News Highlights
We don’t only report the news, we make the news. Our news highlights and archive here.
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City of Santa Cruz Appoints Bonnie Lipscomb as Deputy City Manager
Bonnie Lipscomb named as Santa Cruz’s new Deputy City Manager.
Santa Cruz County Bank Announces Name Change to West Coast Community Bank
Santa Cruz County bank is getting a new name!
Why Do Humans Fear AI?
Humans fear AI not for its imperfections, but for its unsettling similarities and potential superiority. As AI approaches truth more objectively than we do, it challenges our identity, forcing us to confront the myth of human intellectual supremacy.
Microsoft's AI Gamble
In late 2022, Satya Nadella made a wager that could define not just his tenure, but Microsoft’s identity for the next decade: a multibillion-dollar alignment with OpenAI and a wholesale reorientation of Microsoft around artificial intelligence. Will his wager pay off?
No Elephants, No Problem: AI’s Image Revolution Has Begun
Over the last two weeks, Google and OpenAI casually dropped a bombshell: multimodal image generation. Now, the same system that writes like Shakespeare after six espresso shots can also think visually.
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.
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.
Immergo Launches Alpha Program
Immergo Launches Alpha Program inviting Occupational and Physical Therapists to revolutionize rehab.
Goodles Makes "Most Innovative Companies in Food for 2025" List
Goodles makes Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Food 2025 list.
Ambient Photonics and Verdagy Listed on America's Top Greentech Companies of 2025
Ambient Photonics and Verdagy Listed on America's Top Greentech Companies of 2025.
Joby Aviation Plays Key Role in NASA Wildfire Airspace Management Tests
With the help of Joby, NASA has successfully tested a new portable airspace management system (PAMS) designed to enable 24/7 aerial firefighting operations, even in low-visibility conditions.
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.
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.
Santa Cruz isn't Denmark, and That is Exactly the Point
A recent commentary in Lookout Santa Cruz reads like a eulogy for a progressive era its author helped define. But let’s be honest: that era was never as pure or effective as its champions like to remember.
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
SwellCycle Demo Day March 28, 2025
Ready to test ride a SwellCycle board? Sign up fast for this amazing new experience in surfing.
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.
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.
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.
New Santa Cruz Works Partnership Unlocks Exceptional Benefits at Chaminade Resort & Spa
Santa Cruz Works is thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with the renowned Chaminade Resort & Spa, offering exceptional benefits exclusively for our valued Santa Cruz Works Partners.