Good morning, readers. Tamsin McMahon, Lookout’s Managing Editor, filling in for Will McCahill, who is off working on his tan this week.
It’s Tuesday, July 29. We’re in for another lovely day with fog burning off to reveal mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.
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Despite a federal judge’s restoration of Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood nationwide, the organization’s downtown Santa Cruz clinic will remain closed, local officials say.
As Santa Cruz County’s Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument prepares to open next month, local environmental leaders say deed restrictions should protect the 5,800-acre property from potential federal land selloffs floated by lawmakers in D.C.
A county ordinance allowing home-based food businesses has issued nine permits since January, though immigration concerns and funding cuts have slowed initial adoption.
And we’ve also got a Community Voices piece on the city’s well-intentioned homelessness efforts falling short, an update on a 17-year-old Soquel High student competing in the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships, and a review of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Lookout theater critic Jana Marcus.
Shall we dive in?
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Slowed by immigrant crackdown, innovative home kitchens begin to serve Santa Cruz County
By Lily Belli
A new two-year pilot program in Santa Cruz County that allows cooks to run home kitchen operations is off to a slow start due to funding cuts and immigration concerns. The program has issued nine permits and aims to support 30 home-based entrepreneurs by next year.
As Trump, Republicans toy with selling off public lands, is Santa Cruz’s own Cotoni-Coast Dairies national monument protected?
By Christopher Neely
Nearly a decade after its designation, Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument is set to open next month — protected by deed restrictions even as threats to public lands loom in D.C.
OPINION: How Santa Cruz’s homeless efforts are making things worse for the city … and for the homeless
By Craig James
Santa Cruz’s well-meaning homeless policies are backfiring, drawing more unhoused than the city can support, writes Craig James. He calls for a coordinated state and national strategy, warning of disproportionate consequences without shared responsibility.
DAILY DIGEST
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Thank you for reading – make it a great Tuesday!
Tamsin McMahon