Hello, all. It’s Thursday, Nov. 20, and it’s another wet morning around Santa Cruz County, with rain chances forecast to diminish as the day goes on ahead of a clear stretch lasting into next week.
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After delaying a vote on battery energy storage regulations at its Tuesday meeting, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors now plans to revisit the ordinance in January, Tania Ortiz reports. County staff were scheduled to bring back a new version of the regulations in March, but will now weigh tighter rules for battery storage at the board’s Jan. 13 meeting.
Tania also has the news that the Watsonville City Council reversed itself on the city’s project labor agreement with local trade unions, voting to reinstate the agreement with changes that include exempting some city projects from a requirement to use unionized labor.
Max Chun has the latest from Santa Cruz County’s housing market, reporting that while there’s still a good amount of inventory, sales were comparable to this time last year, with the median price down slightly.
UC Santa Cruz announced a campaign this week to raise $750 million by 2030 to support a wide range of initiatives, Hillary Ojeda reports, such as student research trips, full-ride scholarships and new facilities. UCSC officials quietly launched the campaign in 2020 and so far have raised nearly half of their goal, or more than $360 million, from 42,000 donors.
And in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, David Rubin, a retired geologist and board chair of the Rural Bonny Doon Association, takes issue with a previous op-ed urging Santa Cruz County to immediately open damaged trails for recreation. Land managers like the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County have a responsibility, he writes, to protect ecosystems, not just provide access, and their intentional, science-driven approach deserves support.
To the headlines …
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County to hold new vote on battery storage regulations in January
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a hearing on rules regulating the development of battery storage facilities in January. This follows a vote to delay a discussion of the ordinance for at least three months. Tania Ortiz has the update.
Santa Cruz County’s housing market stays active in October as sales, inventory remain high
Santa Cruz County’s housing market saw plenty of homes listed for sale in October, a trend that has continued for the better part of the year. While buyers are still snapping up properties, houses are taking longer to sell than they did that the same time last year, likely due to all the inventory. The latest numbers via Max Chun.
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Be safe out there, and thanks for reading.
Will McCahill