Good morning, Santa Cruz County. It’s Thursday, March 5, and our forecast is for sunny skies with temperatures again in the mid-6os, with gusty winds at times.
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With the candidate filing period closing Friday, the race to succeed Fred Keeley as Santa Cruz mayor is coming into focus, Max Chun reports, with three more candidates entering the fray. Ami Chen Mills, Joy Schendledecker and Chris Krohn – all familiar names in local politics and activism – have joined Ryan Coonerty and Gillian Greensite.
With February behind us, Lily Belli looks back on the best things she ate around Santa Cruz County last month, and it’s a mouthwatering list that includes a loaded potato, sweet conchas and a sweet-savory cabbage dish.
The Watsonville Film Festival kicks off next week, and Tania Ortiz talked to festival founder Consuelo Alba, who co-directed one of the featured films. “The Long Labor” is a short documentary that follows Watsonville midwife Maria Ramos Bracamontes and her work through Campesina Womb Justice, a mutual aid project in support of women farmworkers.
The California governor’s race is on the mind of former Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce CEO Casey Beyer, who in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section breaks down what’s at stake in the jumbled contest and why local voters should be paying close attention.
The Thursday headlines also include an update on the legal proceedings against Santa Cruz seafood entrepreneur Clarice Owens – onward we go.
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Santa Cruz mayoral field begins to fill out as three familiar names enter race
Three new candidates have entered the race for Santa Cruz mayor — Ami Chen Mills, Joy Schendledecker and Chris Krohn — all of whom have either previously held or run for office or have been politically active outside of elected office. They join Ryan Coonerty and Gillian Greensite in vying to replace Fred Keeley. Max Chun breaks down the latest entries.
The best things I ate and drank in Santa Cruz County in February
Wet February weather led Lookout food and drink correspondent Lily Belli to seek warm flavors at restaurants, food trucks and bakeries across Santa Cruz County. She selects from a month of eating to highlight a loaded jacket potato, tender conchas, a comforting and lively cabbage dish and a familiar favorite at a longstanding cantina. Here’s a taste of Lily’s culinary travels.
DAILY DIGEST
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We’re chugging right along here at Lookout, and among what’s still coming Thursday is Weekender, your cheat sheet to eating well and going out in Santa Cruz County – one of the many newsletters and breaking news alerts (all free!) you should sign up for here. Get all of our award-winning local coverage by outfitting your smartphone with the Lookout Santa Cruz app, available for download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store; you can stay current via social media, too, by following Lookout on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and/or Threads.
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Thank you for reading – I hope your Thursday is a good one.
Will McCahill