What’s up, Lookout friends? It’s (an adequately caffeinated on my end, I hope) Friday, Oct. 17, and Santa Cruz County has a lovely fall day ahead, with lots of sunshine and temps ranging from the upper 60s to lower 80s.
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Housing Matters, a major homeless services provider in Santa Cruz County, plans to shut down its public day services program in March, Max Chun reports, a move that some of its own staff members staunchly oppose. “We’re probably overtaxing our capacity,” the nonprofit’s CEO said, “and have decided to prioritize those programs we know are effective at connecting people with stable housing.”
A representative of the Massachusetts company hoping to build a battery storage facility outside Watsonville was on hand at this week’s city council meeting, Tania Ortiz reports, assuring officials that its project would meet or exceed safety standards and be unlikely to experience a catastrophic blaze like the one in Moss Landing in January. While it’s up to Santa Cruz County supervisors to OK the proposal, New Leaf Energy’s informational presentation was an effort to get the Watsonville City Council up to speed and allow councilmembers to ask questions.
Verve Coffee Roasters has agreed to pay nearly $200,000 to current and past workers at a San Francisco café, Lily Belli reports, after failing to follow a city law requiring large employers to pay for employee health benefits. The settlement comes as Verve faces growing labor scrutiny, including recent union votes and controversy over a now-removed service fee tied to employee benefits.
The TGIF headlines also include Wallace Baine’s roadmap to the weekend ahead on Santa Cruz County’s arts & entertainment scene – let’s do this thing.
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Santa Cruz nonprofit Housing Matters to end homeless day services, sparking staff backlash
Housing Matters plans to close day services at its Coral Street campus as the organization shifts its focus to shelters and the upcoming opening of a permanent supportive housing project. The news sparked widespread concern among the nonprofit’s employees, with some saying they are worried about what the changes will mean for the area’s homeless community. More here from Max Chun.
Developer New Leaf assures Watsonville officials its battery storage project would meet safety standards
Massachusetts-based New Leaf Energy briefed the Watsonville City Council this week on details of its proposed $200 million battery storage facility, saying the project would meet all local and statewide requirements. The informational presentation comes amid ongoing concerns following January’s fire at a battery storage facility in Moss Landing. Tania Ortiz was on hand.
DAILY DIGEST
Plenty still cooking in the Lookout kitchen that you’ll want to save room for, including more in Santa Cruz County food & drink from Lily Belli in her latest Eaters Digest – one of the many free newsletters and breaking news alerts you can sign up for here. Take all of our award-winning local coverage along in your pocket/purse/fanny pack by downloading the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and cut through the social media fog by following Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.
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May Friday be a smooth one all around – have a safe, relaxing weekend, and thank you for reading.
Will McCahill