From hair salons to the outdoor dining, small business owners are struggling. Stranded Beauty Bar in Seabright and Venus Spirits on the Westside are two examples of businesses pushed to the brink.
Local Business
Posted inCity Life
Local singer’s pandemic anthem signs off on 2020 with ‘See You On the Other Side’
Watsonville’s Michael Gaither looks back ruefully on shelter-in-place in a tribute song to 2020 that evokes the spirit of the late John Prine
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Santa Cruz County nurses rally against policy change they say would add to patient overload
Nurses at Dominican and Watsonville hospitals insist that their hands are too full already as they deal with new risks, and new protocols, to treat surging numbers of COVID-19 patients.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Watsonville citizens clear on favorite downtown features. Could six new neighborhoods be in their future?
A survey asking Watsonville residents what they want out of their downtown area came back with the farmers’ market and city plaza rising above other favorites. Now, a planning firm will take that feedback and brainstorm.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
21 for ’21: Meet the heroic banker who moonlighted as a search-and-rescue warrior
Santa Cruz County Bank’s Creedence Shaw helped lead a team to keep the local economy from cratering. Then he donned search-and-rescue gear to help hundreds out of harm’s way during last summer’s fires.
Posted inFood & Drink
Delivery done right: A look at the local establishments bringing you the goods
Here we are again on the verge of a stay-at-home order with all our great outdoor dining opportunities about to be put on hold. Fortunately delivery isn’t just for pizza and Chinese food anymore. Local establishments have dialed it in.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
21 for ’21: Bonnie Lipscomb helping city’s economy adapt and change amid pandemic
Bonnie Lipscomb and her team at the City of Santa Cruz’s Economic Development office had to set aside business-as-usual and create new models to help businesses survive 2020.
Posted inEnvironment
Monterey Bay commercial crab season delayed for third time this year
New Leaf Community Markets brand manager Lindsay Gizdich said the store is moving from Pacific Avenue in order to have…
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Santa Cruz County Bank announces new president/CEO
Krista Snelling is a veteran community-bank executive from the Sacramento area who says of her opportunity in Santa Cruz, “I plan to do a lot of listening at the beginning.”
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Capitola City Council approves free Village parking through Christmas Day, restores employees’ pay
The city government’s financial outlook — while worse than last year at this time — has improved to the point that council members restored some spending cuts related to the pandemic.
