Greetings, friends and neighbors. Wednesday, May 27, is here, and it’s looking like another cloudy morning around Santa Cruz County, with sun mixing in as the day goes on and highs in the mid- to upper 60s – with chances of rain popping up overnight and into Thursday.
I WANT TO … Become a Lookout member | Download the Lookout app | Browse latest news | Get other Lookout newsletters | Solve a puzzle | Find local events | Advertise
An ordinance aimed at addressing long-vacant storefronts in downtown Santa Cruz is a year old, and Jessica M. Pasko takes a look at its effects in her weekly business column. Three Pacific Avenue properties have had to pay a registration fee to the city under the vibrancy ordinance, which has also brought new spaces into the city’s “Downtown Pops!” program.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District governing board has postponed discussion of a controversial proposal to relocate students from Renaissance High to Duncan Holbert School and disperse Duncan Holbert’s special education program, Hillary Ojeda reports, after parents, staff and students urged trustees to reject the plan.
With less than a week now before voting ends in the June 2 primary election, District 4 Santa Cruz County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez is facing controversy after removing a campaign sign that wasn’t his, Tania Ortiz reports. While a video posted to social media by the Watsonville Brown Berets says the sign belongs to one of Hernandez’s challengers, Hernandez told Lookout that it was for California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, and that he was moving that sign and his own to “a more visible location.”
The Santa Cruz mayoral election, meanwhile, is the topic in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section. Community activist and yoga instructor Mark Stephens argues that the four candidates running against Ryan Coonerty appear less focused on offering a compelling vision than on forcing Coonerty, the front-runner, into a run-off.
The Wednesday headlines also include a new landing spot for the proposed female surfer statue and news and notes from around Santa Cruz County food & drink – onward.
Were you forwarded this newsletter? Sign up here to receive Morning Lookout in your inbox every weekday.
You’re missing out on full access to Lookout
As a reader of Lookout’s newsletters, you get access to a limited number of free articles per month — but there’s much more! Members of Lookout Santa Cruz get full access to every article published by our team of on-the-ground correspondents. Join now to go beyond the headlines and dive deep into Lookout’s local coverage.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Downtown Vibrancy Ordinance turns 1; city population drop attributed to high housing costs and low-wage jobs
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko examines the effects of downtown Santa Cruz’s vibrancy ordinance, notes a continued population decline in the city and passes along numbers, names and dates to know. Read it all here.
Why did County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez take a campaign sign that wasn’t his own?
Felipe Hernandez, incumbent in the District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor seat, is facing allegations of removing one of his opponent’s campaign signs, just a week before the June 2 primary election. Here’s more from Tania Ortiz.
➤ Para leer el artículo en español, haga clic aquí.
➤ ELECTION 2026: Check out all of Lookout’s free coverage here
DAILY DIGEST
A full plate for your Wednesday morning, so I’ll let you dig in. Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to keep our award-winning local coverage close at hand, with breaking news notifications, games and more, and sign up here for breaking news alerts via email and for anything that might pique your interest from our library of free newsletters. Don’t forget the social media piece, where you can connect with Lookout on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
Our content isn’t possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.
May your Wednesday be a good one – thank you for reading.
Will McCahill