What’s good, Lookout friends? Tuesday, Oct. 28, has arrived in Santa Cruz County, bringing with it another pleasant day of sunshine and high temps in the 70s and lower 80s.
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Tania Ortiz was in Watsonville on Monday night as County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez hosted a town hall meeting on the county’s planned battery storage ordinance. Tensions ran high at the packed city hall gathering, she reports, with county officials outlining tougher location and environmental restrictions even as residents pushed back with anger, fear and a long list of questions.
Hillary Ojeda spotlights the dynamic duo leading Live Oak’s Shoreline Middle School, where Colleen Martin and Melissa Nix might be principal and assistant principal, respectively, but have worked more as co-principals and are credited with creating a school culture that prioritizes social-emotional health, accountability and fun.
With longtime Gabriella Café chef Gema Cruz undergoing treatment for metastatic breast cancer, a who’s-who of Santa Cruz-area chefs who are also Gabriella alumni are coming together for a fundraising dinner next month. “She’s a part of the Santa Cruz kitchen world,” one tells Lily Belli of Cruz, “and we want to make sure that she’s taken care of in her hour of need.”
Ashley Palma-Jimenez catches up with a UC Santa Cruz computer science major who has created a web tool to help his fellow undergraduates chart their careers from entry-level positions to the C-suite. “Building CareerLoop helped me apply what I learned in class to something real,” William Zhao says.
In Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, Santa Cruz ballot initiative Measure C is again the topic, with Yes on Measure C campaign volunteer Andrew Goldenkranz responding to the Lookout editorial board’s request for more transparency on how the city has used its limited funds for affordable housing and prevention of homelessness.
Monday also brought news of the death of Manuel Bersamin, a former Watsonville mayor and Cabrillo College trustee, and of the identity of the person who died Sunday when a car drove off the Santa Cruz Wharf – you’ll find it among the headlines below.
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Tutus, swim caps and accountability: Inside Shoreline Middle School’s beloved principal duo
At Shoreline Middle School, Principal Colleen Martin and Assistant Principal Melissa Nix have built a rare, enduring partnership that blends accountability, empathy and humor — earning them a reputation as the school’s “dream team.” Together, the duo has transformed the school’s culture through restorative practices, strong community ties and a co-leadership model that prioritizes both academic rigor and joy. Here’s the story from Hillary Ojeda.
‘We’re asking for safeguards’: Tensions flare at Watsonville town hall on planned Santa Cruz County battery storage safety law
Weeks before the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to have the first hearing on a proposed battery storage ordinance, District 4 County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez hosted the informational town hall Monday night at Watsonville’s city hall. Residents came armed with questions — and concerns. Tania Ortiz was on hand.
DAILY DIGEST
A busy Tuesday indeed, and with more coming from Lookout, make sure you’ve got what you need to keep up with our award-winning Santa Cruz County coverage. Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to take us along on your smartphone, and sign up here for breaking news alerts and for our other free newsletters – including more from our local culinary scene a little later Monday in the form of Lily Belli on Food. You’ll also find our mix of news and views on social media, where you can connect with Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.
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Have a super Tuesday!
Will McCahill