Looking back at 2021: October-December

Welcome to the final installation of our year-end look of the top headlines in Santa Cruz County. Though the days started to get longer and the weather cooler, news in our region continued to heat up. Look below at some of the biggest issues making news in the past three months.

October 2021

October marked a month of change: Andy Mills announced he would be leaving as Santa Cruz’s police chief, the city named Matt Huffaker as its next city manager, and UC Santa Cruz’s College Ten will be now named after the civil rights icon John Lewis. In addition, several hot-button issues worked their way through local government: the proposed Cruz Hotel, the 831 Water Street development and the RV ordinance among them. Click the links with the photos below for October’s big stories.

November 2021

November was a good one for foodies. Owners of the Drunk Monkeys food truck announced they would be taking over the old Saturn Cafe building; drama abounded at Cafe Gratitude. Health officials (again) mandated masks, and a truly tiny home in Seabright got a $1 million offer. And, despite the concerns of neighbors and local officials countywide, a man with a sexually violent past was cleared to live in Bonny Doon. Click the links with the photos below for November’s big stories.

December 2021

The end of the year brought rain, a bit of flooding but a lot of hope. It marked the launch of our “Unsung Santa Cruz” series, which highlighted regular people who do amazing things. Lookout also published an in-depth piece about the inequities in professional surfing between men and women, provided context regarding our local vaccine rates, and kept readers up to date on the impacts of weather on both the housed and the unhoused. Click the links with the photos below for December’s big stories.