Among the early surprises in this year’s election season is the decision by Scotts Valley Mayor Randy Johnson and Councilmember Jack Dilles to not seek reelection. With a combined 36 years of city council experience, the elder statesmen of the Santa Cruz Mountains say it’s time to pass the torch to new people.
Government
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County 2024 elections: What we know at the filing deadline about who is running
The field is set for Santa Cruz County’s nonpartisan general election on Nov. 5. Scotts Valley Mayor Randy Johnson chose not to seek reelection after 28 years on the city council. In Watsonville, former Cabrillo College trustee Martha Vega is challenging Mayor Vanessa Quiroz-Carter for city council. And there are competitive races for offices ranging from county supervisor to local fire districts. But not all of the 108 seats up for election have attracted candidates, and most races will not be competitive.
Posted inHousing & Development
At hearing for 100% affordable project on Santa Cruz’s Westside, neighbors are reminded they have little say
Santa Cruz’s zoning administrator approved a new three-story, 38-unit, 100% affordable housing development at 850 Almar Ave. on the city’s Westside following a public hearing Wednesday in which neighbors expressed frustration over state laws that limit the city’s ability to block or modify the project.
Posted inHousing & Development
Free land problems, local control, and the Clocktower’s fate: Five takeaways from Lookout’s housing forum
Lookout’s July 31 housing forum featured a pair of panels with leaders weighing in from the political and development perspectives. The conversation brought to light challenges in financing a proposed tower in Santa Cruz, as well as the hurdles before the county in standing up affordable housing projects.
Posted inHousing & Development
Financing will likely constrain Santa Cruz’s Clocktower Center to 8 stories instead of 16
After plans for a 16-story high-rise in downtown Santa Cruz sparked an uproar over new state laws that supersede local control to encourage more affordable housing, financing challenges will ultimately shape the proposal, according to one of its developers. Sibley Simon, a partner at Workbench, told Lookout on Thursday that the Clocktower Center project will likely be seven or eight stories instead.
Posted inHousing & Development
‘Clocktower project?’: ‘I don’t see anyone figuring how to do a 16-story building in Santa Cruz for a good long while’ — and other takeaways from Lookout’s housing forum
In a 2½-hour forum hosted by Lookout, panelists offered lively takes on the question of the evening: “Can Santa Cruz County control its housing destiny?” With the in-person crowd clearly mixed on the prospects of high-density development, Workbench developer Sibley Simon seemed to dismiss the likelihood of the 18-story Clocktower proposal in downtown Santa Cruz ever being built. In the first hour, local officials Manu Koenig and Sandy Brown debated the value – and difficulties– of the state’s housing mandates with state Sen. Scott Wiener.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Show me the money: Supervisors have ‘balanced’ county budget with more than $100 million in federal IOUs – that is bad business
Tom Decker, a businessman, builder of affordable homes and a former candidate for the District 5 supervisor job, has taken a look at Santa Cruz County’s 2024-25 budget and is left scratching his head. The numbers, he writes, don’t add up and depend on more than $100 million in IOUs from the federal government. How, he then wonders, can the supervisors – or any of us – consider it balanced?
Posted inLatest News
Newsom’s homeless encampment order: What impact will it have in Santa Cruz County?
Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state agencies to develop policies to clear homeless encampments. How that order will affect local jurisdictions across California remains unclear.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Cannabis industry’s sad state prompts changes across Santa Cruz County
Statewide, the cannabis industry has not wafted in quite the economic boom it promised. Now, lawmakers in Santa Cruz County, Watsonville and the city of Santa Cruz are looking at changes to their local rules.
Posted inLatest News
Highway 1 commuters, meet the ‘Whale Bridge’
The new, still-under-construction pedestrian bridge over Highway 1 was decorated with metal whales in June, creating an artistic element to one of the county’s biggest highway construction projects.