The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve Segments 10 and 11 of the Coastal Rail Trail in Mid-County just over a month after it initially deadlocked on moving the project forward. Regional Transportation Commission staff expects construction to begin no later than summer 2026.
Max Chun
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 and much more.Having grown up on the Westside and attended Santa Cruz High School, Max earned a bachelor’s degree in politics at Occidental College in Los Angeles in 2019. While there, he discovered an unexpected but welcome passion for journalism. While in college, he worked as part of the distribution team for the Culver City-based nonprofit documentary film company Brave New Films. During and after the pandemic, he worked at Verve Coffee Roasters’ Seabright location, blessing locals and tourists alike with top-tier latte art while getting his start in a professional journalism setting with Lookout.
Max joined Lookout in its early days and became our first home-grown local reporter more than a year ago. His community connections and savvy have served us as his hometown undergoes multifaceted change.
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Lookout PM: Lily Belli on Food, record UCSC applications and admission offers, and First Friday’s one-night exhibit
Welcome to Tuesday night’s Lookout PM. Be sure to sign up for our breaking news email alerts here and take advantage of our breaking news texts by signing up here. Lily Belli on Food: mushroom festival, Khushbu Shah’s Amrikan & more restaurant closures Food and drink news and notes from around Santa Cruz County, via Lookout’s Lily Belli. […]
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Lookout PM: Watsonville airport runway dispute, push for public safety reform, and a high school sports roundup
Welcome to Monday night’s Lookout PM. Be sure to sign up for our breaking news email alerts here and take advantage of our breaking news texts by signing up here. Up in the air: Watsonville’s airport and housing clash on the runway A new chapter has begun in the decades-old battle between growth and preservation around Watsonville Municipal […]
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In wake of SCPD cyclist arrest, speakers voice frustrations, push for public safety reforms in community forum
Local activists, social justice organizations and about 30 community members gathered Sunday in front of Santa Cruz City Hall to connect and begin discussing ways to reimagine public safety in the city in response to community complaints regarding the use of excessive force by Santa Cruz police officers in their arrest of a Black cyclist earlier this month.
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Carmageddon: Soquel Drive improvements moving forward, with biggest impact likely for the summer
Work to encourage residents to cycle, walk and take the bus more is happening along Soquel Drive, and Santa Cruz County staff expect the most noticeable traffic delays to occur over the summer both because of the scope of work and the generally higher traffic levels.
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Lookout PM: New Pajaro Valley Health Care District board member, next steps towards Big Basin’s future, and Mentone’s steak tartare
Welcome to Friday night’s Lookout PM. Be sure to sign up for our breaking news email alerts here and take advantage of our breaking news texts by signing up here. Pajaro Valley Health Care District appoints new board member Pajaro Valley Health Care District’s governing board appointed a new member to fill former chair John Friel’s seat. Marcela […]
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New land transfers, proposed state legislation look to give Big Basin’s post-CZU recovery another boost
With nonprofit Sempervirens Fund set to transfer two new Santa Cruz County properties to the iconic state park torched in the 2020 CZU fire and Assemblymember Gail Pellerin advancing a bill to speed California State Parks’ land acquisition, 2025 could see big progress on the visitor experience at Big Basin Redwoods.
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Lookout PM: Weekender, Santa Cruz acquires downtown Toadal Fitness, and a substance use disorder op-ed
Welcome to Thursday night’s Lookout PM. Be sure to sign up for our breaking news email alerts here and take advantage of our breaking news texts by signing up here. Weekender: Honoring Tammi Brown, poetry Hive style, Franzen talks tunes Wallace Baine surveys the world of Santa Cruz County arts and culture, delivers recommendations for things to do […]
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Lookout PM: Doon to Earth tasting room closing, school districts’ workforce housing plans, opioid settlement fund dispersal, and a local biz roundup
Welcome to Wednesday night’s Lookout PM. Be sure to sign up for our breaking news email alerts here and take advantage of our breaking news texts by signing up here. Aptos’ Doon to Earth tasting room, a Bonny Doon Vineyard-Ser Winery collaboration, will close after this weekend After opening a little over a year ago, Bonny Doon Vineyard […]
Posted inHealth & Wellness
As $28M in opioid settlement funds begin to flow in, county, city of Santa Cruz working on how to spend it
As opioid settlement funds began rolling into counties across the country, Santa Cruz is readying to spend its allotment. In a matter of weeks, the county and Community Foundation Santa Cruz County will begin seeking proposals for projects from community-based organizations working to fight the ongoing opioid crisis.