In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident lauds efforts to commemorate former mayor and longtime public servant Mike Rotkin.
Remembering Mike Rotkin
Mike Rotkin, former Santa Cruz mayor and UCSC lecturer, died June 18, 2025, at 79.
Posted inLatest News
Morning Lookout: CZU then and now, in photos; teen’s lemonade stand fundraiser finale; housing market inventory continues rise
Santa Cruz County news and opinion headlines from Lookout for the morning of Thursday, Sept. 18.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: New bench and tables for Mike Rotkin
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident remembers the late Mike Rotkin.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A community remembers Mike Rotkin
Friends, colleagues, students and fellow activists pay tribute to Mike Rotkin, former Santa Cruz mayor and UCSC lecturer, who died June 18 at 79.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Remembering Mike Rotkin: He was my political partner for almost 50 years, he was like a brother
State Sen. John Laird remembers Mike Rotkin, who died last week from complications from leukemia.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Rotkin family and friends raise funds for memorials around Santa Cruz
The family and friends of the late Mike Rotkin are now raising funds for several memorials and a gathering to celebrate his life and legacy. Rotkin, a longtime Santa Cruz progressive activist, five-time mayor and UC Santa Cruz lecturer, died last week at 79.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Lookout remembers Mike Rotkin: Santa Cruz’s Socrates who had an encyclopedic understanding of our community’s 50-plus years of challenges
Community Voices editor Jody K. Biehl reflects on her three years editing columns by Mike Rotkin and the education he offered her about Santa Cruz County, UCSC and being human.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz City Hall lowers flags in honor of former mayor Mike Rotkin
The City of Santa Cruz has lowered the flags at City Hall in remembrance of local activist and former Santa Cruz mayor Mike Rotkin.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Mike Rotkin, former mayor and an essential figure in Santa Cruz progressive activism, dies at 79
Mike Rotkin arrived in Santa Cruz in 1969, not long after the University of California, and soon not only became a pillar of UCSC’s Community Studies program but launched into the progressive politics that reshaped the city. He served a record five terms as mayor and in a variety of other positions. He passed away at his home Wednesday.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Remembering Mike Rotkin
With the passing of Mike Rotkin, a giant in the Santa Cruz community for decades, Lookout invites readers to submit tributes and memories.