Good morning! It is Monday, Dec. 15, and after a foggy start for some around Santa Cruz County, we’re looking at a mostly sunny day, with temperatures in the 60s.
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Dieter Holger crunched the numbers on the impact investors are having on the Santa Cruz County real estate market, and found that buyers who own three or more properties nationwide accounted for nearly 34% of single-family home purchases in the county in 2025 as of October. That’s up from around 25% in 2021.
After the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board voted last week to lay off nearly 160 employees, with many of the cuts in special education and mental health support, families and teachers are preparing for a fight, Hillary Ojeda reports. “Lives are potentially at stake,” one union leader said. “This goes far beyond teacher jobs.”
In his weekly Carmageddon column, Max Chun examines what’s next for the crumbling Grand Avenue footpath on Capitola’s Depot Hill. The city isn’t yet committed to repairing the path, with the city council last week approving $13,000 for a report that will inform a recommendation due from city staff in the spring. Max also has news of a big state grant to move along the overhaul of Watsonville’s transit center.
Plenty more among the Monday headlines, including Wallace Baine’s overview of where downtown Santa Cruz’s many development projects stand – read on.
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Deep-pocketed investors account for a third of home purchases in Santa Cruz County
Since 2021, investors have spent nearly $1.45 billion on purchases of single-family homes in Santa Cruz County, accounting for around 44% of total sales value. Investors who own more than 100 properties nationwide accounted for nearly 9% of local single-family home purchases as of October, tripling from 3% in 2023. Dieter Holger has the story.
‘This is just the beginning of the fight’: Pajaro Valley families organize after school board votes for major cuts in staff
After the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board voted to cut up to 160 jobs, community members are organizing to do what they can to stop the district from implementing all the layoffs, which they say will be devastating to students. More here from Hillary Ojeda.
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Thanks for reading, folks, and have a good Monday.
Will McCahill