A good morning to you, dear readers. It’s Monday, June 2, and the forecast is a pleasant one for Santa Cruz County as we ease into the new month, with morning clouds dissipating in favor of sunnier skies and temperatures in the 60s and 70s.
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Tania Ortiz starts us off from the Pajaro River levee, where suspicions long held by Watsonville City Councilmember Casey Clark that there might be bodies buried in the area are coming to the fore after the recent discoveries of two bodies on the Monterey County side of the river.
It’s budget season for Santa Cruz County’s four cities, and Christopher Neely has an overview of what city councils are facing in Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley and Capitola.
Max Chun has his weekly Carmageddon report, this week bringing news that the Capitola Avenue bridge over Highway 1, originally supposed to be done by late summer, is now looking at a November completion.
Lookout Trivia Nights return this week, and Wallace Baine – who’s hosting the free event at Abbott Square the first Wednesday of each month through September – writes about how it’s more than just a collection of random facts. (You can also see how you fare on a selection of questions from previous trivia nights.)
It was quite the busy weekend around the county, and you can find Lookout’s coverage of Sunday’s 50th-anniversary Santa Cruz Pride parade among the headlines below, as well as of Saturday’s gathering at Main Beach, where hundreds came together to create a human banner spelling out “Resist!”
After two bodies found at Pajaro River levee, Watsonville councilmember’s grave suspicion raises new questions
Watsonville City Councilmember Casey Clark suspected there might be bodies buried on the Pajaro River levee after encountering a memorial during a walk. His suspicions have only increased as Monterey County detectives discovered two bodies on the levee in the past two months. Tania Ortiz has the story.
Cities across Santa Cruz County confront looming budget deficits as costs rise and revenues slow
Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley and Capitola all face mounting budget pressures, with several cities predicting budget deficits now and into the future. The cities are pinning their hopes on development projects, from luxury hotels to new downtown construction, as pension costs rise and sales tax revenues plateau. Get the picture from Christopher Neely.
DAILY DIGEST
Lots more coming throughout the week from Lookout, so you’ll want to make sure you’re keeping track. Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and opt into breaking news notifications once you’ve got that set up on your smartphone. We also offer breaking news alerts via email, and you can sign up for those here along with all of our other newsletters. (Coming later Monday, for example, is In the Public Interest, Christopher Neely’s weekly look inside Santa Cruz County politics & policy.) You can also find our award-winning local coverage on social media – give Lookout a follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.
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A smooth Monday to all – thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time.
Will McCahill