Hello there, readers. It’s Friday, Feb. 20, and after a cold weather advisory covering Santa Cruz County in the early morning hours, the forecast is for a partly sunny day with highs in the 50s as we dry out just a bit before chances of rain return Saturday night and continue well into next week.
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Another piece of Big Basin Redwoods State Park’s recovery from the 2020 CZU fire is now in the hands of California State Parks, Max Chun reports, after the agency and conservation nonprofit Sempervirens Fund announced the acquisition of the 153-acre NoraBella property along Highway 236 in Boulder Creek.
Max was also on hand Thursday for Mayor Fred Keeley’s final State of the City address, in which Keeley touted Santa Cruz’s progress on housing and homelessness. Despite widespread community disagreements, Keeley said the city has “gone from being the poster child of growth management to the poster child for how you can grow responsibly” in the face of state mandates.
Tania Ortiz has a pair of stories from South County. Supervisors are asking the state for $13 million to pay for infrastructure improvements to help prevent further flooding in areas blasted by the 2023 winter storms, even as California’s U.S. senators helped secure millions in federal funding to speed reconstruction of the decaying Pajaro River levee.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren was on hand Thursday at Watsonville’s Veterans Memorial Building to deliver the news of nearly $1.2 million from the federal government for much-needed upgrades for the community hub, focusing on accessibility.
The TGIF headlines also include our cheat sheet to going out and eating well this weekend around Santa Cruz County – clam chowder, anyone?
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California State Parks acquires 153-acre property for Big Basin expansion
The $2.4 million acquisition of the NoraBella property along Highway 236 is seen as a key step in the post-CZU fire recovery of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Details here from Max Chun.
In final State of the City address, Keeley lauds Santa Cruz’s progress on housing and homelessness
In his State of the City address Thursday, Mayor Fred Keeley looked back on the city’s progress with building housing and cutting down homelessness, and discussed how city council districts have affected city government. Max Chun was on hand.
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Thank you for reading – have an excellent Friday and a safe, relaxing weekend.
Will McCahill