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Evacuation orders remained in place Tuesday night for several areas near Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Swanton and other places in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire zone.
County authorities said a Temporary Evacuation Point served more than 500 people Tuesday at San Lorenzo Valley High School, 7105 Highway 9 in Felton. The site has snacks, electronics charging stations and information.
Rain can trigger mudslides and debris flow. About 5,000 people were told to evacuate, authorities said. People in more than 260 households told Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputies they planned to stay, Chief Deputy Chris Clark said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Evacuees: What information or resources do you need? Submit your questions. We'll dig in and post what we find on our Mudslide and Evacuation Resources page.
Watsonville flood control project in the works
County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to include the county in a new Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency.
The new agency aims to prevent flooding in Watsonville, Pajaro and other areas by renewing the Pajaro River levee to withstand a 100-year flood.
The new agency recently secured $2.8 million from the federal government for preconstruction, engineering and design. Plans to bolster the levee have been in the works since the 1960s. The new agency also will include authorities from Monterey County, the city of Watsonville, Zone 7 Flood Control District and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency. 📰 Read Stephen Baxter’s story
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Dignity Health Medical Group-Dominican recently expanded its vaccine eligibility criteria to include patients 65 and older or who work in health care, education, child care, food services and agriculture as vaccine supply allows, according to Dr. Steve Magee, the medical group’s president.
The county’s large medical providers — Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health Medical Group-Dominican and Sutter Health/Palo Alto Medical Foundation — have been able to expand their eligibility faster than county-run vaccination clinics.
Clarification from Sunday’s newsletter: The Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize, not approve, two new vaccines as early as this spring. Sunday’s newsletter misstated the expectation.
Two housing proposals advance in downtown Santa Cruz
Two affordable housing projects downtown — together about 165 units — advanced with separate unanimous Santa Cruz City Council votes Tuesday.
The projects are:
A proposal for a 65-unit three-story affordable housing project in the Calvary Church parking lot at 538 Cedar St. All units would be affordable based on area median income, and 25% of units would be supportive housing for people who are disabled or homeless.
A redevelopment of the Santa Cruz Metro bus system’s downtown Pacific Station to create 100 affordable rental apartments above ground-floor commercial space on Pacific Avenue. The bus station would reorient to face Front Street. The council last year streamlined a related proposal for 85 affordable units in a seven-story project next door.
Santa Cruz County Supervisors raise cap on vacation rental permits
Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously agreed to raise a cap on vacation rental permits in the Live Oak Designated Area from 220 to 262 permits to comply with a request from the California Coastal Commission.
Supervisor Ryan Coonerty said the new number struck a balance between the need for coastal access and the need for permanent housing in the county.
Supervisor Friend said about 20 percent of vacation rental owners self reported that those homes had been long-term rentals before they were converted to vacation rentals.
Friend also noted that there was no regulation of vacation rentals in the county 10 years ago. “We’ve come a long way from unregulated to regulated, and this is a strong, strong ordinance before us,” Friend said. 📰 Read Stephen Baxter’s story
County supervisors to consider legalizing ‘tiny homes’
Supervisors on Tuesday said they plan to consider a proposal to classify “tiny homes” on wheels as accessory dwelling units in the county.
Details will start to be ironed out with input from the county planning department, Housing Advisory Commission and Planning Commission. Supervisor Koenig campaigned on the idea of legalizing tiny homes as one solution to the county’s housing crunch.
Supervisors Bruce McPherson, Greg Caput, Ryan Coonerty and Zach Friend essentially said they supported the fresh look at affordable housing and wanted more details. “The devil’s always in the details as far as figuring out our zoning and land use requirements,” Coonerty said. “But I look forward to that process.” 📰 Read Stephen Baxter’s story
Share your thoughts on police in Santa Cruz County
Since May, Santa Cruz Local has interviewed and surveyed hundreds of Santa Cruz County residents about their priorities for the local elections. Police reform was among the top priorities we heard.
Over the next few months, we are producing a podcast series on police in Santa Cruz County. We want to hear from you: What are your questions and concerns? Your responses will help guide our reporting.
