Lookout Santa Cruz

Three candidates — Danny Reber, Greg Wimp, and Michael Zeller — are vying for two seats on the Scotts Valley City Council this fall. The small city north of Santa Cruz has one major, overarching issue that the community is closely following: the planning of a new town center, which is decades in the making.

The fifth annual Watsonville Filipino American History Month festival, hosted by the Tobera Project, celebrates Filipino culture, food and music while uplifting the Manong generation of farmworkers in the Pajaro Valley.

Nancy Bilicich and Ed Acosta will face off for the District 7 Watsonville City Council seat. The winner will replace termed-out City Councilmember Ari Parker.

Nancy Bilicich y Ed Acosta se enfrentarán por el escaño del Distrito 7 del Concejo Municipal de Watsonville. El ganador reemplazará al actual concejal Ari Parker.

Team BOLO (Be On The Lookout) is gathering and curating all of Santa Cruz County’s biggest and best happenings from now until forever — or at least until the latest gigs are officially announced.

Latest additions are marked as NEW below.

Use the following links to see the major events happening by month:

• October
• November
• December
• January 2027
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June

And away we go with Down The Line …

October

Oct. 2: Soda Blonde, The Crepe Place

Oct. 2: Fruit Bats, The Rio

Oct. 2: Twin Temple, The Catalyst

Oct. 2-3: Diggin’ Dirt, Moe’s Alley

Oct. 3: Santa Cruz Symphony: “United Sounds of America,” Santa Cruz Civic

Oct. 3: The Bends, Felton Music Hall

Oct. 4: Mike Dawes, Felton Music Hall

Oct. 4: Santa Cruz Symphony: “United Sounds of America,” Mello Center

Oct. 5: Hiromi, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 6: Kishi Bashi, The Rio

Oct. 6: “The Librarians,” Colligan Theater

Oct. 7: “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” The Grove

Oct. 7: Writers of Color Santa Cruz County, Museum of Art & History

NEW: Oct. 7: Creed Bratton, Felton Music Hall

Oct. 8: Rickie Lee Jones, The Rio

Oct. 8: Ben Flocks, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 8: The Guitarsonists, The Crepe Place

Oct. 8: Soulja Boy, Santa Cruz Civic

Oct. 9: The Breaks, Moe’s Alley

Oct. 9: King Crimson tribute, Quarry Amphitheater

Oct. 10: Damien Jurado, Felton Music Hall

Oct. 10: Banff Center Mountain Film, The Rio

Oct. 10: Acid Bath, Quarry Amphitheater

Oct. 10: Sin Sisters Burlesque, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 10: Bongo Sibide, Woodhouse Brewing

Oct. 11: Yellowjackets, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 11: Min Jin Lee, The Rio

Oct. 12: Somi, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 14: Bonnie Raitt, Santa Cruz Civic

Oct. 14: Acoustic Alchemy, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 14: Alborosie & Shengen Clan, Moe’s Alley

Oct. 14: “Shaun of the Dead,” The Grove

Oct. 15: Bumpin’ Uglies, The Catalyst

Oct. 16: Young Dubliners, Moe’s Alley

Oct. 16: Xavier Wulf, The Catalyst

Oct. 16: “Frankenstein” with live score,  The Rio 

Oct. 17: B-Side Players, Moe’s Alley

Oct. 17: Megan Woods, The Rio

Oct. 17: Santa Cruz Comedy Festival, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 17: Marty O’Reilly, The Crepe Place

Oct. 19: Buster Williams, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 19: Grace Krilanovich, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Oct. 21: Jerry Douglas Band, Felton Music Hall

Oct. 21: Hannah Mayree, The Crepe Place

Oct. 21: “Get Out,” The Grove

Oct. 21: “Young Soul Rebels,” Quarry Amphitheater

Oct. 22: Todd Rundgren, The Rio

Oct. 22: Obi Kaufmann, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Oct. 23: Black Flag, Felton Music Hall

Oct. 23: Lyrics Born, Moe’s Alley

Oct. 24: Katy Scott, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Oct. 24: Return to Laurel Canyon, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 24-25: Zepperella, Moe’s Alley

Oct. 25: “Let the Caged Bird Sing” IV, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 26: Fonville & Fribush, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 27: Great Lake Swimmers, Felton Music Hall

Oct. 28: Lyle Lovett, Santa Cruz Civic

Oct. 28: Julia Orringer, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Oct. 28: “The Sixth Sense,” The Grove

Oct. 29: Laura Anglade, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Oct. 29: Michael Franti, The Rio

Oct. 30: The Mother Hips, Moe’s Alley

Oct. 30-31: Jerry’s Middle Finger, Felton Music Hall

Oct. 31: AJ Lee & Blue Summit, The Rio

November

Nov. 1: Andrew Duhon, Moe’s Alley

Nov. 1: Alexandr Misko, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 2: Helen Sung, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 4: Joshua Redman, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 4: Priyanka Matoo, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Nov. 5: Gabrielle Cavassa, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 6: Elijah Scott, Felton Music Hall

Nov. 6: Trip Tides, The Crepe Place

Nov. 7: Henry Diltz: Behind the Lens, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 7: Jeffrey Foucault, Felton Music Hall

Nov. 7: Led Zeppelin tribute, Moe’s Alley

Nov. 8: Southern Culture on the Skids, Moe’s Alley

Nov. 9: Alex Cameron, The Crepe Place

Nov. 9: “Birth of the Cool” Revisited, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 9: Matt O’Hara, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Nov. 10: Donavon Frankenreiter, The Rio

NEW: Nov. 11: Pierre Bensusan, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 12: Jake Xerxes Fussell, Felton Music Hall

Nov. 12: Ken Okada, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 14: Nick Shoulders, Felton Music Hall

Nov. 14: Jon Spencer, Moe’s Alley

Nov. 14: Santa Cruz Symphony: Tchaikovsky & Mendelssohn, Santa Cruz Civic

Nov. 15: The Cactus Blossoms, Felton Music Hall

Nov. 15: California Honeydrops, The Catalyst

Nov. 15: Santa Cruz Symphony: Tchaikovsky & Mendelssohn, Mello Center

Nov. 15: Daniel Duane, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Nov. 16: Las Migas, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 17: John Carroll Kirby, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 18: As I Lay Dying, The Catalyst

Nov. 18: Michael Nau, The Crepe Place

Nov. 19: James Gordon Williams, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 19: Dav Pilkey, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Nov. 20: Andrew McMahon, Felton Music Hall

Nov. 21: Amy Winehouse tribute, Felton Music Hall

Nov. 20-21: Kabaka Pyramid, Moe’s Alley

Nov. 23: The Residents, Felton Music Hall

Nov. 23: Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Nov. 27: Jackie Greene, The Catalyst

Nov. 28: Don Carlos, The Catalyst

Nov. 29: Sandra Bernhard, The Rio

Nov. 30: Benny Green, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

December

Dec. 2: Kassa Overall, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Dec. 2: “A Celtic Christmas,” Santa Cruz Civic

Dec. 2: Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Crepe Place

Dec. 3: Isaiah Sharkey, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Dec. 4: Dragon Smoke, Moe’s Alley

Dec. 5: Hell’s Belles, Moe’s Alley

Dec. 5: The Expendables, The Catalyst

Dec. 5: “Actually, It is Rocket Science,” The Rio 

Dec. 5-6: Music for the Feast of Christmas, Holy Cross Church

Dec. 6: Horse Feathers, Woodhouse Brewing

Dec. 7: The Bad Plus, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Dec. 8: Buck Meek, Moe’s Alley

Dec. 8: A Guaraldi Holiday, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Dec. 9: Mike Renwick, Felton Music Hall

Dec. 9: James Hunter Six, Moe’s Alley

Dec. 10: Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Dec. 10: The Slackers, Moe’s Alley

Dec. 11: Jonathan Richman, The Rio

Dec. 11: Flaming Groovies, The Crepe Place

Dec. 11: Stinkfoot Orchestra, Felton Music Hall

Dec. 11: Jonathan Richman, The Rio

Dec. 12: The Wooten Brothers, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Dec. 12: JD McPherson, Felton Music Hall

Dec. 13: Garrison Keillor, The Rio

Dec. 14: Christian Sands, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Dec. 17: Pokey LaFarge, Felton Music Hall

Dec. 14: Christian Sands, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Dec. 17: Skylar Tang, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Dec. 19: A John Prine Christmas Show, Felton Music Hall

Dec. 31: Wooster, Moe’s Alley

January 2027

Jan. 10: Ana Popovic, Moe’s Alley

Jan. 15: Kurt Rosenwinkel/Gerald Clayton, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Jan. 16: Arum Ramamurthy, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Jan. 16: Santa Cruz Symphony: Rachmaninoff’s Third, Santa Cruz Civic

Jan. 17: Santa Cruz Symphony: Rachmaninoff’s Third, Mello Center

Jan. 18: Goldings/Bernstein Organ Trio, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Jan. 21: Jesse Cook, The Rio

Jan. 22: Andy McKee, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Jan. 22: Trae Crowder, The Rio

Jan. 23: Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Jan. 24: Brandy Clark, Felton Music Hall

Jan. 25: Camille Thurman/Darrell Green, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Jan. 28: Chris Cain, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

February

Feb. 1: The Cookers, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Feb. 5: Champion Fulton, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Feb. 6: Steve Poltz, Felton Music Hall

Feb. 8: Kenny Barron, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Feb. 10: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, The Rio

Feb. 11: Nella, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Feb. 15: Hamilton de Holanda, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Feb. 16: Charlie Hunter & Ella Feingold, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Feb. 19: Matthew Whitaker, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Feb. 22: Linda May Ham Oh, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Feb. 25: Claudia Villela/Romero Lubambo, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Feb. 28: Santa Cruz Symphony: “Peter and the Wolf,” Santa Cruz Civic

March

March 1: Tyreek McDole, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

March 5: Klezmatics, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

March 6: The Lemonheads, The Catalyst

March 14: Alok, The Catalyst

NEW: March 22: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

March 26: David Nihill, Kuumbwa Jazz Center

April

April 3: Santa Cruz Symphony: “The Firebird,” Santa Cruz Civic

April 4: Santa Cruz Symphony: “The Firebird,” Mello Center

April 21: “Alice in Wonderland,” Santa Cruz Civic

April 23: Fashion Teens, The Rio

May

May 1: Santa Cruz Symphony: “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” Santa Cruz Civic

May 2: Santa Cruz Symphony: “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” Mello Center

June

June 12: Santa Cruz Symphony: Celebrating John Williams, Santa Cruz Civic

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF BOLO

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If you’re planning or producing your own event, click CREATE AN EVENT on the calendar.

Questions, comments, concerns? Email bolo@lookoutlocal.com.

The post Down The Line: All the biggest and best shows, gigs & events ahead in Santa Cruz County appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Gillian Greensite, a longtime local activist and mayoral candidate in the primary election, officially endorsed Ryan Coonerty for Santa Cruz Mayor on Thursday. She said that she believes Coonerty is the best choice for the city leadership role, that she and Coonerty hold common ground on overbuilding, and likes his idea of posting a public dashboard with data on city progress across multiple areas.

Santa Cruz County will reinstate its seasonal mask requirement in all skilled nursing facilities and infusion centers beginning Nov. 1, requiring employees, visitors and other non-patients to wear face masks indoors.

The requirement was issued by Public Health Officer Dr. Lisa Hernandez in response to an uptick in respiratory viruses common between fall and spring. Hernandez said the county has already seen an increase in respiratory viruses in the community, as seen by wastewater testing. This is the fourth year a seasonal mask mandate has gone into effect.

“This Order is intended to protect people who are most vulnerable to serious illness, including hospitalization and death,” Hernandez said in a media release.

The California Department of Public Health also encourages community members to get vaccinated against the flu, COVID-19 and RSV. All of the respiratory vaccine recommendations can be found here.

The post Santa Cruz County reinstates mask requirement in skilled nursing facilities, infusion centers appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Candidates for Watsonville’s District 5 and 7 city council seats discussed a variety of issues impacting the city, including Flock Safety cameras, infrastructure and economic development during a Lookout election forum.

With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County, with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout's BOLO events calendar.

Santa Cruz County’s agricultural economy grew 2.8% in 2025, driven largely by a 27% jump in strawberry value to nearly $279 million, while other major crops saw more mixed results.

California created enhanced care management to help Medi-Cal patients with complex health and social needs before they reach the emergency room. Community Bridges spent three years building a community-based program that now serves more than 200 people. But, Community Bridges CEO Ray Cancino writes, a shift toward encounter-based reimbursement is making the relationship-building, outreach and coordination that prevention requires increasingly difficult to sustain and Community Bridges will now be forced to close the program. Cancino questions whether the new payment model will actually save money — or simply move the costs downstream.

Incumbent Misty Navarro and district parent Mads Realmuto are competing for the Trustee Area VII seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District governing board. Navarro was appointed to the seat in October 2024, after Jennifer Holm resigned from the board.

Santa Cruz County leaders held their first State of the County address Tuesday evening, providing residents an overview of recent successes but also serious financial challenges that lie ahead for the county.

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

Road incidents as of 6:30 a.m. on September 30

• A car hit a deer on northbound Highway 17 near Laurel Curve in Scotts Valley around 6:07 a.m. today. The deer was injured and just off the road. The car, a dark-colored BMW sedan with a broken radiator, was stopped about a mile north of where the deer was. The driver planned to handle vehicle assistance on their own.
   
• Highway 9 at Pool Drive in San Lorenzo Valley has alternating lane closures in both directions because of bridge work. This will continue until April 30.
   
• South Highway 1 at Park Avenue in Capitola / Soquel is facing closures for paving work. The closure is expected to end at 7:01 a.m. on Nov. 19.
   
• A lane is closed on eastbound and westbound SR-152 at Main St./Lake St. in Watsonville and Pajaro for curb, gutter, and sidewalk work. The closure will end today at 2:59 p.m.
   
• A lane on eastbound SR-152 at Clifford Drive/Ohlone Parkway in Watsonville/Pajaro is closed for core drilling. The closure will last until 2:01 p.m. on Oct. 5.
   
• One-way traffic control is in place on North SR-236 at Boulder Brook Drive in San Lorenzo Valley for pavement repair. The closure is expected to end at 1:59 p.m. on Oct. 5.
   
• A lane on South Highway 17 at W Vine Hill Road (North) in Scotts Valley is closed for core drilling work. The closure will end at 7:59 a.m. today.
   

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: Car hit deer on Hwy 17; multiple lane closures ongoing appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Starbucks locations in Soquel and Watsonville are among the 250 nationwide affected by another wave of closures at the coffee giant, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly look at Santa Cruz County business.

What makes UC Santa Cruz different from the University of California’s nine other campuses? Journalist Miriam Pawel’s new book, “California Dreams,” traces the UC system’s tumultuous history — and explores how UCSC’s distinctive identity emerged from a vision that quickly collided with the upheavals of the 1960s.

After nearly three years, the fight over proposed no-take marine protected areas along the Santa Cruz County coast is headed for a final decision. County Supervisors Justin Cummings and Manu Koenig argue that the proposals are too broad, lack scientific justification and would unnecessarily restrict local fishing access. State wildlife and Ocean Protection Council staff have recommended denying both petitions, finding insufficient scientific justification for the proposed closures. Now the decision rests with the California Fish and Game Commission — and local residents have one final chance Wednesday to make their voices heard via comments.

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

Community colleges in California will be required to offer abortion medication through campus health centers starting in 2029, under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday. 

Through the Community College Student Right to Access Act, California will extend the reproductive health service already required for public universities in the state. No specific dollar amount is mentioned in the new law, only that the implementation of abortion medication at community colleges will rely on the Legislature appropriating funding.

Community colleges were left out of Senate Bill 24, a law that was signed in 2019 and took effect in 2023, requiring University of California and California State University campuses to provide on-campus abortion medication at their health centers. The new law, authored by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, a Democrat from San Francisco, will require abortion pill access at community college campuses with existing health centers. Today, 92 out of 115 community college campuses have health centers.

“We are closing a critical gap by ensuring that community college students, one of the most diverse and economically vulnerable populations in our state, have the same access to care as their peers at four-year institutions,” Stefani said during the Assembly Health Committee hearing in April. 

Students at UC, Cal State and community college campuses on the Pro-Abortion Student Advisory Board supported the bill as part of Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, a national advocacy and reproductive justice organization. The student board works to expand education outreach for reproductive healthcare across the state.

“The system is clearly moving towards the better,” said Angelica Campos, a San Francisco City College student and advisory board member, in response to the governor’s signature. 

Implementing the law

Medication abortion can be taken 10 to 11 weeks after the day of a person’s last period. It accounted for more than half of all U.S. abortions in 2023, according to Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health. 

Community college health services leaders were initially concerned about implementation due to the locally controlled model of the community college system. For this reason, community college health centers do not operate in the same way as university health centers.

While the law requires community colleges with health centers to start offering abortion medication, it does not require that it happens on campus, unlike the law for UC and Cal State campuses. Instead, community colleges have multiple options. They can prescribe the medication onsite via a licensed provider on staff or telehealth. The health center can utilize partnerships with an offsite provider who can prescribe abortion medication. Or they can offer a “warm handoff” directing students to resources off campus, with follow-up care on their campus. Implementation cost will depend on the model community colleges choose to adopt. 

Some community colleges, like El Camino College in Torrance, already have a “robust” healthcare system, according to Susan Nilles, faculty coordinator of El Camino College Student Health Services and a nurse practitioner. While the campus doesn’t currently offer abortion medication, Nilles said she does not anticipate challenges to comply with the law. 

“We’re fortunate enough to where we can handle something like this. It’s nice to know that legally, we’re backed,” Nilles said. 

College of the Redwoods, located in the Northern California coastal city of Eureka, is one of the 23 community college campuses in the state without an on-campus health center. That campus relies on telehealth services, community partnerships and referrals to local healthcare organizations. Students can currently access medication abortion services through referrals from their telehealth provider, TimelyCare.

Stephanie Freyermuth, manager of Basic Needs, Housing Insecurity & Wellness at the college, said due to campus size, rural location and lack of medical community resources, she does not believe College of the Redwoods will adopt in-person services, including abortion medication, in the immediate future.

Dr. Rosafel A. Nogra, who serves as director of De Anza College’s Student Health Services in Cupertino, said the law is an opportunity to expand their health center’s reproductive healthcare. The campus doesn’t offer abortion medication onsite currently. Instead, it offers services through the Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment Program provider that offers confidential reproductive health services at no cost to students who meet certain requirements. 

Service costs may vary among colleges

The previous law requiring medication abortion services at public universities established the College Student Health Center Sexual and Reproductive Health Preparation Fund with private funds, which provided a $200,000 grant to each campus student health center to implement services. Community colleges were left out of that law because there was not enough capacity to extend funding to them all, Connie Leyva, a former Democratic state senator from Chino and the author of that bill, told CalMatters in a phone interview.  

The cost for abortion medication at UC and Cal State campuses varies. Some Cal State campuses give it to students for free. For UC students, medication costs are covered by the required on-campus UC Student Health Insurance Plan. 

Cal Poly Humboldt’s costs are free due to grant funding from the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, while Sonoma State covers the cost with mandatory student health fees and part of the implementation funding. Cal State San Marcos charges students $20 to $28 for the prescription. 

Sonoma State listed its cost as $50 on its health center website, but Tim Grace, director of the student health center, told CalMatters in an email that it was free. After CalMatters asked about the cost, the college confirmed the medication is free and the website was updated. 

The cost for abortion medication at community colleges will depend on how much the Legislature appropriates in the state budget for 2029 and may vary among campuses.

Bringing awareness to students

The law will require all campuses, both community colleges and universities, to inform students that abortion medication services are offered at their health centers. This was another component left out of the previous law.

Four years after she left office, Leyva said that she still receives calls from people frustrated by the lack of advertising about reproductive health services on campuses.

“That part of the bill is tangible and I think that can make a big difference for a lot of young women,” said Leyva, who is now the executive director for KVCR public media in San Bernardino.

The new law will require all campuses to post about medication abortion availability on their websites. Currently, all UC campuses have abortion medication listed on their websites. All Cal State campuses have it on their websites except Chico State, which does not explicitly mention abortion medication and instead highlights birth control and “comprehensive care tailored to specific gender-related health needs” for men and women. Chico State Media Relations Coordinator Michael Drummond said the school will comply with the awareness requirements outlined in the law.

Cal Poly Humboldt student Kaylee Luna works as the Sex, Health and Body Educator at the Women’s Resource Center at her university. Luna connects students to sexual health and reproductive resources on campus. While she was aware abortion medication was provided on campus, she didn’t know it was free until she researched it for her job. From her personal perspective, she feels abortion medication and reproductive resources aren’t talked about enough.

“I don’t think that students on campus are really aware of that. I mean, no one’s really talking about it or, you know, making [social media] posts or flyers,” Luna said. “I feel like it is still a touchy subject for some folks but I don’t think there’s much awareness and I think there should be.”

Faith Chinnapong says in her work alongside college students as a California-based organizer for Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, she sees the knowledge gap across campuses. 

“It’s common to meet a student who is completely unaware of the services on her own campus,” Chinnapong said. “When campuses especially are in these rural areas, it makes it more difficult for these young people to be able to go and seek these services, especially when they’re working multiple jobs and taking care of their family.”

Students like Campos working on the Pro-Abortion Student Advisory Board have heard student concerns first-hand. According to her, access can make all the difference, and going offsite can be a deterrent for some seeking care.

“Comfort is really important, and I think students sometimes feel more safe going to somewhere they’re more familiar with, and oftentimes that’s campus,” Campos said.

Moving forward 

The new law won’t take effect for more than two years, and only upon appropriation of funds by the state Legislature.

“Even if we’re not gonna see the changes potentially overnight, it’s really good that we’re here doing the foundational work,” Campos said.

Now, groups like Pro-Abortion Student Advisory Board will work towards bringing more awareness about the law to students and campus health centers. 

“Students should have the option to whatever they choose to decide on how to care for their bodies and having that access would just make it all the better on campus,” said Vanetta Godinez, a San Diego City College student and board member.

Noelle Doblado and Skylar Stock are contributors with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.

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

The post Abortion pills to be offered at California community college health centers under new law appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

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

Even with an El Niño winter looming and memories of flooding still fresh, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill aimed at shoring up the Delta’s aging levees and protecting the region and vital water infrastructure from flooding and sinking land. 

In his veto message, Newsom said the more than $170 million for repairing levees, aqueducts and canals and other projects already included in the state budget made the measure redundant. 

“While well-intentioned,” Newsom said, “this bill is unnecessary.” 

But the state’s own data shows that this funding is nowhere close to what’s needed to protect the Delta, both as a region and as the heart of the state’s water supply. 

A $3.3 billion repair job

A network of 1,100 miles of federal and non-federal levees lines Delta waterways and protects the region from flooding. Many of these aging levees do not meet current “construction standards and could fail at water levels well below the top of the levee,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in 2018. 

The price tag for fixing them: roughly $3.3 billion, according to the state’s Delta Stewardship Council. Not fixing them could cost far more: “$22 billion in assets and over $5 billion in annual economic activity could be … exposed to flooding in 2085 if improvements are not made.” 

State Sen. Jerry McNerney, a Democrat from Stockton, wanted to create a $300 million annual repair fund for these aging levees, including from proceeds generated by the state’s embattled carbon market. The Delta Caucus secured a little over half that this year in the state budget. The bill eventually dropped the larger funding number. 

The state has spent hundreds of millions already, including at least $400 million by the Department of Water Resources, according to a bill analysis.  

The fund also would have paid to repair the massive water delivery system that pumps Northern California river water south through the Delta, supplying two-thirds of the state’s population and vast tracts of Central Valley farmland. 

Sinking land threatens water deliveries

Groundwater overuse is damaging this system, including the California aqueduct and other vital canals, by causing the land around it to sink. A state report found the damage could cut water deliveries by almost 90% in the next 17 years. The California Department of Water Resources estimates that fixing the damage, both past and future, could cost nearly $4 billion. 

The bill passed the Legislature unanimously,  with no votes against and five members not voting. It drew overwhelming support from water agencies and local governments across the state, as well as environmental and business groups — who often find themselves on opposing sides of legislation. 

The California Central Valley Flood Control Association, however, urged Newsom in a letter to veto the bill, saying it could disrupt existing funding programs and create additional bureaucracy around already complex reimbursement processes. 

Supporters push back on veto

The bill “brought together traditional adversaries on California water issues — environmental groups and State Water Contractors, along with political leaders from both Northern and Southern California,” McNerney said in a statement. “As a result, 2026 represented (a) major step forward in the effort to safeguard the state’s primary water supply for the future.”

Restore the Delta is less sanguine. The Stockton nonprofit compared the bill to one of Newsom’s signature water projects: the Delta Conveyance Project, also known as the Delta tunnel. 

Like the bill, the tunnel is meant to shore up the state’s water delivery system against time, climate change and disaster. But the tunnel’s $20 billion price tag would go toward bypassing the Delta rather than protecting it. 

“It is [Newsom’s] white whale,” Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director at Restore the Delta, said in a statement. 

Delta advocates say money should go toward shoring up the Delta itself.

McNerney called the veto disappointing but described the amount of this year’s funding historic. 

“We’re not done,” he said in a statement after the Legislature’s budget vote earlier this month. “This historic investment is just a down payment. In the years to come, we need to continue to protect California’s primary supply of freshwater.”

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

The post Newsom vetoes Delta levees bill as El Niño winter looms appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

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

Public safety is strongest when it combines effective law enforcement with prevention, support and care for the community. Throughout his career, Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty has emphasized the importance of supporting first responders while also strengthening the health and human services that help people and families thrive.

As a county supervisor, Ryan supported efforts to modernize law enforcement and build stronger relationships between public safety agencies and the communities they serve, including the sheriff’s 21st-century policing initiatives. He also worked to strengthen collaboration among the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Cruz Police Department and community service providers.

Ryan has also recognized that not every crisis requires a law enforcement response alone. During his time on the board of supervisors, he supported bringing mental health professionals into partnership with the sheriff’s office. By connecting people experiencing a mental health crisis with trained professionals, these partnerships can help deescalate difficult situations, connect individuals with appropriate services and allow officers to focus on situations where their involvement is most needed.

From supporting programs such as the nurse-family partnership to investing in crisis intervention and community-based services, Ryan has approached public safety as part of a broader commitment to healthy, supported communities.

For Ryan, safer neighborhoods and strong human services are complementary goals — and both are important to building a stronger Santa Cruz. Ryan is the experienced leader Santa Cruz needs.

Michael Pruger

Santa Cruz

The post Letter to the editor: Ryan Coonerty has the stronger record on public safety appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.