It took winemaker Megan Bell 483 days to complete the permitting process for her new Margins Wine tasting room, a 120-square-foot space with no food service or bathroom on the Westside in Santa Cruz. She feels Santa Cruz’s permit system is stacked against small business owners like herself; architect Bill Kempf describes it as “the worst” in the county.
Westside / Downtown
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Fact check: Will buildings in Santa Cruz’s downtown expansion plan be only 7 to 8 stories tall?
When the Santa Cruz Warriors announced their opposition to Measure M, the organization shared a letter written by former Santa Cruz mayor Hilary Bryant and United Way of Santa Cruz County CEO Keisha Browder that included a statement that no buildings in the Warriors development project would exceed 85 feet — about seven or eight stories. Is that true?
Posted inEducation
Jury awards $7.2 million to ex-UCSC police lieutenant in racial discrimination suit
Former UC Santa Cruz police officer Glenn Harper was awarded $7.2 million after a jury ruled in his favor in a racial discrimination lawsuit against the University of California. His attorney says Harper has another action pending to get his job back at UCSC.
Posted inEducation
UCSC closes Camper Park, leaving student residents angry and confused
UC Santa Cruz told 41 students living in its on-campus trailer park that they have to move out by the end of March because of safety concerns. Students told Lookout they’re shocked and don’t understand the reasoning or timing.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Food Bin development in Santa Cruz is a big mistake: It highlights the flawed city process
Joel Domhoff is frustrated over the Food Bin development on Laurel and Mission streets in Santa Cruz. He thinks the city’s process is not fair to residents and makes it too difficult to know what programs have been approved.
Posted inLatest News
Authorities identify UCSC student killed at Seabright Beach
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office identified the UC Santa Cruz student killed at Seabright State Beach late last week as Zainab Mansoor, 21, of San Ramon.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Santa Cruz pair takes on canned cocktail market with West Peak sparkling spirits
Less than three years since inspiration hit to concoct a better canned cocktail, Nick and Jamie Sanyal are winning awards for their West Peak sparkling spirits and expanding operations from their base in Santa Cruz’s Sash Mill.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz police make arrest in second BLM mural vandalism
Taj Blum was arrested Tuesday for vandalizing the downtown Black Lives Matter mural with blue paint last summer. The Santa Cruz Police Department said there is currently no evidence that the incident is a hate crime.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
High school sports roundup: Santa Cruz boys grab No. 1 seed in state basketball playoffs
Though the Santa Cruz High boys basketball team fell in the Central Coast Section finals Saturday, the Cardinals landed a top seed in the Division III state playoffs and host Oakland’s Head-Royce High School in the first round Tuesday.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Shigellosis outbreak at Harvey West Park prompts postponement of Santa Cruz Cookout
Santa Cruz public health officials say the county is experiencing an outbreak of shigellosis, a highly contagious bacterial infection, among its unhoused population. Between late January and Feb. 8, Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency identified four cases in unhoused individuals, but County Health Officer Dr. Lisa Hernandez expects that there are “definitely more than […]
