What’s up, Santa Cruz County? It’s Tuesday, May 20, and we’ll be a bit cooler after the marine layer moved in overnight, with highs forecast to top out in the upper 70s under mostly sunny (eventually) skies.
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A study to explore more cooperation between and possible consolidation of several Santa Cruz County fire agencies won’t move forward, Max Chun reports, after Central Fire District’s board of directors opted to take no action on the study at a recent meeting. Still, chiefs say they’re open to continuing discussions.
The future of the Capitola Wharf is the subject of three meetings this week, Hillary Ojeda reports, including a pair Tuesday evening. With the wharf fully open following its renovation in the wake of 2023’s disastrous winter storms, possibilities range from relatively bare-bones public open spaces to a $6.2 million development featuring a restaurant and new permanent fishing concession space.
A Santa Cruz teen’s worries over coastal erosion propelled research into the issue that landed her third-place honors at an international science fair for students, Jasmin Galvan reports. Hazel Campbell’s work focused on how kelp can help slow the waves that batter cliffsides.
Downtown Santa Cruz is the topic in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, with City Councilmember Scott Newsome touting major investment and momentum that has downtown’s vacancy rates lower than peers such as Santa Barbara. “While transformation can be unsettling,” he writes, “the new iteration of downtown is off to an exciting start and, looking at the data, we are faring better than other small coastal towns.”
The Tuesday headlines also include Jana Marcus’ review of Mountain Community Theater’s production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” powered by its strong lead performance – onward.
Santa Cruz-area fire districts shelve plans to study merger after Central Fire, Scotts Valley withdraw
Central Fire District’s board of directors rejected a plan to study consolidating three Santa Cruz County fire agencies. While the plan, which would have also explored ways fire districts could better collaborate when responding to emergencies, is shelved for now, fire chiefs say they remain open to future talks. Details here from Max Chun.
Capitola weighs options for wharf transformation in public meetings this week
Capitola officials are exploring seven proposals for expanding the city’s storm-damaged wharf, with options ranging from a basic $950,000 pier to a $6.2 million development with restaurants and other permanent buildings. Hillary Ojeda reports.
DAILY DIGEST
What’s still on the Lookout menu? I’m glad you asked! Among what’s coming is a helping of food & drink news, notes, recommendations and more in the form of Lily Belli on Food – one of the many newsletters and breaking news alerts you can sign up for here. Keep up with our award-winning mix of local news and views by downloading the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and get that trusted coverage in your social media feeds by following Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.
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Have a super Tuesday!
Will McCahill