From free, family-friendly activities to strolling downtown and sampling the goods from Santa Cruz County wineries and breweries, it’s a good time to get yourself to Watsonville.
Watsonville
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Field begins to coalesce in races for three Santa Cruz County supervisor seats
Incumbent Manu Koenig is facing a challenge from pro-rail Lani Faulkner in District 1, while the retirement of Zach Friend in District 2 has so far seen three candidates — Kristen Brown, Kimberly De Serpa and Douglas Deitch — file paperwork. Monica Martinez and Christopher Bradford are running to replace Bruce McPherson in District 5, with Sheriff Jim Hart still seen as a possible candidate.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I’m 16 and got sexually harassed on the Santa Cruz Metro — why aren’t there safeguards to protect me?
Izabella León, 16, was sexually harassed on a Santa Cruz Metro bus during her regular commute between Watsonville and Santa Cruz. No one stepped in to help her, and she is frustrated by the lack of safety measures in place for youth and women. “Metro wants more youths like me to ride the bus,” she writes. “It has even put in ‘Youth Cruz Free,’ which lets us ride for free. But it has little in place to make sure we are safe — and to protect us when we are not.”
Posted inCity Life
‘She’s a connector’: How Isabel Contreras is building an emerging arts culture for local people of color
“A lot of young folks, they’re just trying to find their way in the world,” one Santa Cruz County arts leader says of 25-year-old Isabel Contreras, who has made a splash with both her art and her community organizing, “but they don’t usually take the kind of leadership that Isabel has taken on. It’s very unusual.”
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Why won’t our state pesticide regulators keep us safe from Telone? Why won’t they follow the science?
Farmworker activist and organizer Yanely Martinez says the Department of Pesticide Regulation is “environmentally racist” and not following science in its latest draft of pesticide regulations. The draft, released July 25, allows farm owners to spray the carcinogenic pesticide Telone at levels state scientists have determined are dangerous, she says. The impact of the guidelines will “establish a standard of protection for Latino and Indigenous farmworker communities that is 14 times weaker than for other communities,” she writes. Here, she pens an open letter asking the DPR director to reduce Telone use in Santa Cruz County. DPR is scheduled to make a final decision on Telone regulations on Nov. 7.
Posted inUncategorized
How I Got My Job: Case manager Andres Galvan on confronting housing, addiction and mental health crises
Mental health client specialist Andres Galvan works at the intersection of Santa Cruz County’s mental health, homelessness and drug-overdose crises. Now almost 17 years in recovery himself, Galvan understands the importance of counselors and others who work in the mental health and addictions fields treating clients with empathy and compassion. “You can’t just go out there for the paycheck,” he says. “Your heart has got to be in it because you’re going to come across some difficult things. You got to keep that open mind and that’s a difficult task.”
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County supervisors gear up to tackle housing plans, mental health courts, Pajaro River levee and CZU recovery
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors returns from its extended summer break next week. Lookout Politics and Policy correspondent Christopher Neely reached out to all five county supervisors to understand what they foresee as the priority projects and policy discussions coming before the board for the remainder of 2023.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Watsonville Community Hospital’s board takes another step toward pursuing bond measure
Pajaro Valley Health Care District voted Wednesday night to push ahead with plans to raise money to purchase the Watsonville Community Hospital’s land and buildings. The health care district purchased the hospital’s assets for more than $65 million. But it does not own the real estate, which it continues to lease from Alabama-based Medical Properties Trust for $250,000 a month.
Posted inFood & Drink
Eaters Digest: Berries at Prevedelli Farms
Lily Belli brings you her recommendations for what to eat in Santa Cruz County, along with a weekly guide to the most important food and drink events in the area. She’ll also point you to Lookout’s list of area food guides and the best in food news.
Posted inCity Life
Everything you need to know about BCycle, Santa Cruz’s spiffy new bike-sharing program
It’s been nearly a month since the latest fleet of e-bikes hit the roadways of Santa Cruz, including around UCSC. Lookout’s Wallace Baine took to the streets for a primer on what you should know about our new transportation option.