Quick Take

In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko has an update on Santa Cruz County Bank’s rebranding, a Driscoll's court battle, and Joby’s latest milestone.

Each week, we’re taking a closer look at the movers and shakers, the growth of industries, and what’s really driving the Santa Cruz County economy. I’ll be spotlighting some of the biggest areas for opportunity, updates on local development and all things underpinning the regional business scene each Wednesday.

Got ideas? Send them my way to news@lookoutlocal.com with “Business News” in the subject line.

Santa Cruz County Bank officially becomes West Coast Community Bank

Santa Cruz County Bank rebrands as West Coast Community Bank. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County Bank is now officially West Coast Community Bank, following last year’s merger with Salinas-based 1st Capital Bank. The new name reflects the combined entity’s expanded geographic footprint across 10 branches in four counties – Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey. The bank remains headquartered in Santa Cruz and leaders say customers will get the same service they’re accustomed to. 

“Nothing is really changing except our business cards,” said Krista Snelling, president and CEO of West Coast Community Bank. “We will continue our focus on high technology, high-touch service.”

Krista Snelling, president and CEO of Santa Cruz County Bank. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County Bank, founded in 2004, operated eight branches – five in Santa Cruz County, two in Monterey County and one in Santa Clara County – prior to the merger. 1st Capital was operating three branches in Monterey County and one each in San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz. Following the merger, 1st Capital’s branch near Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz was closed and operations were consolidated at the two banks’ branches in Monterey and Salinas. The bank consolidated operations with limited staff reductions, and Snelling said no additional layoffs are planned. Employee headcount grew from 150 to 220 following the merger of the two banks. 

The combined company will now have expanded lending capacity. While Santa Cruz County Bank could make loans of up to $60 million to a single borrower, that number is expected to be closer to $80-85 million now. The bigger size will also help the bank offer access to new products, including a new online banking system, and will enable them to bring in bigger business accounts. 

In the meantime, customers’ account and card numbers remain the same, with new debit cards to be issued in the coming months. 

ICYMI: Case involving alleged patent infringement of Driscoll’s strawberries stalls

Driscoll’s CEO Soren Bjorn holding blackberries at Watsonville’s Cassin Ranch. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

A federal judge has effectively ended a lawsuit filed by Watsonville-headquartered Driscoll’s, Inc. accusing an independent plant breeding company of patent infringement.

Driscoll’s filed a suit against California Berry Cultivars in 2019, alleging the company infringed upon patents for four Driscoll’s strawberry varieties. At issue was whether California Berry Cultivars used patented strawberry varieties in its breeding program in Spain. 

Late last month, a U.S. District Court judge issued what’s known as a motion for summary judgment, essentially finding no evidence for the case to proceed to trial and dismissing the charges. See more here.

Ch-ch-changes: Openings, closings and other developments

Joby Aviation at a launch of a production line aircraft in Marina in June.
Joby Aviation at a launch of a production line aircraft in Marina in June. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz
  • H&H Fresh Fish Co. to open second location: A new location of H&H Fresh Fish Co. is set to open on the westside of Santa Cruz this summer, nearly two decades after its flagship store on the Santa Cruz Harbor opened. If all goes to plan, co-owner Hans Haveman said the satellite store could open in the Swift Street complex as soon as June.
  • Joby Aviation marks 40,000 miles flown: Joby Aviation officials announced that the company has now surpassed 40,000 miles flown across its fleet of electric air taxis. That includes flying in three different countries as the company continues toward its goal of launching commercial passenger service, which it aims to do as soon as later this year or early 2026. The company is currently halfway through the fourth stage of certification with the Federal Aviation Administration.
  • Parallel Flight Technologies collaborating with Virginia company: La Selva Beach-based Parallel Flight Technologies will work with MAG Aerospace, a military contractor, to expand the use of drones for defense, logistics, emergency response and search-and-rescue operations. Parallel Flight is the maker of Firefly, a special type of drone that combines heavy lifting and long duration, designed for use in firefighting, health care and more. MAG Aerospace provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services and training.
  • New role for Santa Cruz’s economic development and housing director: Bonnie Lipscomb, economic development and housing director for the city of Santa Cruz, was named the new deputy city manager. Lipscomb, who’s worked for the city since 2007, will work closely with Matt Huffaker, the city manager, on citywide initiatives, policy development and organizational leadership.
  • Encompass Community Services hires new CEO: Shelle Stopera is the new chief executive officer of Encompass Community Services, replacing Monica Martinez, who stepped down last year to run for Santa Cruz County supervisor in District 5. Encompass Community Services, a nonprofit organization founded in 1973, provides services in behavioral health, early childhood education, housing and substance use recovery services and more through over 40 programs countywide. Stopera has over 30 years of leadership experience in health and human services, in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.

Got hires, promotions, or departures to report? Send them to news@lookoutlocal.com with the subject line “Career changes.”

What’s new on the Lookout Job Board

Want more? Browse all openings on our Job Board.

Hiring? Post your job today!

Save the date 

  • Thursday, April 10: The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting a business expo and job fair at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Register here.
  • Thursday, April 10: The Aptos Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting at 12 p.m. for Sandcastle Toys, a new toy store located at 9099 Soquel Dr., Cottage #2, in Aptos. This is the store’s second location; they also operate a store in Capitola. 
  • Thursday, April 10: The Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a business after-hours event at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Registration and details here.
  • Thursday, April 17: The Aptos Chamber of Commerce will host its next luncheon with executives from Joby Aviation, who will discuss the company’s efforts and next steps. The event takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Seascape Golf Club in Aptos. Tickets are $35 and reservations are required. Call 831-688-1467. More details available here.
  • Thursday, May 1: The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership will hold the 2025 Regional Economic Outlook from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Seascape Golf Club in Aptos. The keynote speaker is economist Jon Haveman, principal with Marin Economic Consulting, which provides reports for government agencies and economic development organizations. More details here.
  • Thursday, May 1: The Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce will host a “state of the city” meeting with Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Dream Inn, 175 West Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz. Tickets are $55 and are available here.
  • Monday, May 19: The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership will bring together local leaders, elected officials, community members and tech leaders for the 2025 Regional Broadband Summit from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Seascape Golf Club in Aptos. Speakers include Santa Cruz County CIO Tammie Weigl, Etheric Networks CEO and Co-founder Alexander Hagan and Jacqueline Leon, marketing and programs manager for Loaves, Fishes, and Computers. Tickets are $49 for MBEP members; $79 for non-members. Register here.
  • Wednesday, May 21: The 8th annual Santa Cruz Launchpad career fair and student pitch competition will be held at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom. The student pitch competition takes place from noon to 4 p.m. with the job fair following at 5 p.m. to 7  p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is requested. All undergraduate students at Cabrillo College or UC Santa Cruz are eligible to apply for the pitch competition; applications are due April 21.

Add your business or networking events to Lookout’s free public calendar, BOLO. Click here to add your event.

Business news worth reading

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

Jessica M. Pasko has been writing professionally for almost two decades. She cut her teeth in journalism as a reporter for the Associated Press in her native Albany, New York, where she covered everything...