Santa Cruz Local newsletter briefs for the week of Feb. 19:

1. Candidate comparisons added to Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide
2. Capitola Wharf buildings to be torn down

MARCH 5 ELECTION

Candidate comparisons added to Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide

Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide now has direct comparisons of candidates’ positions on key issues from Santa Cruz County voters.

• In the District 2 Santa Cruz City Council race, learn how candidates Sonja Brunner and Hector Marin differ on issues like homelessness response and Measure M, the Housing for People ballot initiative. 
• In the District 5 Santa Cruz County Supervisors race, learn how the five candidates differ on emergency preparation and reducing obstacles to post-wildfire rebuilding.
• Read a new Editor’s Note about key features of the Election Guide. 

—Nik Altenberg

Read Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide

CAPITOLA

Capitola Wharf buildings to be torn down

The Wharf House restaurant on the end of the wharf was heavily damaged in storms and is expected to be demolished. (Jesse Kathan — Santa Cruz Local file)

6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22 / Online and at 420 Capitola Ave. 

The Wharf House Restaurant and Capitola Boat and Bait on the Capitola Wharf are expected to be torn down because of extensive storm damage. 

The Capitola City Council is set to consider paying Goleta-based Cushman Contracting Corp. about $1.9 million for the demolitions and related work. The total wharf repair would top out at $10.2 million and finish in the fall.

City officials closed the Capitola Boat and Bait shop in January 2023 because of extensive storm damage, water intrusion and foundation problems. City staff and contractors considered fixes, but the costs are impractical, Capitola Public Works Director Jessica Kahn wrote in a staff report. The Capitola Wharf restaurant is also a “total loss,” Kahn wrote. A wall of the restaurant “completely caved in” and its foundation was severely damaged, Kahn wrote. 

Building demolition could push wharf repairs $1.3 million over budget if the city doesn’t receive state funding or more reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a city staff report for the Feb. 22 meeting. Without more funding, the city may need to pitch in more money, Khan has said.

The full wharf project “is focused on crucial elements such as widening the wharf, fixing failing pilings, replacing the deck, and adding new restroom facilities,” Kahn wrote in a staff report. “The project aims to ensure the wharf’s long-term resilience. Construction by Cushman Contracting began in September 2023 and has been making steady progress since then.”

—Jesse Kathan

To participate: Join on Zoom or call 669-900-6833, meeting ID 833 2817 3113. To comment ahead of the meeting, email [email protected]. The meeting will be streamed on YouTube.

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