Roaring Camp will be the scene Sept. 15-17 for the Santa Cruz Mountain Sol Festival, where the big names include Jewel, Ben Harper and Burning Spear. And you can even take the train there from Santa Cruz.
San Lorenzo Valley
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Field begins to coalesce in races for three Santa Cruz County supervisor seats
Incumbent Manu Koenig is facing a challenge from pro-rail Lani Faulkner in District 1, while the retirement of Zach Friend in District 2 has so far seen three candidates — Kristen Brown, Kimberly De Serpa and Douglas Deitch — file paperwork. Monica Martinez and Christopher Bradford are running to replace Bruce McPherson in District 5, with Sheriff Jim Hart still seen as a possible candidate.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Sex offender Michael Cheek denied transient release in Santa Cruz County as efforts continue to place him
“I don’t know why my due process or liberty interest rights are not being considered here,” Michael Cheek told a Santa Cruz court Tuesday. The hearing ended with Judge Syda Cogliati denying his request for transient release, under which the state would purchase an RV for Cheek to call home. Cheek, twice convicted of rape, was cleared by state doctors in 2019 to reenter society under tight watch; Cogliati wants stakeholders to return Sept. 12 with options.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I didn’t get divine inspiration from the CZU fire — until I saw Mother Mary standing in the ashes
Landscaper Laura Leroy got jolted awake during a lightning storm that started the CZU fire on Aug. 16, 2020. She then spent 10 terrifying days wondering if her house was among the 900 that burned. She has read that lighting brings revelation, but she felt nothing divine about the tragedy until she returned to her intact home and started to help her 97-year-old client and friend resuscitate her parched garden and fruit trees. Amid the charred remains, she found something extraordinary.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Releasing convicted rapist Cheek to live in RV latest possibility in saga returning to Santa Cruz courtroom
Finding a path for convicted sex offender Michael Cheek back into the community has proved challenging, and on Tuesday, a Santa Cruz County court might consider a measure called “transient release,” under which the state would purchase a recreational vehicle for Cheek to call home. The latest hearing comes after an appeals court ruled that Cheek could not be placed in a house in Bonny Doon. Meanwhile, Cheek’s attorney has argued that continued delays are toeing the line of violating Cheek’s civil right to due process.
Posted inFood & Drink
Humble Sea Tavern in Felton abruptly closes its doors
Opened in February 2022, Humble Sea Tavern announced Tuesday that it will close permanently. The news comes as Santa Cruz-based Humble Sea Brewing Co. prepares to open a new taproom in Alameda.
Posted inFood & Drink
Lily Belli on Food: Greater Purpose closes, an Otter 841-inspired brew & pesto plenitude
Welcome to Lily Belli on Food, a weekly food-focused newsletter from Lookout’s food and drink correspondent, Lily Belli. Keep reading for the latest local food news for Santa Cruz County — plus a few fun odds and ends from my own life and around the web. Stay in touch with me by text throughout the […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County supervisors gear up to tackle housing plans, mental health courts, Pajaro River levee and CZU recovery
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors returns from its extended summer break next week. Lookout Politics and Policy correspondent Christopher Neely reached out to all five county supervisors to understand what they foresee as the priority projects and policy discussions coming before the board for the remainder of 2023.
Posted inFood & Drink
Felton’s Grove Cafe closed after a fire, expects to reopen this weekend
The Grove Cafe and Bakery will be closed for several days following a Saturday night kitchen fire. Thanks to a bystander’s quick response, the restaurant sustained only smoke damage.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Stephen Homan has a perfect record fighting for CZU survivors. But why did he have to fight at all?
Stephen Homan came out of retirement as an environmental health specialist to help a Santa Cruz County neighbor struggling to rebuild from 2020’s CZU fire. He ended up helping 50 CZU fire survivors whose rebuilds were held up by poorly understood septic regulations and improperly applied environmental health ordinances. His efforts would ultimately help lead to a near sea change in the process, making it better for everyone. And he did it all for free. Daniel DeLong marvels at Homan’s humanity — and, nearly three years after the fires started, takes a few jabs at bureaucracy and incompetence.