Chris McGilvray owns Santa Cruz’s Nomadic Bear Productions, a film company that creates short films as promotion for companies and causes. The path that brought him to his current role has been anything but a straight line.
Gabrielle Gillette
Gabrielle Gillette joins Lookout as a newsroom intern for the summer of 2023. A recent Cabrillo College graduate, Gabrielle looks forward to moving to Los Angeles in the fall to finish her undergraduate studies at UCLA. During her time at Lookout, Gabrielle hopes to learn more about what it truly means to be a journalist and how her writing can have the biggest positive impact. Gabrielle has lived in Santa Cruz her whole life and is passionate about giving back to her community through providing informative and reliable news.Gabrielle is early in her journalism career, but her passions lie in politics (both local and national) and social justice activism. Gabrielle has had a love for writing since high school and her time on Scotts Valley High School’s yearbook staff sparked her interest in journalism, which she has followed head-on since. In her personal time, Gabrielle loves learning more about history, fashion and social change, and she can often be found reading a book, watching a movie or drinking an endless amount of coffee.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville’s first new park in 20 years a boost to ‘underserved’ area
Santa Cruz County is getting its first new park in more than two decades after county supervisors voted unanimously late last month to approve the purchase of 35.5 acres of land at 188 Whiting Rd. in Watsonville.
Posted inUncategorized
How I Got My Job: Gina Occhipinti Borasi on redefining what it means to be a lawyer
Gina Occhipinti Borasi almost quit her pursuit of a career in law after feeling unable to be the shark lawyer she thought it was necessary to be to succeed as an attorney. After finding inspiration with a compassionate mentor, Occhipinti Borasi went on to become a successful personal-injury lawyer who leads with a person-first attitude.
Posted inUncategorized
How I Got My Job: After struggling in school herself, Cristine Chopra now helps students find their path
As a child, Cristine Chopra struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia, receiving a diagnosis only at age 25. Today, Chopra has a Ph.D. and is executive director of the Santa Cruz County College and Career Collaborative, preparing underrepresented students for higher education. She sees a trend of students questioning whether college is worth the cost and the commitment, but says any form of postsecondary education, from a four-year college to technical training, is the key to weathering the ups and downs of modern life.
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How I Got My Job: Case manager Andres Galvan on confronting housing, addiction and mental health crises
Mental health client specialist Andres Galvan works at the intersection of Santa Cruz County’s mental health, homelessness and drug-overdose crises. Now almost 17 years in recovery himself, Galvan understands the importance of counselors and others who work in the mental health and addictions fields treating clients with empathy and compassion. “You can’t just go out there for the paycheck,” he says. “Your heart has got to be in it because you’re going to come across some difficult things. You got to keep that open mind and that’s a difficult task.”
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz faces low lifeguard numbers as pools, beaches struggle to keep aquatics programs afloat
Amid a national lifeguard shortage, Santa Cruz County pools and beaches find themselves struggling to find help during peak summer swimming season, though the pandemic’s ebb and hiring incentives have made a dent.
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How I Got My Job: Sandra Renteria turned her passion project into a lucrative career in vintage resale
Sandra Renteria, owner of Angel Aura Vintage in downtown Santa Cruz, loved to thrift-shop as a teenager. When she found herself with extra time on her hands during the pandemic, Renteria dreamed up the company she now calls her career.
Posted inLatest News
Armed robbery suspects still at large after Santa Cruz Mountains car chase, crash
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office says a search continues for three suspects after they crashed a stolen car and fled the scene on foot following the alleged robbery of a Scotts Valley Cycle Sport mobile repair van near Highway 9 and Highway 35.
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How I Got My Job: Swim school entrepreneur Tiffany Harmon on surviving the pandemic as small business owner
Swim school owner Tiffany Harmon turned her love of the water into a career teaching swim lessons and training others in water safety. Through issues with staffing, COVID-19, and personal loss, Harmon has found support in personal mentors and small business resources.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
As Santa Cruz celebrates Juneteenth, activist Thairie Ritchie says city’s racial reckoning hasn’t gone far enough
In the three years since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, conversations reflecting the racial reckoning going on across the country began to take place locally in Santa Cruz, activist Thairie Ritchie says, but the movement gradually flickered out. Ritchie is organizing a Juneteenth event, March Towards Love & Courage, starting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the downtown London Nelson Community Center, where he hopes attendees achieve some of this reflection on the movement.