Cover Stories

High Five, Dusty

May 27, 2026

Dusty Baker returns to Santa Cruz with “Crossroads,” a memoir that follows his journey from the Monterey Pop Festival and Hank Aaron’s mentorship to the World Series, the high five and a lifetime of trusting his feelings.

Playing with Digital Fire

When The Salty Otter used AI to help shape its logo, the backlash became part of a larger Santa Cruz debate over art, technology, community anger and what we still owe each other in an uncertain future.

Bold Directions

Ginger Shulick Porcella, the MAH’s new executive director, talks about Santa Cruz, community-driven museum leadership, creative risk, financial recovery and making the impossible possible.

The Healing of Kat Moss

After Scowl’s rise from Santa Cruz hardcore band to international success, singer Kat Moss is stepping back, processing grief and burnout, and rediscovering her artistic self.

Home School Asia

What happens when you take your kids out of school and into the world? One Santa Cruz family finds education, connection and adventure across Asia.

The Beach Belongs to Everyone

Walk the California coast and you’ll find beauty, barriers and a trail still being built—one negotiation at a time along the bluffs north of Santa Cruz.

Rippling Santa Cruz

The Ripple Effect Arts Festival turns Santa Cruz into a citywide celebration of music, art and performance, with events unfolding across multiple venues.

Don’t Call Him Bro, Dude

From Santa Cruz skate parks to punk stages and comedy tours, Joe Sib’s larger-than-life journey is a story of reinvention, storytelling and relentless creative energy.

From Wrigley to the Sphere

From a Santa Cruz lab to the world’s biggest stage, Visual Endeavors is building the technology behind immersive shows at the Sphere and beyond—where music, light and real-time graphics converge.

Venture Out

With women receiving just two percent of venture capital funding, two local founders are building a new model to change who gets funded—and who succeeds.

Making the Mountains Sing

Nestled up amongst the regal clusters of old-growth Coast Redwoods, and infused by the sweet fragrance of the Douglas Fir of the Santa Cruz...

Art As Resistance

The Watsonville Film Festival returns March 12–21 with more than 50 films across Watsonville, Salinas and Santa Cruz, celebrating “art as resistance” through powerful stories from Latine filmmakers.

Small is Big

From innovative opera productions to adventurous chamber concerts, Santa Cruz’s small musical ensembles deliver intimate performances with world-class musicianship and bold programming.

An American Pickle

Running for Mayor

Mountain High

Alien Arrival

The Editor’s Desk

Letters

Summer Swell

Low-Key Lux