Greetings! It’s Friday, May 9 – the warmest day of the week in Santa Cruz County, with upper 70s at the beach and lower 90s in the mountains, then a gradual cool-off that will, per forecasts, have us back in the 60s by Tuesday.
JUMP TO … Neighborhood Roundup | Latest News | Opinion | Briefs | Event Calendar | Job Board | Puzzles
Max Chun has the latest chapter in a story centering on downtown Santa Cruz’s St. George Residences, reporting that, as part of a deal with St. George’s owners to settle a federal lawsuit, the city will rescind a rent cap.
Christopher Neely continues his check-ins with Santa Cruz County’s representatives in Sacramento, reporting on state Sen. John Laird’s work on a bill would limit the liability of public institutions in sexual abuse lawsuits. Senate Bill 577 tries to thread the needle between justice for victims and not putting school districts and other entities into big financial holes in a time of tight budgets.
Pacific Gas & Electric aims to restart its Elkhorn battery storage facility in early June, Tania Ortiz reports, months after a massive fire broke out at a neighboring facility in Moss Landing. The utility says the move is to support the electric grid as summer approaches, and that it’s done its due diligence on safety.
This week’s vote on censuring trustee Gabe Medina exposed serious rifts within Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s governing board, Hillary Ojeda reports. The censure resolution was rejected in a 4-2 vote, but not without fireworks between Medina and Misty Navarro and concern from fellow trustees over the board’s divides.
The Friday headlines also include Wallace Baine’s arts-and-entertainment roadmap to the coming weekend – let’s get revved up.
Santa Cruz plans to rescind rent cap to settle federal lawsuit with downtown landlord
The City of Santa Cruz will rescind the rent cap on housing developments with expiring rental agreements, but with the understanding that the owners of the St. George Residences downtown will still abide by the cap. Max Chun has the latest.
Laird walks tightrope with bill to limit financial fallout from sex abuse lawsuits
State Sen. John Laird is advancing a bill aimed at easing the financial burden of sexual abuse lawsuits on public institutions, while adjusting legal standards for older claims — an effort to balance justice for survivors with the stability of local budgets. Christopher Neely reports.
DAILY DIGEST
Lily Belli is off this week so no Eaters Digest on the menu this Friday, but there’s plenty more coming from Lookout that you’ll want to stay tuned for. Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to get our award-winning local coverage right on your smartphone; sign up here for breaking news alerts and for all of our other newsletters (coming over the weekend, for example, is the specially curated Sunday Reads). Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky are where you’ll find Lookout out in the wilds of social media.
Our content isn’t possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.
A smooth Friday, friends, and here’s to a safe, relaxing weekend on the other side.
Will McCahill