As more families in the Santa Cruz Mountains begin the rebuilding process nearly two years after losing their homes in the CZU Lightning Complex fire, another issue has become evident: a fire sprinkler requirement, and a lack of adequate water pressure for all affected families. Some say this could hinder their ability to get home more so than before: “What can I do, just move in and face possible red-tagging?”
Housing
PROMOTED CONTENT
The myths of aging: How to find new beginnings in olderhood
I’ve been a real estate agent serving Santa Cruz County for 23 years, 13 years at Sereno Group. After years of helping people move from one home to another, I’ve concluded that aging is a myth. I say this as I’ve helped people shed memories of all types, purge unnecessary burdens—mental or physical, overcome fears […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
When is your new library ready? A Lookout guide to the emerging branches
Four redone Santa Cruz County library branches have reopened and four more will throw open their doors by the end of the year. We check in on the generational investment of $67 million county voters made in 2016.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Election 2022 results: Vote counting is slow going with still 50% left to be tabulated
Just released voting totals — with 33,569 votes now counted by the County Clerk’s office — tells us more about what is decided, and what the November ballot will look like. And there are at least two possible cliffhangers in Measure F and the 4th District Supervisor race.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Will ‘D’ deliver voters? Turnout is light so far, but key issues could drive bigger Election Day balloting
By Friday afternoon, Santa Cruz County had received only 22,000 early ballots, “less than for a usual primary,” County Clerk Tricia Webber told Lookout. With no presidential decision on the ballot, will polarizing Measure D and key county supervisor and State Assembly races drive up the numbers?
PROMOTED CONTENT
How to spot elder financial abuse – and what to do about it
In her weekly roundup of news and notes from the Santa Cruz County business community, Jessica M. Pasko talks to…
Posted inPolitics & Policy
The Measure D middle man: RTC lead Guy Preston must drive down two sets of tracks, neither without its perils
The Regional Transportation Commission is the entity tasked with letting us move about Santa Cruz County in smarter and more efficient ways. The man leading the exploratory charge as the nonpartisan director of RTC staff has had the most difficult task of his professional life with both sides of the Measure D issue digging in deep with win-at-all-costs attitudes. But Guy Preston vows to block out the noise and keep plowing ahead with clear eyes, arming the RTC voting board with the best information he can provide. First he wants to arm voters.
Posted inK-12 Education
Explained: How the new expanded transitional kindergarten program offers parents more choice — and more quandaries
“You’re not alone in figuring this out”: Leaders say they understand the challenges parents now face in choosing early education in Santa Cruz County. Lookout put together a guide for parents on navigating the new choice-full landscape.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A cheat sheet for your Measure D migraine: We asked both sides to cut the rhetoric and explain the issues
Leaders of both Yes Greenway and No Way Greenway provided detailed answers to a range of questions. We asked for their best succinct closing arguments on time to build, cost, equity and environmental impact, among other core issues in the rail-trail debate. With voting set to close in Santa Cruz County on Tuesday, here is a side-by-side look at those arguments.
Posted inHousing & Development
Ask Lookout: Is the one iconic coast-side home along West Cliff Drive getting knocked down or restored?
Originally built in 1937, the home at 1307 West Cliff Dr. has gone through many different owners. As the property gets a facelift, locals wonder: What is the history of the home, and why is it the only one directly up against the Pacific Ocean? What’s your question? Ask Lookout at news@lookoutlocal.com, and put Ask LO in the subject line.
