Good morning, folks. It is Thursday, March 20 – looking like a nice one around Santa Cruz County, with more sun than clouds and temperatures in the low 60s.
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Christopher Neely leads us off with news that the Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors is trying to put a measure on this fall’s ballot in the city of Santa Cruz to counter a parcel tax and real estate transfer tax proposed by Mayor Fred Keeley and local nonprofit Housing Santa Cruz County. “This is the dirtiest local political trick I’ve ever seen in the city of Santa Cruz,” Keeley told Lookout.
On the education beat, Hillary Ojeda reports on how President Donald Trump’s cuts are affecting Santa Cruz County schools. Food programs at five local districts are the first to take a hit, and administrators fear there’s much more to come.
Tania Ortiz also has coverage of the local impact of Trump 2.0, reporting that the federal funding freeze is affecting grants to a longstanding program that helps county residents navigate the path to becoming U.S. citizens.
All that comes on the heels of news Wednesday that the University of California has implemented a hiring freeze as it contends with state budget woes and funding threats from the Trump administration.
Housing in Santa Cruz is the topic in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, with City Manager Matt Huffaker and Economic Development and Housing Director Bonnie Lipscomb responding to a recent op-ed questioning whether new development in the city is hitting affordable housing goals. Though it takes time, the new buildings are filling up, they write, and the city is meeting its state reporting obligations.
The day’s headlines also include winners of Lookout’s annual student journalism scholarship, a national podcast covering our 2024 Pulitzer Prize and plenty more – let’s get after it.
‘A slap in the face’: As local realtors launch a dueling housing measure, Santa Cruz mayor accuses group of dirty play
A political firestorm is brewing in Santa Cruz as realtors launch a rival housing initiative to one put forward earlier this year by Mayor Fred Keeley and housing groups. Keeley and his allies say they were blindsided by the move. Christopher Neely has details.
Here’s how Trump’s education cuts are starting to affect Santa Cruz County schools
Santa Cruz County officials say at least one federal program is ending that will reduce funding for food programs at five local school districts. Some superintendents said they’re concerned about every single federal dollar being pulled back in the future. More here from Hillary Ojeda.
DAILY DIGEST
Quite a bit to sort through and I’ll let you get to it, though I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that there’s plenty more coming from Lookout, and plenty of ways you can keep track of it all. Wallace Baine will be along in a bit with recommendations, news and notes from around Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment, and his Weekender is just one of the many newsletters and breaking news alerts you can sign up for here. The new Lookout Santa Cruz app, available for download in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, is another great way to keep our award-winning local coverage at your fingertips, and if those fingertips are going to be scrolling social media, you can find Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and now Bluesky.
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Thanks for reading – now get out there and show Thursday who’s boss.
Will McCahill