Welcome to Thursday night’s Lookout PM.

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Credit: Courtesy Facebook

A popular Santa Cruz Facebook page played a political April Fool’s joke on its 73,000 members. Then came the fallout.

A name change prank on Santa Cruz’s biggest Facebook group by one of its own administrators quickly went awry, fueling long-simmering tensions that the page had grown too political since the 2024 election.

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Credit: Kevin Painchaud

Summer’s here (almost): Your quick guide to a summer of fun in Santa Cruz County

Summertime is on the horizon and, lest you’ve forgotten, Santa Cruz County is chock full of fun activities from fine art to family frolics. We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to Santa Cruz County’s biggest festivals, […]

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Credit: Shifra Weiss-Penzias

Nazis tried to deport my father – let’s stop it from happening to immigrants here

As she prepares for Passover, Rabbi Shifra Weiss-Penzias is worried about the direction our country is headed. Her German-Jewish family escaped Nazi Germany in 1939, but her father always remembered the antisemitism he faced as […]

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Capitola police seize e-bike from teen rider as city presses for new state laws

Capitola police seized an electric bike from a teenager who they say ran a stop sign and popped a wheelie in the intersection in front of a police car earlier this week. The news comes ahead […]

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Credit: Susan McKay

Best 9: Top events for the week ahead in Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment, April 10-17

With the weekend nearly here, check out Wallace Baine’s Best 9 recommendations for things to do around Santa Cruz County via Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.

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Credit: Kristian Carreon for CalMatters

Other states do housing better than California; a new study shows how they do it

Terrible trio of a too small housing supply, too high living costs and too many homeless people plague California. A study says metro areas elsewhere are more pro-housing.

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Best of Santa Cruz County events, April 3-5

Here are some events you may be interested in this weekend:

Friday, Apr. 3

Saturday, Apr. 4

Sunday, Apr. 5



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Tamsin is excited to bring her passion for local journalism to Santa Cruz. She comes to Lookout from The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, where she oversaw the paper’s local daily news...