🌱 Patch AM: How can Santa Cruz County residents weigh in on the SVP proposal?

Hi there, Santa Cruz! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How can Santa Cruz County residents weigh in on the SVP proposal?
• How dangerous is Santa Cruz County's new invasive beetle threat?

Also on today's calendar: Santa Cruz Film Festival and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What are the two favorite words for a shark to hear? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
Today's Santa Cruz Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's Best Mobile Network in the US according to Ookla Speedtest®. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2026. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's Santa Cruz Patch AM possible.
Find a T-Mobile store near Santa Cruz.

Weather forecast:

• Sunday: Partly sunny and cool, with a high of 72 and low of 51 degrees.
• Monday: Mostly sunny and pleasant, temps: high: 73, low: 52.
• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high of 81 and low of 54 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Sheriff opposes placement of sexually violent predator Michael Cheek in Santa Cruz Mountains - Aptos Life (aptoslife.com) — Santa Cruz County's sheriff is formally opposing a plan to house sexually violent predator Michael Cheek at a remote Los Gatos property in the Santa Cruz Mountains, citing safety and monitoring concerns. A Santa Cruz County Superior Court hearing is set for Oct. 30, and residents can submit written comments to the District Attorney's SVP Unit before that date.
   

• Monitoring invasive beetles in Santa Cruz County (santacruzlocal.org) — An invasive shothole borer beetle is killing riverbank trees in Santa Cruz County, raising fire risk and potential damage to homes and power lines, especially in the Santa Cruz Mountains. County officials and UC scientists are urgently monitoring the infestation, seeking grants, and planning costly removal of heavily infested "amplifier trees" to protect local ecosystems and neighborhoods.
   

📸 Around Santa Cruz

Subscribe

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Santa Cruz

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Wednesday October 14
• Santa Cruz Film Festival →
  Santa Cruz, CA, 95060,
  6:00 pm
Saturday October 17
• Santa Cruz Film Festival →
  Santa Cruz
  11:00 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Monday September 28
• Coffee with the Curators →
  705 Front St., Santa Cruz
  10:00 am
• Environmental Studies Seminar Series | Lightning Talks by ENVS Faculty →
  Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, 7487 Red Hill Road, Santa Cruz
  1:25 pm
• Statistics Seminar: Vecchia Approximated Bayesian Heteroskedastic Gaussian Processes →
  Jack Baskin Engineering, Baskin Engineering 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz
  4:00 pm
• Accessibilities Committee Meeting →
  Trinity Presbyterian Church, 420 Melrose Ave, Santa Cruz
  6:00 pm
Thursday October 1
• Access 2 Employment Job Fair →
  The Grove: Santa Cruz Event Center, 400 Beach St, Santa Cruz
  4:00 pm
Friday October 2
• Fire & Grace & Flamenco with Special Guests Fanny Ara and Ian Scarfe →
  UCSC Music Center Recital Hall
  7:30 pm
Saturday October 10
• Santa Cruz Bake & Gather →
  Midtown Community Center, 115 South Morrissey Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
  1:30 pm
• Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour →
  Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz
  7:00 pm
Thursday October 15
• Santa Cruz Film Festival →
  Landmark's Del Mar Theatre, 1124 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz
Friday October 16
• Santa Cruz Film Festival →
  , Santa Cruz
  11:00 am

📣 Santa Cruz Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Santa Cruz PatchAM possible:

• El Capulin Nursery — (831) 840-9195
• Illusive Comics & Games, LLC — (408) 985-7655

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Santa Cruz Online —Michael A. Lewis Read on Patch

• Happy Dolly Parton Day!
  In honor of 9-to-5, 9/25 is now Dolly Day! The iconic Madonna Inn has a signature drink that Dolly ordered when staying there! The Pink Cloud is… (Nextdoor Upper Seabright/Gault)
• Art Show!
  Live Oak Grange, Sat Oct 10th 11-5. There will be 100+ original paintings featuring the beauty of Santa Cruz and surrounding areas. I became an… (Nextdoor Live Oak)

• Pyramid Global Hospitality posted a job opening for Food Runner, Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz. Apply here.
• Supercuts posted a job opening for Salon Manager in Santa Cruz. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Santa Cruz here.

🗞 Nearby News

Capitola

• Capitola approves new program to help families buy affordable homes (ksbw.com)
• Woman Knocked Off Paddleboard, Bitten By Sea Lion Near Santa Cruz Coast (sfist.com)

Felton

• Published Sept. 25, 2026 (pressbanner.com)
• Niko Rubio Releases 'dream' Single From Debut Album LATE NIGHT SWIM (broadwayworld.com)

Soquel

• Soquel boys water polo sinks Valley Christian in double OT (santacruzsentinel.com)
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill that would have remade little-known state forests (santacruzsentinel.com)

Ok Santa Cruz! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "MAN OVERBOARD!" (Thank you M J. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what's happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook