The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency over food insecurity Tuesday and approved a $500,000 donation to Second Harvest Food Bank, as federal food aid delays from the ongoing government shutdown leave thousands without assistance. Other local governments and organizations also pledged to help fund the effort, for a total of more than $1 million.
The Trump presidency and Santa Cruz County
News and opinion coverage of reaction in Santa Cruz County to the election of Donald Trump to a second term as president, plus news from around California via Lookout’s content partners.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In the Public Interest: Santa Cruz County’s RV demolition plan tests the limits of California’s homelessness enforcement
What’s happening this week around Santa Cruz County politics & policy, courtesy of Lookout correspondents, plus stories you might have missed.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Where to get free meals and groceries in Santa Cruz County if CalFresh benefits expire
Lookout assembled a list of several Santa Cruz County nonprofits, organizations and restaurants that are helping to fill the gap by offering free meals, groceries and other services to those who lose food assistance.
Posted inLatest News
Head Start child care program for low-income families closes temporarily due to government shutdown
A federally funded Head Start child care program run by Encompass Community Services has temporarily closed due to the ongoing government shutdown, leaving 250 children without care and 91 staff members out of work. Encompass partnered with Pajaro Valley Unified School District to offer limited temporary placements while awaiting the program’s reopening.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Federal shutdown could leave 35,000 Santa Cruz County residents without CalFresh as food banks brace for surging need
More than 35,000 Santa Cruz County residents could lose access to federal food assistance in November as the ongoing government shutdown halts CalFresh payments, leaving families and students scrambling for support.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County officials reviving a statewide coalition to block Trump’s offshore oil drilling plans
Santa Cruz County elected officials and activists are trying to reopen a playbook that helped safeguard Monterey Bay from offshore drilling in the 1980s amid Trump administration plans to restart oil and gas leases off the California coast as early as 2027.
Posted inLatest News
Community Bridges launches emergency fund for families facing immigration detention and separation
Amid the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown, Santa Cruz County nonprofit Community Bridges has launched a new emergency family aid fund that aims to provide up to $2,500 to households facing the detention of or separation from a loved one.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California Latinos take pride in casting ballots in person. ICE at polls could deter that
The Trump administration’s Justice Department announced on Friday that it will deploy personnel to monitor polling sites in five counties: Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside on Election Day. Fresno, Kern and Riverside counties are majority Latino.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Trump’s DOJ is sending election monitors to California with voting on Prop 50 underway
The Trump administration’s Department of Justice will deploy election monitors to five California counties on Election Day, the department announced Friday, in what it describes as an effort to “ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.” The news comes as voters are already casting ballots on Proposition 50, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to […]
Posted inVisual Story
‘No Kings’ in photos: Pictures from Saturday’s rallies across Santa Cruz County
The streets of Santa Cruz and Watsonville were filled with protesters on Saturday for “No Kings” rallies against Trump administration policies. Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud was on hand to capture the scene in both cities.
