Get all the information you need as a Santa Cruz County voter on candidates and important dates as the June 2 primary election draws closer.
Westside / Downtown
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Council could move in June to put amendments to Santa Cruz city charter on November ballot
The Santa Cruz City Council conducted a public hearing this week on proposed city charter amendments to update and clarify language, and to make a number of other changes to comply with state law. Staff is expected to return in June with a resolution to put the proposed changes to voters on the November ballot.
Posted inEvents
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, May 28-31
With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Could Santa Cruz’s neighborhood microgrants bring back community life?
Local activist Kevin Norton says the City of Santa Cruz might be onto something much bigger than initiating a neighborhood microgrant program. He says the program – approved May 12 – could help rebuild neighborhood connection, an urgent and underreported issue in our community. Norton points to the high levels of dissatisfaction among American parents, and argues that rising loneliness, car-centered development, economic stress and declining social trust have quietly eroded the “village” Americans once relied on. He believes immigrant communities may hold important clues for how to rebuild and argues that rebuilding neighborhood connection is urgent.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Downtown Vibrancy Ordinance turns 1; city population drop attributed to high housing costs and low-wage jobs
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko examines the effects of downtown Santa Cruz’s vibrancy ordinance, notes a continued population decline in the city and passes along numbers, names and dates to know.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz voters deserve a real mayoral contest, not political choreography
Community activist and acclaimed yoga instructor Mark Stephens argues that the four candidates running against Ryan Coonerty in the Santa Cruz mayoral race appear less focused on offering a compelling vision than on forcing Coonerty, the front-runner, into a run-off. Stephens contends that the strategy weakens the opposition, confuses voters and risks appearing politically evasive rather than principled. Stephens argues that voters deserve a direct and transparent contest of ideas, not fragmented tactical maneuvering and political games.
Posted inFood & Drink
Lily Belli on Food: New chefs at Gabriella Café, Dream Inn; Venus’ new ready-to-drink batch cocktails
Downtown Santa Cruz’s Gabriella Café and the beachside Dream Inn both have new chefs at the helm, Lily Belli reports in her Tuesday newsletter.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The stage is set for a big Santa Cruz summer theater season
Shakespeare in the redwoods. “Rocky Horror” downtown. Opera at a brewery. Santa Cruz theater companies are throwing everything they’ve got at audiences this season – and the result is one of the most ambitious local lineups in years.
Posted inEvents
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, May 21-25
With the long weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
State political practices commission investigating Ryan Coonerty for alleged failure in filing statements of economic interests
The California Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty for allegedly failing to file statements of economic interests, associated with his adviser role at the City of San Jose Mayor’s Office. Coonerty said the issue goes back to an error at the San Jose city clerk’s office and has since been resolved.