This week, the results of the November election will be officially certified. Here at California Local, that means we must review all of the information in our government directories. In every county in which we operate, both reelected and newly elected officials will be sworn into office in the coming days, continuing into January. New mayors will be chosen in cities where that position is voted on by the council. New committee assignments will be made, and new appointees selected for commissions. And slowly, local governmental bodies will update their websites. We’ll be following along, working to spruce things up as fast as we can.
Why do we compile these listings? Because we believe that, as Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “wherever the people are well informed they can be trusted with their own government.” (To be honest, we thought he said that a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny…but a search of monticello.org suggests this is just one of many “spurious quotes” attributed to the man). In any case, it’s the “well informed” part that matters—and we’re hoping that in our small way we can be another tool for sharing useful information.
How Do We Measure Impact
But does anyone use our directories? Since California Local launched in August of 2021, we have been growing organically. As we look forward to 2023, Chris Neklason—our co-founder and director of product development—took a deep dive into the metrics of our site to evaluate our mission, strategy and products. And he was particularly pleased to see that many people are clicking on the email links we provide for local elected officials.
Neklason explains in more detail in his most recent blog post. “According to measurements of our inbound traffic, thousands of people are finding us educational and useful,” he writes. “But it’s the measurement of our outbound traffic, the clicks on the thousands of links in our directories and articles, which is more interesting to me because it’s an indicator of our impact.”
CALocal: Making an Impact
A review of our web metrics reveals a lot of growth in site visitors. But we’re happiest to see that we are helping connect people with their communities.
• Santa Cruz’s New Water Policy Keeps Desalination, Recycled Wastewater on the Table
Desalination, the process of filtering seawater into clean drinking water, has had a rocky past in Santa Cruz. However, a new city policy says the technology, and other strategies, could come in handy in a parched future.
(12/04/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
• December Brings New Experiences for Foodies
Santa Cruz County residents can look forward to at least four new openings of places to eat and drink before the end of the year. Three are opening in downtown Santa Cruz; in Aptos, a familiar winery is touching down.
(12/04/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
• City of Santa Cruz Promotes Nathan Nguyen
Santa Cruz City Manager Matt Huffaker announced that Nathan Nguyen will be the city's new director of public works.
(12/03/2022) → Santa Cruz Sentinel
• Recent Collapse on West Cliff Drive Path Suggests Troubling Future
Santa Cruz’s “front porch,” the procession of multimillion-dollar homes on West Cliff Drive, is a shockingly recent development. Coastline erosion has been consistent over decades and centuries—but now we humans are adding a new wrinkle: climate change.
(12/03/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
• Readers Polled on New Name for Cabrillo College
Lookout Santa Cruz asked its readers to weigh in with suggestions for Cabrillo College’s new name—selecting either from a multiple-choice list of names or submitting ideas of their own.
(12/01/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
• UCSC Strike Not Slowing After Tentative Agreements Reached
UCSC union members held a 5.4K run and rally and show no signs of ending their strike.
(12/01/2022) → Santa Cruz Sentinel
• Pandemic Stress Prematurely Aged Teens’ Brains, Stanford Study Finds
Brain aging seen in study of Bay Area kids likened to that in children who suffered violence or neglect.
(11/30/2022) → Santa Cruz Sentinel
• To Jump-Start Light Rail Future, RTC Prepares to Spend Millions
An upcoming vote by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission would put millions toward planning light rail service between Santa Cruz and Watsonville.
(11/30/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
• Researchers Work to Restore Elkhorn Slough’s Olympia Oysters
A new generation of Olympia oysters has taken up residence in Elkhorn Slough. Scientists hope breeding oysters in the lab and returning baby oysters to the slough will help the mollusks to rebound from the brink of extinction.
(11/28/2022) → Read the full Lookout Local report
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