Pacific Elementary Superintendent Eric Gross is pitching an ambitious plan to purchase and redevelop the long-shuttered 172-acre Davenport cement plant into a new school campus with workforce housing and public safety facilities, backed by an anonymous local philanthropist willing to fund the acquisition and cleanup.
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A significant story with interest across the county
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Ryan Coonerty announces run for Santa Cruz mayor, reentering electoral politics
About three years after he wrapped up his second term as District 3 county supervisor, longtime Santa Cruz politico Ryan Coonerty returns to electoral politics with a run for Santa Cruz mayor in 2026. He previously held the mayor position in 2008 and 2011, when it was a ministerial, rotating term among city councilmembers.
Posted inFood & Drink
Sudden ‘temporary’ closure at Jeffery’s sparks questions, hope about reopening longtime restaurant
Jeffery’s, the nearly 50-year-old diner at Capitola Road and Soquel Avenue, abruptly closed Jan. 28, leaving longtime customers searching for answers. A staff member suggested the restaurant has been sold and will reopen. The owner declined to comment. Public records say nothing about a sale.
Posted inEducation
Watsonville teacher placed on leave after making pro-ICE comment on social media
Lookout spoke with Sarai Jimenez, the teacher who in January posted a pro-ICE comment on social media, prompting a flurry of angry posts on Watsonville internet groups. Pajaro Valley Unified administrators declined to comment, but parents at the school where she taught until last month say they’re shocked and unsettled.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Watsonville hires ‘matchmaker’ to spur economic development
Watsonville is working with an Alabama-based retail consultant to bring national retailers and restaurants to spur economic development in the city and provide local shopping options for residents.
Posted inLatest News
Holding the line: What’s happening with salmon in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County’s salmon population faces a variety of threats, but scientists and habitat restoration groups point to the fish’s resilience, bolstered by decades of monitoring and an expanding web of restoration efforts.
Posted inFood & Drink
Bad Animal’s next act: Global French bistro cuisine offers glimpses of a chef on the rise
Bad Animal ended its acclaimed Hanloh pop-up in December and brought its kitchen in-house, tapping former chef de cuisine Nick Hahn to lead the downtown Santa Cruz restaurant. While his precise, produce-driven dishes show clear promise and technical confidence, the opening menu feels like an early chapter — polished and wine-friendly, but still searching for the sense of surprise that defines the space.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Despite partial Murray Street Bridge reopening, businesses continue to hurt
H&H Fresh Fish Co. in the Santa Cruz Harbor has seen an uptick in customers since the city reopened the Murray Street Bridge to eastbound traffic last week. But businesses on the west side of the bridge continue to suffer almost a year into the three-year construction project, and say they’ve lost faith that the city is listening.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Q&A: Matt Mahan on how growing up in Watsonville shaped run for California governor
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who was raised in Watsonville, says his working-class upbringing in the Pajaro Valley — shaped by immigrant farmworker communities, Catholic schooling and parents who lived paycheck to paycheck — informs his bid for California governor.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Former county supervisor John Leopold wins Grammy as executive producer of zydeco tribute album to legend Clifton Chenier
Former Santa Cruz County supervisor John Leopold made his debut at the top of the music industry on Sunday, winning a Grammy as the executive producer of a tribute album to Clifton Chenier, a giant in zydeco dance music originating from Louisiana.