A curious reader asked Lookout why cows graze at Arana Gulch, a city-owned park north of the Santa Cruz Harbor. The search for an answer led to a group tasked with saving an endangered species.
Today’s Top Story
A significant story with interest across the county
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A DHS vehicle spotted on Mission Street caused panic on social media. Only, it wasn’t ICE.
The false alarm over the DHS vehicle reflects a heightened state of vigilance that has persisted in the county since the Trump administration announced aggressive immigration enforcement policies, making even routine sightings of federal vehicles a source of community anxiety.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Summer’s here (almost): Your quick guide to a summer of fun in Santa Cruz County
Summertime is on the horizon and, lest you’ve forgotten, Santa Cruz County is chock full of fun activities from fine art to family frolics. We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to Santa Cruz County’s biggest festivals, shows, and events through September 2025.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A popular Santa Cruz Facebook page played a political April Fool’s joke on its 73,000 members. Then came the fallout.
A name change prank on Santa Cruz’s biggest Facebook group by one of its own administrators quickly went awry, fueling long-simmering tensions that the page had grown too political since the 2024 election.
Posted inFood & Drink
Santa Cruz wineries say Trump’s tariffs will ‘wreck’ industry and stifle small businesses
Local wineries in Santa Cruz are grappling with the fallout from President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which have led to canceled international orders and rising costs for materials. Winery owners argue that the tariffs will hurt smaller businesses and fail to boost domestic wine sales, further exacerbating the industry’s already dire struggles.
Posted inEducation
Trump administration cancels three UC Santa Cruz student visas
UC Santa Cruz officials announced on Sunday that the Trump administration canceled the F-1 records of three international students. UCSC joins a list of California universities that in the past week learned about the federal government’s cancellation of dozens of student visas.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Fact check: Cutting through the fog of competing affordable housing petitions in the city of Santa Cruz
In a city grappling with housing affordability, two rival ballot measures have emerged in Santa Cruz: one backed by the mayor, another by real estate interests. What are the differences between the competing petitions claiming to raise money for affordable housing?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
At January 6 event in Salinas, America’s political chasm takes center stage
Six of the men convicted then pardoned for crimes involving the Jan. 6, 2021, events at the U.S. Capitol came to Salinas on Thursday, to a small band of supporters and a loud chorus of detractors.
Posted inCapitola & Soquel
After town hall, Capitola councilmembers prepare to vote on contested Park Ave. trail proposal
A town hall meeting on Wednesday night brought more than 100 people to New Brighton Middle School to hear county and Regional Transportation Commission staff discuss Capitola-specific issues with the Coastal Rail Trail and passenger rail projects. The particularly contentious Park Avenue trail option was one of the main focuses, and city councilmembers are looking toward an April 17 vote on the project after delaying a decision in February.
Posted inLatest News
Second victim in Santa Cruz Mountains double homicide identified by family, friends
Friends and family identified the second body found in a pickup truck near Castle Rock State Park as Colter White, 54, of Boulder Creek. Relatives previously identified 45-year-old Sean Pfeffer, also of Boulder Creek, as one of two victims found in the truck March 24. Investigators are treating the deaths as a double homicide. Pfeffer’s sister told Lookout the two men were “best friends.”