After years of fierce competition, homebuyers in Santa Cruz County now find themselves with more choices and time to decide, as sellers adjust to a calmer market with more properties listed for sale.
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Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I survived a mass shooting — Project 2025 spoke to my fear, then betrayed it
Emma Tipping survived a 2019 mass shooting but suffered long-term trauma that still affects her. Her healing journey led her to the Santa Cruz Feminist Society. The group read Project 2025 together and initially, the promises to “protect children” resonated with her. But she quickly saw its true aim: using nostalgic rhetoric to roll back civil rights and ignore threats of gun violence.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In the Public Interest: A historic week begs the question: Who will take the reins?
Around Santa Cruz County politics & policy with Lookout correspondent Christopher Neely.
Posted inLatest News
Morning Lookout: Rentals vs. condos, Watsonville business struggles, popular PVUSD film program on chopping block
Santa Cruz County news and opinion headlines from Lookout for the morning of Monday, June 16.
Posted inHousing & Development
Why Santa Cruz builds rentals, not condos — and what it means for first-time homebuyers
Santa Cruz is building more housing than ever — but almost none of it is for sale. Sky-high home prices and a state law meant to protect buyers are discouraging developers from building condos, closing off a key path to ownership.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville businesses struggle as ICE raids and protests intensify across the country
Watsonville businesses, flea markets and food drives say they have seen sharp decline as immigration raids intensify nationwide, forcing immigrant community members to avoid busy public places.
Posted inLatest News
Carmageddon: RTC plans pop-ups, ‘office hours’ to answer questions on $4.3B rail project
Facing sticker shock over the $4.3 billion price tag for its rail project, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is ditching town halls for pop-up events at farmers markets and one-on-one office hours because community members prefer more direct discussions, transit officials say.
Posted inEducation
As school budgets come under pressure, popular PVUSD student film program faces cuts
Proponents of the Youth Cinema Project say the school program that taught students to make their own films and show them in Hollywood offered inspiration and a creative outlet for underprivileged kids in the district. It might not be returning to Pajaro Valley Unified School District classrooms next school year due to funding issues.
Posted inLatest News
Sunday Reads: After ‘No Kings,’ a new Woodstock; Faris Sabbah on Trump’s fear tactics; fighting RFK Jr. vaccine confusion
Specially curated stories from Lookout correspondents and opinion pieces from contributors.
Posted inCommentary
After Saturday’s nationwide wave of protest, it’s time for a new Woodstock to unite America
After the nationwide “No Kings” political rallies, it’s time for the anti-authoritarians in the entertainment world to step up, with a concert so game-changing that people will be talking about 50 years from now.