Wednesday, June 25, is here, Santa Cruz County friends and neighbors, with a typical June forecast: a.m. marine layer dissipating into a sunny afternoon, highs ranging from the upper 60s at the beach to mid-80s in the mountains.
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Max Chun reports on upheaval at Soquel Gardens Mobile Home Park, which was purchased out of bankruptcy earlier this year by a company with a history of hiking rents and attempting to close parks. The purchase has raised concerns about a key piece of affordable housing in the community.
A contract dispute between Sutter Health and Aetna insurance could force hundreds of locals to have to find new doctors, Hillary Ojeda reports. Aetna HMO members could be reassigned to Dignity Health Dominican Hospital if there’s no deal by month’s end.
Santa Cruz County’s planning division is considering a major overhaul, Christopher Neely reports, after an outside consultant blasted what it called a “culture of no” in the county’s building permit process. “We’re moving toward action over analysis because we need to demonstrate that we can make change,” one official told supervisors Tuesday.
Jessica M. Pasko returns with her weekly look at Santa Cruz County business, including a new makers space on the Westside that has introduced itself to the community with summer camps for kids ages 7 to 12.
It’s not too soon to scope out plans for the Independence Day long weekend, and Wallace Baine has a guide to fireworks-free July Fourth events from one end of the county to the other, including parades in Boulder Creek, Scotts Valley, Aptos and Watsonville.
The packed Wednesday headlines also include the Watsonville City Council approving a budget plan, recreational salmon season closing early and water worries in Scotts Valley – let’s take a look at it all.
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Long-troubled Soquel RV park faces uncertain future under controversial new owner
Soquel Gardens Mobile Home Park, a struggling RV park near Soquel Village, faces upheaval after it was purchased by a Stockton firm with a contentious past of evictions, steep rent increases and litigation over tenant displacement throughout California. Max Chun has the details.
Hundreds of Santa Cruz County patients caught in middle of Sutter-Aetna negotiations
Nearly 300 Sutter Health patients with Aetna insurance in Santa Cruz County may be reassigned to Dignity Health Dominican Hospital providers starting July 1 if Aetna and Sutter fail to reach a new agreement by the June 30 deadline. Here’s more from Hillary Ojeda.
DAILY DIGEST
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Thanks very much for reading – be good out there.
Will McCahill