Thursday, Oct. 23, is here, Santa Cruz County friends and neighbors, and the forecast is for a mostly sunny day – give or take some fog – and highs in the 60s and 70s.
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After the news that nonprofit Housing Matters plans to end its drop-in day services for the homeless community at its Santa Cruz campus, Max Chun talked to some who will be affected. Access to showers, restrooms, mail service, rest areas and basic amenities will end next year for an estimated 50 to 80 unhoused people who use the services daily, and service providers say it will be difficult to reestablish them elsewhere in the county.
An apartment building proposed at 841 Capitola Rd. in Live Oak took another step forward Wednesday with approval from the county planning commission, Tania Ortiz reports. The approval came despite opposition from neighbors, who say they’ll appeal to the county board of supervisors.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board voted Wednesday to continue revising its controversial issues policy and to form a committee of teachers and students to help rewrite it, Hillary Ojeda reports. The decision followed strong opposition from educators and parents who argued that the proposed changes would limit teachers’ autonomy and give administrators excessive control over classroom discussions.
Backers of the dueling housing ballot initiatives before voters in the city of Santa Cruz have their say in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section. Elaine Johnson, executive director of nonprofit Housing Santa Cruz County, makes the case for Measure C, while Renee Mello, president of the Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors, argues in favor of Measure B.
What else do the Thursday headlines hold? Read along and find out.
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As day center set to close, unhoused residents worry about a future without showers, mail and phone charging
Replacing the showers, mailroom, charging plugs and other services that Santa Cruz homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters plans to end in March will be a tall task, due to funding shortages and a lack of space for such an operation. Here’s what Max Chun heard from unhoused residents and service providers.
County planning commission approves Workbench project on Capitola Road; neighbors plan appeal
The Santa Cruz County Planning Commission unanimously approved a contentious housing project in Live Oak. The project, a 57-unit apartment complex on 841 Capitola Rd., is led by local development and architecture firm Workbench. Tania Ortiz has the latest.
DAILY DIGEST
We’re not quite to the weekend yet, but, among what’s still coming from Lookout, Wallace Baine will be along later to bridge that gap with recommendations for things to do clear into next week from Santa Cruz County’s packed arts & entertainment calendar. His Weekender is just one of the many free newsletters and breaking news alerts you should sign up for here, and be sure to download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to keep all of our award-winning local coverage within arm’s reach. We’re keeping you current on social media, too, where you can follow Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and/or Bluesky.
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Thank you for reading – make it a great Thursday.
Will McCahill