LOOKOUT PM: Disposable cup tax on the horizon, ‘Shark Park’ worries, and Planned Parenthood ramping up

By Max Chun

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Good evening, y’all,

I hope the week is treating you well so far. It was a warm one today, and that heat will stick around at least through Thursday. Although we’re looking at temperatures in the 70s for around a week, it’s only late June, so we’ll have to be ready for some hot days ahead!

Without further ado, let’s get to the headlines...

Disposable cup tax kicks in, Chaminade revs up a food truck and Lily’s summer kitchen

College Ten students Cheru Robinson and Ray Diaz start the John R. Lewis dedication ceremony at the Quarry Amphitheater

Lily Belli on Food: The disposable cup tax hitting unincorporated areas of the county, the Chaminade’s new food truck, and a vegan option from Goodles highlight Lily’s newsletter. Read it all here.

➤ GUIDE: Summer guide to food trucks and pop-ups

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When great white season meets summer beach season: The latest on ‘Shark Park’ from scientists, responders

A visiting nurse prepares a syringe to be used for the vaccine.

Coast life: With a shark attack in Pacific Grove last week the latest scare in Monterey Bay and Fourth of July weekend ahead, many might be nervous as they hit the beach. Lookout talked to those who monitor the area between Aptos and New Brighton State Beach known as “Shark Park” to find out the latest on what they’re seeing. Check out the full story.

➤ PREVIOUSLY: ‘I do belong here’: A community leader explains how the outdoors can feel like a scary, non-inclusive place

Santa Cruz already seeing out-of-state abortion patients as Planned Parenthood ramps up regional services

Aptos resident Kelly Spellman at the Blossom's Farmstore & Coffeeshop.

Impending influx: Officials in Planned Parenthood’s Mar Monte region are preparing for 250 to 500 out-of-state patients seeking abortions each year across its 35 centers. Two of those centers, in Watsonville and downtown Santa Cruz, are expected to see some of those patients, but it’s not clear to officials just how many. Each site is seeking to hire one full-time provider. Hillary has the story.

➤ PREVIOUSLY: ‘It’s really unknown territory’: Longtime Planned Parenthood leaders look back — and forward

Santa Cruz wages are so low, some of us live in our cars; city workers need raises, protection and respect

Bargaining troubles: Santa Cruz’s 600 union workers — the people who collect the city’s garbage, test water, maintain parks and roads — are fed up with what they see as low wages and disrespect from public officials. Five months into bargaining with the city, they write, the talks are going nowhere. They want higher salaries, more on-the-job safety, and more respect. They say they are paid 15.3% less than average long-term workers and 8.7% less than in nearby cities. As a result, some Santa Cruz city workers are living in cars, maxing out credit and camping in the very parks they maintain. Read their op-ed here.

➤ Check out or new opinion section, Community Voices.

What would California’s constitutional amendment on abortion do?

A sexual abuse victim points to the photos of Catholic priests accused of sexual misconduct

Up to the voters: Senate Constitutional Amendment 10 would, if approved by voters on the November ballot, further codify the state’s already progressive reproductive rights. More from the L.A. Times here.