After a tumultuous and difficult four years, Scotts Valley restaurant Casa Nostra closed its doors this week. Owner Raffaele Cristallo cited financial difficulties that stretched back to the pandemic, a devastating mudslide in 2023 that made travel to its original Ben Lomond location difficult, and rising costs throughout the industry as reasons that led him to close the Italian eatery’s doors.
San Lorenzo Valley
Posted inFood & Drink
Lily Belli on Food: The inaugural Santa Cruz Pizza Week, Casa Nostra closes in Scotts Valley, one simple dish for when everyone’s got a cold
Food & drink news, notes and recommendations from around Santa Cruz County via Lookout correspondent Lily Belli.
Posted inLatest News
Carmageddon: Mount Hermon Road reopens after tornado, Green Valley Road makeover aims for spring completion
The project on Green Valley Road in Watsonville is causing some noticeable traffic delays, specifically during the morning and afternoon rush hours. However, that will be a thing of the past come springtime, when the road project will be completed. Meanwhile, crews in Scotts Valley worked through Saturday night to help get main artery Mount Hermon Road back open after a tornado tore through the area.
Posted inLatest News
Man and two children rescued Friday from blaze above Brookdale post office
Firefighters rescued an unconscious child and two others from an apartment fire that broke out above the Brookdale post office early Friday morning.
Posted inFood & Drink
Best of Santa Cruz County food & drink events, Dec. 13-19
Lookout food & drink correspondent Lily Belli highlights top events happening around Santa Cruz County in the coming week, plus more listings from Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Best 9: Top events for the week ahead in Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment, Dec. 12-19
With the weekend nearly here, check out Wallace Baine’s Best 9 recommendations for things to do around Santa Cruz County via Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Despite staffing concerns, supervisors vote to bring CZU rebuild permitting program under county auspices
Santa Cruz County supervisors voted Tuesday to end a costly third-party contract for wildfire rebuild permitting, shifting responsibilities to a county staff who said they were already stretched. With hundreds of homes still unfinished, questions linger about whether the county can handle the workload without derailing recovery for CZU fire victims.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In departing from 4Leaf, county thinks it’s ready to handle next phase of CZU recovery
More than four years after the CZU wildfire, Santa Cruz County plans to phase out its partnership with 4Leaf, the firm praised for streamlining rebuild permits for fire victims. While officials promise continuity, residents fear a return to bureaucratic delays.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In the Public Interest: Concern sparks over Santa Cruz County taking over CZU permitting pipeline
Go inside Santa Cruz County politics & policy with Lookout correspondent Christopher Neely.
Posted inSan Lorenzo Valley
In a town once scorched by wildfire, Albert the white peacock became a symbol of resilience — and loss
When the CZU wildfire devastated Boulder Creek in 2020, a white peacock named Albert became a beacon of hope, strutting through smoky streets and uniting a grieving community. On Nov. 23, Albert met his end after he was killed by a mountain lion.