Photo gallery: Looking back on 2025 through photos

Lookout staff photographer Kevin Painchaud gets a front-row view of the events, people, and food that make Santa Cruz such a unique and special place to live. He chose his favorite photos he captured in 2025.

As a photojournalist for Lookout Santa Cruz, I’m privileged to have a front-row view of the events, people, and even the food that make Santa Cruz such a unique and special place to live. This collection represents some of my favorite photos I captured throughout 2025, organized by broad themes.

Protest

Hundreds of people participated in the “Resist” rally at Main Beach in front of the Boardwalk on May 31, 2025.
A woman screams in protest of the Trump administration during the “No Kings” protest in Watsonville on June 14, 2025.
Thousands of protestors lined Ocean Street for several blocks on May Day. The event was sponsored by the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council and supported by progressive groups 50501 Movement and Indivisible. Photo taken May 1, 2025
Over 10,000 people came to the second “No Kings” rally in Santa Cruz on October 18, 2025.

Social Issues

About 80 people gathered in front of the courthouse in Santa Cruz on May 7, 2025 to support the release of Cliona Ward from detention in Tacoma, Washington.
Albert Rodriguez, a Gilroy resident who is currently unhoused, becomes emotional while discussing the challenges of homelessness. He was hired by Lagestic LLC to help clean the Pajaro Levee and said he is grateful for the opportunity to earn much-needed income.
On June 7, 2025, Community members and Santa Cruz city leaders gathered Saturday to repaint the Black Lives Matter mural in front of City Hall, marking the fifth year since the public art piece was created and the second time in two years it was repaired after an act of vandalism.
A student originally from El Salvador wipes away a tear as he recounts his family’s experiences before arriving in the United States.
Ajla Azevedo-Husic, immigration defense attorney with the Santa Cruz County public defender’s office. Santa Cruz County immigration lawyers and public defenders have their hands full with cases and frequent changes to immigration enforcement as the Trump administration continues to target undocumented immigrant communities across the country.
Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez ahead of his 30-day hunger strike in protest of pesticide use near area schools.
Volunteers at Second Harvest Food Bank in Santa Cruz County frantically wrap cans of food as the organization launches “Operation Bridge the Gap” to address sudden funding losses and ensure meals for tens of thousands of residents.
Isabel Justice Kain, a UCSC doctoral student in astronomy, watches her colleagues work in the University of California Observatories lab on campus. Facing deep federal research funding cuts and a tightening academic job market under the Trump administration, several UC Santa Cruz astronomy Ph.D. graduates are heading abroad to pursue their careers — a shift that students and faculty say reflects growing fear and frustration within the U.S. scientific community.

Environment

A tour group at the Santa Cruz Resource Recovery Facility looks up at towering bales of sorted rigid plastics. Items like 5-gallon buckets, storage bins, and lawn chairs can be recycled at 605 Dimeo Lane — but not through the curbside blue bin.
A member of the “Bonny Doon Renegades” walks through his rebuilt home five years after it burned in the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire, which ravaged the Santa Cruz Mountains. The group is remembered as both heroes and cautionary tales for defying evacuation orders to fight the flames.

Arts and Entertainment

A couple dances during the annual Dance Week celebration in downtown Santa Cruz.
Performers with the Flynn Creek Circus take to the big top during the troupe’s annual winter holiday visit to Capitola, showcasing a mix of comedy, acrobatics, and other feats.
The Roots drummer Questlove at the Quarry at UCSC.
Mysterious feet appear as a Ferris wheel spins in the background at this year’s Santa Cruz County Fair.
New to the fair this year, Pro Wrestling Revolution brought out colorful characters drop-kicking and suplexing their opponents.
Legendary skateboard artist Jim Phillips works on one of his iconic sketches.
A conductor directs the orchestra during a rehearsal of Sweeney Todd at the Cabrillo Stages in Aptos
Conductor Daniela Candillari and violinist Jennifer Koh take a well-earned break between pieces during an open rehearsal at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
Veteran Santa Cruz painter Ed Penniman is featured at Santa Cruz City Hall, which will display one of his paintings. Penniman will also curate an ongoing exhibition highlighting artists who use their work to heal from physical or psychological trauma.

Sports

A skateboarder ollies a gap inside the old Sears building at Capitola Mall, where the Capitola Classic skateboard contest was held in February 2025.
Golden State Warriors played the Denver Nuggets on March 17. Several members of the Santa Cruz Warriors played alongside Steph Curry.
Scotts Valley High School shortstop-turned-pitcher Kaleb Wing spent the summer and early fall playing rookie ball in Arizona and learning from older mentors. Now, he’s ready to take on spring training less than a year after the Chicago Cubs took him in the fourth round of the 2025 Major League Baseball draft.
A historic route change forced by Murray Street Bridge construction couldn’t dampen spirits as Santa Cruz County’s’s popular annual Wharf to Wharf race adapted, drawing 16,000 runners to the six-mile oceanside route and maintaining its community charm.

Food and drink

Wine glasses are set on a long table at Capitola Wharf for Outstanding in the Field’s 24th season-opening feast, hosted by founder Jim Denevan.
There was no shortage of amazing seafood to be had in Santa Cruz. The seafood chowder at Firefish Grill on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.
Mane Kitchen & Cocktails co-owner Julianna Mireles has more than a decade of experience working at area bars.

City life

Firefighter Eric Chitwood struggles to turn off the water from a broken fire hydrant in downtown Santa Cruz on May 29.
Members of fire departments across Santa Cruz County paid tribute to Captain Steve Ramirez during a memorial service on February 7 at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos. Ramirez, 54, died on January 12.
The fog and lights off the Capitola Wharf create an eery scene.
Fifteen multicolored planes flew past the steeple of St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish in Watsonville during the Fourth of July Parade, leaving behind trailing plumes of smoke.
A few dozen people showed up at Santa Cruz’s Cowell Beach on Wednesday morning for a paddle-out to honor the late Wallace J. Nichols, known throughout the community as “J.” Nichols, a well-known marine biologist and author of the book “Blue Mind,” died a year ago.

Kevin Painchaud is an international award-winning photojournalist. He has shot for various publications for the past 30 years, appearing on sites nationwide, including ABC News, CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, The...