While 2025 saw many beloved businesses shutter, the year also welcomed many new ones, from retailers to restaurants, entertainment to fitness, all helping shape that uniqueness that is the Santa Cruz County business economy. As we close out the final day of the year, here’s a glance at some of the businesses we gained.
Capitola & Soquel
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Dec. 30
Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Newsmakers 2025: A year of grassroots protest at Indivisible
Margaret and Roya Ghodsi, a mother-daughter duo from Capitola, are emblematic of a growing number of local residents not active in politics before 2025 who began to participate in protests after Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Posted inLatest News
Carmageddon: County moving forward with plan for second phase of Soquel Drive improvements
As the first part of Soquel Drive’s major makeover heads toward completion, Santa Cruz County is seeking a consultant to manage the next phase of the project and get pre-construction work sorted out so it can break ground on the improvements within two years.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Best 9: Top New Year’s Eve events in Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment
Check out Wallace Baine’s Best 9 recommendations for things to do around Santa Cruz County on New Year’s Eve (literally and spiritually) via Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.
Posted inLatest News
Wednesday evening traffic: Tree down, road closures, and signal outage in Santa Cruz Co
Wednesday traffic trouble spots in and around Santa Cruz County.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Joby ramps up for 2026, its target year for commercial service launch; looking at businesses that closed in 2025
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko reports on where Joby Aviation stands ahead of what’s poised to be a big year for the Santa Cruz-based company, reviews closures around the county and highlights names and dates to know.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Dec. 23
Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.
Posted inLatest News
Carmageddon: RTC seeking public input on long-term regional plan
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is asking for public input on priorities for its draft 2050 regional transportation plan for the county before it heads to a public hearing at the commission’s January meeting. Meanwhile, county public health received state funding for a variety of traffic safety programs.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Photo gallery: Flynn Creek Circus returns to Capitola with new show ‘The Bridge’
Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud goes under the big top in the Capitola Mall parking lot as Mendocino’s Flynn Creek Circus presents its latest show.