The city of Santa Cruz has lost 1.3% of its population since 2024 and 3.7% since 2020, a Lookout analysis of the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau finds. The decline is part of a broader exodus from expensive places in California where people struggle to land high-paying jobs.
Housing & Development
Posted inHousing & Development
Housing inventory takes jump as Santa Cruz County’s busy season commences
Most of the Santa Cruz County housing market showed few surprises in April, but the number of available homes took a leap, rising to more than 400 properties on the market for the first time since October 2025.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Governor YIMBY: In California’s unsettled race, most candidates see eye-to-eye on housing
On zoning, permitting, fees and NIMBY obstruction, the top candidates vying to become California’s next governor all say the state needs to make it easier to build more homes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Delay is driving Santa Cruz County’s housing crisis deeper
Santa Cruz County is falling far behind its housing goals, with most jurisdictions on pace to meet barely half their targets – or less, write housing advocates Rafa Sonnenfeld and Janine Roeth. The problem, they write, isn’t a lack of planning; it’s that high costs, fees and delays make building financially unworkable. Proven solutions such as faster approvals and lower barriers are already on the table, but action keeps getting pushed years into the future. Every delay deepens the shortage, drives up prices and pushes more residents out, they write.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A plan to cut a California tax is going to voters. Why L.A.’s ‘mansion tax’ is at the center of it
A measure to roll back two kinds of taxes is slated to go before voters in November. The measure would affect cities and taxpayers across the state, but Los Angeles and its controversial “mansion tax” is the prime target.
Posted inHousing & Development
Outdoor World building razed for affordable housing project
The site of the long-shuttered Outdoor World on River Street is slated to include 50 units of affordable housing plus commercial space in a six-story development.
Posted inHousing & Development
Group of local contractors to use straw bales to build low-income housing on Mount Calvary Church property in Soquel
A group of local contractors is hoping to address both homelessness and climate change with their project to build six new “tiny homes” using natural materials.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The real cause of gentrification in Santa Cruz isn’t new housing
OPINION: Have we built too much housing in Santa Cruz or not nearly enough? Housing activist and former Santa Cruz mayor Don Lane reminds us that Santa Cruz spent decades limiting growth.
Posted inFood & Drink
Grey Bears plans major warehouse expansion to meet growing demand for senior services
Grey Bears, a longtime Santa Cruz nonprofit serving seniors and food-insecure residents, plans to move its overcrowded operations from aging facilities into a renovated warehouse next door by 2028. The $9.6 million project, already more than 80% funded through local donations, aims to expand its commercial kitchen, market and dining services at a time of rising demand and shrinking food assistance resources.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Getting our housing facts straight before Santa Cruz votes
Housing is taking center stage in Santa Cruz County’s June primaries and November elections, writes housing activist and former Santa Cruz mayor Don Lane. He worries that community debates are often clouded by misinformation. Here, he argues that many new downtown Santa Cruz developments are in fact affordable and part of a long-overdue housing push. He points to decades of underbuilding as the root of today’s shortage and rising costs. As voters head to the polls, he urges a fact-based conversation about who gets to live in the community.