Lookout Santa Cruz

Watsonville police officers were investigating a suspicious device found on the Watsonville High School campus Thursday morning. 

On its Facebook account, the police department said that all summer school students and staff are safe and evacuated from the school as officers investigate the device. 

“We ask everyone to avoid the area,” the department wrote, adding that the school district would provide parents and guardians with updates.  

City of Watsonville spokesperson Erika Vazquez told Lookout that no further information was available at publication time. 

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

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The post Police investigating suspicious device found at Watsonville High School  appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

This post is updated throughout the day to reflect the latest incidents. It was last updated at 7:01 a.m..

Here’s what’s happening on the roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents   ▼︎ long-term incidents

Road incidents as of 7 a.m. on June 18

• There is one-way traffic on Highway 9 at Cascade Avenue in San Lorenzo Valley because of ongoing work. The closure is expected to end at 7:01 a.m. on August 31.
   
• There will be alternating lane closures on Highway 9 at Pool Drive in San Lorenzo Valley because of bridge work. This will continue until April 30 at 6:59 a.m.
   
• A lane on North Highway 17 at Highway 1 in Eastside / Live Oak is closed for asphalt paving. The closure will last until 6:01 a.m. on June 22.
   
• North Highway 17 at Pasatiempo in Eastside / Live Oak is facing closures for asphalt paving. The closure will last until 6:01 a.m. on June 22.
   
• CHP helped with construction work at 1600 Mm9 N Scr 16.00 in San Lorenzo Valley today from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
   

Long-term projects

These have been going on for a while, but are still worth keeping in mind.

• Mill St. between Main St. and Highway 9 in Ben Lomond will be closed to vehicles from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on June 6, July 4, August 1, September 5, and October 3 for the Ben Lomond Village Market event. Traffic control and detour signs will be posted.
   

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 Thursday morning traffic: Highway 9 one-way traffic, Hwy 17 lane closures ongoing appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Celebrating 50 years, the Aptos farmers market – held Saturdays at Cabrillo College – captures not just the bounty and hard work of dozens of vendors but also comes with a wealth of stories from those manning the stands and working behind the scenes.

UC Santa Cruz graduate Airielle Silva was honored with the John R. Lewis Good Trouble Award after five years of student leadership and activism. As she addressed fellow graduates at commencement, Silva reflected on her advocacy work while urging the university to continue addressing longstanding Black student demands.

Santa Cruz’s rental inspection program was created to protect tenants from unsafe housing, but property owner Darius Mohsenin argues it has evolved into a system focused more on permits, paperwork and minor violations than actual habitability. He contends that inspectors increasingly rely on bureaucratic enforcement rather than practical safety expertise, allowing complaints to trigger sweeping property inspections and costly citations. He urges the Santa Cruz City Council to refocus the program on genuine health and safety issues instead of what he sees as regulatory overreach that raises housing costs and strains relationships with property owners.

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

A union wants California’s billionaires to rescue the state’s healthcare system. The billionaires have other ideas.

On June 17, an initiative to tax the state’s wealthiest residents qualified for the ballot, according to the secretary of state’s office, which verifies petition signatures.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has consistently swatted down the idea of tax increases throughout his tenure, emerged early as an opponent of the proposed tax. Wealthy allies in Silicon Valley joined the fray armed with deep pockets and threats to leave the state, which depends disproportionately on high earners for revenue.

The union funding the measure, Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, says California needs the revenue that would be generated by the measure to rescue the healthcare system from deep cuts that the Trump administration made last year in the president’s tax reform package, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

Newsom is reportedly trying to negotiate a last-minute deal that would pull the initiative before the ballot is finalized next Thursday, June 25.

What would it do?

The proposed initiative would levy a one-time 5% tax on California residents whose net worth exceeded $1 billion at the start of this year. The tax would hit roughly 200 people, and billionaires could pay in installments over five years. 

Proponents of the measure estimate it would generate $100 billion for the state. The revenue would go into a special fund with 90% reserved for healthcare spending and 10% for education and food assistance programs. 

The Legislature would control the funds and could allocate up to $25 billion annually to designated programs including Medi-Cal and CalFresh.

It needs a simple majority to pass. 

Who is supporting it?

The state’s largest healthcare workers union is bankrolling the measure, pouring more than $31 million into the campaign. “We are facing literally a collapse of our healthcare system here in California and elsewhere,” Dave Regan, president of SEIU-UHW, said in October when the campaign launched.

The union, which is known for wielding ballot measures aggressively, argues that federal healthcare cuts will result in hospital and clinic closures, worsened patient access and thousands of lost jobs if the state doesn’t step in to backfill tens of billions of federal dollars. The group also points out that the Trump tax breaks for income, businesses and investments disproportionately benefit the wealthy people who would then be subject to the proposed billionaire tax.

“Whether or not folks support this, they can’t deny that these massive cuts to healthcare are coming,” said union spokesperson Renée Saldaña. “Nobody else has a solution to fill this massive $100 billion funding gap that is facing California.”

Saldaña noted that people signing the initiative petition were supportive and sometimes wanted the tax to be continuous rather than one-time. 

“This is popular. The public is feeling the strain of their own healthcare costs,” she said.

The measure has won high-profile support from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. A handful of local unions as well as the Teamsters and AFSCME California have also backed the measure.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (left) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are on opposite sides of a proposed tax on billionaires in the Golden State. Credit: Associated Press Who is opposed to it?

Newsom is an unsurprising and vocal critic of the proposal. He has long argued that increased taxes would drive wealthy people and businesses out of the state. In a recent appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Newsom claimed that “we’ve already seen dozens and dozens of people leave the state.”

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, with a net worth of $300 billion, according to Forbes, reportedly moved to Nevada because of the tax threat. Brin, a onetime supporter of liberal causes turned Donald Trump supporter, is also the biggest spender among opponents. As of June 15, he has contributed $82 million to Building a Better California, which is funding multiple countermeasures designed to invalidate or weaken the initiative should it pass. The committee has not, however, taken a position on the wealth tax.

The top two measures — the Retirement and Personal Savings Protection Act and the Improving Transparency, Effectiveness and Efficiency in California Government Act — will also likely appear on the November ballot. The retirement act would prohibit new state taxes on personal property, effectively canceling the billionaire tax if both measures pass. The transparency act would require audits of state programs funded by special taxes.

Other tech and industry titans, including Google CEO Eric Schmidt, worth $43.3 billion, Kleiner Perkins chairman John Doerr, worth $25 billion, and The Wonderful Company president Stewart Resnick, worth $5.4 billion, have donated millions of dollars to Brin’s committee.

Ripple Labs co-founder Chris Larsen, worth an estimated $12.4 billion, also started Golden State Promise, a political action committee dedicated to opposing the tax initiative directly. Venture capitalist Ron Conway, who does not appear on Forbes’ billionaires list, is funding a third group, Stop The Squeeze.

Collectively, the opposition campaigns have raised $107.9 million as of June 15, according to state campaign finance data.

Robert Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable, said one of the most concerning parts of the proposal is a provision allowing the Legislature to amend the tax after passage. “They can change the level of taxation; they can change how often they get taxed; they can keep ratcheting down the income level of who pays it.” The union disputes this claim.

Progressive groups such as Planned Parenthood and the California Teachers Association have opposed the measure in recent weeks. Healthcare industry groups like the California Medical Association, California Primary Care Association and California Hospital Association also oppose it.

What’s really going on with healthcare?

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which Congress passed last year, enacts a number of sweeping changes to Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income people and those with disabilities. 

Over time, experts say the changes will dramatically reduce the number of people with publicly funded insurance through mandates such as work requirements and shorter eligibility periods. The law also limits federal Medicaid spending. Because Medicaid programs draw on state and federal dollars, reductions in enrollment or federal spending mean less money for states like California.

The state Department of Health Care Services projected early on that federal cuts could cost California $30 billion annually. Roughly 14 million people rely on Medicaid, also known as Medi-Cal, in California.

State lawmakers have also grappled with successive budget deficits and ballooning program costs. Last year, Newsom and the Legislature limited Medi-Cal enrollment for low-income people without legal status. State leaders are eyeing additional cuts this year to align with new federal requirements.

Miranda Dietz, director of the Health Care Program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, said close to 3 million Californians will lose healthcare over the next two years as a result of state and federal changes. 

“The need for health insurance and healthcare is not going anywhere,” Dietz said.

What are the challenges?

Should the measure pass, it will surely face legal challenges that could tie the potential revenue up for years, experts say. The seemingly retroactive nature of the tax invites a constitutional challenge, many say, though supporters reject those concerns. The initiative proposes taxing those who are California residents as of Jan. 1, 2026, meaning those who have since left the state would still owe it. 

Mark Peterson, a public policy professor at UCLA School of Law, said revenue from the initiative would “make a huge difference” in helping the state offset federal funding losses, but that’s only if the initiative survives legal challenges and efforts by billionaires to move or hide assets.

Economists and state budget watchers are also wary of the number of billionaires who have already left the state, taking their assets and businesses with them. Only six people moved out of state last year before the proposed tax would apply to them, but their collective worth would have generated the state $27 billion, Fortune reported. Others, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, worth $231 billion, have also reportedly moved out but not before Jan. 1.

On the other hand, there’s no evidence yet that a majority of the state’s 200 billionaires are leaving. Some, including former gubernatorial candidate and billionaire Tom Steyer, have stated they support the proposal.

Early polling shows 50% of voters favor the initiative, with most strongly behind it, according to the UC Berkeley Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research-POLITICO poll. But that is not as strong a position as it might seem: 54% of voters are concerned about wealthy individuals leaving the state, and 63% are concerned about them taking their businesses with them. A UC Berkeley Institute of Government Studies-Los Angeles Times poll from March showed similar division among voters, with 52% in support. 

Generally, campaigns running ballot initiatives want their early polling numbers to be much higher because support nearly always dwindles as the election creeps closer. 

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

The post California union’s billionaire tax qualifies for ballot amid fierce opposition appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

This post is updated throughout the day to reflect the latest incidents. It was last updated at 6:31 a.m..

Here’s what’s happening on the roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents   ▼︎ long-term incidents

Road incidents as of 6:30 a.m. on June 17

• Highway 152 (Main St.) in Watsonville will be fully closed overnight for paving starting Sunday, June 14. The closure will happen each night from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. between Freedom Blvd. and Lakeview Rd throughout the week.
   
• There will be alternating lane closures on both northbound and southbound Highway 9 at Pool Drive in San Lorenzo Valley because of bridge work. The closures will continue until 6:59 a.m. on April 30, 2027.
   
• There is a one-way traffic closure on Highway 9 at Cascade Avenue in San Lorenzo Valley because of ongoing work. This closure will last until August 31 at 7:01 a.m.
   
• North Highway 17 at Pasatiempo in Eastside / Live Oak is facing closures for asphalt paving. The closure is expected to end at 6:01 a.m. on June 22.
   
• A lane on North Highway 17 at Highway 1 in Eastside / Live Oak is closed for asphalt paving. The closure will last until 6:01 a.m. on June 22.
   
• One-way traffic control is in place on SR-236 at Heartwood Hill in San Lorenzo Valley for drainage cleaning. The closure is expected to end at 1:30 p.m. today.
   
• An animal was seen entering the main lanes on northbound Highway 1 at the Rdm offramp in Aptos. This was reported today.
   
• A lane on Mt. Hermon Road between Lockhart Gulch Road and Covenant Lane in San Lorenzo Valley was closed for county crews to trim trees and remove hazardous trees leaning over the road. The work ended at 4:00 p.m. yesterday.
   

Long-term projects

These have been going on for a while, but are still worth keeping in mind.

• County crews will close one lane on East Zayante Road between Woodwardia Ave. and West Zayante Rd in Scotts Valley for tree trimming and removal of hazardous trees hanging over the road. The work will take place today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
   
• Mill St. between Main St. and Highway 9 in Ben Lomond will be closed to vehicles from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on 6/6, 7/4, 8/1, 9/5, and 10/3 for the Ben Lomond Village Market event. Traffic control and detour signs will be posted.
   

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 Wednesday morning traffic: Overnight Hwy 152 closure, Hwy 9 lane closures, paving on Hwy 17 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

In a tough budget year, Santa Cruz County is proposing to create an alternate public defender’s office to help reduce costs and maintain its holistic defense model, which connects clients with social workers and services. The move, however, would end a longstanding contract with a local law firm.

In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko notes highlights for Climatize and the Santa Cruz Warriors, what South County farmers are hearing in the wake of bad news from Martinelli’s and plenty more comings, goings and dates to know.

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

At Pinedale Elementary in Fresno, there are almost no classroom aides, after-school tutors or behavioral counselors. Literacy activities and parent workshops are scarce. Field trips? Almost nonexistent. The school survives on one of the lowest per-pupil expenditures in the state: $16,700 a year, nearly $5,000 below the state average.

Less than 2 miles away, it’s a different story at Kratt Elementary, which is in a different school district. Kratt has almost identical demographics – predominantly low-income and Latino –  but gets $25,000 per student and has the amenities to show for it. 

And a few hours west in the Bay Area, you’ll find Portola Valley Elementary, which spends almost $46,000 per student annually. It offers music and art classes, mental health counselors, small class sizes and state-of-the-art facilities.

The way California’s school funding works, schools with large numbers of students who are low-income, English learners, homeless or in foster care get extra funding. Schools in wealthy areas get less state funding but make up for it in local property taxes and parent donations. But those in the middle? They get much less money overall.  

“When I saw what other schools provide, I was like, what?” said Tania Galeana-King, a mother of three and parent volunteer at Pinedale. “As a parent, it’s really frustrating. I’ve heard of No Child Left Behind, but this is like half the kids left behind.”  

Low funding, low test scores

When California adopted the Local Control Funding Formula a little more than a decade ago, the idea was to bring equity to school funding and ensure students with the most needs got more support. But soaring costs, declining enrollment and inflation have led to gaping disparities in school funding.

Those in the wealthiest areas, such as Portola Valley, Menlo Park and other Silicon Valley enclaves, are typically “basic aid” districts, meaning they get most of their funding through local property taxes. Parents chip in the rest, often millions of dollars a year.  

School districts that are not basic aid get their money through the state’s Local Control Funding Formula, which includes a base grant plus extra money depending how many students are low-income, English learners, homeless or in foster care. If more than 55% fall into that category, districts get even more money.

That’s why Fresno Unified, where Kratt Elementary is located, gets significantly more money than Pinedale Elementary, which is located in Clovis Unified. Clovis, where just under half the students are considered high-needs, receives little extra funding.

Pinedale Elementary School in Fresno. Credit: Larry Valenzuela / CalMatters

The consequences of the funding disparities are reflected in students’ test scores. At Pinedale, fewer than 30% of students met the state’s English language arts standard last year. Only 23.5% met the math standard. Kratt students scored 5 to 10 percentage points higher on both tests. At Portola Valley, about 85% of students met the standard on both tests.

“I’d say the problem is urgent,” said Michael Johnston, associate superintendent at Clovis Unified, noting the impact on student learning at schools with less funding. “For many, many years, these kids have not gotten the same resources, and every year that goes by, it gets worse. It’s a group of students we are not treating fairly, and there needs to be a solution.”

Solutions in Sacramento

A bill in the state Senate seeks to fix the problem. Authored by Sen. Dave Cortese, a Democrat from San Jose, Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 would create a reserve account funded by surplus tax revenues in economically flush years. After the state doles out its Proposition 98 money – California’s primary vehicle for funding schools – every year, it would give extra funding to schools that aren’t in basic aid districts. The money would come from the interest generated on the reserve account. As the account grows, the extra funding would grow.

“Over time, we think this bill can certainly stop the bleeding,” said Cortese, whose district includes a dozen basic aid districts. “If we do nothing, the problem is just going to get worse and worse.”

Cortese’s bill would amend the state constitution. If it passes the Legislature, the proposal would appear on the fall ballot. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget also attempts to address the problem, providing almost $1 billion more toward school base grants. 

That’s good news to the Association of California School Administrators. Although the money isn’t enough, it’s a start, said Naj Alikhan, the organization’s spokesman.

“[We] strongly support efforts to raise the base grant,” Alikhan said. “The LCFF base grant is the foundation of school funding in California, and increasing it is one of the most effective ways to provide schools with greater stability, flexibility, and capacity to meet local needs.”

Another bill, put forth by Assemblymember David Alvarez, a Democrat from Chula Vista, would expand school funding for high-needs students, but some worry that it would actually make funding shortfalls worse for some districts. Instead of raising the base grant, the bill would redirect more money to schools with large numbers of high-needs students.

Cutting the basics

David Roth, superintendent of Buckeye Union Elementary School District in El Dorado County, has gathered a cadre of school administrators to oppose Alvarez’s bill and fight for an increase in the base grant. 

He’s created a database called Raise the Base, which calculates school districts’ funding disparities over the past 15 years. About 25 parent organizations and 60 small and mid-sized school districts have signed on to support Roth’s campaign. Among the largest: Clovis Unified, Fremont Unified, San Ramon Valley Unified and Murrieta Valley Unified. 

“We support the idea that some student populations need more resources. At the end of the day, we’re all underfunded,” Roth said. “But the base grant has not kept up with escalating costs, and districts are falling further and further behind.”

Buckeye, a K-12 district in the Sierra foothills, receives only $15,100 per student, far below the state average of $21,000. The district has pockets of wealth, but also areas of poverty. Because of low per-pupil funding the district is in jeopardy of losing long-standing programs that serve all students, Roth said.

If base funding doesn’t improve, Roth anticipates cuts to P.E., libraries, counselors and music in the next few years.

“In my mind, these are the basics,” Roth said. “We’re patching things together now with bubblegum and shoestrings, but that can’t last forever. Soon we’ll be unable to fund a reasonable education program.”

‘There’s such a demand’

Pinedale Elementary is in a working-class neighborhood in north Fresno with no sidewalks and a smattering of crime and homelessness. Galeana-King described the area as tough but close-knit. “Everyone looks after each other,” she said.

Tania Galeana-King at Pinedale Elementary School in Fresno. All three of Galeana-King’s sons attended Pinedale Elementary School. Credit: Larry Valenzuela / CalMatters

Galeana-King has been a parent at Pinedale for 15 years – all three of her children attended the school. She volunteers in the classroom and is active in the parent club, which raises a few thousand dollars a year through after-school snack sales, a salsa festival, jog-a-thon and other events.

But it’s not easy raising money in a community where most parents work multiple jobs to make ends meet. 

“We have to be understanding,” Galeana-King said. “We want families to participate, but we need to be reasonable. People are struggling.”

Teachers often pay for classroom supplies out of their own pockets, while the parent club pays for things like new chess boards for the chess club and the second-grade field trip to Monterey. But the needs are endless. If the parent club could raise more money, they’d like to provide snacks for the classrooms, new sports equipment, backpacks for students and other amenities. 

“I’m incredibly proud to send my kids to Pinedale. It might not always have the most financial resources, but it has a school full of people who deeply care about and love the kids,” she said. “That said, our students and staff urgently need more support.”

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

The post Some California schools get three times more funding than others. Here’s why appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Tuesday, 4:20 p.m. – Ryan Coonerty and Ami Chen Mills will face each other in a run-off in November for Santa Cruz mayor after the county clerk’s office added 490 ballots to the county’s total on Tuesday afternoon. 

Coonerty earned 47.9% of the ballots counted, or 9,251 of the 20,719 votes cast. In second, Chen Mills has 20.4% of the votes cast, or 3,948.

After Coonerty and Chen Mills, Joy Schendledecker has 12.5% (2,410 ballots), Gillian Greensite has 11.1% (2,149 ballots) and Chris Krohn has 7.6% (1,459 ballots).

There are still about 365 ballots countywide left to tally, according to Santa Cruz County’s elections department. The next results will be posted at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Watching the results from home with his family on Election Night, June 2, Coonerty said he was feeling good, and tired from campaigning on the UC Santa Cruz campus from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“I’m grateful to have strong support,” he said. “But I still think there’s lots of votes to count.” 

Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty on campus at UC Santa Cruz on Election Day. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Meanwhile on Election Night, a mix of more than 40 supporters for the four other progressive candidates gathered at Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub in downtown Santa Cruz. The group crowded into the bar’s back room watching national and state election results and eating small plates of appetizers and sliders. The space had two televisions broadcasting live election results, and the candidates each donned their campaign merchandise as they spoke about their days full of phone calls and door knocks.

Sean Dougherty, running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta in California’s 19th District, organized the watch party which, in addition to mayoral candidates Chen Mills, Krohn and Schendledecker, also attracted city council candidates Hector Marin and Gabriella Noack. Greensite held a private watch party, and at 10 p.m. told Lookout it was too early to comment on the results. Chen Mills said she was exhausted from knocking on doors all day and wasn’t sure she would be able to stay up to see the final vote update. 

At the watch party, each of the candidates took a turn at a microphone and spoke about their campaigns and the early results. During her speech, Schendledecker thanked Krohn, Chen Mills and Greensite for all the ways they helped each other during the season and said she appreciated the collaborative spirit that marked their race. She did not say anything about Coonerty. 

She – along with the four other candidates – worked throughout the election season to present themselves as anti-establishment alternatives to Coonerty.  

“I really, really appreciate Chris and Ami and Gillian,” said Schendledecker. “We were in it together.”

Krohn told Lookout he was happy with his campaign, and that he felt it provided voters with another perspective other than Coonerty’s.  

“I think that the campaign was successful, just in itself,” he said. “Because we went up against the contender, the main candidate.”

The next to lead the city will have their hands full as Santa Cruz grapples with a range of challenges from affordability, a declining population and shrinking budgets.

Incumbent Fred Keeley chose not to seek reelection after serving one four-year term.

Over the past two decades, Coonerty served as a Santa Cruz city councilmember, mayor and county supervisor. Recently, he’s worked as an advisor to San Jose mayor and California gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan. 

Greensite worked as head of rape prevention education at UC Santa Cruz for 30 years, and is a longtime environmentalist who has pushed back against the city on numerous occasions. For example, she was involved in a lawsuit against the city when it tried to change its heritage tree ordinance. 

Krohn has served two separate terms on the Santa Cruz City Council, with his first stint running from 1998 to 2002. During his second term, Krohn was recalled along with fellow councilmember Drew Glover in March 2020. He was also an educator in UCSC’s environmental studies program. 

Chen Mills is a community advocate and writer and ran for District 3 county supervisor in 2022. She’s also been a leader in the anti-Flock Safety camera movement. 

Schendledecker is an operations manager for local homeless shelter programs and has also had several unsuccessful campaigns for local offices. In 2022, she ran for mayor, losing to Keeley. In 2024, she ran for the District 3 seat on the Santa Cruz City Council, losing to incumbent Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson. 

Caly Plowman contributed to this story.

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The post Coonerty, Chen Mills head to November run-off for Santa Cruz mayor appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Tuesday, 4:20 p.m. – Incumbents Scott Newsome and Renee Golder have each secured a second term on the Santa Cruz City Council, defeating challengers Hector Marin and Gabriella Noack, respectively.

After a Tuesday update, Newsome had received 52.3% of the vote in District 4 (1,469 of 3,262 votes cast), maintaining his lead over Marin, who had received 47% of the vote (1,319 of 3,262 votes cast). Golder remained far ahead of Noack. She had received 63.8% of the vote in District 6 (1,962 of 3,262 votes cast) while Noack had received 35.6% of the vote (1,096 of 3,262 votes cast). The next update from the Santa Cruz County elections office is expected around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, with only an estimated 365 votes left countywide.

“We’re happy to be here. We look forward to the community response,” Marin’s campaign manager, Dave Tannaci, told Lookout on June 2 at an Election Night watch party at Rosie McCann’s on Pacific Avenue. Newsome and Noack did not immediately return Lookout’s request for comment.

Golder told Lookout last week that she has not checked the results. In fact, she never does until 30 days after the election when it is certified.

“It’s out of my control,” she said, adding that she didn’t have a watch party or do any last-minute promotions on Election Day. “I did everything I could from January through yesterday. It’s out of my hands and it’s up to the voters now.”

Newsome is a UC Santa Cruz lecturer and has served one term on the council following his 2022 election victory. He had prevailed over Marin and another challenger, Greg Hyver, to represent District 4, covering downtown and part of the Westside bounded by High Street to the north and Bay Street to the west.

Marin is an English language development and special education classroom aide at Santa Cruz’s Harbor High School. He is running for city council for the third time in the past three election cycles.

Newsome has pointed to successes in building affordable housing throughout the district, protecting residents of the St. George Residences in downtown Santa Cruz from major rent hikes, securing more than $13 million in relief and recovery funding following the 2024 winter storms that damaged and partially collapsed the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, and various transportation improvements as some of the main reasons voters should support him for a second term.

Marin has focused his campaign on the high cost of living, and strives to bring transparency and inclusivity to the dais. He wants to work directly with residents to address the city’s most pressing issues, ease requirements for fully affordable housing projects, reduce red tape and push for rent stabilization.

Challenger Gabriella Noack speaks during Lookout’s May 7 candidate forum as District 6 incumbent Renee Golder listens. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Golder is the principal of the Westside’s Bay View Elementary School and the incumbent in District 6, which covers the lower Westside, the westernmost part of the upper Westside and part of the UC Santa Cruz campus. She is the Monterey Bay representative of the board of directors of the League of California Cities, where she has pushed state lawmakers to stop changes to building codes, and has also advocated for more workforce housing.

Noack is a graduating UC Santa Cruz senior, and has worked as a volunteer peer tutor, a volunteer teacher at the Watsonville jail and co-facilitating a technology program at local nonprofit Barrios Unidos that aims to teach vocational technology skills to people who were previously incarcerated. 

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FOR THE RECORD: This story has been updated with comments from Santa Cruz City Council District 6 incumbent Renee Golder.

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The post Santa Cruz City Council: Newsome, Golder secure second terms appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Tuesday, 4:20 p.m. — Welcome to Lookout’s 2026 primary election results page. Here, we’ll give you real-time updates on how each race in Santa Cruz County is shaking out as the vote is counted, reflected in charts. Scroll to the bottom of this story for a link to the California Secretary of State website to view the results of statewide races.

The Santa Cruz County Clerk’s office added 490 ballots to the tally on Tuesday, bringing the total number of ballots counted to 86,928.

According to the Santa Cruz Elections Department website, there are still about 365 votes left to tally. There are 70 same-day registration ballots, 75 provisional ballots and 25 damaged ballots, and 195 vote-by-mail ballots that need voter action to cure their signature left to be counted. That means that roughly 99% of the ballots cast have been tallied.

Here is how the races stand as of 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The next update is expected around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Santa Cruz County supervisor results

A candidate needs a simple majority (50% of votes cast +1) in order to win an election. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters head to a run-off election in November. 

District 3 incumbent Justin Cummings is running unopposed.

Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge Santa Cruz mayor

A candidate needs a simple majority (50% of votes cast +1) in order to win an election. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters head to a run-off election in November.

Santa Cruz City Council State races

Click here for the California Secretary of State office’s website, where you can view the results for the statewide contests including races for governor, congressional districts and state Assembly.

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Tuesday, 4 p.m. – Immigration attorney Alisa Thomas has secured the open seat on the Santa Cruz County Superior Court over criminal defense attorney Bryan Hackett. 

Thomas had earned 54.8% of the votes (38,393 of 86,924 votes cast) while Hackett had earned 44.6% (31,280) as of Tuesday afternoon. Thomas has held a nearly 10% lead over Hackett since Election Day.

The Santa Cruz County Clerk’s office added 490 ballots to the tally on Tuesday, bringing the total number of ballots counted to 86,438. The next results will be posted around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Thomas told Lookout last week that “Santa Cruz County wins” no matter who is elected in this race, and added she’s cautiously optimistic as votes continue to be tallied.

“I’ll reserve my reaction until there’s a more significant number of votes counted,” Hackett told Lookout on Election Day. “Fingers crossed for the next batch of results that they go my way.”

The winner will succeed Superior Court Judge Stephen Siegel, who’s retiring after first being appointed by former governor Jerry Brown in 2012. The candidate who wins Siegel’s seat will face reelection in 2032. 

Five other Santa Cruz County judges also have expiring terms this year, but because they’re running unopposed, they will not appear on the ballot. 

Criminal defense attorney Bryan Hackett trailed immigration attorney Alisa Thomas in the race to replace Judge Stephen Siegel on the Santa Cruz County Superior Court. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Hackett has worked in the Santa Cruz court system for 15 years, defending clients and interacting with the local criminal justice system, such as the county’s district attorney’s office, local judges and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. 

He previously told Lookout his background in criminal defense allows hims to see both sides of a case — the defense side and the public safety side. Hackett added he is both an advocate for his clients and is “pro public safety.” 

Thomas has worked in the San Francisco Immigration Court for the past 25 years, focusing on assisting her clients — many of whom are farmworkers — with seeking work permits, residency and sometimes, asylum cases.  

She told Lookout in May that her judicial philosophy necessitates thoroughly understanding the case: “And the main thing is to be impartial and to be fair and to hold people accountable.” 

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Two young women from the San Francisco Bay Area have died after they drowned during dangerous ocean conditions last week at a beach in northern Santa Cruz County.  

Fremont residents Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, died Thursday and Saturday, respectively, after being swept into the water near Yellow Bank Beach last Wednesday, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. 

Last week, Santa Cruz County Volunteer Fire Captain Kyle Breton said on X, formerly Twitter, that the two women were likely swept out into the ocean by a rising tide. He said eight rescue swimmers assisted in the search and were able to get the women out and transported to local hospitals. 

Breton said the area’s quick rising tide often “catches people unaware” and warned the public to be cautious when visiting the beaches. 

Sheriff’s office spokesperson Ashley Keehn told Lookout the coroner hasn’t yet officially determined the cause and manner of death. 

Nair and Sran both graduated from Washington High School in Fremont in 2023, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Sran was studying public health at San Jose State University, while Nair was a legal studies major at UC Berkeley; both were scheduled to graduate in 2027. 

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

A new commission made up of legislators, public defenders, academics and advocates seeks to push California — one of just two states that don’t pay for basic public defense — to begin providing resources and enforcing minimum standards for county public defender systems. 

The California Independent Commission on Public Defense includes three assemblymembers and two senators — among them Jesse Arreguín and Nick Schultz, chairs of the Senate and Assembly Public Safety Committees — as well as chief public defenders from several counties, retired judges, the directors of criminal justice nonprofits and the heads of organizations representing thousands of defense attorneys in the state.

“We have discussed the problem of our public defense system for years,” said Schultz, a Democrat from Burbank and former prosecutor who has sponsored legislation to improve public defense.

The goal is to “move past discussion and study, and come up with an actionable road map of what we need to do to really build out the robust public defense infrastructure that Californians are rightfully entitled to,” he said.

The commissioners plan to develop a five-year plan to phase in state funding, along with enforceable standards like caseload limits and access to defense investigators.

A CalMatters investigation last year found that criminal defendants across the state are routinely convicted without anyone investigating the charges against them, significantly increasing the likelihood of wrongful convictions. Many California counties do not employ a single defense investigator who can interview witnesses, review police reports, visit crime scenes and retrieve video surveillance footage. CalMatters also found that lawyers in some rural counties are handling caseloads that far exceed even the most permissive standards, making them less likely than other defense attorneys to challenge the prosecution’s evidence in legal motions and take their cases to trial. 

But the state has resisted stepping in. After a proposed bill that would have created an official state commission to address the issue was abandoned, two advocacy groups, the Wren Collective and UC Berkeley’s Criminal Law and Justice Center, decided to form an independent commission and began assembling participants who could develop and act on reforms. These types of commissions, which have facilitated significant improvements in other states’ public defender systems, are usually established by the governor. 

“It became clear that this was an issue that was not a high priority for Sacramento, especially during a budget crisis,” said Chesa Boudin, the Berkeley center’s founding director and a former San Francisco district attorney. It also became clear, Boudin said, that “there was a tremendous gap between what experts understood to be the crisis and the public perception of California government as a kind of progressive leader in the country.”

In the decades since the U.S. Supreme Court established the right to an attorney in state court criminal proceedings, California has saddled its counties with the responsibility of providing lawyers to poor people accused of crimes. Many of those counties have opted for the cheapest path: paying private lawyers and firms a flat fee to represent indigent defendants, regardless of how many cases they handle or how much time they spend on each case.

The Santa Cruz County Office of the Public Defender. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

“You’ve got some offices that have an incredibly high caliber of representation that they can provide, and you have other offices that are doing these flat-fee contracts where the quality has been documented to be pretty bad,” said Eve Brensike Primus, a law professor at the University of Michigan.

Primus is the only member of the new commission from outside of California. She was asked to join because of her extensive research and writing about the structure of indigent defense. 

An indigent defense commission in Michigan, which was formed by the legislature in 2013, has led to significant reforms and a substantial influx in state funding. 

The California commission’s work, Primus said, can serve “as a catalyst for political actors to do the right thing and start to fund and improve indigent defense delivery, or as fodder for lawsuits that then can try to get the judiciary to push the political actors to do what is necessary to provide for effective representation.”

The commission is scheduled to hold its first in-person meeting, which will be open to the public, in Berkeley in October, with additional meetings planned for Los Angeles, the Central Valley and Northern California over the next 12 months. Commissioners say they will work in subcommittees in-between these quarterly sessions to develop a concrete fiscal plan for the state, draft legislative language, and establish minimum standards for how counties should structure their public defender offices, compensate their attorneys, provide access to experts, and report on their work.

Any recommendations would then need to be approved by the Legislature.

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Last week, Lookout brought readers, members, business leaders and community partners together through three unique events that showcased the many ways local journalism can connect and strengthen our community.

These community experiences are made possible by the support of Lookout members. If you’re not yet a member, we invite you to join us and help sustain independent local journalism while gaining access to exclusive events, experiences and opportunities to connect with the people and stories that make Santa Cruz County unique.

Five years strong — and just getting started.

Celebrate Lookout’s fifth anniversary by joining the community that powers trustworthy local journalism in Santa Cruz County. Your membership gives you unlimited access to every story on our website and app — and fuels the reporting that keeps our community informed, connected and moving forward.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY » Private VegFest tasting tour with Lily Belli

On Saturday morning, June 6, 12 Lookout members got a taste of life as a food journalist, joining food and drink correspondent Lily Belli for an exclusive tasting tour at Santa Cruz VegFest at the county fairgrounds in Watsonville. More than just a food crawl, the experience offered behind-the-scenes conversations with local food makers and a deeper understanding of the stories, cultures and community connections behind each bite.

The group began at Samba Rock Açaí Café, where members enjoyed fresh açaí bowls while learning about the fruit’s roots in Brazil and the inspiration behind bringing authentic açaí culture to Santa Cruz. Next, they sampled vegan arepas from Areperia 831. The owner shared her commitment to creating food that is inclusive and accessible for everyone – often making dishes that are vegan, gluten-free and nut-free without sacrificing flavor. The verdict from the group: You would never guess the arepas were vegan.

The tour continued with vegan churro donuts from Hole Foods Donuts. Members learned how the owner balances a full-time career as a carpenter while building his donut business on the side, and got a look at some of his creative flavors, including blueberry and matcha. The morning wrapped up at Santa Cruz Cider Co., where participants sampled a classic dry cider, a pomegranate-apple blend and fresh apple juice, all made from apples grown right here in Santa Cruz County.

What makes these tasting tours so special is that they go far beyond simply tasting food. Participants get to hear directly from chefs, entrepreneurs and makers about their journeys, their craft and their connections to the community. It’s an opportunity to experience food through the lens of a journalist – discovering the stories behind the flavors and gaining a richer appreciation for the people who make our local food scene so vibrant.

Lookout Trivia Night at Abbott Square

On Wednesday evening, June 10, 65 community members gathered at Abbott Square for the kickoff of Lookout’s fifth annual summer trivia series. Hosted by longtime arts and entertainment writer Wallace Baine, the monthly event has become a beloved summer tradition in downtown Santa Cruz, drawing a mix of loyal regulars and first-time players eager to test their knowledge and enjoy a night out with friends.

Although Wallace retired from Lookout last December, he was so passionate about the trivia series that he couldn’t imagine letting it go. A devoted “Jeopardy!” fan, Wallace designs each round with the same spirit of curiosity and challenge – and participants quickly discover that these questions are no joke. With four rounds covering everything from pop culture and history to science and local knowledge, even the most seasoned trivia buffs find themselves stumped.

Fifteen teams competed throughout the evening while enjoying food and drinks from Abbott Square vendors. After a hard-fought final round, first-time Lookout trivia attendees the Scrambled Eggheads emerged victorious, taking home Pacific Cookie Company treats, Lookout swag and, perhaps most important, bragging rights until next month.

Business after hours with the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce

On Thursday evening, June 11, more than 50 local business, nonprofit and community leaders gathered inside the Lookout newsroom for a business after hours event in partnership with the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce. Despite an unexpected air-conditioning outage on one of the warmer days of the year, the newsroom was full of energy, conversation and new connections.

For many attendees, the evening offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at how local journalism works. Guests learned more about Lookout’s mission to provide independent, nonpartisan reporting for Santa Cruz County and the role local news plays in keeping communities informed and connected. While much of the newsroom team was out doing what journalists do best – covering breaking stories and reporting in the field – the event provided an opportunity to showcase the people, partnerships and community engagement efforts that help support Lookout’s work.

The gathering also served as an introduction to Lookout’s new executive editor, Richard Martin, who recently joined the organization to lead the newsroom and help guide its next chapter. Attendees had the chance to meet Richard and learn more about Lookout’s continued investment in strong local journalism.

Beyond the newsroom itself, the evening highlighted the many ways businesses, nonprofits and community organizations can partner with Lookout. Guests enjoyed a spread from Busy Bees Catering, winner of the 2025 Lookout List award for Best Catering for a Dinner Party, alongside award-winning wines from Soquel Vineyards, another 2025 Lookout List honoree. The space was brightened by stunning floral arrangements from woman-owned Tulipa Florals, whose creative displays featured fresh strawberries woven into the bouquets – a detail that quickly became a conversation-starter among attendees. Together, these local businesses helped showcase the talent, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that make Santa Cruz County such a special place. A special thank you to the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce and everyone who joined us for such a memorable evening.

Whether exploring Santa Cruz’s food scene with a journalist, gathering with friends for a night of trivia or connecting with local leaders in our newsroom, each of these events reflects the same goal: bringing people closer to the stories, businesses and neighbors that shape our community. That’s the power of local journalism – not just informing people about where they live, but helping them feel more connected to it.

The post A busy week of community connection at Lookout Santa Cruz appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

There are still ballots to be tallied, but the Santa Cruz mayoral race is clear: There will be a run-off in November.

As of Monday, Ryan Coonerty and Ami Chen Mills have received 48.1% and 20.2% of the votes cast, respectively. That puts both of them comfortably ahead of the third-place candidate, Joy Schendledecker, who has received 12.4%, and guarantees them one more contest for the seat in November.

Current Mayor Fred Keeley chose not to seek reelection after serving one four-year term.

Coonerty told Lookout on Monday that he is grateful for the broad-based support he received across every precinct in the city. He said he’s taking a rest for the time being, but preparing for the march to November.

“I’m lucky I have a lot of supporters rallying and ready to help with all the different pieces,” he said. “One of the frustrating things about the primary was that there was, in my view, a concerted effort to muddy the water. This will be a really clear choice for the community.”

Coonerty said there are still plenty of prospective voters to reach between now and November, adding that many in the community likely focus on their personal responsibilities and national politics more than local races.

“I think the insiders sometimes overestimate how much people are paying attention to city politics. Most folks are just starting to engage with the mayoral election and other city issues,” he said. 

Aside from a District 3 county supervisor campaign in 2022 that saw her lose to both current Santa Cruz City Councilmember Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and eventual winner Justin Cummings, this is Chen Mills’ only other campaign for a local elected seat. It’s been largely successful, forcing a run-off against a longtime politico and former city councilmember, mayor and county supervisor.

She, too, says she is grateful for the support thus far and for the team that worked on the campaign.

“You have someone who a lot of people thought would actually win the primary outright, and the fact that he hasn’t is the big news. I think what is surprising is how much people are looking for a change,” she said, pointing to the fact that the four candidates running against Coonerty received more votes in total than he did. “The community is looking for a change and I’m looking for a change.”

Chen Mills believes that “we have missed a huge voice in this community on the council,” and that she hopes to represent it as much as one person is able to.

Like Coonerty, Chen Mills is taking some time to rest, but says she’s looking forward to having more time for her campaign leading up to November, rather than the three rushed months before the primary election.

“Now we have time for a more expansive campaign,” she said. “We will need to build a strong coalition and a wide coalition in order to win in November.”

Coonerty said there’s plenty of work ahead over the next few months.

“November is a lifetime in politics these days, and it is going to require a full-blown campaign,” he said. “Not just by me, but by hundreds of friends and supporters who will be hopefully joining me to engage the community.”

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The post Ryan Coonerty, Ami Chen Mills aiming to reach more voters ahead of November mayoral run-off appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.

Here is what’s new in local business recently.

New businesses

• PRETTY USEFUL ART was registered at 455 Hillview Dr., Felton, by Margaret Rochelle Vieira as an individual business on June 1.
• CRITICAL HIT CONSULTING, HYPERTHREAD CONSULTING was registered at 86 Montebello Dr., Watsonville, by Box To Beautiful, LLC, as a limited liability company on June 1.
• WESTMONT LIVING BUS FLEET was registered at 5630 Soquel Dr., Soquel, by Rsf Viii Soquel Opco, LLC, as a limited liability company on June 2.
• RODRIGUEZ CLINICAL CONSULTING was registered at 711 Seabright Ave., Apt. 1, Santa Cruz, by Anthony Edward Rodriguez as an individual business on June 2.
• TREJOS CARNITAS was registered at 370 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville, by Trejo-Arias Cristobal as an individual business on June 2.
• CENTRAL COAST FLOORING LLC was registered at 416 Airport Blvd., Watsonville, by Central Coast Flooring LLC as a limited liability company on June 2.
• RUIZ BOOKEEPING & TAX SERVICE was registered at 105 Jefferson St., #B, Watsonville, by Sofia Samano Ruiz as an individual business on June 2.
• ARCADE FOUNDRY was registered at 339 Park Dr., Aptos, by David Pryor as an individual business on June 2.
• J.M.4U INC. was registered at 223 Morrissey Blvd., Santa Cruz, by J.M.4U Inc. as a corporation on June 3.
• LAUDEN INTEGRATIVE PHARMACY was registered at 1820-f 41st Ave., Capitola, by Lauden Pharmacy, Inc. as a corporation on June 3.
• CARNE was registered at 21511 E. Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, by Point Butcher Shop LLC as a limited liability company on June 3.
• MONARCA BEAUTY GLAM was registered at 3230 Cunnision Lane, #A, Soquel, by Catalina Vargas Valdovinos as an individual business on June 3.
• OPEN DOOR SPANISH was registered at 1730 15th Ave., Santa Cruz, by Kristen Lansdale as an individual business on June 4.
• SIDEWALK STUDIO was registered at 4637 Scotts Valley Dr., Scotts Valley, by Patricia Pollock as an individual business on June 4.
• TOM SHIELDS AQUATICS was registered at 184 Harbor Oaks Circle, Santa Cruz, by Dolphin Kick Lab LLC as a limited liability company on June 4.
• SONNE was registered at 1316 30th Ave., Santa Cruz, by Jessica Yuchin Hebestreit as an individual business on June 4.
• ANXIETY TREATMENT SERVICES was registered at 5905 Soquel Dr., Suite 400, Soquel, by Amoreena Juarez as an individual business on June 4.
• GUZMAN TAX PRO was registered at 416 Center St., Watsonville, by Luis A. Guzman as a co-partnership on June 4.
• SIGNATUREPLUS was registered at 2627 Mattison Lane, Spc. 11, Santa Cruz, by Daisy A. Montesinos as an individual business on June 5.
• PRISM N HUES was registered at 134 Blaine St., #C, Santa Cruz, by Stephanie P. Silviera Barrientos as an individual business on June 5.
• BLUE MOON ESTATE SALES SAN MATEO AND SAN JOSE was registered at 137 Margaret Dr., Boulder Creek, by Servicesmith Estate Sales as a corporation on June 5.
• A.M. MANAGING & CONSULTING was registered at 138 Victoria Lane, Aptos, by Angela Renee Manson as an individual business on June 8.
• DREW’S USED TOOLS was registered at 5000 Scotts Valley Dr., Suite 4, Scotts Valley, by Te Woo Kim as an individual business on June 8.
• COAST2COAST FIREPLACE SERVICE was registered at 20 Laurel St., Watsonville, by Juan Daniel Morales Aguirre as an individual business on June 8.
• EUCASEA was registered at 142 Baldwin St., Santa Cruz, by Christy Natsumi LLC as a limited liability company on June 8.
• CASTRO PRODUCTIONS was registered at 824 Encino Dr., Aptos, by Jacob Jean Glenn as an individual business on June 8.
• MERIDIAN COFFEE AND ELIXIR BAR was registered at 2910 Leotar Circle, Santa Cruz, by Santa Cruz Ski Lodge LLC as a limited liability company on June 9.
• ROOTED MEDICINALS LLC was registered at 66 San Tomas Way, Watsonville, by Rooted Medicinals LLC as a limited liability company on June 9.
• FOR HOP’S SAKE BREWING was registered at 317 Oak Creek Blvd., Scotts Valley, by James G. Johnson as an individual business on June 9.
• SC MOBILE MARINE AND AUTOMOTIVE was registered at 1870 Wharf Rd., Capitola, by Michael Devon Aylsworth as an individual business on June 9.
• CAPITOLA HOTEL was registered at 210 Esplanade, Capitola, by Capitola Inn, LLC as a limited liability company on June 9.
• PLEASURE POINT DESIGN was registered at 2825 S. Rodeo Gulch Rd., Suite 10, Soquel, by PPD Multimedia LLC as a limited liability company on June 10.
• GOPHERS LIMITED was registered at 317 Las Lomas Dr., Royal Oaks, by Neil Benjamin Evans as an individual business on June 10.
• EL BUEN TACO was registered at 101 Civic Center Dr. #314, Scotts Valley, by Gerardo Velasco Morales as an individual business on June 11.
• SIDEWALK was registered at 4637 Scotts Valley Dr., Scotts Valley, by Patricia Pollock as an individual business on June 11.
• DEMARK STUDIO was registered at 3611 Portola Dr., Santa Cruz, by Davis Maddry Architecture Studio as a corporation on June 12.
• VILLALOBA ESTATE was registered at 2570 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville, by Jose Villanueva Martinez as an individual business on June 12.

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

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The post Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of June 16 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

This post is updated throughout the day to reflect the latest incidents. It was last updated at 8:01 a.m.

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

▼︎ new incidents   ▼︎ long-term incidents

Road incidents as of 8 a.m. on June 16

• A hit-and-run happened at 1015 Fern Ave. in Felton on Monday at 5:26 p.m. A vehicle hit power lines, causing a power outage in the area. The driver left the scene in a silver Honda. No injuries were reported.
   
• North Highway 17 at Pasatiempo Drive north of Santa Cruz is facing closures for asphalt paving. The closure is expected to end at 6:01 a.m. on June 22.
   
• Highway 9 at Cascade Avenue in Brookdale has one-way traffic due to ongoing work. This closure is expected to last until Aug. 31.
   
• There will be alternating lane closures on Highway 9 at Pool Drive in Boulder Creek because of bridge work. This is scheduled to continue until April 30, 2027.
   
• There is one-way traffic on Highway 236 at Heartwood Hill in Boulder Creek because of drainage cleaning. This is expected to end at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
   
• The California Highway Patrol helped with construction at the intersection of Highway 9 and Bear Creek Road in Boulder Creek today.
   
• CHP helped with construction at the intersection of Highway 1 south and Buena Vista Drive in Watsonville today.
   

Long-term projects

These have been going on for a while, but are still worth keeping in mind.

• A single lane will be closed on Mount Hermon Road between Lockhart Gulch Road and Covenant Lane in Scotts Valley today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. while county crews trim trees and remove hazardous trees leaning over the road.
   
• On Wednesday, county crews will close one lane on East Zayante Road between Woodwardia Avenue and West Zayante Road in Felton from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for tree trimming and removal of hazardous trees over the road.
   
• Branciforte Drive between DeLaveaga Park and Glen Canyon Road will have lane closures while county crews remove trees.
   

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 Tuesday morning traffic: Highway 17, 9 and 1 lane closures; hit-and-run in Felton appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.