With long-promised repairs to the Pajaro River levee in danger of being slowed by California Environmental Quality Act requirements, Speaker Robert Rivas — whose district includes the Pajaro Valley — is overhauling a bill before the State Assembly with the aim of getting the project started sooner.
Civic Life
Posted inCity Life
Urban density is coming to downtown Santa Cruz. This group wants to stop the city from getting taller.
Santa Cruz’s downtown expansion plan is aimed for the lots that currently host Kaiser Permanente Arena, Ace Hardware and Firefly Coffee House. The city has capped building heights in the area at 12 stories. That is still too tall for some. A group called Housing for People is circulating a petition that asks residents whether they want to be able to vote on projects that propose to reach taller than existing height limits on local land.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Here’s some good news: The Santa Cruz bus system is aiming for zero carbon by 2036
The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District is expecting $66.7 million dollars in state and federal grants and Volkswagen settlement money that will allow the district to move more quickly to a completely carbon-free transportation solution. This is the largest purchase of hydrogen cell buses in the nation’s history. Lookout columnist Mike Rotkin, who is a member of the Regional Transportation Commission, breaks down the numbers and explains the significance.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
As El Niño gathers strength, lawmakers look to fortify Pajaro’s flood-ravaged levee
On Tuesday, California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) introduced legislation designed to expedite construction and upgrades along the Pajaro River levee — a 74-year-old earthen flood control berm that breached in March, inundating the mostly migrant farmworker town of Pajaro. As an El Niño weather pattern takes hold in the Pacific, residents and lawmakers worry another breach is likely if construction doesn’t start soon.
Posted inFood & Drink
Not that kind of ‘oyster’: Watsonville Testicle Festival fundraises for youth in agriculture
The 15th annual Testicle Festival’s main attraction is freshly fried Rocky Mountain oysters, aka bull testicles. The family-friendly barbecue raises money for scholarships awarded to youth entering careers in agriculture. As the farming population ages across America, event organizers say attracting new agriculturists is vital.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Housing crisis takes center stage as Senate race comes to Santa Cruz County
After visits by Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee, vying for the Democratic nomination to replace the retiring Dianne Feinstein in the U.S. Senate, Christopher Neely breaks down what he heard from each on one of Santa Cruz County’s most pressing concerns: housing.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘Crisis of epidemic proportions’: Families, survivors, workers share personal stories of opioid struggles
Nearly 100 community members and service providers came to Watsonville Community Hospital on Thursday afternoon for an International Overdose Awareness Day event. In addition to 21 harm-reduction and substance-use support organizations, a number of people directly affected by the opioid crisis shared their stories, urging awareness and prevention.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Tech billionaires’ secretive plan to build a California city from scratch
The billionaires behind Flannery Associates have bought up more than 140 parcels in Solano County with dreams of “a new city with tens of thousands of new homes.”
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County readies to spend millions from opioid settlement funds starting next year
As Santa Cruz County awaits about $26 million in funds stemming from national lawsuits against pharmacies, drug manufacturers and distributors, residents say they want to see that money go toward treatment facilities and supporting vulnerable groups as the dollars roll in over the next decade.
Posted inK-12 Education
After revealing surprise enrollment jump, PVUSD says student population might have actually dropped by 675
Last week, Pajaro Valley Unified School District said total numbers for its schools appeared to show about 500 more students enrolled this year than expected. But upon closer look, officials say they accidentally included dependent charter schools in the district’s total enrollment figures. Interim Superintendent Murry Schekman said the realization the district’s enrollment was in fact continuing on a downward trend is frustrating and makes planning for the district difficult. Schekman sees cost of living as the primary driver for the trend.