Local grassroots group Get the Flock Out was chosen to kick off the National Week of Action Against Automated License Plate Readers in the Bay Area with a rally this Sunday. It’s meant to celebrate the City of Santa Cruz canceling its Flock Safety camera contract earlier this year, and to call attention to the nearly 50 cameras still active in Capitola and Watsonville, the group said.
Caly Luna Plowman
Caly Luna Plowman is a narrative and audio student at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism on the investigative reporting track. Originally from Los Angeles, she graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2025. There, she was an editor at the student-run newspaper, reporting stories across Santa Cruz County and the greater Bay Area.
Over the years, Caly has reported on stories related to the tight special education budget in Oakland Unified School District, the homeless encampment sweeps alongs the Pajaro River levee and the deadly 2025 Los Angeles fires. Her work has been published in outlets such as EdSource, KALX 90.7FM and Oakland North.
Caly is excited to return to Santa Cruz to reconnect with and report on the community she lived in for many years, centering stories that would otherwise go unheard.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
From Texas censorship to UCSC: Silenced anti-ICE art exhibition celebrating dual identity finds a home in Santa Cruz
Earlier this year, Mexican-born, Texas-raised visual artist Victor Quiñonez had his new exhibition, which speaks to being an immigrant in America and to the harm U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has caused, pulled from two different galleries in Texas. It is now set to come in September to UC Santa Cruz, where Quiñonez hopes his art can continue to make an impact in a state and gallery that is more understanding of its impactful message.
Posted inLatest News
Los Gatos Farms closes out lavender season with a final bundling session Saturday
Los Gatos Farms, a family-owned farm off of Highway 17, is hosting its last lavender bundling session this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees can expect to help tie lavender stalks into 2-inch bundles to be dried in the farm’s barn, and to be sent home with a few bundles of their own.
Posted inLatest News
Police arrest two juveniles in connection with shooting incident outside Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Police have arrested two 17-year-olds in Ceres, in Stanislaus County, in connection with the shooting incident in the parking lot outside of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on Monday night.
Posted inLatest News
Father of boy rescued at Seabright: ‘We’re so grateful’ to teen lifeguard who saved his son
Sumit Rai, the father of Nathaniel Rai, the 10-year-old boy from Texas who nearly drowned this weekend at Seabright Beach amongst rough ocean conditions, said he’s been trying to reach out to Ryder Williams, the lifeguard who saved his son, so he can thank him personally. Rai said Williams should get every honor and medal possible for his bravery.
Posted inLatest News
16-year-old rookie lifeguard describes moment he ran into rough surf to save drowning boy at Seabright
When a 10-year-old boy was swept off his feet by heavy crashing waves at Seabright State Beach, 16-year-old rookie lifeguard Ryder Williams sprinted into the water and held onto him until help arrived. Though a viral video of the rescue drew national praise — including a White House invite from Donald Trump — the teen said in a statement he was just doing the job he was trained to do.
Posted inLatest News
Viral Seabright beach rescue: Trump invites 16-year-old Santa Cruz lifeguard to White House
A Santa Cruz teen lifeguard saved a 10-year-old boy from rough waters this past weekend at Seabright State Beach, and a video of the rescue went viral. President Donald Trump has since invited the teen and his family to the White House to receive what he called a “high civilian honor” via Truth Social.
Posted inLatest News
Three dead from separate vehicle crashes in Hollister-Gilroy this weekend; two were Watsonville and Aptos residents
Three separate vehicle crashes in Hollister-Gilroy resulted in deaths this weekend, two of which were residents of Watsonville and Aptos. Neither resident has been ID’d or had their name released to the public. The Hollister-Gilroy California Highway Patrol office said that the incidents did not seem to be associated in any way, and the causes of the crashes are still being investigated.
Posted inLatest News
NWS extends beach hazard warning as hurricane swells prompt dozens of rescues in Santa Cruz County
The National Weather Service will extend its beach hazards statement through Saturday afternoon, the agency told Lookout on Monday, following a weekend full of water rescues due to rough ocean conditions.
Posted inHousing & Development
Running on empty: In the nation’s most expensive gas market, Santa Cruz’s vehicular homeless face a new crisis
Amid high gas and food prices, many Californians have been struggling to make ends meet. However, one of the nation’s most vulnerable populations has been hit particularly hard: people living in their vehicles, who rely on gas to have a roof over their heads.
