Good morning. It’s Monday, July 13. Today in Santa Cruz County, expect mostly cloudy skies clearing gradually to partly sunny with a high of 74°F and a low of 61°F.
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Following Watsonville’s decision to ban camping along the city’s waterways, correspondent Tania Ortiz and photojournalist Kevin Painchaud look past the council vote to see what immediate displacement looks like for unhoused residents like Alejandro Garcia. Read the full story for a deeper look at the human toll of the new policy, where shelters are already full and the critical 72-hour safety net is gone.
State regulators have deemed a proposed $200 million Watsonville battery storage application incomplete, sending developers back to the drawing board for more data on fire safety and environmental impacts. correspondent Tania Ortiz reports on how this pause likely extends the project’s timeline and what it means for the local grassroots groups fighting its approval.
The Santa Cruz Metro board is holding a public hearing at 11 a.m. today on a proposed half-cent sales tax measure on the November ballot, correspondent Max Chun reports in his weekly Carmageddon column. Plus, the agency is testing new digital real-time transit signs this summer and wants your feedback.
Now to the headlines…
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‘Where are we supposed to go?’: Watsonville’s new camping ban deepens anxiety for unhoused residents
For nearly eight years, Alejandro Garcia has been moving around Watsonville, carrying his belongings hoping to find a safe place to sleep at night. Garcia said he moved out of his home after trying unsuccessfully to repair a relationship with one of his family members. “I decided to escape those problems and I left to […]
State energy commission determines New Leaf Energy’s application for Watsonville project ‘incomplete’
The California Energy Commission has determined that an application from Massachusetts-based developer New Leaf Energy for its proposed battery storage facility located in Watsonville is incomplete following a 30-day review. The state energy commission finished its initial review of New Leaf’s application on July 8. It determined that the developers need additional information for more […]
Carmageddon: SC Metro board holding public hearing on proposed ballot measure on Monday
The Santa Cruz Metro board is holding a public hearing on its proposed ballot measure at 11 a.m. Monday, where it could decide whether or not to move it forward to the county board of supervisors in August.
DAILY DIGEST
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Thanks for reading. Have an excellent start to the week.
Richard Martin
