Wednesday traffic trouble spots in and around Santa Cruz County.
Latest News
Posted inLatest News
Morning Lookout: ICE activity continuing in Watsonville; UC-grad worker deal averts strike; funding for Westside medical business
Santa Cruz County news and opinion headlines from Lookout for the morning of Wednesday, March 18.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
ICE officials visited Watsonville at least nine times in the first two months of 2026, records show
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have visited Watsonville at least nine times in the past two months, according to records provided by the Watsonville Police Department. Immigration agents have now visited Santa Cruz County a total of 39 times since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Posted inEducation
UC and graduate worker union reach agreement, averting strike
The University of California and the United Auto Workers reached a tentative four-year contract agreement covering more than 40,000 graduate student workers and staff, averting a planned strike following months of dispute over alleged unfair labor practices.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Santa Cruz biotech company nets new funding; RiverRow marks city’s first riverfront development
The Westside’s Unnatural Products lands $45 million more for its work to develop treatments for certain types of rare cancers and diseases, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly survey of local business. Downtown Santa Cruz housing plus names, numbers and dates to know are also on the menu.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Agentes de ICE visitaron Watsonville al menos nueve veces en los primeros dos meses de 2026, según registros
Agentes del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE) han visitado Watsonville al menos nueve veces en los últimos dos meses, según registros proporcionados por el Departamento de Policía de Watsonville. Los agentes de inmigración han visitado el condado de Santa Cruz un total de 39 veces desde el inicio del segundo mandato del presidente Donald Trump.
Posted inLatest News
A contentious project to raise California’s Shasta Dam just got a funding boost from Trump
The Trump administration Tuesday announced $40 million for “planning and preconstruction activities associated with raising Shasta Dam.” Opponents say the project could swamp sacred sites and harm a protected river.
Posted inLatest News
Lookout PM: Capitola City Council approves mall zoning code amendments, salmon fishing to reopen in spring, local band Drain raises $40K for immigrant community support
Welcome to Tuesday night’s Lookout PM.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of March 17
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 inFood & Drink
Lily Belli on Food: Good news for salmon fishers; chef Sarah Bargetto’s Venus Beachside feast; Outstanding in the Field’s local 2026 dates
California gives recreational and commercial salmon season the go-ahead for spring, a Soquel-raised chef shines at Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen Beachside in Aptos and where a famous roving farm-to-table dinner series will set up in Santa Cruz County this year – you’ll find all that and more in Lily Belli’s Tuesday newsletter.