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.
Eastside / Live Oak / Pleasure Point
Eastside Santa Cruz, Live Oak and Pleasure Point neighborhoods
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: Coral Street toilet shortage a stark contrast to local pandemic response – why doesn’t public health matter more?
Portable toilets miles away aren’t enough to solve the loss of public bathrooms and showers on Coral Street in Santa Cruz, the Lookout Editorial Board writes. Our local leaders actively took on public health issues when they confronted COVID-19. Now, they must end the slow and bureaucratic response to the Coral Street crisis before we have a public health emergency.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Carmageddon: Dispute between RTC, Aptos Village property owners heading to court
A dispute between the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission and property owners in Aptos Village about who owns a portion of land along the rail line is moving forward, with a trial expected to begin no earlier than the week of July 13.
Posted inLatest News
Leif Ames murder trial set for November
A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge scheduled a November trial date for Leif Ames, who faces murder charges in the killing of his friend Hubert Cross in Live Oak in 2020. The trial has been delayed on at least eight occasions.
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 inOpinion from Community Voices
To honor the women of the water, Santa Cruz needs a female surf statue
Santa Cruz’s iconic surfer statue has long celebrated the city’s surf culture – but it tells only half the story, write two veteran Santa Cruz surfers, Kaila Pearson and Sarah Gerhardt, the first woman to surf Mavericks in 1999. From Antoinette Swan and the Hawaiian princes to generations of pioneering women who challenged barriers in the lineup, women have helped shape Santa Cruz surfing from the beginning, they argue. A companion statue honoring the women of the water would, they write, recognize women’s often-overlooked contributions and reflect the full history of our surf town. If Santa Cruz values its surfing heritage, they believe, it should make that legacy visible for future generations.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Why a female surfer statue matters: Two Santa Cruz surfers share their stories
Local female surfers Kaila Pearson and Sarah Gerhardt explain why the statue project matters to the Santa Cruz County community and to them personally.
Posted inHousing & Development
County home sales and inventory continue to rise as summer begins
The Santa Cruz County housing market looked typical for the beginning of summer. Home sales and inventory have risen, bringing more balance to a market often dominated by sellers. However, a new Federal Reserve chair and increasing inflation due to geopolitical instability could lead to an interest rate hike at some point this year.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County 2026 primary election results in charts: Final tally set for June 26
Find the results for all local races in Santa Cruz County’s 2026 primary election here. Lookout will continuously update this page as new results come in.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Ryan Coonerty, Ami Chen Mills aiming to reach more voters ahead of November mayoral run-off
Ryan Coonerty and Ami Chen Mills have secured their places as the top two vote-getters in the Santa Cruz mayoral race and will compete in a run-off election in November. The candidates plan to reach more voters to continue garnering support in the coming months — after some rest, of course.
