In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko updates a Driscoll’s berry lawsuit, notes another milestone for Joby Aviation and passes along numbers, names and events to know around Santa Cruz County.
Jessica M. Pasko
Jessica M. Pasko has been writing professionally for almost two decades. She cut her teeth in journalism as a reporter for the Associated Press in her native Albany, New York, where she covered everything from plane crashes and arts & culture to state politics, including assisting with the coverage of former New York State Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s resignation. After getting her master’s degree at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she moved to the West Coast and covered crime and breaking news for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. She has also worked for KION and written for a variety of local, regional and national publications on both coasts, including Evanston Patch, The Good Times, Santa Cruz Waves and many others.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Local tourism organization preps for subdued season
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko reports that Santa Cruz County’s tourism nonprofit sees some choppy waters ahead. She’s also got news on downtown development, comings and goings and events to get on your calendar.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Santa Cruz County officials prepare for tourism pivot amid tariff and immigration concerns
With Visit California forecasting a 9.2% decline in international visitors over 2024 and a 0.7% drop in visits overall, Santa Cruz County’s nonprofit tourism marketing organization is bracing for the impact even as it sells the area as a destination beyond county – and country – borders.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Anthropologie store slated for former New Leaf space on Pacific Avenue
In a recent meeting with Downtown Association of Santa Cruz members, the business organization’s director said it was “a verified rumor” and “good news” that home decor and clothing retail chain Anthropologie will move into the spot at Pacific and Soquel avenues in downtown Santa Cruz vacated last fall by New Leaf Community Markets.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Homeless Garden Project gets cash award from Intuit; pondering the future of downtown Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz nonprofit Homeless Garden Project gets recognition, and a financial boost, a new Lookout series examines the changes in downtown Santa Cruz, plus names, numbers and dates to know – Jessica M. Pasko covers it all in her weekly look at local business.
Posted inLatest News
Homeless Garden Project gets small business honor, welcome funding boost from Intuit
An annual honor that recognizes small businesses for their work and commitment to their respective communities brought in $20,000 for Santa Cruz nonprofit Homeless Garden Project, which aims to use the award from financial giant Intuit to help fund a program that provides organic produce to underserved individuals.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Pajaro Valley chamber’s 2025 honorees, Paystand’s new tariff features, downtown changes afoot
Jess Brown of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and Laura Owen of Santa Cruz Community Credit Union are among those being honored by the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly survey of local business, which also includes a tech company helping navigate tariffs and downtown Santa Cruz development.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Expanding broadband access in county’s rural areas; imagining a downtown without cars
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko spotlights upcoming events with a focus on improving high-speed internet access across Santa Cruz County, notes a push make downtown more pedestrian-friendly and compiles names, numbers and dates to know.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Santa Cruz County Bank rebrands, Joby hits 40,000 miles and a new Encompass CEO
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko has an update on Santa Cruz County Bank’s rebranding, a Driscoll’s court battle, and Joby’s latest milestone.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Driscoll’s patent battle over strawberry varieties stalls in federal court
A federal court has effectively ended a Driscoll’s lawsuit against a rival strawberry breeder, rejecting the Watsonville giant’s claims that California Berry Cultivars infringed on its proprietary fruit varieties.