Five years of independent, community-focused journalism – informing Santa Cruz County, holding institutions accountable and giving the community a voice.
- 2024 Pulitzer Prize won for Breaking News Reporting
- 60% of adults engaged in Santa Cruz County by reading Lookout every month
- 10,000+ students reached through Lookout in the Classroom in 2025-26
A Pulitzer Prize for serving our community
Lookout Santa Cruz won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for its detailed, nimble coverage of the catastrophic January 2023 floods and mudslides that displaced thousands of residents and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses.
When disaster struck Santa Cruz County, Lookout’s newsroom stayed on the story around the clock – providing breaking information, documenting the devastation and helping residents navigate a crisis that unfolded over a holiday weekend.
More awards and recognitions
Santa Cruz County awards
2022 small business of the year from the chamber of commerce, as well as other nonprofit awards from Second Harvest Food Bank and United Way of Santa Cruz County.
California Journalism Awards
More than 15 awards from the California News Publishers Association, including honors for photojournalism, transportation, youth and education and breaking news between 2023 and 2025.
National recognition
The American Press Institute recognized Lookout’s youth engagement and media literacy work through Lookout in the Classroom.
Media features
Over the years, Lookout has been featured in multiple publications such as the Nieman Journalism Lab, Knight Foundation, Local Media Association, Los Angeles Times and more. Find our media coverage here.
Our reach
- 440,000 page views per month
- 200,000 monthly visitors
- 28,000-plus email newsletter subscribers
- 55,000-plus total social media audience
- 500 teachers engaged each school year
- $40,000 donated to local nonprofits
- 100-plus volunteer hours worked in community events
Lookout in the Classroom
Building the next generation of informed citizens
Local journalism doesn’t just inform our community. It teaches our community.
Since launching countywide in 2022, Lookout in the Classroom has brought independent local journalism into schools throughout Santa Cruz County. In the 2025-26 school year, the program reached more than 10,000 students and engaged 500 educators. Students submitted 130 stories to Lookout’s Student Journalism Scholarship, the program’s largest cohort yet.
“As a Santa Cruz educator, I recognize how lucky we are to have such a high- quality, engaged and responsive news outlet in our midst. I rely on Lookout for my own local news coverage and, in my classroom, use it as a resource to engage students in their community.” – Hannah Tool, Harbor High School
Want to donate to our Lookout in the Classroom programs? Click here for a tax-deductible donation or reach out to Jamie Garfield jamie@lookoutlocal.com
Community Engagement
Events
While Lookout is digital-only, the in-person events and forums we host reinforce community touch and connectedness, and push toward better and faster community problem-solving. We plan events with the mission of connecting with the community in person and bringing our digital stories to life.
Civic Partners
Lookout’s Civic Partner Program is a collaborative initiative designed to help local nonprofits amplify their mission, expand community engagement, and drive meaningful impact. Through this program, nonprofits gain increased visibility, marketing opportunities, and new ways to connect with potential supporters. Each year we highlight a handful of incredible nonprofits that continue to strengthen our community and create meaningful change.
When journalism makes a difference
As Martinelli’s pulls back, local schools and nonprofits rally to support Pajaro Valley apple growers
Lookout reported that Martinelli’s was ending contracts with some local apple growers, raising concerns about the future of an important part of the Pajaro Valley’s agricultural heritage.
Impact: The story helped spark a community response, with local schools, nonprofits and others rallying to support affected growers and exploring new ways to use and buy locally grown apples — bringing new attention to the challenge of preserving the region’s apple industry. Read the story here.
Secret meetings exposed. Coastal Commission nomination overturned.
Reporting by Christopher Neely revealed that Santa Cruz County officials were secretly meeting at local restaurants to choose nominees for state boards and commissions.
Impact: The county’s nomination to the California Coastal Commission was overturned, and County Supervisor Justin Cummings — who had been excluded from the meetings — was ultimately selected. He later became chair of the commission. Read the story here.
Tenants protected from dramatic rent increases
Reporting by Max Chun exposed plans to dramatically increase rents at St. George, a low-income apartment complex in downtown Santa Cruz, after a longstanding rent-control agreement expired.
Impact: The Santa Cruz City Council subsequently passed an ordinance extending rent protections to government-assisted housing. Read the story here.
UCSC students get their traditional graduation back
Lookout reported on student backlash after UC Santa Cruz announced that it would permanently replace its traditional commencement with a series of 15-minute diploma ceremonies.
Impact: After the reporting and ensuing outcry, UCSC restored the traditional commencement format. Read the story here.
UCSC students receive rent credits over housing problems
Lookout’s Hillary Ojeda reported on mold and maintenance problems in UCSC’s Family Student Housing.
Impact: The university offered affected residents rent credits and committed to a more streamlined maintenance system. Read the story here.
Live Oak superintendent resigns amid district turmoil
Lookout’s reporting examined a budget crisis, the departure of senior officials and plummeting morale at Live Oak School District.
Impact: Superintendent Daisy Morales resigned amid the concerns raised in the reporting. Read the story here.
Live Oak farmers market stays put
Lookout’s Lily Belli reported on plans by the landlord of the East Cliff Village Shopping Center to dramatically raise the Live Oak farmers market’s rent and potentially relocate it.
Impact: The landlord ultimately agreed to a new lease, keeping the farmers market at its longtime home. Read the story here.
483 days to open a tiny wine tasting room
Lookout documented Megan Bell’s extraordinary struggle to obtain permits for her small Westside tasting room.
Impact: City officials contacted Bell after the story to seek her input on how to improve the permitting process. Read the story here.
Better conditions for incarcerated women
Lookout’s Community Voices editorial and opinion coverage documented conditions at the Santa Cruz County Jail and the prolonged closure of the Blaine Street women’s minimum-security facility.
Impact: Advocates cited Lookout’s editorial in pushing supervisors to act, and the sheriff reopened the facility and restored contact visits for incarcerated women. Read the editorial here.
When a story brought two neighbors together
After the January 2023 storms left Benjamin Short’s Lompico home red-tagged and without plumbing, Lookout told his story as he struggled to recover. A neighbor, Shannon Iliescu, read the story after it was shared on Nextdoor and reached out to offer him a home-cooked meal.
Impact: Lookout’s reporting gave a neighbor a window into another neighbor’s crisis — and prompted an act of kindness that changed two lives. Short and Iliescu became engaged. Read the story here.
