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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Tony Nuñez unseats incumbent Felipe Hernandez in District 4 county supervisor race

By Tania Ortiz

Tony Nuñez, a longtime community leader and former journalist, has unseated incumbent Felipe Hernandez in the District 4 county supervisor race. This is the first time in recent memory that a challenger has defeated an incumbent in the primary for this race.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Pajaro Valley Unified chief business officer resigns

By Hillary Ojeda

Pajaro Valley Unified School District Chief Business Officer Gerardo Castillo announced his resignation this week after less than a year on the job. His departure comes as the district grapples with continued strains on its budget.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County 2026 primary election results in charts: Final tallies for all county races

By Lookout Santa Cruz Staff

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.

The Guerilla Drive-In returns, bringing free movies back to unlikely — and sometimes hidden — Santa Cruz locations

By Max Chun

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.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Grand jury: Santa Cruz County must move faster on housing, strengthen behavioral health system

By Max Chun

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.

Credit: Jeff Roberson / Associated Press

Newsom urges a national ‘billionaires’ tax’ while fighting one in California

By Jonathan J. Cooper / Associated Press

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is considering a run for president as he approaches the end of his term, called for a national “billionaires’ tax” on Friday even as he fights another proposal targeting the wealthy in his home state.

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Max Chun is the general-assignment correspondent at Lookout Santa Cruz. Max’s position has pulled him in many different directions, seeing him cover development, COVID, the opioid crisis, labor, courts...