Forty years after “The Lost Boys” transformed Santa Cruz into the fictional vampire haven of Santa Carla, the cult classic still pulses through the town’s identity. Part 1 of a three-part series explores the film’s enduring lure, outsider mythology and the strange cultural magic of 1980s Santa Cruz.

OPINION: State Sen. John Laird warns that Watsonville Community Hospital is once again facing a financial crisis. Recently passed emergency legislation will provide $10.6 million in short-term relief to help the hospital stay afloat through July, he writes, but it is not a permanent solution.

OPINION: Watsonville resident Rose K. Murphy argues that gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer’s environmental and economic rhetoric clashes with the investment record of the hedge fund he built at Farallon Capital Management.

The Santa Cruz County Parks department is proposing a pay-for-parking pilot program at high-traffic area parks. lookout.co/county-parks...

Homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters announced Friday that it will reduce capacity at the Rebele Family Shelter on Coral Street and its off-site recuperative care center at the former Salt Air Lodge on Leibrandt Avenue, as both are “operating with significant budgetary deficits.”

Watsonville Community Hospital is receiving a $10.6 million state grant that will provide temporary financial relief. Watsonville is one of four California hospitals receiving additional state funding. lookout.co/watsonville-...

Get all the information you need as a Santa Cruz County voter on candidates and important dates as Tuesday's primary election draws closer.

Happy Friday – check out stories from Max Chun, Lily Belli, Jana Marcus and more, plus state politics from our partners at CalMatters as we close in on Tuesday's primary.

Food trucks at Skypark in Scotts Valley, a Midtown summer staple returns and bestselling author/scientist Merlin Sheldrake on campus – those are just some of the highlights from Lookout's cheat sheet for eating well and going out in Santa Cruz County this weekend.

The Santa Cruz City Council conducted a hearing this week on proposed city charter amendments to update and clarify language, and to make a number of other changes to comply with state law. Staff is expected to return with a resolution to put the proposed changes to voters on the November ballot.

Historical voter turnout data show that voters 29 and younger disproportionately sit out primary elections in California compared to the general voting population. Still, a few gubernatorial candidates have been targeting young voters, particularly through social media and college organizations.

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton are holding on to the lead in the latest poll ahead of the California governor election. That’s according to the Public Policy Institute of California, which surveyed 986 likely voters earlier this month. buff.ly/SWpxBE4

Your cheat sheet for eating well and going out in Santa Cruz County this weekend. buff.ly/U8m9Ht0

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. buff.ly/g69FEEQ

Get the overview of what's headed our way, with dates clear into next spring.

Watsonville police arrested a 21-year-old man Wednesday morning after they say he admitted to posting a threat on social media to commit a mass shooting at a Pajaro Valley Unified School District graduation ceremony. lookout.co/watsonville-...

Get news this rainy Thursday morning from Tania Ortiz, Ashley Palma-Jimenez and more, plus Community Voices opinion from local activist Kevin Norton.

Billionaires, Big Oil and other interests are spending big to influence the California governor’s race, making for the most expensive primary campaign in state history. lookout.co/follow-the-m...

Residentes de toda la vida cerca de la instalación propuesta de almacenamiento de baterías en Minto Road, en Watsonville, hablaron con Lookout sobre sus preocupaciones respecto al proyecto, y algunos compartieron que han pensado en mudarse del área si el proyecto es aprobado.

About 40% of California’s community college courses are online now, redefining education. These courses are more accessible, college officials say, but they come with serious drawbacks. lookout.co/i-felt-like-...

Lifelong residents near the proposed battery storage facility on Minto Road outside Watsonville talked with Lookout about their concerns over the project, with some saying that they’ve thought about moving out of the area if the project gets approved. lookout.co/we-grew-up-h...

OPINION: Local activist Kevin Norton says the City of Santa Cruz might be onto something much bigger than initiating a neighborhood microgrant program. He says the program – approved May 12 – could help rebuild neighborhood connection, an urgent and underreported issue in our community.

Santa Cruz County agricultural officials are urging residents to check recently purchased grape plants after the invasive sharpshooter insect was discovered on grapevines sold at Costco stores across the Bay Area. lookout.co/county-agric...

Felipe Hernández, actual supervisor del Distrito 4 del Condado de Santa Cruz, enfrenta acusaciones de haber retirado un letrero de campaña de uno de sus oponentes, a solo una semana de las elecciones primarias del 2 de junio.

ICYMI: The “To Honor the Women of the Water” project team is shifting to the Capitola Esplanade for its female surfer statue, rather than the East Cliff Dirt Farm in Pleasure Point, to be the home of the statue after it was appealed.

All of the morning's Lookout headlines in one spot, with news from Jessica M. Pasko, Hillary Ojeda, Tania Ortiz, Max Chun, Lily Belli and more, plus Community Voices opinion on the Santa Cruz mayor's race.

Courts in Los Angeles and Riverside counties are testing an artificial intelligence tool and deciding whether it can be used in high-stakes criminal cases.

In the face of the nation’s highest gas prices, California lawmakers last week approved a bill to ease restrictions on E85 conversion kits — devices that let conventional gasoline cars run on a cheaper, mostly ethanol fuel blend.

Felipe Hernandez, incumbent for the District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor seat, is facing allegations of removing one of his opponent's campaign signs, just a week before the June 2 primary election.

The PVUSD governing board has postponed discussion of a controversial proposal to relocate students from Renaissance High to Duncan Holbert School and disperse Duncan Holbert’s special education program after parents, staff and students urged trustees to reject the plan.

In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko examines the effects of downtown Santa Cruz's vibrancy ordinance, notes a continued population decline in the city and passes along numbers, names and dates to know.

OPINION: Community activist and acclaimed yoga instructor Mark Stephens argues that the four candidates running against Ryan Coonerty in the Santa Cruz mayoral race appear less focused on offering a compelling vision than on forcing Coonerty, the front-runner, into a run-off.

The “To Honor the Women of the Water” project team is shifting to the Capitola Esplanade for its female surfer statue, rather than the Dirt Farm in Pleasure Point, to be the home of the statue after it was appealed. The Capitola City Council is expected to vote on the project in the coming months.

Downtown Santa Cruz's Gabriella Café and the beachside Dream Inn both have new chefs at the helm, Lily Belli reports in her Tuesday newsletter.

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.

Start the abbreviated workweek with stories from Max Chun, Jana Marcus and more, plus Community Voices opinion on Santa Cruz Metro from a trio of elected officials.

OPINION: What would happen if county chefs went all-in on plant-based creativity? Writer Liza Monroy, who has been a vegan for almost eight years, got a tiny glimpse of that fantasy last month, when the Vegan Chef Challenge turned dining out into a monthlong celebration of plant-based food.

As the June 2 primary inches closer, voters might notice that some candidates on Santa Cruz County ballots have their affiliation listed as “no party preference.” For some, it’s because of their past professional experience, while for others, it’s to steer as clear as possible of party politics.

Shakespeare in the redwoods. "Rocky Horror" downtown. Opera at a brewery. Santa Cruz theater companies are throwing everything they’ve got at audiences this season – and the result is one of the most ambitious local lineups in years.

The Capitola City Council voted to submit a request to the Regional Transportation Commission that $200,000 originally ticketed for Bay Avenue corridor improvements be reallocated to preliminary planning work for the Capitola trestle, to determine whether it could feasibly support trail segments.

OPINION: Volunteers have already gathered roughly 7,000 signatures to qualify a ballot measure aimed at protecting and expanding Santa Cruz Metro service, write elected officials Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Manu Koenig and Melinda Orbach.

With the primary election a week from tomorrow, see where the Lookout Editorial Board stands on Santa Cruz County candidates.

Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty remains far in front of all other local candidates with over $67,000 raised. District 4 county supervisor incumbent Felipe Hernandez is second with nearly $35,000 raised, and one of his challengers, Tony Nuñez, is third with just over $29,000 raised.

ICYMI: Staff members at Santa Cruz nonprofit The Diversity Center voted 5-2 to unionize, citing concerns over wages, burnout, workplace safety and protections for gender-affirming care.

ICYMI: The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board approved final layoffs equivalent to about 100 full-time positions, including special education staff, mental health clinicians, healthcare assistants, teachers and counselors.

The city of Santa Cruz has lost 1.3% of its population since 2024 and 3.7% since 2020, a Lookout analysis of the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau finds. The decline is part of a broader exodus from expensive places in California where people struggle to land high-paying jobs.

ICYMI: Teachers and staff at two Pajaro Valley Unified schools are opposing a district proposal to relocate Renaissance High to the Duncan Holbert School campus in Watsonville, a move that would disperse Duncan Holbert’s special education students to other elementary schools.

As the June 2 primary inches closer, voters might notice that some candidates on Santa Cruz County ballots have their affiliation listed as “no party preference.”

OPINION: What would happen if local chefs went all-in on plant-based creativity? Writer Liza Monroy, who has been a vegan for almost eight years, got a tiny glimpse of that fantasy last month, when the Vegan Chef Challenge turned dining out into a monthlong celebration of plant-based food.

FROM WEDNESDAY: Rail and transit advocates gathered near the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line tracks in Live Oak to rally in support of passenger rail, and to urge the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission not to remove any of the existing tracks as planning continues.