Robert Rivas, whose California Assembly District 29 stretches from the southern tip of the Salinas Valley up into…
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Posted inLatest News
After 68 years, a new Pajaro River levee is now all but guaranteed, set to begin summer 2024
Nothing is ever guaranteed, but officials say a new Pajaro River levee is as close as government gets after local and federal agencies signed an agreement to spend the money for the first section of the project. The largely low-income communities of Pajaro and parts of Watsonville have been waiting for reinforced flood protection for nearly 70 years.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Sacramento court halts local syringe distribution program run by harm reduction coalition
The Sacramento Superior Court’s decision is the latest development in a years-long legal battle between a Santa Cruz neighborhood group and the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County. The ruling is expected to reverberate beyond Santa Cruz County as other California communities face similar legal wrangling over private groups offering clean-needle programs.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Joby Aviation gets $9.8M grant to expand Marina facility, add new Central Coast jobs
When Joby Aviation announced in September it was building its new manufacturing facility in Dayton, Ohio, there were fears the Santa Cruz-based company might not stay local for much longer. But under the terms of a new $9.8 million CalCompetes grant, the company is committed to investing further in California, including expansion of its Marina […]
Posted inAptos
Aptos library opening delayed until February
The opening of the Aptos branch of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries is delayed until mid-February. The reason is a noise-reduction sound-baffling system to be set up in the children’s area of the new library. The system was originally cut from the project’s budget, but was later restored.
Posted inInside Lookout
Announcing Lookout’s Teacher Access Fund: Help provide access to local news for our high school teachers
In Metro’s big pursuit of doubling ridership, the transit agency is improving service to the UC Santa Cruz campus. Last…
Posted inFood & Drink
After merger, Scotts Valley Faultline Brewing gets rebrand as Laughing Monk Brewing and Gastropub
Sunnyvale-based Faultline Brewing Company opened a second location in Scotts Valley last year. Its owner, Bay Area-based Bedrock Restaurant Group, recently acquired San Francisco’s Laughing Monk Brewing, and is preparing to merge the two brands. The Faultline name is being retired, and the restaurant and taprooms will reopen under the name Laughing Monk Brewing and Gastropub at the end of this month.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Moe’s Alley taps into Santa Cruz’s love for country music at Western Wednesdays
Santa Cruz country music fans don’t have to go far to indulge their inner Hank Williams. Every month, Moe’s Alley hosts a special evening called “Western Wednesdays” in which a regional and local act headlines a show devoted to the unabashedly crying-in-your-beer style of country music. Lookout correspondent Wallace Baine and photojournalist Kevin Painchaud took in a recent evening of honky-tonk revelry.
Posted inLatest News
Trial time frame tentatively set in murder case of Pleasure Point tech executive Tushar Atre
The trial in the murder case of a tech executive and cannabis entrepreneur Tushar Atre is tentatively set to begin in March 2024. On Monday, an attorney for Kaleb Charters, one of the four men charged in Atre’s kidnapping and murder, challenged DNA evidence and law enforcement statements. Santa Cruz Superior Court Judge Stephen Siegel ordered a Dec. 4 hearing to review the concerns and determine whether to toss out evidence in the case.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter remains committed to community’s shared values, even in challenging times
The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is indeed experiencing a 50% rise in animals since two years ago and is overburdened, say shelter board members Jon Bush and Emily Chung. But that is mainly because the shelter won’t give up its open-door policy and refuses to turn needy pets and families away. It’s one of the few shelters in the region to hold these values and to practice socially conscious sheltering, they write: “Even in these difficult times, we will not waver from these values.” Shelter workers and volunteers wrote a Nov. 9 Lookout op-ed complaining about the conditions for animals and a shortage of staff. The board members say they have made four hires since 2020 and have hired a full-time veterinarian to start Nov. 28.