Good morning! It’s Tuesday, July 14 – right now looking to be the hottest day of the week around Santa Cruz County, with triple digits in the mountains and 80s at local beaches.
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Homeless Garden Project is on the verge of a milestone, Lily Belli reports, with Santa Cruz’s zoning administrator set to vote this week on a deal that would see the nonprofit purchase the 4 Westside acres that have been home to its Natural Bridges Farm. The organization plans to build several structures: a barn workshop, a permanent farm stand with an attached office, improved greenhouses and a commercial kitchen.
Jana Marcus returns with her latest theater review after taking in Cabrillo Stage’s ongoing production of “Sister Act.” She saw a talented cast turn in a number of standout performances, she writes, “but this became one of those frustrating evenings when gifted actors simply couldn’t overcome material that never quite catches fire.”
In Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, Community Bridges CEO Raymon Cancino writes about the precarious financial situation facing Elderday, which serves about 140 vulnerable older adults in Watsonville. Bureaucratic delays, weak referral systems and looming Medi-Cal changes threaten not only Elderday but the region’s broader safety net for seniors and people with disabilities, he says.
The day’s headlines also include news from Max Chun on Santa Cruz Metro deciding against trying to put its own sales-tax measure on this November’s ballot and Caly Luna Plowman reporting on the delayed opening of Housing Matters’ Live Oak Landing interim housing program – onward.
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Santa Cruz’s Homeless Garden Project takes major step toward buying longtime farm
Homeless Garden Project is one step closer to owning its longtime Natural Bridges Farm after years of regulatory hurdles, with a key zoning decision this week that, if approved, would clear the way for the nonprofit to purchase the 4-acre property and begin construction on a permanent home as early as 2027. Here’s the story from Lily Belli.
Cabrillo Stage’s ‘Sister Act’ strives to finds its soul
A talented cast gives its all, but uneven direction, sluggish pacing and a surprisingly forgettable score keep Cabrillo Stage’s “Sister Act” from reaching the joyous heights the musical promises, Jana Marcus writes in her latest theater review. Read it here.
DAILY DIGEST
There’s more on the Lookout menu this toasty Tuesday, including more Santa Cruz County culinary tidbits in the form of Lily Belli on Food – just one of the many free newsletters and breaking news alerts you can sign up for here. You can also get breaking news notifications via the Lookout Santa Cruz app, available for download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and if you’re the social media type, stay current by following Lookout on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and/or Threads.
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Stay cool, friends, and thanks for reading.
Will McCahill