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Para Nora Yerena, el cierre de la unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales del Watsonville Community Hospital es algo personal.

Como doula y cofundadora de la organización sin fines de lucro Raíces y Cariño, con sede en Watsonville, Yerena trabaja con padres de familia de todo el Valle de Pájaro mientras se preparan para dar a luz. También sabe de primera mano lo que significa tener que trasladar a un recién nacido a un hospital fuera de la zona para recibir atención de mayor nivel: uno de sus hijos pasó un tiempo en una UCIN antes de que cerrara la unidad de Watsonville, lo que obligó a su familia a viajar casi 45 minutos para visitar a su bebé.

“Dejar al bebé todos los días fue el peor día de mi vida,” dijo Yerena.

Ahora, mientras la unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales del Watsonville Community Hospital supera los dos meses de cierre, Yerena dijo a Lookout que está escuchando a madres embarazadas que están considerando dar a luz en otro lugar —en Dominican Hospital, en Santa Cruz, o en Natividad Medical Center, en Salinas— porque esos hospitales cuentan con UCIN en caso de una emergencia.

Para las familias que siguen planeando dar a luz en Watsonville, el cierre añade otra capa de incertidumbre y estrés, dijo Yerena.

Nora Yerena, cofundadora de Raíces y Cariño, habla sobre sus experiencias con la cobertura de Medi-Cal en 2025. Credit: Tania Ortiz / Lookout Santa Cruz

“Es una ansiedad que está constantemente presente,” ella dijo. “Ya estás enfrentando estas otras capas de estrés, además del estrés crónico de muchas de las madres que dan a luz en el Watsonville Community Hospital.”

La unidad de cuidados intensivos del hospital, que funciona como unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales, permanece cerrada desde mediados de julio debido a la falta de personal de enfermería en la unidad de trabajo de parto y parto, según el director ejecutivo interino Tim Moran. El hospital no ha establecido una fecha para reabrir la unidad.

Las UCIN se clasifican según el nivel de atención que brindan, de manera similar a los centros de trauma. La unidad de Watsonville es de Nivel II y proporciona atención intermedia a bebés nacidos a las 32 semanas de gestación o después que pueden presentar problemas leves de respiración y alimentación. También estabiliza a bebés más prematuros —nacidos antes de las 32 semanas— antes de trasladarlos a un hospital de mayor nivel.

El cierre está teniendo repercusiones que van más allá del lugar donde las familias dan a luz, dijo Yerena. Para algunos padres, representa otra fuente de estrés durante un embarazo que ya es exigente. Para otros, decidir dar a luz en otro hospital puede significar viajes adicionales, dificultades logísticas y separación del apoyo familiar.

“Es simplemente desgarrador,” dijo Yerena.

La organización de Yerena ofrece servicios de apoyo, incluidos grupos de apoyo para padres y clases prenatales, y es sede del Tri-County Doula Hub.

Como doula, Yerena está en primera línea, conectándose con padres que se preparan para recibir a un nuevo bebé en sus familias. Su principal prioridad es asegurarse de que las familias se sientan apoyadas durante todo el proceso del embarazo.

Aunque no son profesionales médicos, las doulas complementan al equipo de salud de la madre al brindar apoyo físico y emocional a las familias con las que trabajan. Esto incluye crear un espacio seguro para conversar sobre qué hacer si el bebé necesita una evaluación médica o para tomar decisiones sobre dónde dar a luz.

Dominican, en Santa Cruz, y Natividad, en Salinas, cuentan con UCIN de Nivel III, equipadas para atender casos más críticos y bebés nacidos antes de las 32 semanas. Ambas instalaciones tienen acuerdos de transferencia de pacientes con el Watsonville Community Hospital.

Sin embargo, aunque algunos padres están optando por dar a luz en otros hospitales de la región, todavía hay muchas familias que no tienen esa posibilidad.

Yerena dijo a Lookout que las familias que siguen eligiendo dar a luz en el Watsonville Community Hospital comprenden los riesgos de sus decisiones, lo que añade otra capa de estrés.

Los estudios han demostrado que el estrés puede estar asociado con el nacimiento prematuro —antes de las 37 semanas—, la depresión posparto, la ansiedad y el sufrimiento fetal. Muchas de las mujeres que dan a luz en el Watsonville Community Hospital ya enfrentan una “cantidad increíble de estrés y dificultades” debido a sus trabajos, que a menudo están relacionados con la agricultura o los servicios, o debido a que tienen que cuidar de sus familias, dijo Yerena.

Y esto genera un efecto dominó, añadió Yerena, aumentando finalmente la probabilidad de intervenciones médicas y de una posible estancia en la UCIN.

“Todo está relacionado,” dijo Yerena. “Todo está entrelazado”.

“Ahora estamos agregando esta capa de ‘¿Qué pasa si mi bebé necesita atención hospitalaria después del nacimiento? ¿Qué pasa si necesita la UCIN? ¿A dónde se van a llevar a mi bebé?’” dijo Yerena.

Las madres cuyos bebés están en la UCIN presentan tasas más altas de depresión posparto que las mujeres que dan a luz a bebés sanos. Los padres que se encuentran en esta situación suelen estar separados de sus bebés, lo que puede limitar las oportunidades de pasar el tiempo tan necesario entre la madre y su bebé y puede resultar estresante, tanto física como emocionalmente.

Sandra Morioka, una enfermera jubilada de la UCIN del Watsonville Community Hospital, dijo a Lookout que el cierre prolongado ha creado dificultades para las familias, especialmente aquellas con menos recursos, que tienen que viajar para visitar a su bebé en un hospital fuera de Watsonville.

“Estamos hablando de tres horas al día yendo y viniendo, además de cuidar a la familia y a los niños que están aquí y que también tienen que atender,” dijo Morioka. “Es un compromiso muy grande que tienes que asumir.”

Sandra Morioka, enfermera jubilada de la unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales (UCIN), habla en una manifestación celebrada en agosto contra el cierre en curso de la UCIN del Watsonville Community Hospital. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Según Yerena, lo que normalmente ayuda a las familias que necesitan la UCIN es apoyar a los padres y crear un espacio donde puedan estar con su bebé, por ejemplo, colocando una silla o encontrando un lugar donde puedan descansar.

Los bebés terminan saliendo antes de la UCIN cuando están junto a sus padres, dijo Yerena.

“Se recuperan más rápido. Necesitan menos intervenciones y disminuyen las tasas de trastornos posparto y de ansiedad,” dijo Yerena.

El cierre de la UCIN también plantea otra preocupación para Yerena: la sostenibilidad del hospital.

“Si tenemos a un montón de personas que están eligiendo no dar a luz [en el Watsonville Community Hospital], eso representa ingresos adicionales que no están llegando al hospital,” dijo Yerena.

Aproximadamente el 31% de los bebés nacidos en el condado de Santa Cruz nacen en el Watsonville Community Hospital, ligeramente por encima del 29% que nace en Dominican Hospital. En promedio, el hospital atiende 60 partos al mes y, en julio, reportó 70 partos.

Morioka, quien participó en una manifestación a finales de agosto para protestar contra el cierre de la UCIN, dijo que “es realmente fundamental” contar con la unidad porque “nunca se sabe cuándo llegará alguien que necesite atención de emergencia.”

Moran dijo a Lookout por correo electrónico que su principal preocupación es la seguridad de las madres, no el volumen de pacientes. Todo bebé que nace en el hospital es evaluado por un pediatra de Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital de Stanford para determinar “dónde puede recibir la atención necesaria.”

Tim Moran, director ejecutivo interino del Watsonville Community Hospital. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Si un bebé se encuentra en “una fase aguda de sufrimiento,” dijo Moran, el hospital solicitaría un traslado en helicóptero, y añadió que esta situación es poco frecuente.

“Es triste para nosotros porque sabemos que podríamos atender a muchos de esos bebés,” dijo Morioka. “Y aquí, en el Watsonville Community Hospital, con todos nuestros médicos especializados y nuestra experiencia, podríamos hacerlo aquí, en casa.”

Moran dijo a Lookout que no existe un plazo establecido para la reapertura de la unidad.

Lisa Whitney, enfermera a cargo de trabajo de parto y parto, dijo que es frustrante que la dirección del hospital no haya compartido con ellos un calendario para la reapertura. Ella se unió a Morioka y a decenas de otras enfermeras y miembros de la comunidad en la manifestación del mes pasado para presionar a Moran y a otros dirigentes del hospital para que vuelvan a abrir la UCIN.

La falta de un plazo también hace que enfermeras como Whitney sospechen que podría haber un cierre permanente en el futuro, aunque la dirección del hospital afirma que el cierre es temporal.

“Todo lo que hemos escuchado es que no hay ningún plan para un cierre permanente y que volverá a abrir una vez que haya suficiente personal estable,” dijo Whitney. “Entonces, ¿cuál es el plan para lograrlo?”

En una reunión especial de la junta directiva del hospital la semana pasada, el personal informó que el cierre definitivo tanto de la UCIN como de las unidades de trabajo de parto y parto es una posible solución para garantizar que el centro pueda seguir abierto.

Julie Peterson, directora financiera del hospital, dijo a la junta que la UCIN pierde aproximadamente $53,000 al día, o cerca de $2 millones al año. También añadió que el volumen de pacientes en ambas unidades ha disminuido en 2026.

“Hemos estado evaluando y escuchando todos los comentarios sobre el impacto en los pacientes y en la comunidad,” dijo Peterson. “Reconocemos que será un desafío mantener cualquier tipo de relación positiva con la comunidad ante una decisión de este tipo.”

No se ha presentado ante la junta directiva del hospital ninguna propuesta formal para cerrar permanentemente ambas unidades.

Mientras continúa el cierre temporal, Yerena dijo que tiene muchas preocupaciones, principalmente por los efectos inmediatos sobre los bebés y las madres de la comunidad.

“Sabemos que si la salud mental de un padre, y más específicamente de quien está dando a luz, no está bien, la salud del bebé también se ve afectada,” dijo Yerena. Para garantizar que los bebés de nuestra comunidad prosperen, necesitan tener padres saludables, dijo Yerena.

Pero Yerena también se pregunta qué está ocurriendo en los hospitales a los que se trasladan los bebés y qué impacto podría tener esto en esas instalaciones. Si los padres eligen dar a luz en otros lugares, eso podría sobrecargar a otros centros médicos.

Las enfermeras que participaron en la manifestación del mes pasado también expresaron preocupaciones similares y calificaron el cierre temporal como una “pendiente resbaladiza” que podría provocar una brecha en la atención de algunas de las poblaciones más vulnerables y potencialmente crear “desiertos de atención materna,” es decir, áreas que carecen de servicios de atención médica materna.

“Esto simplemente seguirá afectando la atención médica,” dijo Yerena.

The post La unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales Watsonville Community Hospital sigue cerrada, aumentando la ansiedad entre las familias que esperan un bebé appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Kaiser Permanente Arena erupted with screams, slams and cheers as World Elite Sumo brought California’s first televised sumo wrestling event to Santa Cruz. Photojournalist Kevin Painchaud takes a peek behind the scenes and onto the mat as 12 wrestlers battled for the championship.

This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for its daily newsletter.

For many students, UC Santa Cruz’s picturesque campus plays a major part in their decision to attend the university.

The campus is built in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, meaning it sits on an upward slope, gaining around 512 feet in elevation. Students entering campus often must trudge through dirt paths shaded by giant redwood trees and climb up steep hills or stairs to get to the next destination.

But for students such as Annie Kepler, a cancer survivor who uses a wheelchair, navigating the sprawling campus is a much more arduous experience — so much so that it’s left the fourth-year microbiology major feeling “defeated.” 

“UCSC loves to boast about diversity, but they never include disability in that,” Kepler said. 

UCSC’s Disability Resource Center reported serving more than 3,800 students in the 2021-2022 academic year, ranging from physical to neurological disabilities. 

From academic accommodations to physical support, spaces on campus work to provide aid for students with disabilities, university officials said. Scott Hernandez-Jason, the assistant vice chancellor for communications and marketing at UCSC, said the university has made efforts to create an inclusive environment.

“While many students successfully access services, accessibility remains an ongoing process rather than a static goal,” Hernandez-Jason said in an email. “We are dedicated to making sure student voices are heard as we work toward greater inclusion and equitable access.” 

“UC Santa Cruz opened in 1965 and was constructed under the building standards of the time,” Hernandez-Jason added.

As the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990, he said, institutions “expanded efforts to make their facilities accessible to people with disabilities.” This included making “improving campus accessibility a goal within all of our major construction and renovation projects.”

But longstanding accessibility challenges have given Kepler and other students with disabilities the impression that the university does not recognize disability and mobility as a priority. 

“There is this fundamental issue that the physical space that we’re in is not accessible,” she said. “This campus was not designed with accessibility in mind, and there isn’t much you can do to change that infrastructure.”

Getting around UC Santa Cruz

In her first year, Kepler was assigned to a triple dorm room in College 9, a residential college located in the upper portion of the campus. Her room was under 200 square feet. She struggled to find a space where she could store her wheelchair and found it difficult to visit her friends on the second or third floors without subjecting herself to physical pain. 

“I learned pretty quickly that I just shouldn’t bother using my wheelchair here,” Kepler said. 

The ADA-required push plates in her building would not work at times, she said, and she felt embarrassed when others watched her struggle to open the door. 

Ruby Mihalko, a community studies major and theater arts minor at UCSC, also found it hard to get around campus on crutches after injuring her ankle.

Mihalko lived in a third-floor dorm, which did not have an elevator. It took around 10 days to gain access to a first-floor dorm; she relied on friends to help her use the stairs when coming or going.

Kepler was able to bring her car onto campus in her first year for more mobility. UCSC students with a valid Department of Motor Vehicles placard are allowed to park in specified parking spots for free. 

Mihalko, who does not own a vehicle, utilized the campus’ disability van service (DVS) to get around. While the service was helpful, she felt that the shuttles were understaffed. As well, the service could often get her near her destination, but she still had to find her way into the building. 

“Walking with my crutches felt very scary, going to places that [I was unfamiliar with]. I just didn’t do that because I was too scared of falling considering that every single piece of pavement on this campus is extremely different and very uneven,” Mihalko said. “It definitely created a lot of fear.” 

She said that one of her friends would sometimes even pick her up and carry her to class. 

UCSC provides housing to more than 9,300 students, less than half of the student population, meaning that many students must live off campus. Affordable housing is scarce in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, where the average price of a rental being over $2,700 a month for a two-bedroom apartment.

According to Kepler, finding a place to live is much harder when searching for specific accommodations, such as buildings with elevators or apartments with enough space for wheelchair mobility.

“It’s difficult because not everything can work for everyone,” she said. “That’s just a fact of the world, and we are the minority. We really are.” 

Apart from mobility limitations, Kepler and Mihalko also addressed the social stigma of having a disability. Both spoke about common outdoor activities in Santa Cruz, like biking, jogging, skateboarding, swimming and especially surfing.

“Part of [having a] disability is accepting the fact that there are just things you can’t do in life,” Kepler said. “Everyone makes their own individual peace with that, but it is disappointing that the campus doesn’t put more of an effort to create more accessible activities, or invite disabled students to explore those activities.” She also wished UCSC had better advertised accessible hikes, and which beaches had ramps with rental beach wheelchairs. 

‘I think there is a way to make it work’ 

Beyond the DRC and van service, the university provides Disability Management Services and staffs an ADA Compliance Office. But having faced the challenges of being a student with a disability at UCSC, Kepler took initiative to create a space, called the Zebra Club, where students can talk about their experiences and even make change for others throughout campus.

The Zebra Club meets with the DRC regularly to talk about accessibility, in hopes of making change around the campus. She said that, after meeting with university administrators, through meetings with administration, Zebra Club students felt they are trying their best to improve accessibility, but lack resources to do so. 

“I often wonder if I would have come to UCSC if I knew about how inaccessible it is,” Kepler said. “Socially, emotionally, physically — there are barriers in every single place.”

She said future students with disabilities at UC Santa Cruz should not hesitate to advocate for more accessibility changes.

“Your story is important, and you are a valuable member of the community. You’re not a burden to be accommodated.”

Bryce Chen is a fourth-year legal studies and literature student at UC Santa Cruz and a member of the EdSource California Student Journalism Corps.

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The post For students with disabilities, UC Santa Cruz campus can prove punishing to navigate appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for its newsletters.

The tension between tourists, Californians living in the state’s coastal enclaves, and the tech companies that profit from vacation rentals is coming to a boil.  

The small coastal city of Pacifica has recently become the poster child for the battle between Airbnb and the unhappy locals. Officials in Pacifica recently tried to pass rules aimed at curtailing short-term vacation rentals, only to meet unexpected stiff resistance. That led to delays and watered-down regulations that some sources attribute to Airbnb’s lobbying efforts.   

California’s coastal zone makes up just over 1% of the state’s total land area but accounts for a significant amount of Airbnb’s reported economic impact, according to the company. Airbnb says it contributed around $13.9 billion annually to the state’s gross domestic product in 2025, nearly 17% of it — almost $2.3 billion — generated from the coastal zone.

The lucrative nature of California’s coast as a tourist destination has brought Airbnb into regular conflict with the California Coastal Commission.

The commission has the ultimate say on regulatory, planning and permitting matters that affect land use and development in the 1.5 million acres of coastline designated as the coastal zone. 

Established as an independent state agency in 1972, the coastal commission was created to mitigate a rush of private development that threatened public access to the shoreline and its coastal ecosystems. The body is led by 12 appointed commissioners. The governor, the Legislature’s Senate Rules Committee and the speaker of the Assembly are in charge of appointing four commissioners each.

Airbnb has lobbied the leaders of all three legislative bodies, and Pacifica’s recent experience illustrates how that influence might be manifesting. 

“I think the reason why this is such an important issue for Pacifica is because they are the canary in the coal mine of cities in other parts of California that have become hollowed-out communities without the characters that make up the character of the city,” said Commissioner Ariel Kelly of Healdsburg. 

Pacifica residents push back  

Situated just south of San Francisco, Pacifica is home to roughly 37,000 people and is divided along Highway 1 by the coastal zone. Houses are nestled into nearly every inch of buildable land, surrounded by open space and next to a shoreline known for its surfing and the country’s most scenic Taco Bell. It is a quiet, foggy bedroom community. 

Available listings for both permitted and unpermitted Airbnbs averaged about 148 a month in 2018 and 251 by 2025, an increase of roughly 70%, according to AirDNA, a data-analytics company that tracks the short-term rental market. Over 40% of all Airbnbs in Pacifica are operated by a company, rather than an individual person.

Residents filed more than 160 complaints to the Pacifica Police Department between August 2023 and December 2025, the majority of them reporting loud parties with dozens of guests and trespassers coming onto neighboring properties. Local meetings were heated: Residents wanted stricter rules around the rentals while city officials pointed out that the city needed the taxes they generated.

Residents’ increasing complaints eventually catalyzed the city’s effort to rewrite the vacation rental rules beginning in 2022. The matter became the subject of 14 public meetings  in four years.

Pacifica officials concluded that a property with no host onsite could only be rented 60 days a year, down from 365. Short-term rental owners had to be “natural persons” and not corporations. These and other rules would cut the number of operating rentals in half by former city manager Kevin Woodhouse’s estimates. 

Pacifica is among dozens of other jurisdictions, from neighboring Half Moon Bay to Monterey County to Malibu, that have pursued similar ordinances, while Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach attempted to ban short-term rentals entirely.

A view of southern Pacifica from Beach Boulevard. Thirty-one rentals are listed as available on Airbnb for a week in October in Pacifica’s Sharp Park neighborhood, an area of less than half a square mile that includes Beach Boulevard. Credit: Kathryn Wheeler The balcony of Caitlin Quinn’s home in Pacifica. Quinn moved into her home to be close to the ocean. Credit: Kathryn Wheeler

While Pacifica implemented the ordinance in the non-coastal part of the city in October 2025, it had to undergo additional steps for the coastal commission to approve it for the coastal zone. 

The commission was scheduled to hear the ordinance in February. A staff report recommended approving it, leading Pacificans to believe the new rules would be swiftly confirmed. 

Mere minutes into the meeting, however, the vote was postponed. 

“Our agency received a significant amount of correspondence after the staff report was released to the public,” said Joshua Smith, a public information officer for the commission. “Staff felt it needed additional time to research and respond to this correspondence to adequately inform commissioners on all the points and perspectives expressed.”

Then, at April’s commission meeting, it was delayed again — this time for a year. 

About 206 pages of the total 209 pages of correspondence came from one attorney, Frank Angel, and his client, Pacifica Airbnb host Russell Jones.

Angel is a land-use attorney in Santa Monica who has carved a name for himself as the litigator behind several landmark California short-term rental lawsuits. He’s represented vacation rental owners in lawsuits against the cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Santa Ana, all of which he won. He represents a group of Monterey County residents, the Monterey County Vacation Rental Alliance, who sued the county in 2024 and the coastal commission in August, contesting the county’s recent short-term rental rules.  After his successes, Airbnb hired him as a lobbyist in 2025.

Airbnb paid Angel nearly $90,000 between Jan. 1, 2025, and March 2026 to lobby against Pacifica’s ordinance, and $75,000 to lobby against short-term rental restrictions in Monterey, according to California Secretary of State records. Airbnb reported spending more than $615,000 on state lobbying between April 2025 and June 2026, a period in which its disclosures list efforts to defeat short-term rental restrictions in Monterey County and Pacifica before the coastal commission. 

In August, the issue returned to the commission once more. This time, staff recommended that Pacifica eliminate the primary residency requirement and remove any cap on the number of nights an unhosted rental can operate. 

Those suggested changes reflected significant components of the requests Angel and Jones made to the commission in February. At the August meeting, commission spokesperson Smith said staff did not feel the changes were substantial. 

Pacificans, and some commissioners, wholly disagreed. 

Smith would not agree to speak to CalMatters on the record. 

Caitlin Quinn has been a Pacifica resident for nearly 10 years and lives next door to a corporate-owned short-term rental whose owners have faced dozens of complaints and were recently kicked off of Airbnb as a result, but remain active on VRBO. She urged commissioners to reject recommendations in the staff report. 

Caitlin Quinn in her home in Pacifica. Quinn lives along Beach Boulevard and has filed four criminal cases against her neighbor, Marbella Lane Vacation Rentals. Credit: Kathryn Wheeler

The agency’s reversal reeked of corporate influence, Quinn said, directly undercutting its claim to being impervious to outside influence.

“You’re all thinking, feeling people, and you know what the truth is, and what the right decision is to pass this ordinance without amendment,” she told the commissioners. “I know this because I have a thing called a memory, and I remember six months ago your staff report suggested just that, and you were all poised to do it before a big tech corporation started rattling its sabers. We can be better than greed, can’t we? And we can still stand up to bullies, can’t we? I hope so.”

In the decade since short-term rentals exploded in popularity and California cities began seeing a need for ways to curb them, the commission’s decisions have broadly favored allowing restrictions on short-term rentals. While the commission has historically rejected any proposals to ban vacation rentals outright, it has almost always sided with cities — from San Diego to Pacifica’s neighbor, Half Moon Bay — that proposed capping the number of rentals and favoring rentals owners live in. 

Over the past two decades, the commission’s decisions reveal this trend. The commission’s votes have also favored rules that regulate which kinds of homes can be used as rentals, seeking to preserve multifamily units, farmworker housing and accessory dwelling units as long-term rentals. 

Ordinances passed in the past decade almost universally include rules around parking, noise, property management, enforcement and transient occupancy taxes. 

But something had shifted at the August meeting on Pacifica.

This time, commission staff appeared uncharacteristically worried. Dan Carl, the North Central Coast District director at the commission, said the points made in the flood of correspondence were legitimate and concerning. Those points came almost entirely from Angel and his client, Jones, who argued that Pacifica’s restrictions violate the Coastal Act by restricting visitor access.

“To have [staff’s] recommendation come out in February, and then be rescinded is just unprecedented in my professional experience,” City Manager Sean Charpentier told the commissioners. “During 20-plus years in the public sector, 10 at the executive level, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The coastal commission voted, after four hours of discussion, to eliminate Pacifica’s primary residence requirement. In a separate vote, commissioners went against staff’s recommendation and agreed to cap unhosted rentals to 120 days a year, doubling the 60 days a year the city had proposed.

Jose Alvarado, Airbnb’s public policy manager, said, “The commission’s decision related to Pacifica is a win for every Californian who believes the coast belongs to everyone: not just those who can afford to live beside it.” 

Previously, the commission has appeared unmoved by the possibility of external litigation; the agency has a well-documented pattern of aggressive enforcement even as lawsuits have piled up against it. That pattern led to the commission’s legacy as an all-powerful land-use agency that has drawn the ire of both Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump. 

Regulating the ordinances is “just getting more complicated,” and as a result, “We’re getting more legal challenges,” Carl said. 

Airbnb lobbying efforts 

Deborah Sivas, director of the Stanford Environmental Law Clinic and an expert on environmental policy, said the commission’s willingness to water down the rules reflects something far more insidious. 

“It feels like right now there’s kind of this historic convergence of folks who want to try to weaken the coastal commission and pare back the Coastal Act,” she said.  

In recent years, Airbnb helped do just that, becoming one of the most influential forces working against the commission, which has historically faced lawsuits and backlash from developers. 

“Airbnb has decided it’s hard to stop short-term rental ordinances at the local level because if you’ve got some city along the coast and all their residents are up in arms about short-term rentals, it’s going to be hard for Airbnb to go in there,” Sivas said. “But if [Airbnb] can go after the commission and make the commission the bad guy, then none of their ordinances will get approved because they’ll make the commission scared.”

The company is now spending more to lobby government entities across California and the country than ever. Airbnb spent $1.09 million on federal lobbying in 2025, up from $260,000 just 10 years prior, according to Open Secrets, a website that tracks data on campaign finance, lobbying and how money influences American politics. 

In its $615,000 spent on lobbying in the 2025-26 legislative session, Airbnb reported spending some of that money specifically to influence “Coastal Commission Appointees,” according to public lobbyist filings, although the exact amount is not clear. 

Sivas said spending that much money lobbying is an effective strategy and “it’s pretty easy” to influence who gets appointed, thereby shifting policy toward regulations that serve Airbnb.

The view of the neighboring Airbnb from Caitlin Quinn’s home in Pacifica. The rental often has loud, late-night parties that can be heard inside Quinn’s house. Credit: Kathryn Wheeler A security camera hangs below the balcony of Caitlin Quinn’s home. Quinn installed security cameras on her property pointed towards the vacation rental to capture the violations she has reported for years. Credit: Kathryn Wheeler A “Quiet Zone” sign near the entrance of a vacation rental in Pacifica. Marbella Lane Vacation Rentals erected the sign to try to curb noise violations. Credit: Kathryn Wheeler

Airbnb has also directed significant campaign contributions to the leaders of the three legislative bodies that appoint coastal commissioners. Newsom has received nearly $500,000 from Airbnb and its employees toward the campaigns and committees he’s controlled, Secretary of State filings show. 

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Democrat from Hollister who is in charge of appointing four of the commissioners, received $22,800 — reaching the legal maximum limit per election — from Airbnb between 2023 and 2026. Four months after she was elected, Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón, whose Rules Committee appoints four more commissioners, received $9,800 from Airbnb for her 2030 state controller campaign. 

Airbnb has given more than $1.2 million to the campaigns of California state lawmakers and candidates since 2014, according to state campaign finance records. Nearly half of those donations have come since the start of 2025, as the company fought short-term rental restrictions before the coastal commission. It has given another $370,000 to ballot measure campaigns.

Alvarado acknowledged Airbnb’s increasing reach into government affairs. “To date, we’ve partnered with over 1,000 governments around the world to support common sense rules for short-term rentals.” 

Airbnb influence outside Pacifica

Even California cities that thought they had successfully curbed short-term rentals are now facing substantial legal challenges. Southern California’s Hermosa Beach banned short-term rentals citywide in 2016, including in its coastal zone. In March 2026, residents represented by Angel won a lawsuit to reverse that ban, allowing Airbnbs to operate in coastal Hermosa Beach.

Airbnb also began not just backing but spearheading policy initiatives. 

In 2024, Airbnb developed a  “housing council,” which supports pro-affordable housing efforts and measures to loosen restrictions on building housing. The company has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to housing policy organizations like Up for Growth and YIMBY Action. YIMBY Action now supports fewer restrictions on short-term rentals, despite concerns that rentals further strain California’s housing stock. 

Airbnb also funneled roughly $17.6 million into its own political committee to fund the Save Our Services campaign in the last two years. The Los Angeles-based campaign seeks to revise the city’s home-sharing ordinance, which only allows primary residences to be used as short-term rentals. Airbnb was not named as a backer on the campaign website or flyers until the Los Angeles Times published an investigation revealing the group’s ties. 

More ordinance battles to come 

One California senator is attempting to reduce the commission’s power to block short-term rental restrictions in coastal communities: In May, Sen. Ben Allen, a Santa Monica Democrat, introduced a Senate Bill 1318 that would require the coastal commission to approve any local government’s land-use permit amendment that restricts or bans unhosted short-term rentals, even if other visitor lodging is scarce. A community must be struggling to meet local housing needs and the commission would need to agree that the restriction fairly balances housing needs with public coastal access.

For now, Pacifica has concluded it will accept the commission’s suggested modifications to be able to have an ordinance in place this year, with the deadline for commission review in October. If the city wanted to contest the commission’s recommendations, it would have to rework its ordinance through a months-long mandatory public process and have the commission review it once more, which would likely yield the same result, officials stated. 

Quinn, who continues to regularly file complaints about the corporate-owned short-term rental next door, said she was “greatly disappointed in seeing a governmental agency cave in the face of threatened litigation by a tech Goliath.” She worries that corporations like her neighbors will continue to “take homes out of the hands of families who want and need them.”

Pacifica could signal that pressure from Airbnb is working. As lawsuits play out in Monterey County and other coastal communities — from Santa Barbara to Encinitas — prepare to take their ordinances to the coastal commission, Pacifica’s outcome could shape how far local restrictions can go.

Ray Jackson, a commissioner from Hermosa Beach, which has struggled to regulate short-term rentals, said. “It’s very germane. It’s relevant. It’s real, and we’re certainly going to have more of these.”

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

The post How Airbnb is fighting for its place on California’s coast appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Symphony Music Director Daniel Stewart is bringing together Dvořák and Nina Simone, Stravinsky and BTS, Rachmaninoff and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier for the orchestra’s 69th season, “Music Unites Us.” Jana Marcus sat down with Stewart to find out how those unlikely musical pairings come together.

“Made in Santa Cruz: Why Art Matters” is a video series, published every other Sunday, exploring the artists who shape Santa Cruz County's creative landscape. Each episode offers a peek into an artist's practice, the places and experiences that inform their work, and the ways creativity helps us see our community differently. Today’s artist is I.B. Bayo.

Thursday was the deadline for candidates running for local office to file their first campaign finance disclosures ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Here’s what the numbers say.

Blake Shaw points out an invasive beetle’s bore hole. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

Help report suspected infestations

• To report suspected damage from invasive shothole borers, property owners should call the Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office at (831) 763-8080
• Resources on the monitoring, detection, and management of the pests are available at ISHB.org, or by contacting your local Cooperative Extension Forest Advisor.

FELTON >> Zayante trail starts off like most in Henry Cowell. On a recent afternoon, chirping birds fluttered about a box elder tree’s branches, the leaves providing the birds and the hikers refuge from the sun. But just a few meters down from the trailhead, something changes. The treecover disappears abruptly, and the sun beats down.

Blake Shaw, a forest health surveillance coordinator with Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, said the lack of canopy is a symptom of an ongoing infestation of invasive pests. The culprit is a beetle species called the Greater shothole borer. It’s no bigger than the tip of a pen, but it can wreak havoc on native tree species like the box elder. 

“This is kind of the future,” Shaw said, gesturing toward the fallen corpse of a box elder tree on the trail. “These are the oldest infestations, and as you can see, they’re all dying.”

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Since its discovery in 2024, the county has been monitoring an ongoing infestation of the invasive species, which is likely new to California. The beetle is attacking native tree species important for ecosystems near rivers, and with every fallen tree, the risk of fire and damage increases for communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the problem started and is spreading outward.

The county’s Agricultural Commissioner is collaborating with University of California scientists to better understand the infestation and its leading edge — the advancing border of the beetle’s territory. The team hopes to manage the local infestation by focusing efforts on community engagement and proper disposal of infested trees.

The beetle was first identified two years ago, when an arborist hiking near Zayante Creek noticed trees filled with tiny holes. But Brian Woodward, a regional forest advisor with the University of California, said the beetles have likely been here longer. “We caught this a little late in Santa Cruz, it’s likely been in this area for a number of years.”

Blake Shaw, a forest health surveillance coordinator with the County of Santa Cruz, examines a dead box elder tree in Henry Cowell. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

Southern California has seen its own infestation of invasive shothole borer beetles, where two species of the beetle have collectively killed hundreds of thousands of trees. But Santa Cruz’s shothole borer is a species completely new to California, distinct from ones identified in Southern California and San Jose. The Greater shothole borer also boasts a slightly larger size than the other two species, reaching roughly the size of a grain of rice.

“Because this is a brand new species of pests, we really don’t actually know what tree species are most susceptible in our communities,” Woodward said. The most impacted trees so far have been box elders, which provide shade for fish along rivers.

Scientists believe the beetles, originally from Southeast Asia, were introduced to California with shipping materials. Shannon Lynch, an assistant professor of forest pathology UC Davis, said that while native beetles go after stressed and dying trees, the invasive shothole borers are more problematic. 

“This class of ambrosia beetle actually tends to attack apparently healthy trees,” she said.

The beetles bore holes into the bark where they grow their main food source, a fungus called Fusarium. Once beetles emerge from the holes, they don’t go far, often drilling holes into the same tree, reproducing incestuously with siblings and spreading Fusarium further throughout it. As Lynch explained, the fungus acts as a pathogen, causing an immune response that eventually kills the tree.

The UC scientists explained that this quick propagation within the same tree can create “amplifier trees” that drive the infestation. “One tree can have 10,000, 20,000 holes supporting many hundreds of thousands of beetles,” Woodward said

Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner David Sanford said that managing the issue is paramount for protecting native tree species and preventing costs related to dead trees — things like damage to homes and powerlines from falling limbs and increased fire risk. 

“What we’re dealing with is a pest that’s not your typical pest that we deal with in the ag world,” he said. He also explained that because the beetles don’t go after agricultural plants or timber, less assistance comes from the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture for dealing with the infestation. 

His team is working with a “small amount” of grant money from the Invasive Species Council of California, which has granted funds to counties dealing with invasive pests. “Really, it’s strictly like a surveillance and monitoring kind of grant. It’s not a lot of money to do management and mitigation work,” he said.

His team is also looking for grants through Cal Fire and state parks for actual mitigation efforts, which involve taking down amplifier trees and disposing of them properly by burning or shredding them. Both methods, Sanford underscored, are costly.

Kristy Swor points out a new infestation in a tree in Paradise Park. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

In places like Paradise Park along the San Lorenzo River, residents like Kristy Swor have had to come together with their communities to pay for the removal of infested trees. 

“The problem with at least our community is we don’t have a budget to deal with this,” Swor said as she pointed out a nearby tree that recently became infested.

In the meantime, Sanford and Shaw are focusing on educating residents about how to identify infested trees. “Outreach is one of the most important aspects when dealing with an invasive pest,” said Shaw. “We need that momentum and that word of mouth and everything to kind of create action.”

The team held meetings last week to inform community members about the issue and encourage them to report infested trees to the county. They recommend residents to use an online ISHB Detection Assessment to see if their trees are suffering from the pest, and recommend calling the county directly to report infested trees at (831) 763-8080.

Signs of an infestation may include “small, round entry holes, wet staining, gumming, boring dust or sugary buildup on trees,” according to a county press release.

For her part, Lynch explained that while there’s no eradicating the beetle from California, aggressive monitoring and management can make a difference. “This is something to take seriously, and being proactive is the best way to take it seriously, but it can be managed,” she said.

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The post Monitoring invasive beetles in Santa Cruz County appeared first on Santa Cruz Local.

The Monte Vista Christian girls’ volleyball team earned its first league win of the year in sweeping fashion Wednesday night.

Junior outside hitter Jessie Ingram finished with a team-best 11 kills to help lift the Mustangs past Monterey High in three sets 25-22, 25-20, 28-26 in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division play.

Ingram added four digs and a pair of aces, while teammate junior outside hitter Norah Rondia had two aces, four kills and two blocks.

Senior setter Mayla Miller-Spahn contributed 13 assists, a pair of digs and one ace for MVC, which improved to a 1-3 record in league play.

“We earned our first home win of the season and I’m proud of how our leaders stepped up as the pressures of the match tested us,” MVC head coach Hunter Zeng said in an email. “Our captains Jessie [Ingram] and Gia [Johnson] were courageous and consistent for us tonight.”

Zeng said Miller-Spahn helped lead the Mustangs back in the third set after they fell behind 24-20. 

Miller-Spahn served them back to tie the score at 24-all, and she ran their offense in overtime to earn the victory.

“We are excited to see our efforts pay off and will continue to work hard as we prepare for Pacific Grove on the road this Friday,” Zeng said.

MVC bounced back following Monday’s nonleague loss to Alisal that went to five sets 25-19, 16-25, 15-25, 25-21, 15-9. 

Ingram led the Mustangs with 13 kills, four aces, one block and seven digs, while Miller-Spahn added 13 assists, five aces and three digs.

Teammate senior middle blocker Amani Keller had 11 kills and five blocks, while senior libero Gia Johnson tallied a season-best 22 digs and three assists.

“Credit to Alisal, they played a great game,” Zeng said in an email. “They were disciplined on the net and got better and better as the night carried on.”

Zeng said he’s proud of how the players handled adverse conditions in a loud environment such as Alisal High. 

MVC also welcomed back three players from injury on Monday, and Zeng said each of them contributed on the floor.

“I especially want to highlight sophomores Reagan Kolbach and Savannah Gomez for the consistent enthusiasm they brought tonight,” Zeng said.

Next up, MVC (4-4, 1-3) plays at Pacific Grove (11-2, 4-0) in Gabilan Division play Friday at 6pm. 

Santa Cruz 3, Mount Madonna 0: Corwyn Harris had seven kills for the Hawks in a defeat to the Cardinals in three sets 25-16, 25-23, 25-12 in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play Thursday night.

Minami Wu contributed 18 assists for Mt. Madonna, which dropped to an 0-7 overall record this season.

Colette Huynh returned to the court for Santa Cruz roughly one year after she was sidelined with an ACL injury. She finished with five aces and four digs, while teammate sophomore setter Ariya Brinton added four aces and 12 assists.

Sophomore outside hitter Briana Baron had eight kills on 12 attempts, while Georgia Keenan finished with six kills on eight swings for the Cardinals, who improved to a 10-3 overall record this season. 

Girls flag football

At Watsonville 31, Pacific Collegiate Charter 0: Junior quarterback Aaliyah Arellano completed 10 of 23 pass attempts for 109 yards and one touchdown for the Wildcatz in their shutout win over the Pumas in PCAL Mission Division play Tuesday. 

Freshman quarterback Zoe Saldana added 67 yards passing and one TD score. Senior wide receiver Amaya Silva hauled in three receptions for 53 yards and caught both touchdown passes.

Sienna Arredondo and Jazmin Ontiveros each had a pick-six for the ‘Catz defense. Teammate sophomore safety Cecilia Canela added two more interceptions.

Senior rusher Taylor Alves-Lopez had two sacks, while senior linebacker Evelyn Hernandez-Najera recorded one sack for Watsonville (8-1, 3-1), which hosts Soledad (5-4, 2-2) on Sept. 28 at 5:45pm.

Girls golf

‘Catz fall in PCAL play: Watsonville High juniors Olivia and Abi Sanchez each shot a match-best 41 against host Alisal and Alvarez in PCAL Mission Division play Wednesday afternoon.

The Wildcatz finished with a team score of 258, falling short to Alisal (250) and winner Alvarez (222).

Abi Sanchez earned medalist honors for her finish at the First Tee Monterey County golf course in Salinas. Teammate Emily Borba shot a 55, followed by Cristina Nolasco (58) and Michelle Sanchez-Vaca (63).

Next up, Watsonville plays against Gonzales and North Monterey County in league play Sept. 29 at 3:30pm.

Girls tennis

Aptos 7, at Scotts Valley 0: The Mariners swept the Falcons in SCCAL play Wednesday afternoon.

In singles play, Aptos senior Kiana Safari bested Marta Nadyer Camilo 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1, while teammate Scarlett Loforti earned a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Raquel Sullivan at No. 2.

Kate Deteso pulled past Montserrat Burgos-Saavedra 6-1, 6-7, 1-0 (11-9) at No. 3, while Brooklyn Powers topped Georgia Chetcuti 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4.

The No. 1 doubles tandem of Charlotte Long and Scarlett Stateler swept Lilian Flores and Polina Diaz 6-0, 6-0.

Julia Blevins and Sadi Chapman defeated Konie Lim and Lillian Foss 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2, while Mariner duo Sydney Ayala and Charlotte Silviera secured a 6-0, 6-0 win against Alina Charley and Zicheng Zeng at No. 3.

Next up, Aptos (4-0, 2-0) plays at Harbor in SCCAL play on Sept. 29 at 4pm.

Attendance at the Santa Cruz County Fair increased by 11% from last year. The growth in admissions follows fair officials’ initiative to lower ticket prices in response to community feedback. 

More than 53,000 people were on the county fairgrounds over its five-day run last week, which includes attendees, volunteers and staff, according to a media release. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the community’s response to this year’s Santa Cruz County Fair,” said County Fair CEO Dori Rose Inda in the release. “Attendance increased by 11%, and throughout the five days you could feel the energy and enthusiasm across the fairgrounds.” 

Following community feedback that the yearly event had become increasingly expensive to attend, Rose Inda previously told Lookout that the fair lowered its admission in hopes of making it more accessible and affordable for the community. 

On opening day, more than 10,800 people attended the fair, according to county fair officials. The massive attendance was due in part to admission costs being $2.50 to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary. 

County fair officials also added that the Junior Livestock Auction raised $785,323.50, and $12,478 of the funds raised will go toward the Heritage Hog, a youth program offered through the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation. 

Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your news releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.

MORE LOCAL COVERAGE

The post Santa Cruz County Fair saw increase in attendance after lowering admission prices appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

From national recognition and industry honors to awards chosen by local readers and community organizations. Bay Federal and the people behind it have been recognized for leadership, volunteerism, financial expertise, service, and the work they do every day to support members and the communities we call home.

Turns out, people notice when you do things differently.

Some of the recognition belongs to the Credit Union as a whole. Some celebrate the individual employees who bring that work to life every day. Together, these honors offer a pretty good snapshot of the people behind Bay Federal.

So, in case you need another reason to feel good about where you bank, here are a few recent honors we’re especially proud of. 

Forbes Best-In-State Credit Union

For the second year in a row, Bay Federal was named one of Forbes’ Best-In-State Credit Unions in California, an honor determined with input from the people who actually use these financial institutions every day.

Forbes partnered with Statista to develop the 2026 ranking, which was based on survey interviews with approximately 26,000 customers. Financial institutions were evaluated on people’s experiences with them, including trust, service, financial advice, digital tools, branch experiences, and more.

In other words, this is not an award you simply apply for or buy your way into. It reflects what real consumers say about where they bank and the experiences they have there. 

Being recognized once was exciting. Earning a place on the list two years in a row means even more.

For a credit union that has called the Central Coast home since 1957, it is a pretty great reminder that we’re doing right by our members, and that is worth celebrating.

Carrie Birkhofer: Silicon Valley Woman of Influence

Bay Federal President and CEO Carrie Birkhofer was named a 2026 Silicon Valley Business Journal Woman of Influence, an annual honor recognizing women across business, education, nonprofit, and community leadership for professional achievement and impact.

Carrie has led Bay Federal since 1995, growing the Credit Union from $70 million in assets to nearly $2 billion while expanding its reach across the region.

She was recognized for her long-standing leadership, and her deep involvement in the community through organizations including the Scotts Valley Rotary Club, Cabrillo College Foundation, and Salinas Valley Health Foundation.

Yesenia Alvarez: Rather Award Honoree

Home Loan Consultant Yesenia Alvarez was selected as a 2026 Rather Award Honoree by the Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley.

The Rather Awards recognize people and organizations making a meaningful difference in the Pajaro Valley community.

A lifelong Santa Cruz County resident, Yesenia has built her career around helping local families navigate homeownership and reach their financial goals.

Alicia Flores: Be the Difference Award

Alicia Flores, Vice President of Member Services, was honored with a Be the Difference Award from the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County.

The annual awards recognize individuals, groups, and businesses making an extraordinary impact through volunteer service. Alicia has participated in nine community events so far this year alone! 

Alicia Flores, Vice President of Member Services and Peers at the Vounteer Center Awards.

For an organization built around the philosophy of “people helping people,” seeing one of our own recognized for giving back is especially meaningful.

Tyler Sanger-Boyett: Tomorrow’s Star Award

Tyler Sanger-Boyett, Assistant Vice President, Fraud and Card Operations, was recognized with California’s Credit Unions’ Tomorrow’s Star Award.

The honor recognizes emerging leaders making an impact within their organizations and the broader credit union movement.

It is recognition not only of what Tyler has already accomplished, but of the leadership helping shape what comes next for Bay Federal and the credit union industry.

Bay Federal Credit Union: Most Effective for Recognizing Employees

Recognition is a big part of Bay Federal’s culture, and that approach recently earned the Credit Union a win from Simpplr in the “Most Effective for Recognizing Employees” category.

Bay Federal was honored for its employee recognition program, which combines peer-to-peer recognition, monthly awards, and themed campaigns tied to the Credit Union’s PACIFIC values.

The honor highlights a culture where great work is noticed, appreciation is part of the everyday experience, and employees are celebrated for the impact they make.

Award-winning looks good on us. Serving our members looks even better. Home Loan Consultant Yesenia Alvarez and the Bay Federal Home Loans team.

Awards are worth celebrating, but they are really a reflection of something bigger.

They represent employees who care deeply about the people they serve, leaders who stay connected to their communities, financial professionals who help members plan for their futures, and a Credit Union that has been committed to the Central Coast since 1957.

So, yes, we are proud to be award-winning.

But we are even prouder of the people and work behind every recognition.

Did we also mention that we were recognized by this very website as Favorite Local Financial Institution, Favorite Mortgage Broker, and Favorite Place for Teens to Bank in the inaugural Lookout List last year? Don’t forget to vote for us and your favorite local businesses this year!

The post Six reasons to be proud of banking locally with Bay Federal Credit Union appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Three professional sumo wrestlers traded the ring for the sand Thursday, taking in the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and posing for photos ahead of Saturday’s World Elite Sumo event at Kaiser Permanente Arena.

October is almost here and it’s one of our favorite times of the year – the weather is nearly perfect and the sunsets couldn’t be dreamier. It’s the perfect scenario for the 41st annual Open Studios Art Tour where the public has the opportunity to explore the county discovering and connecting with artists, experiencing the creative process firsthand, and finding original work to take home.  

For three weekends, from Watsonville to Davenport, Arts Council Santa Cruz County presents the Open Studios Art Tour with more than 350 local artists opening their spaces this year!

DISCOVER · South County

Your Open Studios adventure begins in South County on October 3-4, where artists from Watsonville, Freedom, La Selva Beach, Aptos, Capitola, and Soquel working in over 22 mediums welcome visitors into their studios.

In downtown Watsonville, discover artist Hermalinda Vasquez, whose wood carvings are rich with tradition and character. Her colorful Alebrijes celebrate her Mexican heritage and represent the vibrant culture of Watsonville. Just around the corner, Rhia Hurt creates abstract works in her dreamy home studio. A high school art teacher, Rhia embraces the playful side of art, layering bright colors and textures that invite visitors to experience more whimsy.

Dee Hooker Credit: Ted Holladay

Driving into the Aptos hills you’ll notice the iconic green signs leading the way to a variety of artist’s studios, including the gorgeous property and studio of Dee Hooker. A long-time Open Studios artist, Dee’s abstract, mixed-media portraits of humans and animals bring together art and a little childhood nostalgia. Her interactive character “boxes” have been featured in galleries around the country.

Venturing into coastal Capitola brings you to the fiber arts studio of Lisa Rupp and a new artist on the tour, watercolorist Carolina Avalos. This creative duo offers beautiful watercolor landscapes framed in upcycled barnwood and wearable designs in leather and bright fabrics. Nearby, four metalsmiths group together to showcase their work along the cliffs – Marylou Forrest, Pablo Chubangbang, Wei Hwu, and Becky Thielbar. This stop is a must for jewelry lovers!

EXPERIENCE · North County

The second weekend of Open Studios on October 10-11 takes you into the heart of Santa Cruz; midtown neighborhoods, downtown, through the Westside, up along the North Coast, and into the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Eckerman Family Studio Credit: Michael Baba

In midtown the Eckerman family studio is a fun stop, where Michael, Ea, and Rosie Eckerman share their work in painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Their collaborative studio is rooted in artistic expression, decorated with stone sculptures and pathways, a gorgeous garden, and ocean inspired paintings in process. 

Eckerman Family Studio Credit: Michael Baba

Journey into Santa Cruz and discover the Tannery Arts Center, featuring 16 artists on the tour. The new cafe, Olio’s, at the Tannery is the perfect spot to get a coffee before taking the breath-taking drive up Highway 9 into the Redwoods where you’ll land in Felton, the gateway to discover 17 artists in the San Lorenzo Valley. A visit to the hot glass studio of Christy Aloysi and Scott Graham in downtown Boulder Creek is a great place to see artists in action. Hosting glass-blowing demonstrations throughout the day, this husband and wife duo craft colorful work for the garden and home. 

Mattie Leeds Credit: Crystal Birns Mattie Leeds Credit: Crystal Birns

Grab some lunch and head over the mountain into Bonny Doon where the eccentric world of ceramicist Mattie Leeds invites you in. His enormous ceramic pots are impossible to overlook, each one telling a story through patterns, words, and form. A prolific artist, Mattie’s studio is a work of art in and of itself, representing a life of creative inspiration.

Zip down into Davenport and the Westside where there is no shortage of artist’s studios. From the studio of photographer Frans Lanting to the always entertaining artist cohort at Santa Cruz Clay and throughout the beautiful Westside neighborhoods, discover the creative richness of our town. Experience clay transformed on the wheel, watch a painting evolve, engage with artists about what inspires them, see the techniques and materials they use, and take home a few special pieces to enjoy.

CONNECT · All County

On the final weekend of the tour, October 17-18, 250 studios across the county open once again. You’ll have one last chance to connect with artists like Darci Shea Bogdan in her lovely garden studio practicing the highly specialized craft of cloisonné enameling. Her handmade pieces combine glass enamel and precious metals into vibrant, wearable designs inspired by nature. 

“Open Studios is such a special event. It is truly an inspiring experience to see the studios and spaces where art is made, connect with artists, and find ar twork that inspires you.” says Bree Karpavage, Open Studios and Tannery Arts Center Program Manager. “The creative energy the artists bring to Open Studios is exciting and contagious. There’s always something new to discover when you’re out on the tour – new artists, new places…exploring our beautiful county is all a part of the experience!”

The weekends of Open Studios offer an unforgettable and unique experience, discovering creative spaces and connecting with the artists who make Santa Cruz rich with creativity.

Start planning your Open Studios adventure at santacruzopenstudios.com. Pick up the free Open Studios Artist Guide on newsstands or download the new mobile app that makes it easy to browse artists and get directions to studios while you’re out exploring. Add artist studios to your favorites but leave room for the unexpected! Bring a friend and follow the green signs along the way. 

Plan Your 2026 Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour

October 3-4 | South County
October 10-11 |  North County
October 17-18 | All County
11am–5pm

Website: santacruzopenstudios.com – Explore the Artist Directory, FAQ’s, marketing toolkit and more.

NEW Mobile App: Download the free app, search Santa Cruz Open Studios. 

Printed Artist Guide: Pick up the magazine at Good Times newspaper locations, preview exhibit galleries, and public libraries across the county, available while supplies last.

Digital Artist Guide: A digital version of the print magazine.

Green Signs: Follow the green signs to discover artists across Santa Cruz County.

Follow us on Social Media: @artscouncilsc IG | FB

Preview Exhibitions
M.K. Contemporary Art | Sept 25-Oct 25 | Main preview exhibition featuring artists from all participating artists

Pajaro Valley Arts | Sept 26-Oct18 | Preview exhibition featuring South County artists
Santa Cruz Art League | Oct 2-18 | Far Out, featuring North Coast and Santa Cruz Mountains artists

Special thanks to our 2026 sponsors: GoodTimes and West Coast Community Bank

The post Discover. Experience. Connect. Open Studios returns for it’s 41st year appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Here’s what’s happening on Santa Cruz County roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents

Road incidents as of 6 a.m. on September 25

• The on-ramp from Park Avenue to Highway 1 in Capitola is facing closures for paving work. The closure is expected to end on Nov. 19.
   
• Highway 9 at Pool Drive in the San Lorenzo Valley has alternating lane closures because of bridge work. This is expected to continue until April 30, 2027.

Disclosure: Traffic incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

The post Friday morning traffic: Roadwork along Highway 1, Highway 9 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum will celebrate its 40th anniversary Saturday with music, Hawaiian cultural performances and the unveiling of a newly restored beacon at the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse. The restoration was made possible by more than $90,000 raised by the community.

One year in, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has delivered nearly 20,000 free books to young children across Santa Cruz County. More than 3,000 local children now receive a new, age-appropriate book in the mail every month — building home libraries and a love of reading from the earliest years. As communities celebrate Parton’s legacy through the first-ever “Give Like Dolly Day,” David Brody and Sheree Storm of First 5 Santa Cruz County say this is only the beginning of impact in our county. With community support, they say the next 20,000 books can reach even more young readers. Here, they explain how to sign kids up for the program and support Parton’s work locally.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for its newsletters.

The California Legislature is forcing the city and county of Sacramento to try something unusual in their fight against homelessness, and both critics and supporters of the controversial plan say it could have broad implications for the rest of the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 802 on Sunday, which requires Sacramento, as well as all smaller cities within the county, to coordinate and form a joint powers authority that will lead the region’s homelessness response. 

“Homelessness does not stop at jurisdictional boundaries,” Newsom wrote in a signing message, “and no city or county can solve this crisis alone.”

A joint powers authority is a public partnership where two or more local governments or agencies team up to jointly manage something. In Sacramento, the idea is that this new framework will allow the cities and county to better communicate and work together on homelessness – hopefully leading to more people getting off the streets. 

Supporters say it’s a no-brainer, and they hope it will be an example to fix an age-old problem playing out in regions across the state: Cities and counties must work well together to effectively address homelessness, but they often don’t. On the other hand, opponents say forcing local governments to work together sets a bad precedent: Cooperation works best if it’s voluntary. 

Meanwhile, this new experiment in co-governance is highly atypical for a number of reasons.

For one thing, this appears to be the first time the California Legislature has forced anyone to form a joint powers authority. Typically, those agreements are voluntary. In Sacramento, local jurisdictions chafing under this new mandate worry the new law will embolden the Legislature to do this again in other regions.

“This would be unprecedented, so it could have ramifications in 57 other counties,” said Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy, who opposes the legislation. The county is threatening to sue the state to stop its implementation. 

In addition, while it’s not uncommon for local governments to form joint powers authorities to manage other things that cross city boundaries — such as sewers or public transit — it’s very rare for this type of structure to govern a region’s homelessness response. In 2020, there were only three examples in all of California, according to Joe Colletti, chief executive officer of the nonprofit research organization HUB for Urban Initiatives. The best-known is the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which recently has been reduced to a shell of its former self as a result of one headline-making crisis after another. In the rest of the state, a region’s homelessness response usually is led by a county or nonprofit.

Squabbling between cities and counties

This legislation was controversial from the beginning. It took Sen. Angelique Ashby, a Democrat from Sacramento and former city councilmember, two years of tense negotiations and multiple amendments to get it across the finish line. The final version allows the county and participating cities to keep control of their own funds, rather than pooling everything together — a major sticking point for the local governments.

The Sacramento region needed this legislation, Ashby argued during a recent committee hearing, because its various agencies have eight boards and nearly 90 board members working separately on homelessness without coordinating. The result is duplicated and inconsistent services, leaving people who are homeless in Sacramento County with no idea where they should go for help, she said. 

It’s a problem the city and county have tried to fix for more than two decades. In 2010, the county board of supervisors and city council approved resolutions that supported creating a joint powers authority, but it didn’t happen. Two separate grand jury reports, one in 2019 and another in 2023, said the region’s homelessness response was dysfunctional and recommended better coordination. 

It’s hardly an issue unique to Sacramento. Across California, cities typically provide shelter beds, while counties are responsible for the other services homeless residents need, such as mental health and addiction treatment. That’s because counties receive state funding for social services, and cities don’t. So, neither can effectively address homelessness unless they work together. But, frequently, they don’t. Instead, they often squabble over who should pay for what, and who isn’t doing their fair share. 

Fighting between neighboring cities is common, too. As unhoused people move across city lines, local governments argue over who should have to provide shelter beds and other resources.

It was a major frustration for former Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg. His constituents saw people on the street in mental health crisis, suffering. Voters demanded he do something, but his hands were largely tied, he said, as he had no control over the county’s mental health services.

“There was just a major gulf between my accountability to the people and my authority to be able to actually make the difference that the people expected,” Steinberg said.

During his time in office, which ended in 2024, Steinberg negotiated a partnership between the city and the county. But it lacked a governance structure that would have forced them to make decisions together. That’s the missing piece that this law brings to the table, he said. 

Under the new law, the city and county of Sacramento, as well as Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights and Folsom, have until January 2028 to finalize their joint powers authority. They recently convened a joint task force of elected officials and have started working together on homelessness issues. 

But there’s some lingering tension. While the city of Sacramento is on board with the legislation, the county and the city of Folsom are opposed. Neither is against the idea of collaboration, but they don’t like that it’s being forced upon them.

“It’s an unnecessary cost,” county supervisor Kennedy said. “It’s an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy, it’s an unnecessary burden that’s just going to slow down processes.”

Staffing and running the new joint powers authority is expected to have an annual price tag of anywhere between the mid-hundreds of thousands of dollars, to the low millions, according to a Senate analysis. 

Examples in Los Angeles and Solano counties

As the Sacramento region gears up to create this new power structure, it has two main examples it can turn to. 

One, in Los Angeles, is a cautionary tale. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a joint powers authority between the city and county, was the target of recent audits criticizing its handling of homelessness funds. A downward spiral followed. L.A. County pulled its funding from the authority and the Trump administration now is prosecuting homeless services providers that it alleges misused money from the agency. 

Kennedy said the parallels between Los Angeles and Sacramento’s new agency worry him “very much,” and clearly show that a joint powers authority is hardly a panacea for homelessness. 

But Steinberg believes the new Sacramento agency can do better. The L.A. agency didn’t have enough authority, and as a result, the city and county weren’t governing effectively together, he said. He hopes that will be different in Sacramento.

The other example Sacramento leaders can turn to is in Solano County, which created the current version of its joint powers authority in 2022. Local leaders pushed for a collaborative agency after hearing reports that other cities were dropping off their homeless residents at parking lots in Fairfield, assuming that services would be available because it’s the county seat, said Doriss Panduro, a Fairfield city councilmember and chair of the joint powers authority.

Now, the authority is made up of two elected officials from each city and the county, and they meet once a month to discuss how to spend money and how many people are receiving services.

“It is a big undertaking,” Panduro said. “We started the work in 2021, 2022, and here we are four years later just getting paid staff on board. It’s been a big lift.”

But, she said, it’s been worth it. 

Recently, the county and all the cities involved in the joint powers authority applied together for state funding to clear one encampment along a flood control basin in Vallejo. Even though Vallejo would be the only city to get that money, it arguably would benefit everyone since it targets the largest encampment in the county, Panduro said. And Vallejo wouldn’t have had the resources to manage the state grant without the support of everyone else, she said. 

“Homelessness is such a big issue, and I think finding an out-of-the-box way to approach it, for me, I can only say it’s a positive,” she said. “Everyone felt like we had been doing the same things over and over and nothing was changing.”

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California voters will soon decide whether to tax billionaires — but even if a majority says yes, the measure could still lose to either of two billionaire-funded measures designed to cancel it out. 

A 23-year-old motorcyclist died Sept. 23 morning following a collision with a pickup on Corralitos Road, the California Highway Patrol said.

CHP officers responded at about 7:01am to the intersection of Corralitos and Merk roads.

According to CHP, a 61-year-old Watsonville man was driving a white 2000 GMC pickup north on Corralitos Road, south of Merk Road. At the same time, the 23-year-old Santa Cruz County man was riding a red 2004 Yamaha motorcycle south on Corralitos Road. The speeds of both vehicles have not been determined.

The pickup driver attempted to turn left onto Merk Road when, for reasons still under investigation, the two vehicles collided.

The motorcyclist suffered major injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where he died despite lifesaving efforts, CHP said. The pickup driver was not injured. The motorcyclist’s name was not immediately released.

Investigators do not believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash. The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet, and the pickup driver was wearing a seat belt.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Praise for PVUSD projects

I recently participated in a tour of PVUSD schools to see how Measure M bonds were being spent. Superintendent Heather Contreras led the tour, and we were able to see projects that were completed, as well as meeting with the architects of the performing arts auditorium at PV High School. 

New paint for some of the schools was long overdue and brightened the atmosphere for the students. New athletic fields are on the way, but due to board inaction, the Rolling Hills field faces a costly delay unless funds are authorized immediately. 

Unfortunately, due to longstanding budget deficits, there is so much deferred maintenance that the current bond money is not sufficient for all the necessary work. Our students need classrooms with adequate heating, cooling and ventilation. They need athletic fields without gopher holes. 

I was impressed with the professionalism of the facilities and maintenance people and of Superintendent Contreras’ leadership. It will not be easy to convince the public to approve another bond to complete the infrastructure improvements with a board of trustees that cannot act timely on budget issues. Trustee Medina’s political grandstanding that has delayed approval for the funds for Rolling Hills School is not the example that taxpayers and bond raters are looking for. Urge your trustee to act before the September 30 deadline and pass the necessary budget items now.

Gil Stein

Aptos

•••

A letter to PVUSD Trustee Medina

It was obvious when you pointed out that the presentation slides for Agenda Item 8.3 were not available for the public that you do not know the Brown Act. It is too bad that you did not attend that class or you would have known that the Brown Act requires that as minimum that the published agenda have at least the TITLE for the item. The presentation does not have to be included. Past practices were to include the presentations as part of the packet and published agenda. You held up a meeting and stopped the approval of funds for a worthy activity. Shame on you and your lack of knowledge.

Your questions on Item 8.1 on the budget were meant to embarrass the new CBO. He had not prepared the material and was not knowledgeable. You knew that. Did you do that to show that you were the smartest person in the room?

Your constant threat to leave unless you were allowed to speak for more time than you were allowed shows your immaturity. You can be a real asset on the Board but not when you behave as you did Wednesday night and at many of the past Board meetings. Grow up and join the adults in the room. The students, the District and the community need you.

Bill Beecher

Aptos

•••

Don’t Be Fooled by Measure E’s Empty Promises

Santa Cruz County voters should look closely at Measure E before approving another half-cent sales tax.

Measure E is being promoted as a way to protect emergency medical care and other essential services from federal funding cuts. But the proposed tax would generate approximately $27 million annually, and the money would go into the County’s General Fund. There are no guarantees that the revenue will be spent exclusively on emergency medical care or the other services highlighted by supporters.

For Pajaro Valley residents, the impact deserves particular attention. Watsonville’s sales tax rate would rise to 10.25%, adding to the burden on families already struggling with higher prices.

This is not the County’s first tax promise. In 2018, voters approved Measure G, another half-cent sales tax. It was presented as funding 911 response, paramedics, fire, roads, mental health, homelessness and other services. A subsequent County Civil Grand Jury investigation concluded that the Measure G ballot language was misleading.

Meanwhile, the County faces substantial financial obligations. County documents list a $628.7 million unfunded CalPERS pension liability, along with significant borrowing obligations.

Before asking taxpayers for another estimated $135 million over five years, County leaders should demonstrate that existing revenues are being spent responsibly and provide enforceable guarantees for how the new money will be used.

Pajaro Valley families deserve more than campaign promises. They deserve accountability.

Mike Lelieur

Pleasure Point