Hello, hello, hello. It is Thursday, Jan. 29, and another mostly sunny day is ramping up around Santa Cruz County, with temps forecast to crest in the upper 60s and low 70s.
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Amid another year of budget belt-tightening, county supervisors are grappling with how to keep our roads maintained, Max Chun reports. A report from the county public works department warns that nearly $30 million per year is required to maintain current pavement conditions – described by one engineer as “the lower end of the fair range.” Only about $8.5 million is currently allocated.
Tania Ortiz and Kevin Painchaud were on hand Wednesday evening as nurses led a vigil for Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis nurse shot dead by federal agents Saturday. “The government didn’t just take a life. It rewrote it,” said one organizer. “They turned a nurse into a threat to justify abuse of power and avoid accountability.”
Nurses are also leading the way as locals organize for a national “day of no school, no work and no shopping” Friday to protest recent killings of anti-ICE activists and others in federal immigration custody. Nurses at Dominican Hospital and Palo Alto Medical Foundation have announced separate actions at their Santa Cruz County facilities.
Santa Cruz County’s winter weather compared to most of the rest of the U.S. can be hard to beat, but it’s soup season all the same, and Lily Belli has the scoop on where to get your slurp on. Her guide to the best local spots includes stops from the Westside to the Santa Cruz Wharf, Capitola and Watsonville.
And with the point-in-time count of the local unhoused population happening Thursday, the chair of the Coalition to End Homelessness in Santa Cruz County lauds gains in reducing the number of homeless residents but warns that funding cuts are putting that in jeopardy in a Community Voices opinion piece. “We have made excellent progress in reducing homelessness, yet that progress stands on fragile ground,” Mer Stafford writes. “The supports that lifted hundreds of neighbors into stable housing are now being taken from our community as funding and policy shifts threaten to undo years of progress.”
The packed Thursday headlines also include coverage of the partial reopening of the Murray Street Bridge, and you’ll find it all on the other side of this message from Jamie Garfield, Lookout’s director of student and community engagement
Free Lookout memberships for teachers are filling up fast! As we announced a couple weeks ago, thanks to members and donors, we are able to provide 450 Santa Cruz middle and high school teachers with full access to Lookout at no cost to them … and the cohort is filling up quickly. If you know a secondary teacher who values local news and media literacy, please share this link with them.
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Road network considered in ‘fair’ condition, but Santa Cruz County needs a lot more money just to maintain that
Santa Cruz County’s road network is in “fair” condition, according to its public works department. However, there is a large funding gap between the current budget for paving and what is needed to simply maintain conditions as the county braces for another tight budget in the upcoming fiscal year. Max Chun has our coverage.
Slurps up: 8 bowls of soup for winter in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz County is famous for January beach days, but winter is still the season of the soup. This guide rounds up eight standout bowls — from oversized pho and spicy bún bò huế to luxurious khao soi and seafood-studded chowder — all regular-menu staples vetted for flavor and value. Whether decadent or budget-friendly, these nourishing bowls span the county and deliver comfort worth leaving the couch for, no matter what the thermostat says. Here’s Lily Belli’s guide.
DAILY DIGEST
Plenty to chew on as you get our Thursday warmed up, and more is on the way from Lookout – including Weekender, your cheat sheet for eating well and going out in Santa Cruz County. Hitting inboxes later, that’s one of the many free newsletters and breaking news alerts you’d do well to sign up for here. Get the full scope of our award-winning local coverage when you download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and make us a part of your social media feed by following Lookout on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and/or Threads.
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Be good out there – I’ll catch you next time.
Will McCahill