May 8, 2025

Tuesday Night Live Returns to the Wharf!

Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation, Wharf Tenants, and Friends of Parks and Recreation are bringing back the Tuesday Night Live concert series—now with eight free shows from May to September! Tuesday Night Live features a vibrant mix of local and regional talent in one of Santa Cruz's most scenic settings — perfect to enjoy your favorite Wharf eats with family and friends.

Enjoy live music by the sea every second Tuesday, plus bonus shows on the fourth Tuesdays of June–August. All concerts start at 6 p.m. on the Wharf Common Stage.

2025 Lineup Highlights

• May 13 — SambaDá
• June 10 — The Viva Santana Show
• June 24 — Extra Large
• July 8 — The Lost Boys featuring James Durbin
• July 22 — Fish Hook
• August 12 — The Joint Chiefs
• August 26 — Sweet VooDoo
• September 9 — Jive Machine

Additional Details

• Local Tuesday Perk: Get 2 hours of free parking with validation from any Wharf business.
• Support the TNL Series: Donate at friendsofparksandrec.org
• Visit santacruzparksandrec.com for updates.



Want to learn how the City of Santa Cruz budgets?

Join us for a Budget Webinar and get a closer look at how the City budget works! 

Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 

Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM 

Location: Zoom Webinar 

We’ll walk through: 

✅ How the City budget is built 

✅ The current budget landscape 

✅ Interactive tools to explore budget scenarios 



Open to everyone—come learn how your City plans, spends, and invests! 

New Coastal Rail Trail Segment Opens on May 21 with Event at La Barranca Park

Public Works will officially open the Coastal Rail Trail Segment 7 Phase II with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, May 21, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at La Barranca Park. The event will feature remarks from local leadership, a celebratory trail walk with Bayview Elementary School students, educational activities, and light refreshments.

The Coastal Rail Trail Segment 7 Phase II project is a 0.8-mile-long paved bicycle and pedestrian path between Bay Street/California Street and Pacific Avenue/Beach Street. The trail runs along the coastal side of the existing rail line. Walkers and bikers of all ages and abilities will enjoy the rail trail, which provides connections to the popular Beach Street bikeway, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and Municipal Wharf.

This recently completed segment of the Coastal Rail Trail serves over 800 active transportation users per day. Together, Phase I and Phase II create 2.1 miles of the Coastal Rail Trail between Natural Bridges Drive and Pacific Avenue at the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. The two-phase trail will connect more than 30,000 residents who live within one mile of the project to schools, work, beaches, shopping and other activity centers.

A New Chapter Begins in Downtown Santa Cruz

The Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries hosted a well-attended Downtown Library Festival to celebrate the exciting future of the Downtown Library & Affordable Housing Project. Community members brought energy and enthusiasm to learn more about the new modern library coming soon to the heart of downtown.

The project will deliver:

• A new library
• 124 affordable housing units
• A child care facility
• Bike and car parking, including EV chargers

You can now join the affordable housing interest list for the Downtown Library & Affordable Housing project! (Please note: the interest list is not managed by the City of Santa Cruz.)

Santa Cruz Municipal Utilities Offers Customer Assistance Program

Designed to assist customers who are having difficulty paying their bills on time and/or in full, the Santa Cruz Municipal Utilities (SCMU) Customer Assistance Program offers relief to individuals if they :

• Have an active/current single-family SCMU account in their name
• Are having financial hardship
• Are currently enrolled in the PG&E CARE program (or any of these government assistance programs: Cal Fresh, Medi-Cal or Medicaid, WIC, SSI, CalWORKs, or General Assistance)

Qualified and enrolled UCAP participants will receive a monthly bill discount, late payment fee waiver, and early leak notifications.

Celebrate Affordable Housing Month with Over 20 Events in May!

May is Affordable Housing Month! The Economic Development and Housing Department is excited to share a full calendar of events highlighting local efforts to expand and support affordable housing in our community.

Check out the 2025 Event Quick Guide to find workshops, tours, celebrations, and more happening throughout the month of May. You can also find Affordable Housing Month events on the City Calendar.

Featured Event: Grand Opening of Natural Bridges Apartments

Friday, May 9, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

415 Natural Bridges Drive in Santa Cruz.

Register here by May 7, 2025

This all-electric development includes twenty new 100% affordable studio apartments for residents who earn up to 50% of our area's median income. Celebrate this milestone with local leaders, partners, and community members. All units are currently leased — for information on waitlists and vacancies, visit hacosantacruz.org.

Check Out the City Fleet at Touch-A-Truck on May 21!

Join Public Works for Touch-A-Truck on Wednesday, May 21, from 12 – 2 p.m. in Depot Park (119 Center Street). Touch-A-Truck is an annual, action-packed, family-friendly event that gives you a up-close look at the City’s impressive fleet of vehicles and equipment. Learn about the tools and machinery that keep our City running smoothly and watch staff compete in the third annual Equipment Road-eo! Enjoy skills competitions, educational booths, demonstrations, activities, and more!

New Bike Racks Installed at Cowell Beach

The Public Works Street Maintenance signs crew installed 16 new bike racks at the wharf parking lot by Cowell Beach. The new bike racks were funded by the City’s Carbon Reduction Fund, which provides capital resources to invest in City infrastructure to support energy efficiency and carbon reduction projects. The racks will be well-used during the busy Junior Lifeguard season coming up soon!

Get Ready for a Night of Roller Derby at the Civic!

The Santa Cruz Bombshells are lacing up to face off against the SF Rolling Dead (Bay Area Derby) on Saturday, May 10 at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium — and you won’t want to miss it! Expect hard hits, fast-paced action, and an electric crowd as these powerhouse teams battle it out on the track. This is roller derby at its finest—and it’s all happening at one of Santa Cruz’s most iconic venues.

Location: Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church Street

Time: Doors open at 6:15 PM | First whistle at 7:00 PM

Tickets: Available at the door or online at santacruztickets.com

The Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium is home to a wide variety of events year-round, from concerts and comedy to community celebrations and live sports. Don’t miss your chance to experience the energy of roller derby in this dynamic downtown space.

Paper Shred Event to Take Place May 10

Recycle sensitive documents for free at the Paper Shred Event on Saturday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Santa Cruz City Hall Parking lot (the corner of Chestnut and Church streets).

Event Details

• City of Santa Cruz residents only.
• A maximum of three banker-size boxes (15" x 12" x 10 ") or three brown paper bags of equivalent size per person
• Documents are shredded on-site and taken to Stericycle for recycling.
• The event may end before 1 p.m. if the truck reaches capacity.

Final Ask-A-Lawyer Workshop on May 15

Housing & Economic Rights Advocates is hosting one more workshop as part of their Ask-A-Lawyer series, “Student Loan Debt – Consumer Rights,” on May 15. Registration is required, and to learn more, you can contact HERA directly at www.heraca.org, inquiries@heraca.org, or (510)271-8443 ext. 300.

Participate in Bike Fest Throughout the Month of May

Bike Fest Santa Cruz County is here! Whether you want to join the bike challenge, walk and roll to school, or join a community ride, our partners at Ecology Action have fun bike events planned all spring long. 

Use your bike to get to work, school, run errands, and get around town. Sign up for a bike repair event, get free breakfast on Bike to Wherever Day, or learn how to become a bike commuting expert.

The Bike Month Challenge runs throughout the month of May with amazing weekly prizes, a $1,000 individual prize, and a special $2,000 grand prize for a local employer! Sign up at lovetoride.net/santacruz to be entered to win!



City of Santa Cruz

City Manager's Office

809 Center Street

Santa Cruz CA 95060

santacruzca.gov

831-420-5010