Morning Lookout: Indivisible activists’ busy year, Sasha Pavy’s unionization leadership, and Manresa State Beach tar balls

Margaret and Roya Ghodsi, a mother-daughter duo from Capitola, are emblematic of a growing number of local residents not active in politics before 2025 who began to participate in protests after Donald Trump's second inauguration.

First-generation students lack the extra help with exams and college applications that rich kids' families can buy. A new program and tax could change that, writes Alondra Martinez, a Stanford University senior.

A body discovered near the Davenport shoreline has been identified as Erica Fox, 55, of Monterey County, who went missing a week ago while swimming at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove following a suspected shark attack.

The new downtown expansion district, an affordable housing measure and a rail-trail compromise all came to fruition in 2025. Now, Fred Keeley, Santa Cruz’s first four-year elected mayor, looks to his final year in office.

Morning Lookout: Fred Keeley’s final year as mayor, PVUSD board president Carol Turley’s tumultuous first meeting, and CSUMB’s major graduation rate improvements

New PVUSD board president Carol Turley’s first meeting in the role was marked by frequent interruptions of fellow trustees and a stricter enforcement of agenda limits, leaving some board members and labor leaders frustrated and questioning her leadership style.

As the first part of Soquel Drive’s major makeover heads toward completion, Santa Cruz County is seeking a consultant to manage the next phase of the project and get pre-construction work sorted out so it can break ground on the improvements within two years.

\Holy Trinity of Divine Church and the Rising Phoenix Entheogenic Temple now make it easy to become a member and “buy” a wide assortment of raw mushrooms, gummies, chocolates and capsules. Together, they make a Santa Cruz a national leader in envisioning what psychedelic legality might look like.

OPINION: For more than 30 years, science has warned that organophosphate pesticides damage developing brains, especially in pregnant women and children, writes activist Kathleen Kilpatrick. Yet the Monterey Bay region remains a hotspot for exposure, with some of the highest rates in California.

Starting in 2026, California tortillas will contain folic acid to help prevent birth defects — a change aimed at closing a gap for Latina mothers.

Thinking about New Year's Eve plans? Feast your eyes on these recommendations from Wallace Baine.

Powerful Christmas Day winds gusting up to 114 mph severely damaged UC Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, forcing the nearly 140-year-old facility to close while officials headquartered at UC Santa Cruz assess structural damage and begin repairs expected to take months.

Scotts Valley High School shortstop-turned-pitcher Kaleb Wing spent the summer and early fall playing rookie ball in Arizona and learning from older mentors. Now, he’s ready to take on spring training less than a year after the Chicago Cubs took him in the fourth round of the 2025 MLB draft.

Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez discusses the impact of his monthlong hunger strike against pesticide applications near schools in the Pajaro Valley and also shares more details on his work to empower youth in his community.

In vitro fertilization costs thousands of dollars and is often too expensive for many people struggling to conceive. A new California law aims to help change that.

The National Weather Service has canceled a tornado warning for Santa Cruz County. The warning was issued at 12:19 p.m. Thursday and scheduled to remain in effect until 1 p.m., but it was lifted shortly before 1 p.m.

Check out Wallace Baine’s Best 9 recommendations for things to do around Santa Cruz County on New Year's Eve (literally and spiritually) via Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.

Recommendations for things to do around Santa Cruz County on New Year's Eve and a final playlist from Wallace Baine highlight his last newsletter before heading off into retirement.

Is getting out more one of your New Year's resolutions? If so, you'll definitely want to check out Wallace Baine's just-updated cheat sheet of what's coming our way clear into next summer.

More than 11,000 Santa Cruz County residents were out of power as of late Wednesday morning after the first of two storms brought strong winds to the area. National Weather Service meteorologists say similar conditions are expected Wednesday night, along with 2 to 4 inches of rain by Friday evening.

Wallace Baine is headed into retirement, but not before one last Weekender newsletter highlighting things to do and holiday festivities around Santa Cruz County – coming to inboxes soon, so hit the link below to subscribe for free.

Get up to speed this Christmas Eve morning with headlines from Tania Ortiz, Hillary Ojeda, Lily Belli, Jessica M. Pasko, Cat Cutillo, Max Chun and more.

San Marcos residents celebrated the holiday tradition of posadas together while navigating fear and tension caused by increased ICE enforcement.

Bad Animal will reopen its restaurant in January with former Hanloh chef de cuisine Nick Hahn, ending its long-running residency model and shifting the menu from Thai food to a modern Parisian bistro style influenced by both California ingredients and Hahn’s Korean heritage.

As the Pajaro Valley’s growing season comes to a close, many of its workers turn to a monthly food distribution event hosted by the Center for Farmworker Families to alleviate the financial burdens that come with no work for a few months.

For the first time since opening 25 years ago, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center will debut a new permanent exhibit this spring, See More HQ, designed to position the center as a collaborative hub connecting local scientists, community groups and the public around coastal resilience.

"He’s one of the reasons I like to come here all the time to deliver things because he’s always got the latest jokes and we all need to laugh these days," one regular donor at the Goodwill in Aptos says of Daniel Ambrose, who's welcoming visitors for a final Christmas before he retires next year.

In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko reports on where Joby Aviation stands ahead of what's poised to be a big year for the Santa Cruz-based company, reviews closures around the county and highlights names and dates to know.

The City of Watsonville announced on Tuesday afternoon that it has chosen San Jose Assistant Chief of Police Brian Shab as its next police chief, following longtime chief Jorge Zamora’s retirement in August.

In her Tuesday newsletter, Lily Belli dishes on Mane Kitchen & Cocktails in downtown Santa Cruz, notes a former local chef helming a sister restaurant for Berkeley's famed Chez Panisse and an opening date for Dungeness crab season, and unveils her Christmas Eve menu.

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.

Ready for a serving of Santa Cruz County food & drink news? Lily Belli is cooking up her Tuesday newsletter right now, so get subscribed for free at the link below.

The collapse of the end of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, one year ago Tuesday, inspired artist Laurel Bushman to create a comic looking at the event from the point of view of a pair of sea lions.

Lots of news this Tuesday morning from Lookout – get stories from Max Chun, Hillary Ojeda, Tania Ortiz, Raquel Maria Dillon and more, all in one place.

Richard Charter has been here before: In the 1980s, he was hired to organize an effort to block oil drilling off the coast of California. Now, with the Trump administration wanting to open the coast for drilling, he’s been hired to fight again by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.

A year after a historic storm caused an estimated $16 million in damage to Santa Cruz Harbor infrastructure and destroyed more than 15 boats, harbor officials say recovery is underway and planning is increasingly focused on long-term resilience as extreme weather becomes more frequent.

A year ago, City of Santa Cruz Development Manager Norm Daly plunged into stormy waters when the section of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf he was standing on collapsed. Now, he’s back on the job like nothing ever happened, working to bring the end of the wharf back to life.

One month after 73-year-old Jeanne Burke was reported missing, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office says deputies continue to search and follow up on tips related to her disappearance. Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward as the investigation remains active.

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board re-approved 81 teaching-related layoffs during a special meeting Monday after hearing public opposition from teachers, students and parents who were previously unable to comment.

OPINION: Federal cuts imperil government and private water partnerships and hobble disaster planning, writes Letitia Grenier and Jeff Mount of the PPIC Water Policy Center. California must maintain its water expertise.

Santa Cruz County will see two rounds of significant weather rolling through between Tuesday and Friday. A high wind watch is in effect for the county from Tuesday evening through early Wednesday. A flood watch is in effect for the Central Coast from Tuesday morning through Friday night.

“I was motivated for not wanting to look dumb,” Jackie Rogoff said of her "Jeopardy!" experience, which saw her win one round, “for missing that question that everyone else learned in high school.”

Have something to say about issues facing Santa Cruz County? Send Lookout a letter to the editor.

Get the lay of the land this Monday morning with stories from Wallace Baine, Max Chun, Kevin Painchaud, Lily Belli, Hillary Ojeda and more, plus Community Voices opinion from a CZU fire survivor.

ICYMI: Lookout correspondent Wallace Baine announces his retirement after more than 35 years of covering Santa Cruz County's arts and culture beat.

The Trump administration is suing to block a new California that would ban federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks on duty. It was shaped by concerns over masked immigration agents in Los Angeles.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is asking for public input on priorities for its draft 2050 regional transportation plan for the county before it heads to a public hearing at the commission’s January meeting.

Santa Cruz's Jackie Rogoff embarked on a "Jeopardy!" journey, never expecting she might win. But she did.

KAZU (90.3FM) is still experiencing disruptions from a long-in-the-making move of its facilities to a new site owned by its parent institution, Cal State Monterey Bay. A spokesman said that the station is experiencing delays in the delivery of equipment to make the station fully functional.