Spring Tease, Blood Moon & Burger Week 🌸🌕🩸🍔
Welcome to March, Santa Cruz!
Women’s History Month is now officially underway, and the local calendar is already filling up with events that celebrate the women shaping our world – including the MAH’s HERstory exhibit and various programs in both English and Spanish at our Santa Cruz Public Libraries.
🎨 First Friday returns March 6, including an art-and-wine evening at the combined tasting room of Silver Mountain Vineyards and Bottle Jack Winery, where Michelle Nicely’s oil paintings will be on view from 4-7pm.
⏰ Daylight Saving Time arrives next weekend, brightening spirits for the solar-powered among us. Finally, enough daylight for a surf, a trail loop or one more game of pickleball after work.🏓
After the latest rounds of storms and some sprinkles early this week, the forecast is finally starting to turn – and that first hint of spring is showing up in the lineup and on local trails, with wildflowers smiling in the sunshine. 🌸☀️
🌌🌕🩸 After a couple weeks of a planetary parade, the full moon now takes over – and this time it comes with a total “blood moon” lunar eclipse, which arrives overnight Monday into early Tuesday morning. It peaks just after 3am for the truly committed – or maybe it’s a set-your-alarm, step-outside-and-look-up kind of moment.
🍔🔥And don’t miss out! Santa Cruz Burger Week, now in its ninth year, continues through March 8. A record 34 local restaurants across Santa Cruz County are offering up their creative takes, as they transform a fast food item into a gourmet treat.
And now, on to this week’s news…have a good one!
News Highlights
Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Santa Cruz County Water
Limited Two-Way Traffic Returns to Murray Street Bridge
Capitola Mall Rezoning Discussion to be Continued
Santa Cruz Wharf Receives $3M to Fund Repairs
Live Oak School District Superintendent Resigns, Teacher Layoffs Coming
Bird Flu Found in Elephant Seals
Housing Program at Risk Unless Congress Acts
Court Hands Victory to Watsonville Pilots in Airport Land Use Dispute
Watsonville Police Chief Talks Staffing, Technology in Policing
Plus…Tapping for Wellness, Slower Speeds on Highway 9, Luxe Fashion Moves In Downtown, Grey Whale Commutes and More!
TOP STORIES
Cancer Causing Chemical Found in Santa Cruz County Tap Water
Santa Cruz County residents have received notifications that their tap water may exceed the limit for a heavy metal associated with causing cancer.
Limited Two-Way Traffic Returns to Murray Street Bridge
Temporary traffic signals at both ends of the Murray Street Bridge, alternating between eastbound and westbound directions, will allow the return of two-way vehicle traffic today.
Capitola Mall Rezoning Discussion to be Continued
Capitola city leaders held a special meeting to discuss zoning changes that could allow housing and mixed-use developments at the Capitola Mall. Capitola is required by the state to build more than a thousand new units. No action was taken during the meeting, and the council is set to revisit the zoning issue on March 16.
Santa Cruz Wharf Receives $3M to Fund Repairs
The Santa Cruz Wharf will receive more than $3 million in federal funding to repair and rebuild after its partial collapse into the ocean in 2024. The city of Santa Cruz released drawings of what it will look like, including plans for benches and a dedicated sea lion viewing hole.
Live Oak School District Superintendent Resigns; Teacher Layoffs Coming
Live Oak School District’s Superintendent has resigned and the governing board approved cutting the equivalent of nearly 11 jobs, including six teachers and one mental health clinician.
Bird Flu Found in Elephant Seals
Researchers have confirmed the first cases of avian flu in California marine mammals, specifically elephant seals at Ano Nuevo State Park in San Mateo County, prompting the cancellation of tours.
Housing Voucher Program at Risk Unless Congress Acts
Santa Cruz County families could lose their federal rental assistance unless Congress restores funding to a pandemic-era housing voucher program, local officials warned.
Court Hands Victory to Watsonville Pilots in Airport Land Use Dispute
A judge has ruled in favor of the Watsonville Pilots Association (WPA), finding that the city of Watsonville unlawfully approved development projects near Watsonville Municipal Airport without complying with state aeronautical law and prior court orders.
Watsonville Police Chief Talks Staffing, Technology in Policing
When Watsonville Police Chief Brian Shab took the helm of the department early this year, he saw a problem that is plaguing law enforcement agencies across the country: recruiting and retaining officers.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Burger Week: Santa Cruz Chefs Turn Fast Food Into Gourmet Treats
Santa Cruz Burger Week, now in its ninth year, continues through March 8. A record 34 local restaurants across Santa Cruz County will offer up their own creative takes, transforming fast-food fare into gourmet treats.
Tapping, a wellness treatment, involves gently tapping on specific points on the face and body, many of them the same meridians used in acupuncture, while focusing on an emotional issue, stressor, or physical sensation.
Caltrans will lower speed limits on several segments of Highway 9 in Santa Cruz County following a recent engineering and traffic survey of an 11.63-mile section of the roadway.
High-end fashion chain Anthropologie has opened a new store in Downtown Santa Cruz, in the space formerly occupied by New Leaf.
Serving elevated traditional American bar fare amidst airplane hangar-vibed ambiance, Laughing Monk Brewing has become a Scotts Valley staple since it took flight two and a half years ago.
😳 Wait, What?! 🐋
Gray whale migration is underway along the Santa Cruz coastline right now, meaning those random offshore spouts you’ve been seeing are part of a 10,000-14,000-mile commute – the longest migration of any mammal on Earth.