Greetings, one and all. It is Friday, Jan. 23, and after a foggy start the forecast calls for a mostly sunny day around Santa Cruz County, with temperatures rising into the mid-50s to mid-60s.
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Grace Chinowsky has a pair of stories this morning. First stop is Seacliff State Beach, where, she reports, the recovery from the 2023 storms that blasted the area is moving slowly forward. Notably, a California State Parks planner says the RV campground won’t be rebuilt at its former site, and officials are looking for nearby alternatives in a process that likely won’t see construction until at least 2028.
Grace also has the story that Santa Cruz’s Pacific Collegiate School is changing its laptop computer policy after students raised privacy concerns. PCS administrators say they’re proud of students for asking “hard questions” of adults.
With the next point-in-time count of the area’s homeless population set for next week, Max Chun has a Q&A with Robert Ratner, Santa Cruz County’s Housing for Health director. Citing factors including federal and state funding cuts, Ratner says he expects the county’s rate of homelessness to jump after a decrease last year.
The Friday headlines also include tips from Lily Belli on three local spots where you might want to stop in for a bite, part of Lookout’s Weekender newsletter – onward we go.
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Seacliff State Beach recovery inches forward without RV campground
Three years after storms significantly damaged amenities at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, major rebuilding efforts won’t break ground until at least 2028, with larger projects unlikely before 2030. Here’s the latest from Grace Chinowsky.
Q&A: Housing for Health director predicts an increase in homelessness during this year’s point-in-time count
Robert Ratner, Santa Cruz County’s Housing for Health director, predicts that next week’s point-in-time count of unhoused people will show an increase in homelessness, which he attributes to federal and state funding cuts and more requests from unhoused residents for help. Max Chun spoke with Ratner about the upcoming count and the implications of the results each year.
DAILY DIGEST
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May your Friday be a smooth one, and here’s to a safe, relaxing weekend. Thank you for reading.
Will McCahill
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FOR THE RECORD: The initial version of this story published Thursday misstated the timeline of events surrounding the discovery of a gun at Aptos High School and the arrest of a juvenile by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. Lookout regrets the error.
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