Morning Lookout: Light rail’s next step, W. Cliff senior facility OK’d and whither progressivism
Hiya, folks! It’s Thursday, Dec. 1, and a rainy day lies ahead for Santa Cruz County, with high temps barely scraping into the 50s and a chilly night forecast.
Plenty of new Lookout content to explore, so if exploring’s your thing, head this direction.
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Exploring what light rail between Santa Cruz and Watsonville would look like is on the agenda Thursday for the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, Christopher Neely reports, with a vote set on whether to hire a consultant firm to paint the big picture of what that might look like.
From the Santa Cruz City Council, meanwhile, Max Chun brings word that a senior living facility off West Cliff Drive has been approved, and he examines the next moves.
And in our Community Voices opinion section, Cyndi Dawson wades into “the mud pit that is Santa Cruz electoral politics” to talk about progressivism or, as she sees it, a lack thereof.
We’re also still seeking nominations for our upcoming Unsung Santa Cruz series, so if you know someone who is working every day at a vital but overlooked job or undertaking with little to no appreciation, read on for how you can get them recognized. Revisit our 2021 series here.
Wednesday evening’s widespread local power outage is also among the headlines — let’s take a look, shall we?
To jump-start light rail future, Santa Cruz County commission readies to spend millions
A Thursday vote by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission would put millions toward planning light rail service between Santa Cruz and Watsonville. Christopher Neely scopes out what’s ahead.
➤ FROM JUNE: The ‘No’s had it on Measure D. Now the big question for RTC: What can it say yes to, and when? (Lookout)
Progressivism and real policy solutions: Santa Cruz has neither and here’s why
Cyndi Dawson wanted to stay out of the “mud pit that is Santa Cruz electoral politics,” but recent Lookout op-eds about local progressives have, she writes, pushed her to offer context and facts. In a Community Voices opinion piece, she explains the history of the progressive movement and why Santa Cruz is not really “the leftmost city” it purports to be. Find her op-ed here.
➤ PREVIOUSLY: Let’s take back our progressive identity — real progressives advocate for change (Lookout’s Community Voices)
DAILY DIGEST
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Quick Take
The assisted living facility proposed for a Eucalyptus Avenue site off of West Cliff Drive continues to move forward,...
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Quick Take
More than 17,000 homes across Santa Cruz County were without power for hours on Wednesday afternoon and evening. Per...
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Quick Take
For the second year, Lookout is working to highlight regular folks who are working hard behind the scenes to make Santa...
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Quick Take
Share your thoughts by sending a letter to the editor. Email us at letters@lookoutlocal.com.
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Quick Take
Protesters in China are eager to see an easing of “zero-COVID” rules, but health experts warn that doing so could prompt...
Santa Cruz County Job Board
That’s the scene this first morning of December. If Thursday has you looking ahead to the weekend, you’re in good company — Wallace Baine will be along shortly with Weekender, his recommendation-packed look at the Santa Cruz County arts and entertainment scene. Click here to get that and all of Lookout’s free newsletters delivered right to your inbox, along with breaking news alerts — and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you don’t miss anything.
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Give yourself a little extra time if you’re headed out on those slippery roads, and I’ll catch you back here Friday.
Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz
