine’s remembrance of late Santa Cruz jazz singer Tammi Brown – please, read along.
Closing a street to cars may feature in Santa Cruz City Council downtown economic plan later this month
Each week for nearly the past year, a grassroots group has met at a Santa Cruz beer house with one goal: closing some downtown Santa Cruz streets to cars. The group has gotten support from business owners, employees and downtown patrons, and now, city leaders are mulling whether to bring the idea up for a vote that could eventually reshape how locals and visitors experience the city center. Christopher Neely reports.
Carmageddon: Special meeting could see Capitola City Council approve Park Avenue trail option
At a special meeting Thursday, the Capitola City Council will weigh a pair of options for the Coastal Rail Trail along Park Avenue between Capitola Village and the Cliffwood Heights neighborhood. Max Chun has a preview, plus a look at this week’s local traffic trouble spots.
DAILY DIGEST
That’s what I know this mid-April morning, and you’ll want to stay tuned for more from Lookout as Monday unfolds. That includes In the Public Interest, Christopher Neely’s weekly dispatch from the public square of Santa Cruz County politics & policy, coming Monday afternoon. Sign up here to get that and all of Lookout’s newsletters delivered right to you, and don’t forget our breaking news alerts while you’re there. Hit the Apple App Store and Google Play Store to download the new Lookout Santa Cruz app, and if you’re out there on social media, keep up with our award-winning local coverage by following Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.
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Here’s to wrestling Monday into submission!
Will McCahill