Good morning! It’s Monday, Aug. 17, and Santa Cruz County is looking at a seasonal mix of clouds and sun, with temperatures into the mid-80s in the mountains, lower 70s at the bay.
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Santa Cruz is moving forward on a new count of the trees in the city’s urban forest, William S. Woodhams reports, as it aims to add 3,000 new trees by 2030. Urban forests are up to 3 degrees cooler than non-forested areas, absorb up to 27% of rainfall and bring health benefits including lower heart rate and blood pressure, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Max Chun returns with his traffic-and-transit-focused Carmageddon column, previewing Monday’s meeting of Santa Cruz’s Transportation and Public Works Commission. The commission will review the city’s road safety action plan and send it to the city council, with recommendations including reducing speed limits on certain streets as part of efforts to cut down on deaths and serious injuries on local roads.
Cabrillo College’s Watsonville Center has seen enrollment jump 71% and course pass rates climb from 70% to 84% since fall 2022, Hillary Ojeda reports. Watsonville Center Dean Eduardo Cervantes credits the surge to dual-enrollment growth, pandemic-recovery outreach and new programs tailored to local students’ interests.
The Monday headlines also include the latest installment of the Community Voices series “Made In Santa Cruz: Why Art Matters,” this week spotlighting Watsonville painter and art educator Rhia Hurt – onward.
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Santa Cruz City Council OKs new tree count as it eyes 3,000 more by 2030
Santa Cruz has approved a $150,000 contract with the Davey Tree Expert Company for a new lidar-based inventory of its public trees, part of a broader push to grow the city’s urban forest to 3,000 more trees by 2030. William S. Woodhams has the story.
Carmageddon: Santa Cruz road safety plan targets dangerous speeds, Mission Street crashes
Santa Cruz’s Transportation and Public Works Commission will review the city’s road safety action plan at its Monday meeting. Staff are recommending that the commission request that the city council approve the plan, pursue speed limit reductions on certain streets and establish a road safety task force. Read more from Max Chun.
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Hope you have a good Monday, and thank you for reading.
Will McCahill