Santa Cruz launched construction on its flagship downtown library and affordable housing project Wednesday, though protests erupted as Food Not Bombs founder Keith McHenry disrupted the event before being arrested by police.
Government
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County plan to demolish abandoned, oversized vehicles stalls amid homeless concerns
Santa Cruz County’s effort to clear abandoned cars and RVs stalled Tuesday after backlash to a proposal letting tow companies immediately dismantle vehicles, raising concerns about displacing homeless residents relying on them.
Posted inHousing & Development
Downtown Plan Expansion — with 1,600 new housing units and pathway to new Santa Cruz Warriors arena — wins state’s OK
The California Coastal Commission has signed off on Santa Cruz’s Downtown Plan Expansion, clearing the way for taller buildings, up to 1,600 new housing units and a potential new Santa Cruz Warriors arena south of Laurel Street.
Posted inHousing & Development
Eight-story, 178-unit Clocktower Center clears final vote, capping Santa Cruz’s most polarizing development battle
The Santa Cruz City Council approved Workbench’s scaled-down Clocktower Center project — originally hailed by its developers as something “Santa Cruz hasn’t seen.” The vote ends more than a year of fierce public debate and cements the controversial development as a high-profile product of California’s pro-housing state laws.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Santa Cruz County quietly abandons blockchain program once touted as bleeding edge
Santa Cruz County has shelved its ambitious blockchain wallet project after two years, citing complexity and low public adoption. Officials now plan to pursue simpler digital tools they say are better suited to resident needs.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Special interests pour $260,000 into competing Santa Cruz affordable housing measures so far
As the campaigns ramp up for the dueling affordable housing measures on the November ballot in the city of Santa Cruz, nearly all campaign cash has come from special interests — with everyday residents largely sitting out of the fight.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Santa Cruz County taps Ventura assistant director to lead health agency
Connie Moreno-Peraza’s hire as HSA director comes amid a sea change that has taken shape in county leadership over the past year, from the sheriff to the county’s top bureaucrat.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
As Trump, Republicans toy with selling off public lands, is Santa Cruz’s own Cotoni-Coast Dairies national monument protected?
Nearly a decade after its designation, Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument is set to open next month — protected by deed restrictions even as threats to public lands loom in D.C.
Posted inScotts Valley
Scotts Valley secures $1 million in promised federal funding for Town Center
The City of Scotts Valley has secured $1 million funding promised by the federal government last year to help develop the Town Center property, marking a milestone in the 30 years of attempts to develop the former Skypark Airport.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
When momentum meets politics: How Pajaro River levee funding is struggling for priority in Trump’s Washington
Despite bipartisan support and urgency following the 2023 breach of the Pajaro River levee, phase-two funding for its $600 million replacement project was omitted from federal budgets, raising concerns over delays and political interference.