Good morning, it’s Monday, July 27. I hope everyone enjoyed the rush of thousands of runners descending on Santa Cruz for Sunday’s annual Wharf to Wharf Race.
Today’s weather forecast calls for mostly sunny skies, a high near 76 to 78 degrees near the coast, and an overnight low around 54.
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From skyrocketing gas prices to local parking restrictions, Santa Cruz residents living in cars and RVs are facing a compounded financial crisis. Correspondent Caly Luna Plowman explores how continuous inflation is trapping the county’s vehicular unhoused population in a vicious cycle.
How do you decide which city district votes first in a brand-new election system? If you’re the Capitola City Council, you pull out a 50-cent coin and flip for it. Correspondent Tania Ortiz gives us the latest on that city’s move to district-based elections starting in 2028.
Capitola has taken another step toward overhauling one of its most dangerous stretches of road. With at least six pedestrians injured or killed on Bay Avenue since 2017 — and more than 40 total crashes on record — city leaders approved a slate of safety improvements for the corridor ahead of a final vote next month. In his weekly Carmageddon column, correspondent Max Chun lays out what’s changing on Bay Ave and what to expect before the August 27 deadline.
Now to the headlines.
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Now through August 3, Lookout’s 10% contribution to United Way Santa Cruz County’s Stuff the Bus school supply drive for every new membership is being matched. Meeting the matching challenge would provide 100 backpacks full of school supplies for local students experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity and other hardships.
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Running on empty: In the nation’s most expensive gas market, Santa Cruz’s vehicular homeless face a new crisis
Amid high gas and food prices, many Californians have been struggling to make ends meet. However, one of the nation’s most vulnerable populations has been hit particularly hard: people living in their vehicles, who rely on gas to have a roof over their heads.
Coin flip settles first district in Capitola’s shift to neighborhood elections
Capitola city leaders are one step closer to finalizing its district-based election system. The five-member city council selected a district map and which seats will be up for election in 2028, when the city will begin its formal transition into districts.
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Thank you for reading. Have a great day.
Richard Martin
