The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday morning to approve a budget proposal that preserves most of the county’s arts funding and avoids major cuts in services and programs offered by the parks department.
Tania Ortiz
Tania Ortiz joins Lookout Santa Cruz as the California Local News Fellow to cover South County. Tania earned her master’s degree in journalism in December 2023 from Syracuse University, where she was a Newhouse Diversity News Fellow. In Syracuse, she covered life and culture for Syracuse.com, writing features on local artists and organizations making an impact on the community.
While studying for her master’s, Tania also reported on feminist collectives in Mexico and their efforts to support families of femicide victims as a Pulitzer Center grantee. She’s also written for other publications such as the Charleston City Paper, The South Side Stand and the Los Angeles Journal.
Originally from Oceanside, Tania is excited to be reporting in her home state after living on the East Coast for two years. She looks forward to learning more about Santa Cruz County and connecting with the community through her reporting.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Tony Nuñez unseats incumbent Felipe Hernandez in District 4 county supervisor race
Tony Nuñez, a longtime community leader and former journalist, has unseated incumbent Felipe Hernandez in the District 4 county supervisor race. This is the first time in recent memory that a challenger has defeated an incumbent in the primary for this race.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Watsonville Community Hospital appoints veteran healthcare leader as interim CEO
Watsonville Community Hospital leadership has appointed Tim Moran, a longtime healthcare leader, as interim CEO. He will take over for outgoing CEO Stephen Gray following his last day on July 10.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County arts community mourns ‘life without color’ in protest of proposed budget cuts
Following a nearly two-hour discussion and after hearing from the county’s arts community Wednesday, Santa Cruz County supervisors delayed their approval of the parks department budget, which included a proposed cut in arts funding to local organizations.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County receives $500,000 to support ongoing cleanup and beautification efforts
Santa Cruz County is receiving a combined $500,000 from a California state grant and from an anonymous donor to help support its community beautification and litter cleanup efforts.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County finds creative multidepartment fix to close $1.1 million public defender budget gap
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved a multidepartment fix to fill a $1.1 million funding gap for the public defender’s office Wednesday after a proposal to create an in-house alternate office was rejected.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County contract with Arts Council on chopping block amid tough budget year; MAH funding cuts also proposed
Santa Cruz County staff are proposing to cut a $170,000 contract with the Arts Council and reductions to a contract with the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History to address a funding gap in the county’s parks department in a tough budget year.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Dungeons & Dragons group thrives in an unlikely place – local libraries – thanks to a volunteer at the helm
A Dungeons & Dragons program offered by Santa Cruz Public Libraries provides a welcoming and fun environment for people interested in the game thanks to an enthusiastic volunteer, who’ll be leaving the program to embark on a new chapter living in Europe.
Posted inLatest News
Black Surf Santa Cruz to hold annual Liberation Paddle-Out to commemorate Juneteenth
Black Surf Santa Cruz is hosting its sixth annual Liberation Paddle-Out to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday. The paddle-out is scheduled at 3 p.m. Friday, with the festivities beginning at noon at Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
District 4 county supervisor race: Nuñez maintains narrow majority; run-off still possible
Tony Nuñez continues to hold a narrow majority in the District 4 Board of Supervisors race, maintaining a lead over incumbent Felipe Hernandez, but there still is a possibility for a November run-off if Nuñez dips below 50%.
