Joe Sanberg and other anti-poverty activists say California’s current path to a $15 hourly minimum wage isn’t enough given rising living costs.
COVID Economy
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Q&A: Senior Planner Sarah Neuse on the future of multi-family development in Santa Cruz
Sarah Neuse, a longtime planner for the city as well as county of Santa Cruz, recently help complete a proposal for “objective standards” for multi-family housing. The rules, which still need to be approved by the Santa Cruz City Council, would govern, among other items, the design and neighborhood “fit” of local developments — potentially for decades.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Why isn’t California’s economy adding jobs faster?
At a CalMatters/Milken Institute event, experts discuss how the pandemic has changed the California economy, but why there’s reason for hope. Here are three key takeaways.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Connection through comics: Atlantis Fantasyworld celebrates 45 years in Santa Cruz, cultivating community
The stalwart comic book shop has seen a lot over the years, from the rise of comics’ popularity with “Star Wars” to the 1989 earthquake to the rejuvenation of downtown business. On its 45th anniversary, owner and founder Joe Ferrara takes a moment to reflect on all that has made the store so vital, and to look at what is on the horizon.
Posted inCOVID 2022
Trying to avoid countywide ‘shockwaves’: Local task force works at keeping Watsonville Hospital open
Watsonville Community Hospital CEO Steven Salyer announced to employees earlier this month that the hospital could have to close unless someone purchases it. A nonprofit coalition has been in discussions with the hospital to buy it, but one of its members says there are several steps complicating the purchase.
Posted inCity Life
Keeping It Local: Looking for a way to support your community with your gift-giving? Start with books
Wallace Baine launches Lookout’s “Keeping It Local” gift guide with the type he’d most like to receive: books. He runs down his recommendations for the various people in your life, focused on Santa Cruz County writers. Wallace and Lily Belli will be taking turns this week on various guides, from art to food to clothing, so stay tuned!
Posted inCoast Life
Keeping ‘the tradition going for the families’: CZU damage can’t keep Crest Ranch from its holiday mission
After facing the CZU fire last year and navigating COVID-19 restrictions, owners of Christmas tree farms are welcoming visitors back to their farms. They say they’re swamped with customers on their first days of sales.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Giving thanks with selflessness: Caregivers sacrifice holiday time with family to serve elderly clients
Caregivers say they are incredibly grateful for the trust they have been given and impact they have on their clients’ lives. But they ask people to remember they often give up their own holidays to serve the some of the most vulnerable among us.
Posted inK-12 Education
‘Horribly understaffed’: PV High teachers’ complaints about staff shortage impacts paint grim picture
Two complaints were submitted to the Pajaro Valley Unified School District last week regarding teacher vacancies at Pajaro Valley High School this semester. Teachers say vacancies are negatively affecting students, and district officials say they’ve been working to fill them.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
WALLACE BAINE: ‘Buy local’ is more than a slogan, it’s a prescription for a stronger community
As the holidays rush up on us, Wallace Baine talks about how — this year, finally — he’s going to work to buy gifts from locals as much as possible. It is, he argues, how we create and sustain the special and unique place that is Santa Cruz.