A recent court decision that overturned one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s few pandemic rules — masks required on public transportation — spotlights how little power remains in federal hands to enforce public health protections.
Politics
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Lookout Update: District maps decided upon for new-look Santa Cruz voting system; so what happens next?
The Santa Cruz City Council chose two different maps that will be put to voters on June 7. Santa Cruzans will for the first time vote for a single representative based on the area where they live within the city. They will also decide between the current rotating mayoral system and an independently elected mayor who would serve a four-year term.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California voters say state is moving in the wrong direction, feel financial squeeze
California voters say gas prices are a serious problem as doubts about transit persist, according to a UC Berkeley survey co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Lookout Update: Santa Cruz City Council maintains oversized parking ordinance
On Tuesday, the Santa Cruz City Council rejected recommendations from the city’s planning commission on changes to the long-sought ordinance.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In governor’s race, challengers attack Newsom’s record on homelessness
Two of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s most vocal challengers in this year’s California governor’s race are hoping to tap into voter anger over homelessness, crime and other quality-of-life issues.
Posted inEnvironment
Launch of condors on tribal land marks the species’ comeback, but a new threat looms large
Even as a Yurok tribe releases California condors on tribal lands, wind farms pose a new threat to the critically endangered species.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How California cities are resisting duplex housing law
Cities around the state are trying to circumvent Senate Bill 9, California’s new law allowing duplexes to be built on properties previously zoned for single-family housing. Their methods include everything from removing parking and forbidding vehicle ownership to requiring arbitrary amounts of mature vegetation.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Analysis: California’s shrinking population has big impacts
Expansive projections of California’s population growth have been proved wrong and if anything, the state is now losing population, with serious social and economic impacts.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A tale of two recoveries: Rebuilding frustrates CZU families; officials say they’re ahead of the curve
With building costs up 20-30% from pre-pandemic levels, red tape, updated building codes, construction price hyperinflation and the recurring nightmare of personal loss have combined to stymie efforts to get Santa Cruz County residents back into houses in areas devastated by the 2020 CZU blaze.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Joseph Thompson, lead organizer for unionizing Starbucks, is just getting started
As three Santa Cruz Starbucks stores lead much of the chain unionizing in California, local leader Joseph Thompson cites their great-grandfather for union inspiration: “Organizing gives me energy, and because I’m young it’s going to be a lot easier for me to keep that up.”