Santa Cruz will host an invitation-only Flight Test Summit on June 12 at Joby Aviation’s headquarters, bringing together flight test pilots, engineers, innovators, and local supporters. Interested attendees or sponsors can submit the interest form to be considered for an invitation.

PG&E’s free EV Advisory Services program helps eligible small businesses explore the transition to medium- and heavy-duty electric fleets. Through expert guidance on planning, equipment, charging, costs, and infrastructure, the program gives Santa Cruz County businesses a no-cost way to start electrifying without guesswork.

2026 Work Life Survey lucky winners! Thank you again to all of our sponsors.

The most underpriced risk in advanced air mobility isn't technical — it's social. DART's Josh Metz made the case at a national AAM workshop that community trust and workforce readiness determine whether the sector scales.

Santa Cruz Works reached out to our community this year with a simple question: how are we doing, and how can we do better? Nearly 2000 people responded — longtime partners, newer members, newsletter subscribers, and engaged community members who haven't yet formalized their connection with us. Their answers were generous, candid, and full of ideas. Here's what we heard.

Jonathan Lo's Keeping People Interested reframes marketing's core purpose: stop chasing attention and start earning it. His empathy-first framework helps founders move customers from awareness to advocacy — without ever feeling like they're being sold to.

A Santa Cruz Experience you definitely have not had. Experience hospitality in a new Mindset with Steve Fortunato.

Two eVTOL rivals are racing to own urban air mobility. Joby leads with $24M in quarterly revenue; Archer trails at $1.6M. Both burn $400M+ per quarter chasing a market that doesn't yet exist at scale.

Santa Cruz's GO BIKE! downtown e-bike rebate is back. The first cohort put 280 e-bikes on local streets, with 93% of recipients replacing car trips. Up to $800 for income-qualified downtown workers. Limited funds — apply now.

When long-term care costs hit $120K/year, families need coordinated guidance—not just specialists working in separate lanes.

Twenty-two Pajaro Valley High School students are building a fully functional single-engine airplane from scratch — learning rivets, physics, and OSHA certification along the way. Hands-on aerospace education has officially landed in Watsonville.

LaunchPad 2026 brought college and high school founders into the spotlight, with student-built startups winning awards across health tech, AI, social impact, accessibility, civic tools, and more.

Featured on the latest installment of Powered by Climatize , a ribbon-cutting ceremony in West Sacramento recently marked a milestone in grassroots clean energy infrastructure.

If your goal is to bring a new technology to market, the NSF I-Corps Hub Northwest is offering a free, virtual course focused on planetary health — applications CLOSE May 29, 2026!

UC Santa Cruz's Department of Physics invites the public to the Stanley Flatté Memorial Lecture, featuring Stanford professor Stephen Shenker. The talk, titled Chaos, Black Holes, and Quantum Mechanics, takes place at the 418 Project's Large Theater, with refreshments beginning at 5:00 PM and the lecture at 6:00 PM. Admission is free and open to all.

Western Growers commits $1.5 million over three years to Reservoir Farms, giving members exclusive access to robotics field trials across Salinas, Wine Country, and the Central Valley — accelerating agtech from prototype to commercial adoption.

When lawyers outrace engineers, everyone loses altitude. Archer Aviation's ITC complaint against fellow eVTOL startup Joby Aviation threatens to ground America's most promising transportation revolution — and history says we've made this mistake before.

Watsonville native. Former regional editor. Nonprofit communicator at Community Bridges. Board chair of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District. A decade-plus of showing up for South County — in the newsroom, the boardroom, and everywhere in between.

Santa Cruz New Tech hit the Anton Pacific rooftop on May 6 with 130+ attendees, perfect weather, Pleasure Pizza, Cruz Control live, and five sharp presentations from BOARD, Jane Technologies, Light Links, Sonde, and Afterglo. Thanks to sponsors Comcast Business, Greater Zurich Group, and Anton Pacific.

Think Big Wrigley brought 100+ high school students to Santa Cruz's Old Wrigley Building for a hands-on career exploration event, where local innovators — from bike builders to biotech scientists — opened their doors and inspired the next generation of Santa Cruz entrepreneurs.