We’ve never seen a year start like this one, and we are so glad to be reporting for you. From Day 1 of the Trump administration, which witnessed the self-immolation in front of Santa Cruz City Hall to the ICE seizure of Adolfo Gonzalez off of Market Street in Santa Cruz, we’re deeply covering the news and issues of this moment. That included Monday’s well-attended protest in front of the county courthouse.
What we are all relearning: big national stories also are profoundly local ones. In this case, the the many local impacts of the Trump era have led us to create the ongoing series, The Trump Presidency and impact on Santa Cruz County. There, you’ll find all this growing coverage, from immigrant crackdowns and fears to what will be deepening pressure on county, cities, UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College budgets, given federal cuts.
I’m proud of how our whole team has now dedicated itself to this big ongoing story, while covering the run of “regular” news. I’ve written a couple of columns explaining this coverage, given the fraught nature of our times. Journalism itself is facing a new era of critique and we want to be clear with all our readers how we will continue to fairly and forthrightly – without fear or favor – the times we live in.
Let me also point out a great advance. We’ve published a number of the series articles near-simultaneously in Spanish. Here, we continue to use the best tech of the day, in this case, Google artificial intelligence translation tools, which allow us to do so in a timely – and accurate – way. And we continue to make sure that any AI-aided news creation is always reviewed by a journalist before reaching you. We intend to extend those translations to more and more stories over time. And – because of our steadfast member support – we are able to make all of those Spanish-language articles freely accessible, the right thing to do in this time and age.
And, here, of course, we invite you to become a Lookout member to support this work. You can sign up here for our first-year introductory price.
Impact!
Impact seems to be the word of the year. As we gain steam this year, we are also summing up the multiple impacts Lookout has had in the area, well beyond our Pulitzer win. You will soon see more on this, but here’s our sum-up page showing how the work of our stellar team has resulted in positive change. And all that work is being read by more people than ever.
Download the app
Many of you have downloaded our new app, and found it fast and convenient. It’s the best way to miss none of the work of our correspondents. The app gives you a running scroll of the latest news. Download it now and move it to your home screen, so you don’t miss the latest. And let us know what you like about it and how we can improve it, here.
Lookout #2
It’s happening. We shared the news of Lookout Eugene-Springfield with you as we’ve built it. There, as in Santa Cruz County, the enthusiasm for robust, well-reported local news is so appreciated.
Look for the announcements on launch date there soon, and the team make-up that will give it full life. We’re already talking about how to use the combined resources of both sites – with three more Lookouts planned by the end of 2026 – to bring you the depth and breadth of local news you want. Feel free to share the Lookout Eugene-Springfield Welcome page with Oregon friends.
Lookout is Listening
On Tuesday, food correspondent Lily Belli hosted a Lookout Listens with leaders of the local restaurant industry. At an informal meeting at Lookout’s downtown office, five business owners discussed the issues at the top of their mind, including changes to customer dining habits and concerns about how national issues like tariffs and deportations will trickle down to the local level.
Lily aims to use the information gleaned from this meeting to help inform and deepen her reporting on the county’s food and beverage industry.
We’ve been pleased to do Lookout Listens since our early days. “Lookout Listens” are face-to-face conversations about local issues and foster community engagement, hosted by a couple of Lookouters. Our goal: to provide clear, factual information enabling community members to have real discussions and find solutions together.
We love double givebacks
Second Harvest Food Bank has been a valued early partner of Lookout’s. And each holiday season, we collaborate on a holiday giving campaign. For new Lookout memberships purchased in the last two weeks of December, Lookout donates 10% of the member price – which is then matched by a Second Harvest donor – to generate more meals for our neighbors. That’s a double giveback. This year we donated $1,510 – which, remarkably, makes 4,530 meals! That combined with our regular 10% donation throughout the year in 2024, we were able to donate a total of $22,000 to our civic partners: United Way Santa Cruz County, Volunteer Center, Reggie Stephens Foundation, and Your Future is Our Business.
Deadline for Lookout Journalism Scholarship
Lookout in the Classroom continues to flourish.
Jamie Garfield, our director of student and community engagement, created Lookout’s journalism scholarship for Santa Cruz County high school students. We’re currently accepting submissions here, through Feb. 23. The top three winners will receive $500 each, while the top 10 will be published on our site. Here are last year’s winners. Educators, be sure to sign up here for weekly updates and information to use in your classroom.
Our 2025 interns
We recently welcomed three new interns, Ruby Lee Schembari, Chimera Mohammadi and Makenna Chasmar to join the ranks of UCSC’s The Humanities Institute (THI) EXCEL Fellows, Eetai Shwartz and Isabel Cordova. Ruby Lee and Chimera are both editorial interns, supporting the newsroom in research and story production. Ruby Lee is currently studying at Cabrillo College, where she became the editor-in-chief for the school’s paper, The Voice. Chimera is a senior at UCSC, where they’re getting their bachelor of arts degree in literature. Makenna joins our Community & Commerce team as a marketing intern for the winter. She is a fourth-year student at UC Santa Cruz, studying business management economics.
And a special shout-out to our friends and partners at THI. We were glad to participate in its gala 25th celebration a couple of weeks ago at Chaminade. THI connects UCSC to the wider community in so many ways.
Marketing partnerships
Boost your brand or business on Lookout. Get in touch with Duffy Barrett and ask about our new introductory packages. Don’t just take our word for it, here’s what our Marketing Partners at Bay Federal Credit Union have to say about our partnership options, “Lookout’s marketing expertise and collaborative approach allow us to share meaningful content that enhances brand awareness. Lookout consistently delivers actionable insights that strengthen our efforts to support the community we serve.” Get in touch today.
HERstory at the MAH
HERstory is a celebration and recognition of women of past, present, and future to commemorate Women’s History Month in March. Lookout has partnered with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History to host the second annual HERstory event at the MAH on March 13. The event will recognize 15 local changemakers, including Michele Bassi, Yasmina Porter, Yvette Brooks and five local students who are actively involved in community betterment. Register here to save your seat at this free community event.
Thank you for your continued support!
Ken Doctor
CEO & Founder