Under the leadership of new executive director Dennis Bartok, Santa Cruz’s long-standing arts nonprofit The 418 Project is undergoing a “rebirth” by expanding its traditional dance focus into adventurous, self-produced programming.
Westside / Downtown
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County 2026 primary election results in charts: Final tallies for all county races
With the Santa Cruz County Clerk certifying the results of the June primary election on Friday, see how all the local races shook out in chart form.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Guerilla Drive-In returns, bringing free movies back to unlikely — and sometimes hidden — Santa Cruz locations
The Guerilla Drive-In, a pop-up movie theater screening films of all kinds throughout Santa Cruz, is ramping up once again, and will host its first public screening in more than a decade on Friday. The collective seeks to reclaim public spaces, transform the urban landscape and bring back a low-cost community-based activity following social isolation during the pandemic and amid the rising cost of living.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Grand jury: Santa Cruz County must move faster on housing, strengthen behavioral health system
The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury issued five reports on Thursday, covering a wide range of topics. Most notably, it focused on challenges contributing to the housing crisis and flaws in the county’s approach to behavioral health, along with pedestrian safety, election integrity, and concerns with the free parking at the county office buildings.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County contract with Arts Council on chopping block amid tough budget year; MAH funding cuts also proposed
Santa Cruz County staff are proposing to cut a $170,000 contract with the Arts Council and reductions to a contract with the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History to address a funding gap in the county’s parks department in a tough budget year.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: Coral Street toilet shortage a stark contrast to local pandemic response – why doesn’t public health matter more?
Portable toilets miles away aren’t enough to solve the loss of public bathrooms and showers on Coral Street in Santa Cruz, the Lookout Editorial Board writes. Our local leaders actively took on public health issues when they confronted COVID-19. Now, they must end the slow and bureaucratic response to the Coral Street crisis before we have a public health emergency.
Posted inLatest News
Black Surf Santa Cruz to hold annual Liberation Paddle-Out to commemorate Juneteenth
Black Surf Santa Cruz is hosting its sixth annual Liberation Paddle-Out to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday. The paddle-out is scheduled at 3 p.m. Friday, with the festivities beginning at noon at Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz.
Posted inHousing & Development
County home sales and inventory continue to rise as summer begins
The Santa Cruz County housing market looked typical for the beginning of summer. Home sales and inventory have risen, bringing more balance to a market often dominated by sellers. However, a new Federal Reserve chair and increasing inflation due to geopolitical instability could lead to an interest rate hike at some point this year.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County 2026 primary election results in charts: Final tally set for June 26
Find the results for all local races in Santa Cruz County’s 2026 primary election here. Lookout will continuously update this page as new results come in.
Posted inEducation
UC Santa Cruz senior graduates after five years of ‘good trouble’
UC Santa Cruz graduate Airielle Silva was honored with the John R. Lewis Good Trouble Award after five years of student leadership and activism. As she addressed fellow graduates at commencement, Silva reflected on her advocacy work while urging the university to continue addressing longstanding Black student demands.
