Nearly 40 Watsonville residents took to the streets Saturday afternoon to protest the Trump administration conducting a military attack on Venezuela that led to the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The U.S. military conducted large-scale air strikes in Caracas, the country’s capitol, early Saturday morning, and later captured Maduro and […]
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Posted inLatest News
Monte Vista Christian School turns 100 years old
Monte Vista Christian School is celebrating its 100th birthday and a century of faith, learning, and leadership.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
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.
Posted inLatest News
County of Santa Cruz selects new chief probation officer
Santa Cruz County has named Sandra Mendez as its new chief probation officer.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville resident who received liver transplant to participate in Rose Parade
A Watsonville teen will be one of seven organ transplant recipients to be honored in the Rose Parade in Pasadena on New Year’s Day by an organ procurement nonprofit, Donor Network West. The 18-year-old, along with several organ transplant recipients from Northern California and Nevada, will ride on the “Donate Life Float,” which highlights the […]
Posted inLatest News
Watsonville taps a 27-year department veteran to head the city’s firefighting and emergency medicine operations
The City of Watsonville has chosen Corey Schaefer, a 27-year fire department veteran, as its next chief, following the retirement of Rudy López who had been at the helm since 2019. Schaefer was first hired by the department in 1998 as a reserve firefighter. He rose through the ranks, serving as a firefighter, fire captain, […]
Posted inEducation
Newsmakers 2025: Watsonville activist reflects on monthlong hunger strike against pesticides
Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez discusses the impact of his monthlong hunger strike against pesticide applications near schools in the Pajaro Valley and also shares more details on his work to empower youth in his community.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Newsmakers 2025: Food and toiletries distributions for undocumented ag workers become offseason lifeline
As the Pajaro Valley’s growing season comes to a close, many of its workers turn to a monthly food distribution event hosted by the Center for Farmworker Families to alleviate the financial burdens that come with no work for a few months.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘This is the Super Bowl’: Consultant hired by county says Trump’s offshore drilling plans will test local ordinances
Richard Charter has been here before: In the 1980s, he was hired to organize an effort to block oil drilling off the coast of California. Now, with the Trump administration wanting to open the coast for drilling, he’s been hired to fight again by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Posted inLatest News
Judge schedules Leif Ames murder trial for April 2026
A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge has scheduled the murder trial of Leif Ames for April 6, 2026, six years after he was charged with fatally stabbing his best friend, Hubert Cross, in his Live Oak home.