Good morning, all. It is Monday, Jan. 13, and the stretch of sunny days (and chilly nights) continues for Santa Cruz County, with highs in the low to mid-60s.
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Hillary Ojeda starts us off with news on California’s troubled insurance market, with Santa Cruz County agents saying they’re hopeful that planned new state regulations will allow them to write more home insurance policies. Plenty of questions still remain, however.
Changes are ahead along Highway 9, Max Chun reports in his weekly Carmageddon feature, with a meeting slated for Wednesday in Felton as the state’s transit agency seeks input on how to spend more than $20 million on a variety of upgrades.
Christopher Neely – whose weekly newsletter look inside Santa Cruz County politics & policy hits inboxes later Monday – reports on the City of Santa Cruz’s efforts to secure financial backing to fight an expected legal challenge to Measure Z, the sweetened-beverage tax voters passed in November. Big national health-focused nonprofits haven’t been as forthcoming as city officials thought they would be.
And Ruby Lee Schembari reports on wrangling in Capitola over the annual Monte Foundation fireworks show, with the city council voting last week to help the foundation get permits necessary for the show even as the council contemplates alternatives to fireworks amid citizens’ complaints about pollution and noise.
The Monday headlines also include Wallace Baine’s mournful love letter to Los Angeles and a look inside Linda’s Seabreeze Café from a longtime employee – let’s go.
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Santa Cruz County agents say new insurance rules offer hope for homeowners, even as fires rage in Southern California
Santa Cruz County agents see a glimmer of hope in new state regulations aimed at enticing insurance companies back to the California market, though questions about access and affordability remain. More here from Hillary Ojeda.
Carmageddon: Caltrans seeks public input on $20 million plan to modernize Highway 9
Highway 9 will be getting a makeover in the coming years, as Caltrans and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission begin the first steps in bringing numerous infrastructure upgrades to the main mountain highway. The first public input session will take place on Wednesday at Felton Community Hall. Max Chun covers local traffic & transit in his Monday staple.
DAILY DIGEST
Plenty to read through as we ease into another week, and more Santa Cruz County coverage coming this Monday from Lookout. That includes In the Public Interest, a weekly look inside local politics & policy from Christopher Neely – just one of the many newsletters and breaking news alerts you can sign up for here. Another great way to keep tabs on local goings-on is via the new Lookout app – available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. And you’ll of course find Lookout on social media – give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads to stay current.
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May your Monday be drama-free, and I hope to see you back here Tuesday morning.
Will McCahill