Ahoy there, readers. Friday, March 13, is underway, bringing with it another mostly sunny day around Santa Cruz County, with temperatures heading into the mid- and upper 70s.
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Tania Ortiz was on hand Thursday along the San Lorenzo River for the opening of the RiverRow apartment complex, with officials celebrating the development’s embrace of the riverfront after years of construction that did the opposite. “We’ve envisioned this thriving urban riverfront that connects people to nature,” said Laurie Egan, executive director of the Coastal Watershed Council.
Max Chun and Kevin Painchaud were in the room Thursday evening as a half-dozen of the Democrats running to replace termed-out Gavin Newsom as governor debated in Monterey. Housing, health care and climate were among the topics for Xavier Becerra, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa and Betty Yee.
The bird flu outbreak first reported in February in the elephant seal colony at Año Nuevo State Park has spread to a sea lion and a sea otter, Cecilia Schutz reports after a media briefing Thursday. As research teams ramp up testing, they are finding an average of two dead animals and two newly symptomatic animals each day, said Patrick Robinson, director of the Año Nuevo Reserve.
A new report from UC Santa Cruz’s Institute for Social Transformation and the Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueño looks at the bleak conditions faced by farmworkers in the Salinas Valley, Tania Ortiz writes – how they lead to serious health and financial problems and how increased immigration enforcement makes those hardships worse.
The TGIF headlines also include your cheat sheet to the weekend ahead – onward.
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New housing along San Lorenzo finally opens, connected to the river for first time in decades
City leaders and Santa Cruz community members celebrated the grand opening of the RiverRow apartments, located along the San Lorenzo River. The downtown development is unique because it opens onto the river, instead of facing away. More here from Tania Ortiz.
In a wide-open Democratic primary for governor, 6 candidates converge on Central Coast
Similarly policy-minded Democrats aimed to differentiate themselves on housing, climate, business and wealth and more on Thursday evening as they debated for two hours in Monterey. Here’s what Max Chun and Kevin Painchaud saw and heard.
DAILY DIGEST
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Enjoy what’s looking like a pleasant Friday indeed, and here’s to a safe, relaxing weekend beyond. I appreciate you reading.
Will McCahill