Kaiser Permanente said this week it expects to open its three new Santa Cruz County medical offices on Jan. 3.Nearly 120 physicians and staff will be moving in during December, the Oakland-based health care firm said in response to questions from the Press Banner.In Scotts Valley, extensive renovations are underway at a building at the Granite Creek Business Center, on Scotts Valley Drive at Granite Creek Drive.Contractors are working inside and out to get the facility ready for the new Kaiser team.Kaiser spokesman Karl Sonkin said nearly all of the physicians and staff assigned to Santa Cruz County currently work at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center or Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, but he added that “we have hired several new physicians from the Santa Cruz County Area.”In total, there will be more than 40 Kaiser Permanente specialty care and primary care physicians serving Santa Cruz County.“The majority of the Kaiser  Permanente primary care physicians who will be practicing in Santa Cruz County actually already live in the community,” Sonkin said.“They know Santa Cruz County well and are looking forward to working in the same community where they live. The majority of the primary care physicians serving Santa Cruz County members speak Spanish.”“As membership grows, we will add additional physicians as needed, “ he said.Kaiser declined to say how much it is spending on the build out of the office space in Scotts Valley, Watsonville and Santa Cruz, except to say that “Our expansion here represents a significant investment.”Including Scotts Valley, Kaiser Permanente said it plans to invest more than $100 million over the next five to seven years.General contractor for all of the Kaiser Permanent facilities in Santa Cruz county is XL Construction.Kaiser Permanente reported earlier this year that it already has more than 5,800 members who live in the area and work in one of the health care provider’s existing service areas. In addition, over 500 Kaiser Permanente employees already live in the Santa Cruz County.Santa Cruz members will have access to the full range of health care benefits offered by Kaiser Permanente. Local hospital services and inpatient care will be provided by Watsonville Community Hospital as well as at nearby Kaiser Permanente medical centers in Santa Clara and San Jose.Kaiser hosted a VIP reception in Santa Cruz last week, and expects to build new community ties here. “Kaiser Permanente has a long history of working with local schools, nonprofits, community partners and the health care safety net to identify community needs and making appropriate investments to help them in their important work,” Sonkin said.Kaiser Permanente first signaled its interest in becoming part of the Santa Cruz community when it obtained naming rights for the local basketball arena in 2012.Through Kaiser Permanente’s partnership with the Santa Cruz Warriors, during the 2015-2016 season more than 6,000 students at nine local schools participated in programs designed to encourage literacy and math skills.

A new park in Boulder Creek will add a large public swimming pool for Santa Cruz Mountain communities in late 2017.

Scotts Valley Police Lt. Steve Walpole will serve as the city’s Interim Police Chief, beginning Dec. 9 until a permanent appointment is made, City Manager Jenny Haruyama announced Wednesday.

Early next year, Scotts Valley residents will weigh in on the lofty goal of maintaining a small-town character, while meeting the financial realities of operating a city.

The solid approval by California voters of Proposition 51, authorizing up to $9 billion in bonds to fund new schools and school renovation projects, allows Scotts Valley Unified School District officials to go forward with plans to seek up to $6 million of that bond money to build a new gym at the middle school. Fifty-six percent of county voters endorsed the proposition

Boulder Creek residents overwhelmingly voted to levy a $35 parcel tax to buy new equipment for the Boulder Creek Fire Protection District.

Measure D, which would levy a new half-cent Santa Cruz County sales tax to fund $17 million a year in transportation improvements, hovered just above the two-thirds margin required for approval this week.

Scotts Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees President Michael Shulman was re-elected to a third four-year term, leading all candidates. He will be joined by three new trustees on the five-member board.

Former city finance director Jack Dilles ousted three-term incumbent Dene Bustichi in the Nov. 8 Scotts Valley City Council election.