News Highlights

We don’t only report the news, we make the news. Our news highlights and archive here.

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Doug Erickson Doug Erickson

That Time We Bought a Pizza Shop

Sol Lipman, a successful tech entrepreneur known for ventures like 12seconds.tv and DRIVR, made an unexpected pivot from Silicon Valley to Santa Cruz’s downtown pizza scene. Alongside his wife Erica, Sol purchased Pleasure Pizza Downtown with a mission to reconnect with community in a tangible, day-to-day way.

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Doug Erickson Doug Erickson

The Rising Demand for Electricity

AI, advanced manufacturing, climate change, and electrification are driving global electricity demand. In the U.S., data centers and new factories are key contributors, though most new power comes from renewables.

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Malina Long Malina Long

MAH and American Museums and Libraries Need Your Voice

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (the MAH) faces potential significant challenges due to a recent Executive Order issued by President Trump on March 14th. This order proposes the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the sole federal agency dedicated to supporting American museums and libraries.

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Doug Erickson Doug Erickson

Everything Everywhere All at Once

We are entering even harder times but we must continue taking deliberate action to reduce the use of fossil fuels and eliminate them as quickly as possible to prevent continued warming of the atmosphere and eventual collapse of Earth’s ecosystems that have supported life as we know it for thousands of years. 

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Doug Erickson Doug Erickson

How Budget Cuts will Impact Santa Cruz and Research

In a powerful letter to the community (Santa Cruz Sentinel, March 20, 2025), UC Santa Cruz faculty members Needhi Bhalla, Susan Carpenter, and Nobel Laureate Carol Greider raise urgent concerns about recent cuts to federal biomedical research funding by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk

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Doug Erickson Doug Erickson

How Santa Cruz's Rail Trail Reflects a Broader Democratic Problem

A decade-long rail trail project in Santa Cruz has spiraled into a costly, unrealistic infrastructure fiasco. With $1 billion needed just for bridge repairs and a final price tag nearing $5 billion, it exemplifies how progressive ideals without pragmatic governance fuel public frustration — and inadvertently, MAGA’s political momentum.

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Doug Erickson Doug Erickson

Emergency Fundraiser for Human Trafficking Survivors

Hope is more powerful than fear –– That’s why Rising Worldwide, Santa Cruz’s international anti-human trafficking organization is hosting Rising at the Rio, a night of entertainment to fundraise emergency support for local and global survivors of human trafficking.  

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Doug Erickson Doug Erickson

Beaches, Books, Budgets, Bots – A Must-Attend Event on April 2!

Join us on April 2 at the stunning Chaminade Spa & Resort for an evening of cutting-edge insights, dynamic discussion, and top-tier networking at Beaches, Books, Budgets, and Bots. This exclusive event brings together leading innovators and thought leaders to examine how political instability is shaping our communities and the world at large.

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Doug Erickson Doug Erickson

No Sunscreen Needed: Sunburn Schematics Lights Up Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Works warmly welcomes Sunburn Schematics to our thriving innovation community! Founded by Danny Andreev, an accomplished electrical engineer and passionate kite surfer, Sunburn Schematics is an electrical engineering services company proudly rooted in Santa Cruz.

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Doug Erickson Doug Erickson

Gas to Gold: CarbonBridge's Bioreactors Set New Industry Benchmark

CarbonBridge, a standout graduate from Santa Cruz Works Accelerates, is kicking off its seed funding round to scale its groundbreaking bioreactor technology. CarbonBridge's bioreactors uniquely tackle a critical industry bottleneck: the efficient delivery of gases to microbes, enhancing microbial performance dramatically.

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