Good morning to you, Santa Cruz County. It’s Wednesday, Feb. 4 – forecast to be the warmest day of the week, with the mercury perhaps hitting 80 in our toastiest spots.
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Hillary Ojeda starts us off with a local angle to this year’s race to succeed Gavin Newsom as California governor, talking to Democratic candidate and Watsonville native Matt Mahan. “We had a fairly simple life in a kind of working-class community,” the 43-year-old mayor of San Jose said of growing up in the Pajaro Valley. “And it was a really good life.”
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is under fire from a Marin County transit and environmental advocacy group, Max Chun reports, which is accusing the RTC of violating California open meetings law as it moved to terminate its contract with the Minnesota company operating the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line.
There’s good news for the local fishing industry, Lily Belli reports, with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife approving the use of ropeless pop-up gear to catch Dungeness crab. Approved permit-holders will be allowed to fish from April 1 through July 15, after the main crab season closes.
Jessica M. Pasko is back with her weekly look at local business, including an update on a lawsuit alleging corporate espionage that Santa Cruz-based Joby Aviation has filed against one of its industry rivals.
The Wednesday headlines also include coverage from Ashley Palma-Jimenez of a protest on the UC Santa Cruz campus against Trump administration polices – onward we go.
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Q&A: Matt Mahan on how growing up in Watsonville shaped run for California governor
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who was raised in Watsonville, says his working-class upbringing in the Pajaro Valley — shaped by immigrant farmworker communities, Catholic schooling and parents who lived paycheck to paycheck — informs his bid for California governor. The moderate Democrat joins a crowded field of more than 20 candidates, pitching government accountability, housing reform and tougher intervention on addiction and mental illness as central planks of his campaign. Here’s his Q&A with Hillary Ojeda.
RTC accused of violating state open meetings rules in move to cut ties with current rail operator
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has been accused of violating state open meetings laws in connection with its move to cut ties with the contractor that operates the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line. The complainant alleges that the RTC violated the Brown Act and requests that the commission delay discussion scheduled for Thursday about terminating its contract with Progressive Rail. Max Chun has the latest.
DAILY DIGEST
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Thank you for reading – enjoy your Wednesday.
Will McCahill