Hey hey hey. It is Thursday, Sept. 17, and Santa Cruz County is looking at another foggy morning, with possible drizzle, before sunshine later and high temperatures in the 70s.
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The Santa Cruz County Fair is off and running, and we’ve got team coverage. Not only do we have a visual story from Kevin Painchaud on the fair’s opening day, but Alia Yee Noll and Tania Ortiz give us a preview of Friday night’s headlining act. Watsonville native Andy Vargas, who’s now the lead singer of Santana, will hit the stage with his father, popular mariachi musician Javier Vargas. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I want to hold on forever,” said Andy, who first performed at the fair as a 7-year-old. “I knew when we started putting this together, to really cherish every second. This is where I started personally, very humbly, and coming back to do this with my dad is very important to me.”
Max Chun has the latest from the Santa Cruz mayoral race, where the Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee won’t endorse either Ami Chen Mills or Ryan Coonerty after committee members deadlocked 11-11. Neither candidate is bothered, with both telling Max no endorsement is a good thing.
Elsewhere in Lookout’s free Election 2026 coverage, the Republican candidate for Assembly District 28 stakes out her position on housing in a Community Voices opinion piece. In challenging incumbent Gail Pellerin, Carol Pefley, a former journalist and realtor, writes that she believes we need to rethink state housing laws and help maintain the Santa Cruz “mystique” she remembers as a young adult.
The Thursday headlines also include an update on all things Lookout from our executive editor, Richard Martin – keep on readin’.
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‘Music is in my blood’: Santana singer Andy Vargas returns to Watsonville for Santa Cruz County Fair performance with his dad
Santana’s lead singer, Andy Vargas, will return to his hometown of Watsonville to perform at the Santa Cruz County Fair on Friday night. His father, celebrated mariachi musician Javier Vargas, will join him onstage. Read the story from Alia Yee Noll and Tania Ortiz.
➤ Para leer el artículo en español, haga clic aquí.
No endorsement in Santa Cruz mayor race as Democratic Central Committee splits on candidates
Just like in the primary election, the Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee failed to reach a consensus on its endorsement for Santa Cruz mayor, meaning it will not officially back either Ami Chen Mills or Ryan Coonerty in November. Here’s more from Max Chun.
➤ ELECTION 2026: Read more of Lookout’s free news and Community Voices opinion coverage here
DAILY DIGEST
Only time will tell what else Thursday holds, but I do know that among what’s still on tap from Lookout is our cheat sheet to going out and eating well around Santa Cruz County, including recommendations from Lily Belli, in the form of Weekender. That’s just one of the many newsletters and breaking news alerts – all free! – you can sign up for here. Breaking news notifications are available in the Lookout Santa Cruz app, available for download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, along with all of our award-winning local coverage, games and more. Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Threads are where you can keep up with it all via social media.
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Thanks for reading – now get out there and show Thursday who’s boss.
Will McCahill