Quick Take:
More than 30 Santa Cruz County community members came to the 418 Project on Thursday to hear local city and law...
Aloha, digital (and analog) surfers. It’s Friday, Oct. 13 (that’s right, Friday the 13th, and in October, no less), and it’s looking like a mix of sun and clouds around Santa Cruz County and temperatures in the 60s and 70s — with much the same forecast for the weekend, warming up a bit Sunday.
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Lookout has covered the changes underway in downtown Santa Cruz extensively, and Christopher Neely leads us off with a look at the ambitious plans for the neighborhood south of Laurel Street. Housing, a new Santa Cruz Warriors arena and street reconfiguration are all in the mix, with a possible ballot measure on building heights also looming.
Max Chun was also downtown Thursday, covering a panel discussion on homelessness. Among what attendees heard from local officials was that many of those working with the unhoused are themselves on the very edge of becoming homeless themselves.
You’ll want to have your calendar handy for the latest from Lily Belli, who rounds up nearly two dozen food & drink-related events happening around Santa Cruz County between now and the end of the month. That’s an amuse-bouche ahead of her Eaters Digest, a Friday fixture we’ll be blasting out to inboxes everywhere later in the day.
Wallace Baine also has his finger on the events pulse, and you’ll find his recommendations from the local arts and culture scene among the Friday headlines — follow me.
As Santa Cruz plots big expansion south of Laurel, equation involves many shifting variables
A new arena for the Santa Cruz Warriors. Lots of new housing in tall buildings. Street reconfiguration. These factors are all in play as Santa Cruz officials prepare to update the public on where things stand — and a ballot measure governing building heights and affordability could yet change the calculus. Christopher Neely digs in.
➤ CHANGING SANTA CRUZ: Find Lookout’s coverage of downtown’s ongoing makeover here
A bountiful fall: 23 foodie events happening in Santa Cruz County this month
Local calendars are filling up with food-themed fall events. Lookout food and drink correspondent Lily Belli collected them all in one place, and notes her picks for the best events of the season. Scope it all out here.
➤ VISUAL STORY: Harvesting the 2023 Santa Cruz County vintage
About time to close out this here workweek, but rest assured, Lookout has plenty cooking for Friday and beyond. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads to keep abreast of Santa Cruz County news and views, and don’t forget our breaking news alerts via text and email. Sign up here for those, and treat yourself to some (or all!) of Lookout’s other newsletters, including Lily Belli’s aforementioned Eaters Digest, the specially curated Sunday Reads and, coming Monday, Christopher Neely’s look at local politics and policy, In the Public Interest.
Our content isn’t possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.
Have an excellent Friday, a safe, relaxing weekend — and don’t look at the eclipse Saturday without proper eyewear.
Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz
Upcoming events in Santa Cruz County
FRIDAY 10/20
The Mountain Affair @Ristorante Casa Nostra
Beers, Bikes and Bon Bons @Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing
Vine to View Dinner @Chaminade Resort & Spa
10 O’Clock Lunch Band @Mid-County Senior Center
“The Thin Place” by Lucas Hnath @Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre
SATURDAY 10/21
Wonderland – The Gala @Hotel Paradox
Pickleball Tournament @Cabrillo College
20th Annual Bonny Doon Art, Wine & Brew Festival @Crest Ranch
The 7th Annual Floating Pumpkin Patch @Simpkins Family Swim Center
Pleasure Point Sip & Stroll @Pleasure Point
Symphony Concert: Operas Of Seville @Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
Uncork Corralitos @Alladin Nursery
SUNDAY 10/22
Symphony Concert: Operas Of Seville @Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts
Lydia Pense & Cold Blood @Moe’s Alley
Gaby Castro @Chaminade Resort & Spa
Solidarity Records: The Fully Baked Tour @Shanty Shack Brewing
An Evening With Patty Griffin & Todd Snider @Rio Theatre