The annual Santa Cruz Recycles! Poster Contest is now open to K–12 students in the City of Santa Cruz.

Students are invited to create original artwork around the theme Santa Cruz Recycles! Posters should highlight the importance of recycling in our community while showing students’ understanding of recycling, waste reduction and litter prevention.

Winning artwork will be enlarged and displayed on the sides of City refuse and recycling trucks. Winners will also receive a prize pack and award certificate.

Posters should be horizontal, feature original two-dimensional artwork and include drink bottles and aluminum cans as part of the design.

Entries must be postmarked or delivered by October 2, 2026.

Interested in entering? Visit the School Recycling and Waste Reduction Program webpage to review the full contest requirements and download the entry form.

Construction continues to make significant progress on the Downtown Library & Affordable Housing Project. Crews are nearing completion of structural concrete work, with the final major concrete pour currently scheduled for September. Because of the nature of the work, work is expected to begin around 5 a.m. and continue until about 7 p.m. on the day of the concrete pour. 

During the pour, large equipment will be positioned around the project site, requiring intermittent closures of Lincoln and Cathcart streets between Cedar Street and Pacific Avenue. Crews will keep the streets open whenever possible when active concrete work is not underway. Please follow all posted signage and flagger directions when traveling through the area.

Meanwhile, wood framing for the housing portion of the project is underway, with construction progressing from the fourth through eighth levels. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing work has also begun. In the coming weeks, a covered walkway and scaffolding will be installed along the alley side of the project while maintaining access to neighboring businesses and buildings.

Downtown businesses remain open during construction! We encourage the community to continue supporting businesses surrounding the project, particularly along Cathcart, Cedar and Lincoln streets and Pacific Avenue.

Parking remains available nearby in the Soquel Garage and Lots 3, 7 and 9, with limited two-hour parking in Lot 8.

Friends’ Downtown Library Capital Campaign Nears $3 Million Goal

The Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries are in the final weeks of their Downtown Library Capital Campaign and are less than $55,000 away from their $3 million goal! More than 400 individuals, families, foundations and businesses have contributed, with funds supporting the buildout of the new Downtown Library. The public campaign concludes in September.

Each year, goats visit the Resource Recovery Facility to help with vegetation management and weed abatement around the site.

This year, one of them brought a camera along.

As part of the Resource Recovery Facility’s 100th anniversary campaign, our new “GoatPro” video gives a goat’s-eye view of the work as the herd grazes vegetation and helps manage overgrowth across parts of the facility.

It’s a fun look at one of the many ways Resource Recovery staff manage the land and support responsible facility operations.

Watch the GoatPro video and see vegetation management from a whole new perspective.

Santa Cruz recently welcomed endurance athlete Catherine Breed as she makes her way down the California coast on an extraordinary 900-mile open-water journey.

Breed is attempting to become the first person to complete a staged swim of the entire California coastline, traveling from the Oregon border to Mexico. The nearly four-month expedition, known as Swim California, is about more than the athletic challenge. Along the way, Breed and her team are stopping in coastal communities to share stories, highlight local conservation efforts and connect people around a shared appreciation for California’s coast.

On Saturday, August 22, Breed took a break from the water to visit the Santa Cruz Wharf, where community members gathered at the Wharf Commons stage to hear about her journey. The event was hosted by Save The Waves Coalition with support from the City of Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department. 

Over 150 people participated in the 30-Year Shoreline Adaptation and Management Planning (SAMP) Community Conversations in August, sharing feedback on proposed medium-term strategies to help Santa Cruz adapt its coastline to future change.

There are still opportunities to get involved:

• Share your feedback online through September. Visit the SAMP StoryMap to explore proposed medium-term strategies and respond to questions throughout the site.
• Attend the September 22 City Council meeting. City staff will provide an update on the project, and community members are welcome to provide public comment.

The 30-Year SAMP project is funded by the Ocean Protection Council.

The City of Santa Cruz is a partner in Climate Resilient Monterey Bay, a NOAA-funded regional initiative working to strengthen climate resilience across the Central Coast.

Led by the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the initiative brings partners together around nature-based strategies and coordinated action to address climate risks including sea level rise, storm surge, flooding and wildfire. The work includes low-lying coastal communities along the San Lorenzo, Pajaro, Salinas and Carmel rivers.

Climate Resilient Monterey Bay recently released its first Annual Impact Report highlighting progress across the regional effort. Over the five-year initiative, projects are expected to generate $126.3 million in total economic output.

The City’s Homelessness Response Outreach Team (HRT) continues to work throughout Santa Cruz to connect people experiencing homelessness with shelter, resource navigation, case management and other services that can help create a path toward housing stability.

In Fiscal Year 2026, the City’s investments in homelessness response helped connect approximately 127 people to more stable housing and shelter, while 436 people were served through shelter and safe parking programs. The City also assisted 51 individuals and 54 families through eviction prevention, rapid rehousing and rental assistance.

The City currently supports 165 emergency shelter beds, 17 long-term safe parking spaces, overnight safe parking for up to 30 oversized vehicles and annual severe weather shelter. Even as state and federal funding for homelessness and housing programs declines, the City continues to invest in these critical services and work with community partners to expand pathways from homelessness to greater stability.

These efforts are part of a broader approach that pairs direct outreach and shelter with investments in permanent and affordable housing — helping more people find stability and remain part of the Santa Cruz community.

At the August 25 City Council meeting, the City recognized the incredible marine safety professionals who protect our community and visitors along the Santa Cruz coastline every day.

During the significant south swell of July 24–26 alone, City of Santa Cruz Marine Safety personnel completed 5,847 preventative actions, 34 water rescues, 23 medical aid responses and 19 missing person responses.

Council also recognized the lifesaving work of California State Parks Lifeguard Ryder Williams, who courageously rescued a 10-year-old boy from dangerous surf at Seabright State Beach on July 25.

While dramatic rescues remind us just how skilled and courageous our lifeguards are, much of their work happens before an emergency ever occurs, through vigilance, education and thousands of proactive safety contacts. Thank you to our City lifeguards and marine safety professionals throughout Santa Cruz County for keeping our beaches safer every day.

Join Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and Councilmember Renee Golder for a Districts 3 & 6 community event featuring neighborhood updates from Public Works, Community Development, and Homelessness Response.