It’s a seven-on-seven game with less of the bruising action of regular football. As the sport takes off locally and around the country, a Santa Cruz County team takes on one from Monterey County.
Capitola & Soquel
Photo gallery: Looking back on 2025 through photos
Lookout staff photographer Kevin Painchaud gets a front-row view of the events, people, and food that make Santa Cruz such a unique and special place to live. He chose his favorite photos he captured in 2025.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Looking back at the businesses that opened in 2025
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday evening traffic: Tree down, road closures, and signal outage in Santa Cruz Co
Wednesday traffic trouble spots in and around Santa Cruz County.
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.
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.

