Lookout PM: Capitola City Council approves mall zoning code amendments, salmon fishing to reopen in spring, local band Drain raises $40K for immigrant community support

Lily Belli on Food: Good news for salmon fishers; chef Sarah Bargetto’s Venus Beachside feast; Outstanding in the Field’s local 2026 dates

California gives recreational and commercial salmon season the go-ahead for spring, a Soquel-raised chef shines at Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen Beachside in Aptos and where a famous roving farm-to-table dinner series will set up in Santa Cruz County this year – you’ll find all that and more in Lily Belli’s Tuesday newsletter.

After years of delays, Capitola City Council approves mall zoning code amendments, opening door for redevelopment proposal

The Capitola City Council approved zoning code updates for the Capitola Mall site at a special meeting Monday, finally moving into the next step of the saga and allowing a developer to submit a project proposal for the large-scale redevelopment in discussion for nearly a decade.

Local band Drain’s ‘MELT THE ICE’ tee raises $40,000 for immigrant community support

By Mat Weir

A T-shirt bearing punk band Drain’s logo and the slogan “MELT THE ICE!!” has been a big seller, with the Santa Cruz trio delivering nearly $40,000 for the Supporting Immigrants in Santa Cruz County Fund to Community Foundation Santa Cruz County.

After years of closure, California salmon fishing set to reopen this spring — with tight limits

By Lily Belli

After several years of closures due to low populations, California will reopen limited commercial and recreational salmon fishing this spring as stocks rebound. Local fishers welcome the return but say the short, highly restricted season might not be enough to revive the struggling fleet.

UCSC projecting a slightly higher deficit, still has $99 million in cuts coming

By Hillary Ojeda

Officials at UC Santa Cruz say the campus now projects an $81 million deficit for the 2025-26 fiscal year, slightly higher than the previously estimated $79 million, driven by rising costs, higher-than-expected student aid spending and lower revenue from international students and federal funding.

Teens walked out of school to protest ICE. Police are investigating the adults who helped them

By Nigel Duara / CalMatters

High school students all over California walked out of class in protest over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. Police in two cities, conservative Clovis and liberal Los Angeles, issued warnings about potential arrests to adults who helped them.