Santa Cruz Mountains News & Events
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By Mary Andersen Residents of the Santa Cruz Mountains are no strangers to the power of nature, but the latest declarations from federal meteorologists suggest weather of historic proportions may be on the horizon. On August 13, 2026, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service announced that, “El Niño is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance… The…
By Julie Horner Bay Area metal thrash/punk crossover outfit Outpost 31 was forged in the Santa Cruz Mountains by veterans of the underground music scene: Loukas Kalenderidis (lead vocals), Anthony Ciandella (lead guitar), Jared Rohde (bass), and Aaron Bruski (drums). They’re comfortable operating in the shadows, playing intimate spaces where the non-conformist crowd mingle. They had their biggest…
By Mary Andersen As summer ripens into fall, gardens throughout the San Lorenzo Valley are doing what gardens do best: going to seed. For local gardeners, that means now is the perfect time to start collecting seeds from maturing vegetables and flowers, and sharing them with neighbors through the Seed Library at the Felton Branch Library, a project of the… The post Borrow, Grow, Save, Return: The…
Construction of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District‘s Highland Tank is nearly complete. This grant funded Capital Improvement Project (CIP) is part of the District’s DWR Grants. These grants will be used to replace aging redwood tanks in the Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, and Felton areas. These new steel tanks store up to 120,000 gallons of water, increasing storage capacity three… The post SLV…
School starts Thursday, August 6 for students in the San Lorenzo Valley — and construction on the Felton Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project will continue on Highway 9 as families return to their morning routines. What to Expect A temporary concrete barrier currently closes one southbound lane of Highway 9 approaching Graham Hill Road/Felton Empire Road. The barrier protects crews working… The…
By Catie Cadge PhD The beginning of August marks Lammas, an Old English harvest celebration. It is a time of summer’s greatest bounty from mother earth. Early August unfolds in the heart of Leo season! Leo the lion bursts forth with creative gifts, a generous spirit and a joyful expression of life. The height of summer is upon us in… The post August Horoscope: Artistic Expression and Creative…
Drivers on Highway 9 should plan for one-way reversing traffic control at several locations Monday through Friday during the week of August 3, 2026 both daytime and overnight. Here’s what’s happening, where, and how long it will last. Bridge Replacements North of Boulder Creek Crews are fully replacing two aging bridges north of Boulder Creek as part of the Highway… The post Highway 9 One-Way…
Reporting and recollections by Jay Topping Coming up this weekend! On Sunday, August 2nd, Scotts Valley will have a celebration of being an official city of its own. Until 1966, Scotts Valley was just a part of Santa Cruz, even though most people going back to the 1800s called it Scotts Valley after one-time owner and settler Hiram Scott, whose… The post Scotts Valley Marks 60 Years as a City of…
From the Ground Up: Invasive of the Month: French Broom By Linda Skeff By now, French Broom (Genista monspessulana) is everywhere — blanketing hillsides, lining neighborhood roadsides, spreading in dense walls along Route 236 and Mount Hermon Road. It has been here so long that many of us barely notice it anymore. That familiarity is part of the problem. Introduced… The post French Broom: The…
A review of 642 San Lorenzo Valley real estate listings shows buyers returning, inventory expanding, and prices holding remarkably steady. For this month’s analysis, I reviewed 642 residential listings throughout Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, Felton, Mount Hermon, and Lompico from July 1, 2024 through June 2026. The results paint a picture of a market that is neither booming nor… The post…
On a recent evening in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the sky looked more like the bottom of a rough ocean than a familiar blue dome. Those rolling, wave‑like clouds are an atmospheric feature called asperitas, shaped by invisible gravity waves and wind shear, and sometimes painted with pastel colors by a phenomenon known as cloud iridescence. Asperitas is a relatively new… The post Wave‑Like Clouds…
