City of Santa Cruz Government News

When the Town Clock was dedicated in 1976, it represented Santa Cruzans’ hopes for the future and recalled memories of turn-of-the-century Pacific Avenue when trolleys lumbered by and the clock sat atop the Odd Fellows Building.

The Santa Cruz City Council on Tuesday unanimously rejected a pilot program for one-way traffic on West Cliff Drive. 

The Santa Cruz City Council on Tuesday March 26 approved a six-story hotel at 324 Front Street in Downtown Santa Cruz. 

A new cannabis dispensary is set to take over the site of the former Emily’s Bakery after the Santa Cruz Planning Commission approved the project on March 7. The vote was 5-2 in favor with commissioners Michael Polhamus and John McKelvey voting “no.”

The City of Santa Cruz unveiled its draft 50-Year Community Vision For West Cliff late last month, the culmination of a year’s worth of community feedback about the future of the iconic stretch of coastline.

The Santa Cruz Planning Commission approved the first downtown hotel north of Laurel Street in Santa Cruz in over 90 years. Two city-owned lots will be merged with three private parcels on Front Street for the six-story hotel with 232 rooms.

The Santa Cruz Planning Commission advanced a plan to build a hotel at Front and Laurel Streets with 232 rooms and ground-floor shops, a restaurant, a bar and a cafe.

Over the last 15 years, Susie O’Hara worked for the city of Santa Cruz as water commissioner and as program manager for the city manager’s office.

Joe Thompson previously ran for California’s 28th congressional district in 2022, but lost to former Santa Cruz County clerk Gail Pellerin.

More than 60% of respondents said West Cliff Drive should be one-way and ranked driving as a lower priority than walking, cycling, beachgoing, accessing the surf and enjoying the view.

A controversial new measure is on the March ballot that could affect the future of housing development in the City of Santa Cruz.

The 120-foot colossal coastal redwood tree next to Santa Cruz High is slated to be cut down after the Santa Cruz City Council on Jan. 23 rejected an appeal by local resident Keelan Franzen.

Measure M will appear on Santa Cruz city voters’ ballots in the March 5 election. Supporters gathered signatures to qualify it for the ballot, and they called the measure Housing for People not Unaffordable Towers.