Santa Cruz County’s housing market is facing a slowdown. Local real-estate agents point to high interest rates and a shift from all-cash offers to budget-conscious first-time buyers, along with sellers who have yet to adjust their expectations to a less-competitive housing market.
Business & Technology
How I Got My Job: Variety is the spice of industrial designer Elisabeth Kooi’s work life
Local industrial designer Elisabeth Kooi spoke with Lookout about what it takes to enter this line of work, her personal experience in the field and advice she would give to someone who is looking to join the industry.
How I Got My Job: Santa Cruz therapist David Schulkin switched from teaching surf lessons to mental health
Lookout is launching a regular feature talking to people in Santa Cruz County about their jobs and offering advice to those looking to get into the field. Here, we speak with Santa Cruz therapist David Schulkin about his motivations for becoming a therapist, his perspective on the field and what advice he would give to recent college graduates and career-switchers interested in therapy work.
Will tech layoffs rear their head in Santa Cruz?
Layoffs in the tech industry have dominated headlines out of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. With Santa Cruz just over the hill, experts are eyeing whether the county will feel the ripple effects.
U.S. government will pay Tesla to open its charger network to non-Tesla EVs
The U.S. government will pay Tesla to supply 7,500 chargers for non-Tesla electric vehicles. How much extra those non-Tesla customers will pay is yet to be determined.
How to spot a ‘sextortion’ or romance scam – and what to do about it
With flower bouquets and heart balloons crowding the entrance to your local grocery store, you can practically feel love in the air. But Valentine’s Day is not all roses and chocolate for the nearly 70,000 U.S. citizens who, according to the Federal Trade Commission, lost a combined $1.3 billion to romance scams in 2022. The […]
How to spot a ‘sextortion’ or romance scam – and what to do about it
With flower bouquets and heart balloons crowding the entrance to your local grocery store, you can practically feel love in the air. But Valentine’s Day is not all roses and chocolate for the nearly 70,000 U.S. citizens who, according to the Federal Trade Commission, lost a combined $1.3 billion to romance scams in 2022. The […]
In the wake of massive layoffs, tech workers reconsider their future
As tech giants lay off scores of workers amid a sectorwide downturn, employees who once considered the Silicon Valley companies a safe long-term bet are reconsidering their allegiances.
Can California’s power grid handle a 15-fold increase in electric cars?
Despite expecting 12.5 million electric cars by 2035, California officials insist that the grid can provide enough electricity. But that’s based on multiple assumptions — including building solar and wind at almost five times the pace of the past decade — that might not be realistic.
Fast food industry pushes to halt AB 257, a California law that could raise worker wages
Backers say they have submitted more than enough for a ballot measure to overturn the law, which could boost the minimum wage for franchise restaurant workers as high as $22 next year. A labor group alleges signatures were obtained fraudulently.

