Specially curated selections from Lookout Santa Cruz correspondents and contributors.
Westside / Downtown
Posted inArts & Entertainment
UCSC’s Benjamin Breen illuminates history of psychedelics before the boomers began tripping
With psychedelics now undergoing a broad cultural reassessment as a tool for therapeutic use, UC Santa Cruz associate professor of history Benjamin Breen is filling in the colors on a crucial period in psychedelic history with his new book, “Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science.” Breen comes to Bookshop Santa Cruz on Jan. 23 to talk about the new book and the history it unfolds.
Posted inFood & Drink
After three years dark, Santa Cruz Fungus Fair returns for its 50th
The Santa Cruz Fungus Fair was a local institution before the pandemic. Now, four years after its previous event, the fair returns for its 50th anniversary, with presentations, lectures and other programs celebrating the versatile mushroom.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
After 10 hours, fiery clashes and a broken window, Santa Cruz City Council calls for Israel-Hamas peace — but not cease-fire
Public debate over an Israel-Hamas cease-fire resolution before the Santa Cruz City Council pushed the meeting into the early morning hours of Wednesday, with the council voting 5-2 against a call for a cease-fire and instead adopting a resolution that called for peace but dropped references to a cease-fire.
Posted inLatest News
Carmageddon: Massive waves push back West Cliff Drive’s return to two-way traffic
The huge swells that hit Santa Cruz County in late December have delayed the reopening of a two-way West Cliff Drive until mid-February, assuming there are no further weather impacts.
Posted inEducation
One year after UC grad student strike, UCSC workers are still pressing for a better deal
More than 80% of Santa Cruz’s graduate student workers voted against the December 2022 contract that ended a historic six-week UC-wide strike. The deal, which boosts wages and child care subsidies, exacerbated a rift between workers at prestige campuses such as UCLA and those at smaller schools. The union representing UCSC grad student workers says it’s continuing to find new ways to organize and push for better employment contracts to offset the region’s high cost of living.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Facing the ax, downtown redwood gets time Tuesday before Santa Cruz City Council
An undying loyalty to trees is a chief feature of Santa Cruz County politics, and no tree inspires such local passion as the native redwood. But what happens when a redwood is causing damage to a privately owned building?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
One year later, Save West Cliff mobilizes around four visions for the future of West Cliff Drive
The community effort Save West Cliff was established in early 2023, and since then, it has published a book, galvanized community support, and engaged with the city to get serious about preserving West Cliff Drive.
Posted inLatest News
As cold snap chills Santa Cruz, county urges homeless into temporary shelters
Santa Cruz County is in the grips of a cold snap set to last through Tuesday, with temperatures potentially dropping below 30 degrees in parts of Watsonville. County officials are opening three shelters for the unhoused.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
After fleeing war-torn Ukraine, artist Natalia Aandewiel finds beauty in the landscapes of Santa Cruz
More than a year after settling into life in Santa Cruz, Ukrainian painter Natalia Aandewiel, 27, has successfully integrated herself into the olodex of local artists. Aandewiel travels all over the county attempting to capture the region’s beauty in her art. She has battled cancer and worked to bring her family to the U.S. after they fled to Poland for safety.