🎶Catalyst Talks, Musical Tributes & Elephant Seals 🦭🌊
Hello Santa Cruz! January – the month so long it feels like a year – marches on, but there’s no shortage of reasons to stay engaged, get out of the house and plug into what’s happening around town. Coffee helps. So does culture. ☕🎭
Beyond the headlines, this week delivers a lively mix of theater, art, music and local flavor – which, honestly, is kind of our thing. 🎶🎨
The long-running 8 Tens @ 8 short play festival continues at Actors Theatre with micro-theatre performances most evenings.
There is a special Todd Snider tribute show happening at Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Sat., Jan. 31 at 7:00pm featuring more than 20 local musicians performing his songs in celebration of his life, legacy and deep influence on the Santa Cruz community. Sorry, it’s sold out. The money from ticket sales goes to Encompass mental health programs.🎸❤️
Meanwhile, New Music January rolls on, showcasing brand-new videos from Santa Cruz County musicians as part of a grassroots celebration of our local sound. 🎧✨
Looking ahead, next Sunday brings the Symphony Musician Series piano and chamber concert to Aptos featuring Jon Nakamatsu 🎹and at UC Santa Cruz, the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery is currently showing Cut/Woven/Spoken, featuring work by UCSC art alumna Pilar Agüero-Esparza. The exhibition weaves together textiles, language and cultural memory and runs through Feb. 7.🧵🖼️
🏛️📣✊ If you’re feeling especially civic-minded this week, there are lots of ways to get involved. From meetings intended to consider the future of The Catalyst to the sustainability of West Cliff Drive, as well as how Veterans Services should be organized – read on below to learn how you can make your voice heard. Also, as part of the public review process on coastal drilling plans, the Bureau of Land Management will host a virtual public meeting at 5:00pmon Jan. 29.
Still looking for more Things to Do? Good Times has you covered!
⚠️🚧And a quick heads up on the traffic front: There is a one-way traffic closure on South Highway 9 at Lorenzo Avenue in San Lorenzo Valley because of emergency work. The closure will last until April 1 - plan accordingly.
With that, let’s dive into the news shaping Santa Cruz right now. Thanks for reading!
News Highlights
Meeting for Catalyst Redevelopment Set for Jan. 29
CHP Reports Drop in eBike Crashes
Teen Leads Police on Destructive Chase
New Trustee Joins Pajaro Valley Unified School District
Body Discovered During Search for Missing 73 Year Old
Progressive Rail Disputes RTC’s Plan to Take Local Control
Pescavore Parent Files For Bankruptcy After Founder Arrested On Stalking Charges
Demonstrators Rally Against ICE and Hilton Hotels
County Could Reorganize Veterans Services
Santa Cruz Council to Consider Coastal Resilience
Plus Microdosing Psychedelics, Delicious Monte Cristo Sandwiches, Deadly Mushrooms, Feisty Elephant Seals…and Much More!
TOP STORIES
Meeting for Catalyst Redevelopment Set for Jan. 29
Plans to redevelop the iconic Catalyst nightclub site in Downtown Santa Cruz are moving forward. A virtual public meeting is scheduled for 6:00pm on Jan. 29 where residents can weigh in on the proposal. Attend on Zoom or call 669-444-9171 meeting ID 811 8854 9478. Questions or comments on the project can also be submitted online.
CHP Reports Big Drop in eBike Crashes
The California Highway Patrol says e-bike crashes in Santa Cruz County decreased by about 32% in 2025, a sign that outreach and safety programs may be gaining traction – even as advocates emphasize continued caution on roads and trails.
Teen Leads Police on Destructive Chase
A 13-year-old male driving a stolen vehicle Sunday led officers from three law enforcement agencies on a chase that left a trail of destruction including a damaged fire hydrant, a traffic sign and a parked vehicle before crashing into a house on Arthur Road.
New Trustee Joins Pajaro Valley Unified School District
Joy Flynn was recently sworn in as a new trustee on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) board, joining the governing body as it continues to navigate budget pressures, staffing impacts and district priorities in the months ahead.
Body Discovered During Search for Missing 73-Year-Old
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner’s office announced that during search efforts for 73-year-old Jeanne Burke, who’s been missing since November, a body was discovered in the search zone. The Sheriff’s Office has not yet determined the identity of the recovered body.
Progressive Rail Disputes RTC’s Plan to Take Local Control
Days after the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) announced it will terminate its agreement with Progressive Rail and take over operations of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, the CEO of Progressive Rail Inc. fired back, calling the move “factually baseless, legally invalid and critically at odds with federal railroad law and policy.”
Pescavore Parent Files For Bankruptcy After Founder Arrested On Stalking Charges
Healthy Oceans Seafood, the parent company of Pescavore, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing comes as co-founder Clarice Owens remains in jail after a judge ruled she must stay behind bars until her trial in March, where she faces felony stalking charges related to alleged harassment and violations of multiple protective orders.
Demonstrators Rally Against ICE and Hilton Hotels in Solidarity with Minneapolis
Anti-ICE protesters targeted a Hilton Hotel in Scotts Valley at a Friday demonstration held in solidarity with Minneapolis marchers. They wanted the Hilton corporation to know that housing federal immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota risks losing business elsewhere.
County Could Reorganize Veterans Services
Following calls for county leaders to overhaul veterans services, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is set to consider transferring the county’s Veterans Services Office from the Human Services Department to the County Executive Office. To participate in the meeting on Tues., Jan. 27 at 9:00am, join on Zoom or call 669-900-6833, meeting ID 160 123 6676. To comment ahead of the meeting, email BoardOfSupervisors@santacruzcountyca.gov by 5 p.m. Monday. The meeting will be streamed on Facebook.
Santa Cruz Council to Consider Coastal Resilience
At its meeting Tues., Jan. 27 at 2:30pm, the Santa Cruz City Council is set to review a report on community engagement efforts city staff have completed as part of a Resilient Coast Santa Cruz 2.0 Project. To participate: Join on Zoom or call 669-900-9128, meeting ID 946 8440 1344. To comment ahead of the meeting, email citycouncil@santacruzca.gov by 5 p.m. Monday. The meeting will be broadcast on Comcast channel 25 and streamed on the city’s website.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Late in the summer of 2025, Santa Cruz County’s native son, Jared Perry, had accomplished something only 700 people in the world had done. Jared had completed thru-hiking three of America’s most noteworthy and notorious trails, and by doing so, received the Triple Crown award.
Santa Cruz is a community where new ideas take root early – sometimes quietly, other times colorfully, often long before the rest of the country catches on. From organic food and environmental activism to mindfulness and alternative healing, our coastal town is known for embracing alternative ways of being. Lately, one of those questions has resurfaced with renewed curiosity: can microdosing psychedelics help people change deeply ingrained habits?
The Santa Cruz County Office of Education and Monarch Services will co-present the film “The Mask You Live In,” a documentary directed by California’s First Partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, that explores how boys and young men navigate a society that often demands an unrealistic ideal of masculinity. The event is Weds., Jan. 28, with community tabling at 5:00pm and the film screening at 6:00pm – at the Capitola CineLux Café & Lounge.
A group of California doctors have warned that foraging for wild mushrooms can be deadly, after an unusually high number of people have been killed or sickened by poisonous death cap mushrooms.
In this week’s Foodie File, Good Times writer Andrew Steingrube spends time with Executive Chef Juan Alvarez of Brookdale Diner, who describes his menu as classic American with Italian touches, saying the best breakfasts are the chicken-fried steak with mashed potato gravy, the corn beef hash and the classic sweet trio of pancakes/waffles/French toast.
😳 Wait, What?! 🦭🌊
It’s peak elephant seal season at Año Nuevo just up the coast, which means massive bulls, tiny pups and extremely loud beachside drama are unfolding right now. It’s messy, noisy and surprisingly entertaining.