The craft beer industry has plateaued since the boom years of the 2010s, but despite brewery closures making national and local headlines, the industry is still growing slowly in Santa Cruz County and beyond. As consumer preferences have changed and expanded to include non-beer beverages and entertainment, meeting those demands while staying true to each brewery’s ethos is the key to succeeding in today’s market.
Today’s Top Story
A significant story with interest across the county
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Ask Lookout: How did the Grateful Dead’s archive end up in Santa Cruz?
It’s probably not what you think when you think Santa Cruz and the Dead. In fact, it is a twisting tale of luck, circuitous connections and an offer that couldn’t be refused, with long-time Santa Cruzan John Leopold smack in the middle of it.
Posted inFood & Drink
California’s new service fee ban takes effect today: How it will affect your bill at bars and restaurants
A new California law regulating service fees – mandatory charges often calculated as a percentage of the total before tax – went into effect statewide Monday. It will require food service businesses like restaurants and bars to state any service fees upfront, alongside an explanation of where the money is going. These fees became popular at restaurants in the wake of the pandemic and are often said to support employee benefits like health care and wages.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Summer guide: Your top events in the Santa Cruz summer
From music, beer, art and wine festivals to an array of entertainment at the Beach Boardwalk, ambitious productions on local stages and annual traditions like the Wharf to Wharf race, summer options are virtually endless in Santa Cruz County (and beyond).
Posted inLatest News
Mountain Charlie nightmare: Santa Cruz Mountains residents isolated by road failures still seeking answers
Since Feb. 29, Mountain Charlie Road, which stretches toward the northern boundary of Santa Cruz County, has been cut off by a major landslide. Despite desperation from residents, county, state and federal officials have until now offered few solutions – and a fix could take three to five years.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County’s ‘Shark Park’ has been especially active this year — perfect for shark tours
Over the past 10 years, an area of Soquel Cove between New Brighton State Beach and Rio Del Mar has earned the title “Shark Park” due to the increasingly high number of juvenile white sharks spotted in its waters during the summer months. This year, though, researchers have seen a ton of sharks, even for Shark Park — and they have some thoughts as to why that might be happening.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Santa Cruz County COVID rates highest in over a year. Here’s what you can do.
COVID is surging in Santa Cruz County, with the highest level of transmission seen so far this year, along with higher prevalence in wastewater and slightly more hospitalizations. Summer surges are expected at this stage in the pandemic — but could be worsened by low vaccination uptake and new, infectious subvariants.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘It’s just craziness’: As Santa Cruz Mountains wildfire season begins, proposed camping policy unnerves residents
Santa Cruz County officials publicly struggled through the most recent budget process due to the increasing cost and frequency of natural disasters. Now, as insurance companies drop thousands of residents due to increased wildfire risk, the board of supervisors will consider a new camping program that fire protection officials say will make the county more vulnerable to wildfires.
Posted inFood & Drink
Hot dog! Here’s where to enjoy the best hot dogs of the summer in Santa Cruz County
Hot dogs are an iconic summer meal, and in Santa Cruz County, six hot dog vendors plus one café are offering fresh takes on the classic all year long. Lily Belli tried them all, and brings a recommendation from each.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
What might ‘the Latino century’ mean to Santa Cruz and the country? A conversation with political strategist Mike Madrid
In “The Latino Century: How America’s Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy,” veteran Republican Mike Madrid likens the American political struggle as a footrace between an emerging and hopeful, largely Latino generation and an older, privileged, largely white generation with a bleak view of the future. The Lincoln Project co-founder will talk about it July 8 at Bookshop Santa Cruz.