All city-sanctioned competitions in Santa Cruz that offer prize money must offer equal payouts to men and women. How is Santa Cruz only the second California city to require this?
Coast Life
Posted inEnvironment
Rare harlequin duck spotted in Santa Cruz sparks frenzy among birdwatchers
Throngs of birdwatchers have gathered at the Santa Cruz Harbor to catch a glimpse of a female harlequin duck, which is rarely spotted this far south, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz’s oversized vehicle ordinance goes into effect Monday. Will it help solve homelessness?
The City of Santa Cruz’s oversized vehicle ordinance goes into effect Monday after a lengthy road to approval. While safe parking services are available for those living in RVs and campers, spaces are often full, and some worry about the ability of their often old vehicles to withstand traveling to and from the designated parking areas.
Posted inEnvironment
Rare plant spotted for first time in Santa Cruz County reveals hidden ecosystem reborn in fire
A hobby naturalist walking in the Santa Cruz Mountains discovered a patch of what turned out to be Humboldt County milkvetch, a rare plant that had never been spotted south of Mendocino County. Scientists believe the plant — known as a fire-follower because it often appears after a great disturbance to the landscape — actually has a far wider range than initially understood, but its seeds lay dormant here for decades until the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire. The discovery sheds light on how forestry practices that emphasized fire suppression have reshaped the landscape, reducing the biodiversity of plant life.
Posted inCoast Life
Carmageddon: This week’s delays and the latest on the rail trail
The ongoing road projects around Santa Cruz County seek to improve the biking and walking experience, too, with pedestrian crossings soon coming to Highway 1. And though it won’t affect traffic, 2024 will see more progress on the Coastal Rail Trail as well.
Posted inCoast Life
The wild, colorful, monstrous art of Jimbo Phillips
Santa Cruz’s Jimbo Phillips is the middle link in a three-generation line of great local graphic artists. As the son of the man who invented the Santa Cruz Skateboards logo and the Screaming Hand, he has carved out his own signature style with an aesthetic deeply informed by the 1980s, surfing, skating and punk rock.
Posted inFood & Drink
California Dungeness crab season delayed for a second time this year
The start of California’s commercial Dungeness crab fishing season has been delayed for a second time because of a high risk that migrating humpback whales may become entangled in the fishing gear, state officials announced Friday. The next assessment to determine the risk of whale entanglement scheduled for around Dec. 7. Recreational crabbers along parts of the Central Coast, including Santa Cruz County, will also continue to face restrictions on using traps.
Posted inFood & Drink
Laurie Love on Wine: My Wine of the Week, reader Q&A and Thanksgiving wine pairings
In Part 2 of this week’s column, Lookout wine expert Laurie Love taps a 2013 Santa Cruz Mountains Bordeaux blend as her Wine of the Week, lends her expertise in the service of a reader question and delivers advice and recommendations aplenty on finding the perfect wines for however you do Thanksgiving dinner.
Posted inFood & Drink
Laurie Love on Wine: ‘Idyllic vintage’ taking shape, Wine & Roses recap and holiday wine events
In the first installment of this week’s column, Lookout wine expert Laurie Love finds Santa Cruz County winemakers waxing poetic as they put the finishing touches on the 2023 harvest, recounts what she saw and tasted at the recent Wine & Roses fundraiser and previews upcoming events you shouldn’t miss.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
New Visit Santa Cruz County CEO sets sights on international markets, expanded business travel, countywide efforts
Settling in as head of the private, nonprofit corporation focused on enhancing tourism and the local economy, Terence Concannon sees “a sense of optimism” post-pandemic, and is not only aiming to bring in visitors from emerging markets like Mexico and Brazil but also to help build South County’s tourism infrastructure — all without alienating county residents in the process.