Quick Take:
The 42,849-square-foot development would take over the parcel where local grocery stores The Food Bin and Herb Room...
A pleasant morning to you, Santa Cruz County. It’s Tuesday, April 18, and a partly sunny day is on tap, with highs nearing 60, before a stretch that could see us in the mid-70s as the weekend approaches.
No time for the guided tour? Get right to Lookout’s latest if you’re so inclined.
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Town-gown relations get top billing on this Tuesday, in the form of a pair of stories from Hillary Ojeda. She’s got the news that UC Santa Cruz and the city are in talks about ending lawsuits filed after the university released plans aiming to boost student enrollment by 8,500 by 2040. That’s accompanied by an explainer on UCSC’s Long Range Development Plan, where all those additional students would live and who’s opposed, so read on to get in the know.
In Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, meanwhile, a radical rethink about how we approach climate change is the goal for Alex Yasbek, who urges us to reconsider not only how we approach transportation and energy concerns but other facets of life such as banking and health care.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg for Tuesday’s headlines, so let’s have at ‘em.
City of Santa Cruz, UCSC in talks to possibly end lawsuits over enrollment and housing plans
UC Santa Cruz and the City of Santa Cruz have been embroiled in a lawsuit since February 2022 over UCSC’s plan to boost enrollment by an additional 8,500 students by 2040. The Long Range Development Plan, approved in 2021, set off a wave of lawsuits from the city and the county over potential worsening impacts on the region’s housing market. But now, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley says the two sides are in talks to end the LRDP lawsuit and a second, separate lawsuit related to water access on campus. Hillary Ojeda reports.
➤ EXPLAINER: What is UCSC’s plan to add 8,500 more students by 2040? And where will they all live?
The rude awakening of a woke Watsonville climate activist
Alex Yasbek thought he was doing everything he could to prevent climate change. He went vegan, rode his bike to work, “was into solar before it was legal.” But, then, four years ago, he started working as an environmental program manager for the City of Watsonville and he realized two things: his own privilege and how the systems we have created make it too hard to make environmentally friendly choices, particularly for front-line communities, like those in Watsonville. From food to banking to fossil fuels, he says it’s time for a radical rethink. Read his Community Voices opinion piece here.
➤ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Make your voice heard and read what Santa Cruzans are saying
That’s a full plate for a Tuesday morning, I know. But as ever, Lookout has more coming — Tuesday brings the latest bits and bites from the Santa Cruz County food and drink scene, and this week’s newsletter from Jessica M. Pasko will be hitting inboxes in mere hours. Sign up here for that and all of our newsletters, plus breaking news alerts delivered via text and email. There’s also good old-fashioned social media, where you can stay current by following Lookout on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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May your Tuesday be a safe, pleasant one — meet you back here Wednesday a.m.
Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz