Known for its scenic patio overlooking the Watsonville airport runway, Ella’s at the Airport closed suddenly this week after 10 years in business. The restaurant was the site of romantic dinners, community fundraisers – and, more recently, a public protest against a pro-Trump viewing party.
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 inLatest News
‘Turn this tide of tyranny’: Monterey Bay elected officials underline support for immigrant communities amid raid pressure
Leaders from Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties gathered in Salinas on Wednesday to reaffirm their commitment to support immigrant communities as the Trump administration continues conducting immigration raids across California and the United States.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California Republicans hate government ‘overreach.’ Most are quiet on Trump’s military in L.A.
California Republicans who agreed to speak with CalMatters endorsed President Donald Trump’s military deployment in Los Angeles as necessary to save the state from its Democratic leadership.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I survived a mass shooting — Project 2025 spoke to my fear, then betrayed it
Emma Tipping survived a 2019 mass shooting but suffered long-term trauma that still affects her. Her healing journey led her to the Santa Cruz Feminist Society. The group read Project 2025 together and initially, the promises to “protect children” resonated with her. But she quickly saw its true aim: using nostalgic rhetoric to roll back civil rights and ignore threats of gun violence.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In the Public Interest: A historic week begs the question: Who will take the reins?
Around Santa Cruz County politics & policy with Lookout correspondent Christopher Neely.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville businesses struggle as ICE raids and protests intensify across the country
Watsonville businesses, flea markets and food drives say they have seen sharp decline as immigration raids intensify nationwide, forcing immigrant community members to avoid busy public places.
Posted inCommentary
After Saturday’s nationwide wave of protest, it’s time for a new Woodstock to unite America
After the nationwide “No Kings” political rallies, it’s time for the anti-authoritarians in the entertainment world to step up, with a concert so game-changing that people will be talking about 50 years from now.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Faris Sabbah: My family fled the Iraqi dictatorship; I’m worried about what Trump’s America is teaching our youth
Faris Sabbah, Santa Cruz County’s superintendent of schools, fled Iraq at age 9 and is worried about the growing authoritarian tactics he sees in the U.S. He draws chilling parallels between his life under Saddam Hussein and current government immigration crackdowns.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Don’t be confused by RFK Jr.’s federal COVID-19 vaccine policy – protect yourself and your loved ones by getting vaccinated
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that the agency will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children, adults under 65 or pregnant women shocked the medical community and contradicted long-standing scientific consensus and public health protocols, writes retired Santa Cruz physician Jeoffry B. Gordon.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
At ‘No Kings’ protests in Santa Cruz and Watsonville, flags and slogans take on new dimension
As many as 8,000 people attended the Santa Cruz event and about 1,500 turned out in Watsonville on Saturday. Organized by local chapters of activist organization Indivisible, the rallies were among hundreds across the U.S. to protest a military parade in Washington on President Trump’s birthday, along with a federal immigration crackdown and the decision to send National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.