Feed aggregator

Here’s what’s happening on Santa Cruz County roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents   ▼︎ long-term incidents

Road incidents as of 7 a.m. on April 16

• North Highway 1 at Park Avenue in Capitola is facing closures for K-rail installation. The closure is expected to end at 4:59 a.m. today.
   
• A lane on westbound Highway 152 at Clifford Drive/Ohlone Parkway in Watsonville is closed for asphalt paving. The closure is expected to last until July 3.
   

Long-term projects

These have been going on for a while, but are still worth keeping in mind.

• Crews are doing emergency sewer repairs on Soquel Drive near Rancho Del Mar in Aptos. Traffic will be shifted, and there may be lane closures and some delays during work hours, depending on the weather.
   
• Glenwood Cutoff will be completely closed at 121 Glenwood Cutoff in Scotts Valley today from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. while crews work on a pole overhead.
   

Disclosure: Traffic incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

The post Thursday morning traffic: Lane closures on Highway 152, Glenwood Cutoff closed 1-3 p.m. appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Latest version points to a shift in how Microsoft thinks about IDEs

Visual Studio 2026 18.5 arrives with two headline changes – a smarter code suggestion system and an AI-powered debugger. Yet developer frustration over color contrast and forced updates continue to overshadow the improvements.…

Starting April 19, the price of the Meta Quest 3S (128GB) and Meta Quest 3S (256GB) will go up by $50 to $349.99 and $449.99, respectively. The price of the Meta Quest 3 is going up by $100 to $599.99.

Gamers around the world were looking at their phones and shouting “YES! YES!” like M. Bison on Thursday morning because the Street Fighter movie trailer forward, down, down-forward, punched its way out of CinemaCon and into our eyeballs on Thursday morning. The latest trailer for Legendary and Paramount’s highly anticipated video game adaptation is much more story-focused than the teaser we saw at The Game Awards in December. Between iconic moves taken directly from the games and some seriously deep-cut Easter eggs, Street Fighter is clearly made with a lot of love for its source material, especially 1991’s Street Fighter II: The World Warrior.

Set in 1993, Street Fighter puts the focus front-and-center on Ken Masters, Chun-Li, and Ryu as their paths converge on the World Warrior Tournament, a competition between the greatest fighters from around the globe. The tournament will seemingly take place under the auspices of Shadaloo, a mysterious criminal organization run by the delightfully camp dictator-in-training M. Bison.

Why, you ask? Well, to make money! Running a shadowy organization ain’t cheap. But presumably also to lure out a world-weary Ryu to pit him against the demonic Akuma, who we glimpse in action toward the end of the trailer both doing battle with and exerting his influence on the hadoken-launching hero. Could this be the “deadly conspiracy that forces [our heroes] to face off against each other and the demons of their past” as promised by the synopsis? Probably, but only time will tell.

While the trailer gives us our best insight into the film’s narrative, it doesn’t skimp on the action either. Longtime Street Fighter players will spot moves like Ken’s Shoryuken, E. Honda’s Hundred Hand Slap, Guile’s Flash Kick, Akuma’s Empyrean End, and Ryu’s Hadoken, just to name a few. Plus, I’m pretty sure there’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it look at M. Bison using his Psycho Power around the 2:30 mark.

And is it just us or is that shot of Chun-Li entering the shower a reference to Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie? Considering we saw Vega get launched through a wall in the first teaser, it seems like that might be a favorite of director Kitao Sakurai.

So when can you put your quarter up to see the movie? Legendary and Paramount’s Street Fighter will spinning bird kick its way into theaters on October 16, 2026.

Editor’s note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks

The post The STREET FIGHTER Trailer Is Pure Shoryuken Cinema appeared first on Nerdist.

The latest version of Canva's AI assistant lets users create editable designs with text prompts.

The Blumhouse/Atomic Robot riffs on Universal’s classic monsters thus far have been an interesting experiment. I don’t think anyone saw the success of Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man coming, nor perhaps that his follow up, The Wolf Man, would land with a thud. With the third riff comes a bit of drama, not least Universal punting it off to Warner Bros. to avoid brand confusion with some big-budget rebootquels on the way. Thus, we have Lee Cronin’s Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, which in a lot of ways is the most different of the bunch. It’s much more like Cronin’s previous Evil Dead Rise than anything starring Brendan Fraser and Imhotep. But that’s really why I think it works as well as it does.Warner Bros.

Unlike any of the previous Mummy films in the main canon, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy eschews action-adventure for pure supernatural body horror. This movie is grotty and proud of it. It also carries on a theme for Cronin in putting normal families in the gnarliest horror stories possible. And like Evil Dead Rise, the horror aspects here come with a devilishly comedic tone. It maybe pulls a few punches, but not as many as one might expect.

The story begins in Egypt where news correspondent Charlie (Jack Reynor) lives with his wife, medical professional Larissa (Laia Costa), two kids, and a third on the way. One afternoon, a mysterious woman (Hayat Kamille) abducts the daughter, Katie, and the Cairo police—including young officer Dalia (May Calamawy)—have no idea where she is.

Eight years pass, the family has relocated to Albuquerque, and out of the blue, people find Katie (played as a teen by newcomer Natalie Grace). Only, our poor girl isn’t quite what they remember. She shows signs of mistreatment and malnutrition as well as a strange skin condition. Katie can’t speak and is mainly catatonic aside from occasional violent spasms. As Charlie and now-Detective Dalia try to piece together what happened, the true nature of Katie’s dark presence begins to infect the house, the family, and maybe even the world?!

Warner Bros.

One of the biggest issues with Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is the story is almost at odds with itself. It tries to at once evoke things like The Exorcist and Evil Dead and supernatural mysteries like Sinister and Insidious. (Not surprisingly, those second two from producers Jason Blum and James Wan.) The plot doesn’t need to be as complex as it tries to be, but it often feels like Cronin needs to justify it being a movie about a mummy, sort of, so needs ancient curses and cults. Half of it goes nowhere. I’m not sure it needs that stuff, and I think it ultimately gets in the way of what really works.

Once Katie gets to Albuquerque—to a massive old house, perfect for horror—and the gross and uncanny stuff really starts, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is a hell of a lot of fun. Multiple times during my press screening, the audience emitted loud, involuntary noises as a result of the splatter. At its best, the movie evokes Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive or the darkest parts of Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist. And, yes, Evil Dead. I keep coming back to that because that really is what it felt more like.

Warner Bros.

I really need to take a moment to shout out Natalie Grace’s performance. Almost the totality of it is under heavy makeup and requiring physical contortion. She’s the highlight of the entire film, perfectly understanding the part she’s playing. She makes Evil Katie relish in the wickedness in just the right way. I loved watching her every reptilian tongue flick and rigor mortis twitch. Great stuff.

Whether or not the movie is “scary” certainly depends on taste and preference. I find gross-out splatter effects more fun than scary. If body horror and gore isn’t your thing, then you’ll likely keep your face behind your hands. If you enjoyed Evil Dead Rise, I think you’ll enjoy this.

⭐ (3.5 of 5)

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

The post LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY Is a Gory, Gross Good Time appeared first on Nerdist.

Watsonville mainstay El Frijolito has opened a second location, Tacos El Frijolito, offering a takeout-only menu of Mexican staples near the Highway 1 corridor. The expansion builds on the family-run restaurant’s nearly 40-year history and recent remodel of its original downtown location.

The post Watsonville’s El Frijolito adds takeout-only taco spot near Highway 1 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Forged metadata made AI reviewer treat hostile changes as though they came from known maintainer

Security boffins say Anthropic's Claude can be tricked into approving malicious code with just two Git commands by spoofing a trusted developer's identity.…

Retail giant Express was publicly spilling customer information to the open web. The bug is now fixed after TechCrunch alerted Express, but the company would not say if it plans to notify customers.

➤ Para leer el artículo en español, haga clic aquí.

The three candidates competing for District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor shared their visions to improve South County on Wednesday night, discussing hot-button issues such as battery storage, housing and affordability during a Lookout forum. 

One thing all three candidates – Tony Nuñez, Elias Gonzales and incumbent Felipe Hernandez – agreed on is that South County residents have historically been underserved by county government. 

“I think you can pick multiple areas in which South County is underserved,” said Nuñez, who currently serves as the marketing and communications manager for nonprofit Community Bridges, as well as the board chair of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, which operates Watsonville Community Hospital.

District 4 county supervisor candidate Tony Nuñez speaks during Wednesday’s candidate forum. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

He told the nearly 70 South County residents in attendance that there’s a lack of economic investment and understanding about what the community wants and needs. One of the ideas Nuñez would like to introduce is a program to help community members start their own businesses.

Gonzales said he wants to invest in the region’s youth, such as showing them different career paths, like apprenticeships that can lead to jobs in the trades. He also suggested creating a county office focusing on youth needs.

MORE ON THE DISTRICT 4 RACE: Find Lookout’s coverage here

“Watsonville has not been invested in and we continue to be the stepchild,” said Gonzales, who is associate director of movement building for Hollister-based nonprofit Youth Alliance, which provides support services for students and their families. 

As the incumbent, Hernandez said that throughout his first term representing District 4, the county has invested more than $800 million in the community. Those projects include opening a county office on Westridge Drive in Watsonville, starting repairs to the Pajaro River levee and fixing roads. 

The ongoing issue of the battery storage project proposed for outside Watsonville was a prominent point of discussion. Both Nuñez and Gonzales said they were against the 90 Minto Rd. project steered by Massachusetts-based developer New Leaf Energy. 

“I’ve met with more than 600 local residents over the last month and a half,” Nunez said, “and several of those residents have been organizers against this plan, and all of the concerns … have been around public health.” 

“How is this going to impact the public health of the people living there,” he asked, “and how is this going to impact the public health of the people living throughout the region?” 

Hernandez did not share his stance on the project, saying it would violate the Brown Act if he were to discuss his position before the project came to the board of supervisors for approval. 

He did say, however, that whether the developers seek approval through the state’s energy commission or at the local level, he would want to ensure the project meets safety standards laid out in the county’s ordinances meant to regulate such facilities. 

New Leaf confirmed to Lookout earlier this month that it is indeed exploring the state route for project approval, as well as keeping the county route open. County officials told Lookout that they have yet to determine its next steps on its draft ordinance. 

“And so we want to make sure that even if they go through the state process, I’m still going to be pestering this company,” Hernandez said. 

Incumbent District 4 County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez speaks during Wednesday’s Lookout candidate forum. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

The candidates discussed ways to keep themselves accountable if elected to represent District 4, which includes most of the Pajaro Valley, Watsonville and Interlaken. 

Nuñez said he’ll have a listening tour within his first 100 days in office to hear from residents about what changes they’d like to see. 

“My palabra is very important to me,” Gonzales said. “It’s how people hold me accountable and how I hold myself accountable.” 

Gonzales said he wants to build connections with the community, modeling the work he’s been doing for years in the nonprofit sector. 

During the portion of the forum when candidates could ask each other questions, Hernandez was on the defensive several times. He responded to criticisms that he hasn’t been showing up to meetings of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission by saying he’s at every board meeting and sharing what he’s been doing on social media. He was also grilled by Nuñez about where the aforementioned $800 million was invested in South County. Hernandez listed numerous projects, such as the new county offices in Watsonville, repairs to Green Valley Road and improvements to social services. 

The candidates also discussed homelessness in South County and ways to address the issue or, in Hernandez’s case, what he’d continue doing. 

Hernandez brought up the 34-unit “tiny village” in Watsonville, which is a joint project between Santa Cruz and Monterey counties aimed at addressing homelessness along the Pajaro River levee. He said he’d like to develop similar projects, and also convert old hotels into residential treatment centers. 

Nuñez told the audience he would support local organizations, such as Community Bridges, in their efforts to help prevent homelessness by intervening during “just cause” evictions. 

“If we prevent homelessness through eviction protection,” Nuñez said, “I think one of the great things is that it not only saves the public dollars, but we have been able to fund the majority of that work through private philanthropy and foundations.” 

Gonzales said it’s important to change the narrative around the unhoused community, and start looking at services to help those with ongoing mental health issues. 

“A lot of the folks that are incarcerated are dealing with mental health issues, right?” he said. “How are we actually acknowledging those mental health issues?” 

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

The post District 4 county supervisor candidates make case to voters during Wednesday night forum appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Antioch raised a $8.5 million seed round to create simulation tools for a new generation of robot builders.

The site of the long-shuttered Outdoor World on River Street in Santa Cruz is finally undergoing its transformation into a new development. 

On Tuesday, bulldozers tore down the aging building to make room for a long-planned affordable housing project.

The project, approved by the City of Santa Cruz in 2024, will include 50 units of affordable housing across six stories plus one manager’s unit. There will also be 1,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. 

Eligibility for affordable housing is currently defined as a household making 30-60% of median income, which in Santa Cruz is about $115,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

San Jose-based developer For the Future Housing is leading the development. You can find more information on the city’s project page.

Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your news releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.

MORE LOCAL COVERAGE

The post Outdoor World building razed for affordable housing project appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

The California governor’s race has become a guessing game, but Santa Cruz County should look past the polls in choosing who will be best for our community. 

The candidates leading statewide surveys are not necessarily the ones best aligned with our region’s priorities – and if we focus only on who is ahead right now at this delicate, volatile moment, we risk overlooking who actually fits our needs.

The latest political storylines, polling data and election prediction tools are ranking the top gubernatorial candidates. But the crowded field tells a different story: voter approval is split across 10 major candidates, and 25% of voters remain undecided. Recent sexual assault allegations against front-runner Rep. Eric Swalwell are shaking up the race, and state Democratic party Chair Rusty Hicks warned that a crowded Democratic field could splinter the vote under California’s “jungle primary” system, where the top two candidates advance regardless of party, raising the possibility that two Republicans could move on from the June 2 primary.

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE: Read more coverage here from Lookout and our content partners

That is why the early polling leaders should not drive Santa Cruz County’s decision-making.

Recent surveys from Emerson College, UC Berkeley and the Public Policy Institute of California  – done before the stories emerged about Swalwell – showed Swalwell with a slight edge, followed closely by Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, along with Tom Steyer and former Rep. Katie Porter. Trailing below the 5% threshold are Antonio Villaraigosa, Xavier Becerra, Betty Yee, Tony Thurmond and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. 

These are scientific polls, snapshots in time, based on samples of 500 to 1,600 respondents with margins of error around 3%.

Prediction markets offer a different perspective. Platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket now show Swalwell has tanked since the allegations surfaced and Mahan is jumping in betting odds in some cases, with fluctuating positions that reflect perceived electability rather than voter preference. These markets are driven by traders trying to win money, not by voters expressing support, and their outcomes can shift daily based on participation and sentiment.

So who would best represent Santa Cruz County?

The answer starts with our priorities: economic vitality, job creation, affordable housing, addressing homelessness and climate resilience. Voter registration data reinforces the political reality – 59% of Santa Cruz County voters are Democrats, 13% are Republicans, and 20% are no-party-preference voters who tend to lean Democratic. Regardless of statewide polling trends, it is highly unlikely a Republican candidate will carry this county.

That makes the choice clearer. The best candidates for Santa Cruz County are not the ones leading the polls, but the ones most aligned with these priorities.

Two candidates stand out: Betty Yee and Matt Mahan

Betty Yee has strong ties to Santa Cruz County, beginning her career on the staff of former Assemblymember Sam Farr and working closely with Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley when he was Farr’s chief of staff. She brings deep experience with California’s budget process and would be prepared to address the state’s fiscal challenges from Day 1. Today, California faces a growing wealth gap that has persistently affected Black and brown families disproportionately and now is being felt by middle-income families. 

For college graduates entering the workforce upon graduation, entry-level jobs are fewer in number, and those for which they can compete are outnumbered by graduates and workers who have been displaced. The rapid development of artificial intelligence and its deployment and recent layoffs due to AI have elevated concerns about the security and stability of future jobs. As governor, I can see Yee  increasing opportunities for economic mobility by working with regional, local and business leaders to create quality jobs that are stable, safe and pay living wages and benefits — jobs that meet regional and local workforce needs especially in high-demand fields. 

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a March forum in Monterey for gubernatorial candidates. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Matt Mahan, a Watsonville native, brings a different, but equally relevant perspective. Raised in a working-class family, he commuted to school in San Jose before graduating from Harvard University, teaching and building a career in technology. As mayor of San Jose, he has focused on housing and homelessness with data-driven policies that show measurable improvement. Mahan’s mission is to make California an affordable place to live, work and raise a family. 

As governor, I believe he  will attack new taxes, red tape and lawsuits that drive up housing costs. He will hold local governments accountable for following state laws, and not stand in the way of new homes getting built. 

Mahan wants to get better value for our tax dollars, by delivering more affordable homes for each dollar spent and by supporting first-time home-buyers in a way that allows the state to recoup its money when the house is sold.

Mahan is receiving both political and financial support from the tech sector and well-heeled individuals from Southern California. This election’s most prolific donors have been some of the state’s wealthiest families, who have largely coalesced around Mahan.

Mahan has taken a “tough love”  approach to homelessness in San Jose by prioritizing emergency interim housing and tiny homes and pushing unhoused people to accept shelter. His views align broadly with the successful strategy of the current Santa Cruz City Council and directly with those of leading Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty, who has served as an advisor to Mahan. 

Meanwhile, billionaire Tom Steyer, who is running for governor with a largely self-funded campaign, commands by far the largest war chest. Neither Yee nor Mahan currently leads in statewide polling. But that is precisely the point. 

Santa Cruz County should not base its decision solely on early survey results or shifting betting markets. It should focus on which candidates understand and are prepared to act on the issues that define daily life here.

There is a narrow open path for Yee or Mahan to get one of the top two slots for a run-off in November. The real challenge is to cut through the inside political dialogue that only political and policy folks like me closely follow a campaign at all stages of the election process. 

The key to this election is a majority of voters are not paying attention now and the polls show a highest percentage of voters are undecided at this stage of the primary election. I think at least one Democratic candidate will break out of the pack and hit 20% of the votes, which would be enough to get into a run-off. My intuition tells me a moderate Democrat can capture those middle voters. 

That is why Betty Yee and Matt Mahan are not only the best candidates for Santa Cruz County, but also the only Democrats who I believe resonate with statewide voters.

Casey Beyer.

The next governor must be in sync with our region’s economic and environmental needs. Santa Cruz County needs a partner in Sacramento who understands the business community, supports affordable housing, expands access to financial programs, strengthens education, addresses homelessness, and protects natural resources. 

If you are thinking one of the top candidates – Steyer and Porter at this point –  is your choice, just know that they lean to the far left of the California mainstream political spectrum. If (a big if) a Republican is in the run-off, the more liberal-leaning Democrat might not be able to win.

It is still early in the race, and much can change before Election Day – new polling, financial disclosures, endorsements and inevitable campaign missteps. We’ve seen that with Swalwell.

But the core question should remain unchanged: not who is leading today, but who is best prepared to represent Santa Cruz County tomorrow.

The post What Santa Cruz County should look for in California’s next governor – the poll leaders aren’t right for us appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Esta traducción fue generada utilizando inteligencia artificial y ha sido revisada por un hablante nativo de español; si bien nos esforzamos por lograr precisión, pueden ocurrir algunos errores de traducción. Para leer el artículo en inglés, haga clic aquí.

Los tres candidatos que compiten por el puesto de supervisor del condado de Santa Cruz para el Distrito 4 compartieron sus visiones para mejorar el sur del condado el miércoles por la noche, abordando temas polémicos como el almacenamiento de baterías, la vivienda y la asequibilidad.

Algo en lo que los tres candidatos —Tony Núñez, Elías Gonzales y el actual titular Felipe Hernández— coincidieron es que los residentes del sur del condado han sido históricamente desatendidos por el gobierno del condado.

“Creo que se pueden identificar múltiples áreas en las que el sur del condado está desatendido,” dijo Núñez, quien actualmente se desempeña como gerente de marketing y comunicaciones para la organización sin fines de lucro Community Bridges, así como presidente de la junta del Distrito de Atención Médica del Valle de Pájaro, que opera el Hospital Comunitario de Watsonville.

Tony Nuñez. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Dijo a los casi 70 residentes del sur del condado presentes que existe una falta de inversión económica y de comprensión sobre lo que la comunidad quiere y necesita. Una de las ideas que Núñez desea implementar es un programa para ayudar a los miembros de la comunidad a iniciar sus propios negocios.

Gonzales dijo que quiere invertir en la juventud de la región, por ejemplo, mostrándoles diferentes trayectorias profesionales, como aprendizajes que puedan conducir a empleos en oficios. También sugirió crear una oficina del condado enfocada en las necesidades de los jóvenes.

“Watsonville no ha recibido inversión y seguimos siendo como el hijo olvidado,” dijo Gonzales, quien es subdirector de construcción de movimientos en la organización sin fines de lucro Youth Alliance, con sede en Hollister, que brinda servicios de apoyo a estudiantes y sus familias.

Elias Gonzales. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Como titular, Hernández señaló que durante su primer mandato representando al Distrito 4, el condado ha invertido más de 800 millones de dólares en la comunidad. Esos proyectos incluyen la apertura de una oficina del condado en Watsonville en Westridge Drive, el inicio de reparaciones en el dique del río Pájaro y la mejora de carreteras.

El tema en curso del proyecto de almacenamiento de baterías propuesto para Watsonville fue un punto destacado de discusión. Tanto Núñez como Gonzales dijeron que se oponen al proyecto en 90 Minto Rd., impulsado por los desarrolladores con sede en Massachusetts, New Leaf Energy.

“He hablado con más de 600 residentes locales en el último mes y medio,” dijo Núñez. “y varios de esos residentes han sido organizadores en contra de este plan, y todas las preocupaciones… han girado en torno a la salud pública.”

“¿Cómo va a impactar esto la salud pública de las personas que viven allí?” dijo Nunez. “¿y cómo va a afectar la salud pública de las personas en toda la región?”

Hernández no compartió su postura sobre el proyecto, señalando que violaría la Ley Brown si discutiera su posición antes de que el proyecto llegue a la junta para su aprobación.

Sin embargo, Hernandez sí dijo que si los desarrolladores buscan la aprobación a través de la comisión estatal de energía o a nivel local, querría asegurarse de que el proyecto cumpla con los estándares de seguridad establecidos en las ordenanzas del condado destinadas a regular este tipo de instalaciones.

Felipe Hernandez. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

New Leaf confirmó a Lookout a principios de este mes que está explorando la vía estatal para la aprobación del proyecto, al mismo tiempo que mantiene abierta la opción del proceso a nivel del condado. Funcionarios del condado dijeron que aún no han determinado los próximos pasos respecto a su borrador de ordenanza.

“Y queremos asegurarnos de que, incluso si pasan por el proceso estatal, voy a seguir presionando a esta empresa,” dijo Hernández.

Los candidatos discutieron formas de mantenerse responsables ante la comunidad si son elegidos para representar al Distrito 4, que incluye la mayor parte del Valle de Pájaro, Watsonville e Interlaken.

Núñez dijo que realizará una gira de escucha durante sus primeros 100 días en el cargo para conocer de los residentes qué cambios desean ver.

“Mi palabra es muy importante para mí,” dijo Gonzales. “Es cómo la gente me exige rendir cuentas y cómo yo mismo me responsabilizo.”

Gonzales dijo que quiere construir conexiones con la comunidad, basándose en el trabajo que ha realizado durante años en el sector sin fines de lucro.

Durante la parte del foro en la que los candidatos podían hacerse preguntas entre sí, Hernández estuvo a la defensiva en varias ocasiones. Respondió a las críticas de que no ha estado asistiendo a reuniones del RTC diciendo que está presente en cada reunión de la junta y que comparte lo que hace en redes sociales. Hernandez también fue cuestionado por Núñez sobre dónde se invirtieron los mencionados 800 millones de dólares en el sur del condado. Hernández enumeró varios proyectos, como las nuevas oficinas del condado en Watsonville, reparaciones en Green Valley Road y mejoras en servicios sociales.

Los candidatos también discutieron la falta de vivienda en el sur del condado y las formas de abordar el problema, o en el caso de Hernández, lo que continuaría haciendo.

Hernández mencionó la “aldea de pequeñas viviendas” de 34 unidades en Watsonville, un proyecto conjunto entre los condados de Santa Cruz y Monterey destinado a abordar la falta de vivienda a lo largo del dique del río Pájaro. Dijo que le gustaría desarrollar proyectos similares, así como convertir hoteles antiguos en centros residenciales de tratamiento.

Núñez dijo al público que apoyaría a organizaciones locales, como Community Bridges, en sus esfuerzos por prevenir la falta de vivienda interviniendo durante desalojos con “causa justa.”

“Si prevenimos la falta de vivienda mediante la protección contra desalojos,” dijo Núñez, “creo que una de las grandes ventajas es que no solo ahorra dinero público, sino que la mayor parte de ese trabajo se ha financiado mediante filantropía privada y fundaciones.”

Gonzales señaló que es importante cambiar la narrativa sobre la población sin hogar y comenzar a enfocarse en servicios para ayudar a quienes enfrentan problemas continuos de salud mental.

“Muchas de las personas que están encarceladas enfrentan problemas de salud mental, ¿verdad?” dijo Gonzales. “¿Cómo estamos reconociendo realmente esos problemas de salud mental?”

The post Los candidatos para la contienda de supervisor del condado del Distrito 4 presentan sus propuestas a los votantes durante un foro el miércoles appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Publisher claims misconfigured Salesforce-hosted page leaked data

Textbook giant McGraw Hill has landed on a ransomware crew's leak site after an alleged Salesforce-linked misconfiguration spilled 13.5 million records into the wild.…

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for its newsletters.

The latest clash between California and President Donald Trump over abortion and gender-affirming care could soon leave doctors caught between state and federal law.

Under a bill that might soon pass the Legislature, California medical providers and affiliated businesses could face hefty state fines if they comply with a federal subpoena seeking abortion, gender-affirming or reproductive care information without first notifying the California attorney general, patients and providers.

But delaying responding to the feds could put them at risk of violating federal law, and independent constitutional scholars say the pending law might not survive a legal challenge.

The bill is in response to efforts the Trump administration and conservative states have undertaken to block or criminalize abortion services and care for transgender people. 

Under Assembly Bill 1930, any medical provider or business served with any civil, criminal or regulatory inquiry, investigation, subpoena or summons seeking “legally protected health care activity” “shall not comply” unless the provider notifies the state attorney general as well as others involved in the care.

The measure’s author, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur of Los Angeles, said the impetus for the bill, in part, was a federal subpoena from the Trump administration to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles seeking medical records for youth transgender patients. 

“No one should have to fear that seeking lawful medical care in the state of California could put their privacy and their safety at risk,” he told the Assembly Judiciary Committee at a hearing last week.

Lawmakers spent just 17 minutes discussing AB 1930 at its first legislative hearing last week, despite the legal complexities and consequences for California’s patients, doctors, hospitals, insurers, tech companies and others. It passed on a party-line vote, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database. It now moves to the Assembly Public Safety Committee, where it’s scheduled to be discussed on Tuesday

The Los Angeles hospital was one of 20 medical providers that offered gender-affirming care for minors that received federal subpoenas seeking patients’ medical records. At the time, the U.S. Justice Department said the subpoenas were part of an investigation into “health care fraud” and “false statements.” Some of the families sued to fight the subpoenas. In January, the feds backed off and didn’t receive the records.

Rady Children’s Hospital, which operates facilities in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties, told CalMatters earlier this year that the U.S. Health and Human Services inspector general was investigating the hospital. The investigation preceded Rady’s decision to halt most gender-affirming services for minors, a decision that is now tied up in multiple court cases.

The measure says that in order for a business or provider to release records, the entity making the legal demand must include an affidavit declaring that the investigation is not related to punishing providers for performing abortions, transgender care or other services protected under California law or that the investigation involves a possible California crime or is an inquiry into “professional discipline.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaking during a 2024 news conference at Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office headquarters. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

The recipient would be required to inform the attorney general’s office within seven days of receiving the legal demand. The attorney general would have an additional 30 days to review the matter before the recipient could comply with the order. 

The measure, which is co-sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, would also mandate that the provider notify patients and providers whose records are being sought. Those who break the rules would face civil penalties of up to $15,000 per violation. 

Democrats move to protect abortion

California lawmakers have, in recent years, enacted more than a dozen laws designed to shield medical professionals from conservative states and the federal government on abortion and transgender health care.

Democrats passed the laws after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and other states began banning or criminalizing abortion. Thirteen states ban abortion and some, most notably Texas, penalize anyone who helps another person get an abortion.

Legislative efforts to protect clinicians and patient medical records have expanded as the Trump administration has increasingly politicized other services like gender-affirming care for minors. 

California laws prohibit state law enforcement from extraditing medical professionals who may have violated another state’s laws on abortion or gender-affirming care. They also prohibit medical facilities from sharing patient information about those services with out-of-state law enforcement.

LGBTQ+ civil rights group Equality California is the latest bill’s other co-sponsor. Zbur was its executive director before being elected to the Legislature.

Equality California’s legislative director, Craig Pulsipher, told the Judiciary Committee the measure builds “on California’s existing protections to ensure that patients can access health care without fear that their personal information will be weaponized against them.”

Various groups that oppose gender-affirming care are against the measure, as is the California Chamber of Commerce. 

In a letter to lawmakers, representatives for the state’s influential business lobby said CalChamber’s members appreciate lawmakers wanting to “help defend businesses facing subpoenas,” and they don’t oppose the bill out of “support for misuse of subpoena powers.”

“However, we are concerned that AB 1930 will compel businesses to violate federal law in order to comply with state law,” they wrote.

Layla Jane, a “detransitioner” who sued her health care provider over the gender-reassignment surgery she received as a teen, said the bill would protect doctors from investigations into negligent care and make it harder for patients like her to subpoena for medical records.

“This bill shields providers so they can keep chopping up bodies,” she told the committee. “It wraps the doctors, the clinics, the gender industry in a legal blanket and says, ‘You are protected from accountability no matter who you harmed.’ There is no blanket for me.”

Would the bill survive a legal challenge? 

Bill Essayli, a former Republican state lawmaker who oversees the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, said in a statement that Zbur’s measure would be unconstitutional.

“Any effort by California to restrict the federal government’s lawful use of, or compliance with, subpoenas is unlawful and unenforceable under the Supremacy Clause,” Essayli said. 

Three independent constitutional scholars who CalMatters asked to review the bill suggested Essayli could have a point. 

Under that provision of the U.S. Constitution, states cannot pass laws that run counter to the federal government’s legal authority.  

“If there’s a conflict between federal law on the one hand, and state or local [law] on the other, federal law wins out,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of UC Berkeley School of Law.

Chemerinsky and the other scholars said the measure is unlikely to run into the same legal problems that caused a federal judge to block California’s attempt to ban federal agents from wearing masks. The judge in the mask case ruled that the state had discriminated against the federal government since it exempted state police from the ban.

This proposed measure doesn’t single out the federal government; the bill applies to any entity issuing subpoenas.

Still, the scholars said forcing private health care providers and businesses not to respond to a subpoena on a federal deadline could be legally problematic. 

“It looks like the federal government could say you’re impeding their law enforcement,” said Leslie Gielow Jacobs, a law professor at University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

“Is this impeding federal … objectives?” said Vikram David Amar, a law professor at the UC Davis School of Law. “If so, it would be invalid under Supremacy.”

The California Attorney General’s Office responded to an interview request for Bonta with an unsigned written statement.

“Bills aren’t final when they’re introduced and can change throughout the legislative process,” it read. “Our office will continue to have conversations with stakeholders regarding AB 1930 and will address concerns as appropriate and needed.”

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The post Trump wants data on California’s trans and abortion care. Can the state stop him? appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

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