Leadership Santa Cruz County

Class 39 toured Driscoll's berry production at Sheehy Ranch in Watsonville today. Santa Cruz County's agricultural roots run deep, experiences like this remind us why understanding all sectors of our community makes for more connected leaders. leadershipsantacruzcounty.org/apply

🎬 FILM SCREENING: FRUITS OF LABOR🍓 Join us for a special free community screening of the award-winning documentary Fruits of Labor on Saturday, March 14, 2026 in Monterey. This powerful coming-of-age film follows a Mexican-American teenager from a mixed-immigration-status family who dreams of graduating high school while navigating the realities of immigration enforcement, poverty, and family responsibility. As ICE raids increase in her community, she finds herself working long days in the strawberry fields and night shifts in a food processing factory to help support her family. Fruits of Labor is a deeply moving story about resilience, family, and what it means for a young woman of color to find her strength in the wealthiest nation in the world. It was filmed in Watsonville, California. 📅 Saturday, March 14, 2026 📍 Japanese American Citizens League Hall 424 Adams St., Monterey, CA 🎟 Admission is free (limited to 100 attendees) 📧 RSVP required: jacl93940@gmail.com 💵 Donations welcome Hosted by the Monterey Peninsula, Watsonville/Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Gilroy Chapters of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL).

We’re now accepting submissions for the 2026 Watsonville Strawberry Festival Art Contest. Artists are invited to submit original artwork celebrating the region’s rich strawberry heritage. For full contest details and to apply, visit watsonvillestrawberryfestival.com

Class 39 explored how shifts in housing and economics are reshaping our region. Participants engaged in meaningful conversations about housing density, the future of development in the area, and the balance between state mandates and local control over land use.

Join us this Friday, Jan. 30 for Leadership Santa Cruz County Night at Santa Cruz Warriors. Plus a happy hour meetup at Hula's Island Grill before the game. Details: dlvr.it/TQdtgq

Class 39 is off to a great start! Thanks to the participation of our incoming class members and our Leadership Santa Cruz County board members Jennifer and Janet leading an icebreaker exercise, we had an energetic and engaging Orientation at the @santacruzmah

On June 18th, the 38th class of Leadership Santa Cruz County graduated into the alumni network. The LSCC Staff and Board of Directors wish them the best and look forward to seeing what they choose to tackle next — all of Santa Cruz County will benefit!

"Participating in Leadership Santa Cruz has been a transformative experience." - Danielle Glagola, Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer

“With the right tools, we can connect with anyone.” Grab your tickets now for an evening with Charles Duhigg! Thursday June 26 at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz. …ne26supercommunicators.eventbrite.com #Supercommunicators #SantaCruzEvents

We’re proud to share that Bay Federal has been named to Forbes’ 2025 list of Best-In-State Credit Unions. Thank you to our amazing employees, members, and neighbors for making this possible. Read more → forbes.com/lists/best-in-…

Take a look at our photos from Class 38 Agriculture Day. We toured the fertile Pajaro Valley in April studying the past, present and future of farming, including the impacts of the changing climate, water, workforce, and technology. leadershipsantacruzcounty.org/post/class-38-…

Leadership Santa Cruz County is thrilled to present Pulitzer Prize-winning author Charles Duhigg at the Rio Theatre on June 26. Supercommunicators: Communicating in a Complicated World,” will feature insights from Duhigg’s bestselling book. Register …ne26supercommunicators.eventbrite.com

Congratulations to Our Executive Director, Ryan Coonerty! Ryan was honored with the 2025 NEXTies Award for Mentor of the Year at the May 16 event. @RyanCoonerty #nexties #mentoroftheyear

Thank you Tom Brezsny Brezsny of Associates Coastal Real Estate Expertise for your generous sponsorship of Leadership Santa Cruz County's Art & Culture Day ✨ @BrezsnyRE bit.ly/4jSSC6s

Leadership Santa Cruz County's Class 38 toured the fertile Pajaro Valley. We studied the past, present & future of farming, including impacts of the changing climate, water, workforce, and technology. Together we walked, talked and ate the fruits (literally) of labors of love.

Only 48 hours left to join our transformative Leadership program! Expand your potential, sharpen your community knowledge, find ways to help shape the future of our region. Sign up for the 2025/2026 Leadership Santa Cruz County cohort by April 30 at leadershipsantacruzcounty.org

Just 2 weeks left to apply for Leadership Santa Cruz County's 2025/2026 cohort! If you, or someone you know, are in a leadership role and want to connect with leaders in our community, learn about our county, and hone leadership skills, visitleadershipsantacruzcounty.org/apply for details ✨

What local issues matter most to you? How to they impact your life? Do you want to receive more information about these issues from local newspapers? What information do you want? How do you want to receive it? Take the survey at slvpost.com/tell-us-your-s… <-

Leadership Santa Cruz County's cohort spent a day delving into issues of crime, justice and rehabilitation earlier this month. We heard from our county's leaders about community policing and criminal justice reform. bit.ly/42d1lbY

"It’s been an inspiring learning journey, allowing me to connect with passionate leaders who share my commitment to serving our communities inclusively and progressively." - Nada Khorchid, CEO, Lead for Impact ✨ Sign up for Class 39. Link in bio