Two former employees of Soif Wine Bar and Merchant are moving closer to opening their new wine bar and retail shop in the former home of Caffe Pergolesi in downtown Santa Cruz. The project faces a hearing before a city committee next month.
Today’s Top Story
A significant story with interest across the county
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County plan to demolish abandoned, oversized vehicles stalls amid homeless concerns
Santa Cruz County’s effort to clear abandoned cars and RVs stalled Tuesday after backlash to a proposal letting tow companies immediately dismantle vehicles, raising concerns about displacing homeless residents relying on them.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
What to know before visiting the newly opened Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument
Here’s what you need to know about the 9 miles of trails that opened up at Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, just north of Davenport.
Posted inLatest News
A walk in new Big Basin, five years post-CZU: Signs of rebirth amid California lilac, huckleberries and ‘Dr. Seuss trees’
To a large degree, the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains have survived and are thriving in the wake of 2020’s CZU fire. We vulnerable humans often take comfort in the power of ecosystems to adapt and survive. But, scientists believe, we should probably stop short before declaring that all is fine in the world of California’s redwoods.
Posted inEducation
Massive UCSC student housing project delayed at least one year as campus grapples with housing shortage
The construction of UC Santa Cruz’s 2,900-bed Heller Drive student housing project, a key part of the long-delayed and controversial Student Housing West development, has been pushed back to 2027 and is now slated to be completed during the 2029-30 school year.
Posted inHousing & Development
Downtown Plan Expansion — with 1,600 new housing units and pathway to new Santa Cruz Warriors arena — wins state’s OK
The California Coastal Commission has signed off on Santa Cruz’s Downtown Plan Expansion, clearing the way for taller buildings, up to 1,600 new housing units and a potential new Santa Cruz Warriors arena south of Laurel Street.
Posted inHousing & Development
Eight-story, 178-unit Clocktower Center clears final vote, capping Santa Cruz’s most polarizing development battle
The Santa Cruz City Council approved Workbench’s scaled-down Clocktower Center project — originally hailed by its developers as something “Santa Cruz hasn’t seen.” The vote ends more than a year of fierce public debate and cements the controversial development as a high-profile product of California’s pro-housing state laws.
Posted inLatest News
Think you know how to recycle? A tour of Santa Cruz’s sorting facility reveals otherwise
A look inside the City of Santa Cruz’s recycling center reveals uncomfortable truths about America’s plastic waste crisis, where nearly a third of recycled items ultimately end up headed to the landfill.
Posted inLatest News
Beyond ‘dog catcher’: Santa Cruz County’s animal control officers have become lifelines for pets and people alike
Animal control officers in Santa Cruz County have evolved beyond their traditional “dog catcher” stereotype to provide a range of services, including welfare checks, dangerous dog situations and bridging the gap between law enforcement and vulnerable populations.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz to open idle rail line to pedestrians, cyclists during Murray Street Bridge closure
Santa Cruz transportation officials agreed Thursday to explore using an existing railroad bridge next to the Murray Street Bridge as a temporary path for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the harbor during the extended bridge closure, though some fear the move could derail plans to use the tracks for a future passenger train.