A good morning to you, readers. It is Friday, Jan. 30, and a mostly sunny day looks to be in store for Santa Cruz County, with the warmest locales hitting the mid-70s.
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Jessica M. Pasko reports on a tense public meeting Thursday night at which the City of Santa Cruz and developers gave details of the proposed project that would demolish landmark music venue The Catalyst and replace it with housing. Residents and owners of nearby businesses argued that the development would “rip the heart out of downtown Santa Cruz” and pushed back on the idea that the music venue could be relocated to the ground floor of the new building.
Calls for “no work, no school, no shopping” as part of a nationwide shutdown Friday to protest the Trump administration’s violent immigration enforcement are gaining steam locally, with a number of Santa Cruz County businesses and groups saying they’ll close or otherwise support the movement. If you’re the owner of a participating business or member of such a group, please let Lookout know so we can update our coverage.
Max Chun was out in Thursday’s early morning hours following this year’s point-in-time count of the area’s unhoused population, and reports that organizers have made tweaks they hope will yield a more accurate tally. One longtime counter also expressed optimism at the growing number of volunteers.
Lily Belli checked in with the chef behind Woody’s at Watsonville Airport, with Tim Wood – who’s found a successful formula with Woody’s at the Airport in Monterey – saying he’s on track to open in March after the previous tenant, Ella’s at the Airport, closed last June.
The day’s headlines also include food and arts recommendations for the ever-closer weekend – shall we proceed?
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Residents ‘vehemently oppose’ proposed Catalyst project as developers, city officials present plans
A Thursday meeting hosted by representatives from the City of Santa Cruz and the developer and architect of a proposed project that would demolish downtown music venue The Catalyst met with frustration and skepticism from residents and nearby business owners. Jessica M. Pasko reports.
Woody’s at Watsonville Airport approaches a mid-March landing
Chef and restaurateur Tim Wood plans to open Woody’s at Watsonville Airport by mid-March, bringing the third location of his Woody’s restaurants to a longtime gathering spot after Ella’s at the Airport closed last summer. The restaurant will serve thoughtful American fare, aiming to be a neighborhood hub for locals and pilots alike while continuing the airport’s 40-year tradition of having a full-service public eatery. Lily Belli has the dish.
DAILY DIGEST
And just like that, January’s just about over already. But worry not, Lookout’s award-winning local coverage continues, and there’s a myriad of ways you can keep up with it all: Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store; sign up here for breaking news alerts and for all of our other free newsletters; and give us a follow on social media, where you’ll find Lookout on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
One more stop before I go – a message from Jamie Garfield, Lookout’s director of student and community engagement:
Free Lookout memberships for teachers are filling up fast! As we announced a couple weeks ago, thanks to members and donors, we are able to provide 450 Santa Cruz middle and high school teachers with full access to Lookout at no cost to them … and the cohort is filling up quickly. If you know a secondary teacher who values local news and media literacy, please share this link with them.
Our content isn’t possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.
May your Friday be smooth, and I hope your weekend is a safe, relaxing one. Thank you for reading, and let’s meet back here Monday morning.
Will McCahill