SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Santa " 626 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
A Marine Science Michelangelo?
Angelique Allen merges ocean art and octopus neuroscience at Santa Barbara Sea Glass & Ocean Arts Festival.
Santa Cruz to build a new type of mental health care center for youth
Serenity Smith, who lived at a residential treatment facility in Santa Cruz in 2024, drives to work in Aptos on Monday, Aug. 31. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local) Located at: 5300 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062. Call (831)540-4141. Behavioral Health Resources
Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Sept. 8
Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.
Will Toronto Blue Jays Slugger Anthony Santander Return This Season?
The outfielder/DH has missed the entire season after recovering from labrum surgery in the offseason.
Politics Threaten Medical Innovation at NIH
Santa Monica rheumatologist warns that political interference in NIH funding threatens scientific breakthroughs and patient care. Taxpayer dollars should support rigorous peer review, not politics.
California’s political hopefuls remain silent on state’s job losses, unemployment
Dan Walters Commentary: The aspirants for those positions are making all sorts of promises to win voters’ approval. But few, if any, have mentioned a slow-motion menace affecting a fundamental
CSU biology professor delivers talk on extremophilic microorganisms, research advancements
Thomas Santangelo began the department of biology’s fall semester seminar series at Colorado State University strong, presenting the progressive research behind microorganisms in extreme environments and how those observations can inform future research about biological resilience and adaptation. Santangelo, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at CSU, was the main speaker of the “Surprises...
Toronto Blue Jays Announce Anthony Santander News Before Athletics Game
The Toronto Blue Jays announced major news regarding Anthony Santander before Friday night's game against the Athletics. The post Toronto Blue Jays Announce Anthony Santander News Before Athletics Game appeared first on HEAVY.
30+ Santa Monica businesses master AI at free Grow with Google workshop
Grow with Google hosted a free 'Make AI Work for You' workshop for 30+ Santa Monica small business owners at Annenberg Beach House on Aug. 28, teaching practical AI skills and Google's free tools.
Iowa State goes 2-0 at Gaucho Invitational
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Iowa State volleyball team put on a resilient display during its road trip to the West Coast, fighting through back-to-back four-set battles at the Thunderdome to improve to 4-1 on the season. The Cyclones opened the invitational with a dramatic comeback victory over tournament host UC Santa Barbara on Thursday […]
One arrested after vehicle crashes into Watsonville business, yields 3 injuries
Watsonville police arrested Edwin Wetterstrom, 73, on suspicion of driving under the influence after his SUV crashed into the 98 Cents Store on Freedom Boulevard, injuring two others.
Sutter Health invests in healthcare education in Santa Clara County
Partnership with Silicon Valley Career Technical Education will support 250 students.
Sutter Health invests in healthcare education in Santa Clara County
Partnership with Silicon Valley Career Technical Education will support 250 students.
Man struggling with mental health sentenced for stabbing Santaquin officer
Timothy Olesen will spend less than two year in jail and four years on probation for stabbing an officer with a kitchen knife who had responded to his call. The officer was wearing a vest that protected him.
California’s Healthcare Affordability Office Claims Power to Punish Overspending Hospitals
Noozhawk republishes news articles from CalMatters on state and local policy issues that affect Santa Barbara County readers. Year after
Santa Barbara County Health Launches Interactive Online Dashboards
Santa Barbara County Health launched three interactive public health dashboards tracking school immunizations, respiratory viruses, and communicable diseases.
Sonoma County Indian Health Project secures expansion space as large clinic project delayed
Sonoma County Indian Health Project leases new space as temporary relief while the massive Santa Rosa clinic project faces delays.
Director says they beat Arsenal to sign La Liga youngster
Pablo Garcia has gone viral for crying after being sold to Racing de Santander by Real Betis, the club he has played for since he was a child.Betis had to make space for Dani Ceballos and decided to m...
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, Sept. 3-6
With the long weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County, with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout's BOLO events calendar.
Thursday Jays Notes
There isn’t much for Jays news this morning. The starters against the Royals: And, our weekly Anthony Santander rumour: Today’s lineups: Today’s Lineups BLUE JAYS GUARDIANS Brett Bateman – CF Steven Kwan – CF Nathan Lukes – RF Chase DeLauter – RF Vladimir Guerrero – 1B Jose Ramirez – DH Jesus Sanchez – LF Jo […]
Arsenal almost signed Spanish winger on deadline day
Racing Santander’s sporting director Chema Aragon has claimed Arsenal pursued a move to sign Pablo Garcia from Real Betis, before the player’s eventual transfer to the Verdiblancos.Photo by Charle...
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Leadership shakeup at Driscoll’s; Watsonville’s new distillery takes inspiration from the sea
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko reports on high-level departures at Watsonville-based berry giant Driscoll's, a new distillery in South County and plenty of names, numbers and dates to know.
Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Sept. 1
Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.
GTA 5's Michael Actor Defends GTA 6 After Doubters Say Rockstar's Games Look Too Similar
Ned Luke, the actor behind Grand Theft Auto 5's Michael De Santa, said people who think Grand Theft Auto 6 looks too much like GTA 5 are "out of their minds."
UCSB Researchers Unveil 10 Rules for Generative AI in Science
UC Santa Barbara's NCEAS has released a 10-rule framework in PLOS Computational Biology to guide environmental scientists using generative AI for coding.
International body honors UC Santa Cruz physicist with Frontiers of Science Award
Assistant Professor Edgar Shaghoulian was honored by the International Congress of Basic Science at an August 9 ceremony in Beijing with a Frontiers of Science Award in the category of formal quantum field theory
Science, the sea and gin: Meet Fathom Spirits, Watsonville’s newest distillery
Two ocean scientists turned a pandemic-era gin hobby into Fathom Spirits, a Watsonville craft distillery making small-batch gins infused with Santa Cruz-inspired botanicals. Founders Elisha Wood-Charlson and Chad Kecy plan to open in September, with private Saturday tours and tastings while they work to get their experimental gins into local bars and restaurants.
A field guide for the Wild West of AI-assisted environmental science
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) are blazing a trail through the Wild West of AI-assisted science, with a field guide aimed at environmental ...
California's political battle over key environmental law brews on two fronts
Legislators this week and voters this November will weigh in on measures to curtail some of CEQA's vexing construction project restrictions.
Santa Clarita promises to help business owners rebuild after destructive Old Town Newhall fire
A Defunct Nuclear Site Had a Meltdown in 1959. A New Study Shows It's Still Causing Health Problems
Researchers found elevated reports of autoimmune and endocrine disorders among people living within 5 miles (8 kilometers) of the Santa Susana field Laboratory.
Fire destroys beloved businesses in heart of historic Southern California district
Arson investigators are working to determine the cause of a massive fire that tore through several beloved businesses in the heart of Santa Clarita’s Old Town Newhall on Monday as city leader…
Kellogg Square business center, sold for $11.3 million, to become 'catalyst' growth of Old Town Goleta - Santa Barbara News-Press
As new housing projects make progress near Old Town Goleta, Kellogg Square will provide business and retail infrastructure.
A field guide for the Wild West of AI-assisted science
Researchers at UCSB's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis develop a set of practice guidelines for environmental data scientists who use generative AI
Forward Party asks judge to decide if New Mexico ballot rules unfairly protect two-party system
A federal judge in Santa Fe is preparing to decide if New Mexico’s two-tiered system for qualifying candidates in elections protects the two-party system by placing unreasonable requirements on smaller parties looking to qualify candidates for the ballot. U.S. District Judge Margaret Strickland is scheduled to hear arguments in the case on Friday. This story […]
Santana: Hotel Workers Caught Up In Political Rip Tides At Dana Point Harbor
The race for a supervisors’ seat in South Orange County is having a real impact on a lucrative deal to redevelop hotels and boat slips.
UC Santa Cruz launches Center for Marine Genomics
UC Santa Cruz, known worldwide for both genomics and marine science research, is now bridging the gap between the two disciplines with its new Center for Marine Genomics. The center, which launched July 1, will bring opportunities for…
Massive fire destroys Santa Clarita business, threats neighboring buildings
A huge structure fire is threatening multiple businesses in Santa Clarita Monday morning.
Crews in Santa Clarita battle third-alarm fire impacting several businesses
The blaze was quickly upgraded to a third-alarm fire, which is classified as a major emergency that requires a high level of response.
Councilor Ed Flynn decries ‘petty Boston City Hall politics’ amid veterans leadership snafu
A Facebook post, later taken down by Councilor Henry Santana, got tongues wagging in Boston by suggesting Councilor Ed Flynn, a U.S. Navy veteran and critic of the mayor, was stripped of his veterans committee vice chairmanship.
George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey startle 49ers training camp
SANTA CLARA — It was a novel scene, one not seen in almost a month of training camp. On one end of the 49ers’ practice field in the shadow of...
Eastlake science students make district history
Three Eastlake High School students made Sweetwater Union High School District history this year when they became the first students from the district to qualify for the International Science and Engineering Fair, an international competition that brings together some of the top high school researchers from around the world. Ronald Wyatt, Giles Del Priore and Ihan Sung advanced to the competition after successful runs at regional and state science fairs. Sung went a step further, placing fourth in the chemistry category at ISEF. The students were recognized on Aug. 10 during a Sweetwater Union High School District board meeting at the district office in Chula Vista.For Wyatt and Del Priore, recent Eastlake graduates, the journey began with a shared concern about dementia and the challenges faced by families caring for loved ones with memory impairment. Their engineering project, “Design and Evaluation of a Behaviorally Grounded Caregiver-Governed AI Companion for Individuals with Memory Impairment,” earned the Sweepstakes Award at the Sweetwater District STEM Fair and first place in its division at the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair. The project explored whether Artificial Intelligence could provide companionship and support while helping reduce stress for people with dementia and their caregivers. “Our inspiration came from personal experience. Both of us have seen family members and loved ones affected by dementia, and we’ve witnessed how overwhelming the caregiving process can be,” Wyatt said. Del Priore said the students also wanted to address the high cost of third-party health care services while creating something that could potentially help their own families as well as people elsewhere. The students developed an AI system designed with safeguards intended to prevent misinformation reinforcement, emotional escalation and unsafe responses. In 240 controlled trials involving memory, identity, agitation and neutral scenarios, they said the system consistently prevented harmful incorrect reinforcement while using context-aware silence, de-escalation and caregiver verification. The project required the students to combine Artificial Intelligence, psychology, neuroscience and human-computer interaction. For Del Priore, one of the biggest technical challenges was getting the AI companion to communicate verbally with a patient. Hardware limitations required the students to collaborate with multiple Python libraries for speech-to-text and text-to-speech functions while keeping the cost of the companion low. “For us, the biggest challenge was translating complex behavioral and cognitive care principles into a functioning AI system,” Wyatt said.Qualifying for ISEF was a milestone that student expected. The international competition proved to be another milestone. “Competing at ISEF was an incredible experience and unlike anything we’ve ever done before,” Del Priore said. “Being surrounded by some of the most talented young researchers from around the world was both inspiring and motivating.” He said the experience stood out because of the emphasis on collaboration, innovation and scientific discovery. “The most memorable part was seeing how people from completely different backgrounds and disciplines approached solving real-world problems with creativity and passion,” he said. The students also credited teachers and mentors who supported their work. Del Priore said his sophomore-year AP Physics teacher, Dr. Price, was particularly influential. “Through all of my personal and academic struggles, Dr. Price always believed in me,” Del Priore said. “All of his faith in me really molded me into the person I am today and helped create my love for science even through tough times.” Wyatt is continuing his education at UC Santa Cruz, where he plans to study biomolecular engineering and bioinformatics, with an interest in research involving Artificial Intelligence, biology and health care. Del Priore plans to double major in chemistry and accounting. Sung, a rising Eastlake senior, qualified for ISEF after winning first place in the Engineering: Energy, Materials & Transport category at the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair and first place in chemistry at the California Science and Engineering Fair. His project, “Renewable Ammonia Electrochemical Synthesis by Glow Discharge with an Iron-Based Catalyst,” involved a device he designed and engineered to produce renewable ammonia, with potential applications in fertilizer production and energy storage. Sung became interested in the project after considering the relationship between food insecurity and fertilizer costs. His system uses plasma to break apart nitrogen molecules so they can interact with hydrogen and form ammonia. At ISEF, Sung competed against more than 1,700 students from 65 countries and earned fourth place in chemistry. “I am proud to become one of te first students in the district to qualify for ISEF because this milestone can inspire others in the district to attain similar goals,” Sung said.
‘Running is so much more than the performance’: Hall discusses memoir, career in Santa Rosa visit
Long before Sara Hall was running marathons on the world stage, she was a Santa Rosa kid exploring the trails around Spring Lake and Trione-Annadel State Park.
Historical Museum Flamenco Show Unites Performers from Spain, U.S.
Flamenco artist María Bermúdez says flamenco is 'about community. ' Courtesy photo) Flamenco artists from Spain and the U.S. come together in Santa
LEAP Children’s Museum holding summer science workshop
News release Science, discovery and hands-on fun are coming to Valencia Town Center this weekend as LEAP Santa Clarita Children’s Museum hosts its Summer Science Workshop on Saturday and Sunday […]
Scotts Valley business owners raise concerns over business license fee, road changes
A group of Scotts Valley business owners have banded together to raise awareness about the impact of a local business license tax and changes to road structures.
Health inspectors shut down popular Santa Monica eatery
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health regularly inspects restaurants and markets to make sure facilities comply with health regulations and staff are handling food properly. The vast m…
The clean energy transition's missing metric: Human health
Earlier this year, the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, convened representatives from 57 countries to advance a just, orderly and equitable transition ...
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, Aug. 20-23
With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County, with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout's BOLO events calendar.
Ventura County nurses and health care professionals to hold speak out to save Santa Paula Hospital
Registered nurses and healthcare professionals at Santa Paula Hospital in Santa Paula, Calif. and Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) in Ventura, Calif., will hold a speak out at Ventura County's Board of Supervisors hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 18, to protest changes in services and possible closure.
Pioneering AI and Digital Transformation Scholar Ravi Bapna Named Dean of Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business
An internationally recognized leader in AI, analytics, and digital transformation, Bapna will lead the Leavey School into its next chapter of innovation, global impact, and ethical leadership in Silicon Valley.
Amid scorching summer, heat-related health problems spike in New Mexico
About 14% of New Mexico households don't have air conditioning, according to census estimates published earlier this year.
Giving kids a science-y summer at LEAP Santa Clarita Children's Museum
Bernalillo County's Behavioral Health Unit rapidly grows, diverting 911 calls
Officials say the three-unit teams have become more effective since paramedics were authorized to administer the antipsychotic drug olanzapine.
Timeline: Santa Fe's Mobile Integrated Health Office and Alternative Response Unit
A look at the launch, development of and changes to the Santa Fe Fire Department's Mobile Integrated Health Office and Alternative Response Unit.
Santa Rosa launches downtown pilot program aimed at boosting local businesses
Santa Rosa kicked off a pilot program Friday night to bring life back into the downtown area. The goal is to help local businesses keep their doors open and flourish. But it's also an opportunity to bring community back to the city.
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, Aug. 13-16
With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County, with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout's BOLO events calendar.
Santa Cruz could lower speed limits near schools, business areas
In 2023, Santa Cruz County ranked worst in the state in reported cyclist deaths and injuries according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local) 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17 Santa Cruz Council Chambers, 809
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Workbench files pre-application for new housing on site of Seabright business plaza; Joby makes moves in Texas
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko reports on a proposed six-story mixed-use development in Santa Cruz, Joby Aviation's latest maneuvers and names, numbers and dates to know.
Girls in Ocean Science returns to SBMM - Santa Barbara News-Press
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) is pleased to announce the return of its Girls in Ocean Science Conference (GiOS) on September 26 and 27, 2026.
Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Aug. 11
Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.
David Farrar Named to Lehigh Valley Business LVB 300 List of Influential Business Leaders
Santander Arena and Performing Arts Center's General Manager David Farrar has been recognized in the 2026 Lehigh Valley Business LVB 300, an annual publication honoring the region's most influential business leaders.
Santa Rosa residents become 'Heat Heroes,' using science to help fight extreme summer temps
Community members in southwest Santa Rosa are participating in a new citizen-science initiative to track surface and air temperatures throughout the summer. Organizers say the information gathered will help shape a future "Extreme Heat Action Plan," designed to address long-standing heat disparities in the area.
NSF grant supports Marley Dewey’s work to restore coral reefs
UC Santa Barbara assistant professor of bioengineering Marley Dewey is bringing in a wider community as she studies how to repair coral, as part of a $750,000 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation.
At colleges, the AI boom means everyone wants to dabble in computer science
Hiring for entry-level software developers has slowed, and college enrollment in computer science is declining. However, interest in artificial intelligence is growing among students from non-tech majors. Schools like VCU
This week in politics - Michigan primaries, progressive candidates and birthright citizenship revisited
UC Santa Cruz professor and KTVU political analyst, Nolan Higdon breaks down the week's political headlines.
Santa Monica Block Fest brings much-needed boost to downtown businesses
The block fests happen every second Saturday of the month from 5 p.m. to midnight and are free to the public.
Photo | Dappled light peaks through UC Santa Cruz forest
Late afternoon sunlight through the forest at UC Santa Cruz creates a pattern of illumination on the Physical Sciences Building on Science Hill. Opened in 2006 atop the university’s Science Hill, this five-story building provides 132,000 s…
Girls in Ocean Science Inspires New Wave of Ocean Stewards
The Girls in Ocean Science Conference will be Sept. 26-27 at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. (Courtesy photo) The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum’s
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, Aug. 6-9
With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout's BOLO events calendar.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Volunteer Center names new director as longtime exec retires; new life ahead for Casalegno’s market
Shawn Peterson takes over for Karen Delaney at a powerhouse local nonprofit, a revival for a Soquel institution and names, numbers and dates to know – Jessica M. Pasko runs it all down in her weekly survey of Santa Cruz County business.
Mountain West, Pac-12 finalize settlement over 'poaching' and exit fees
The Pac-12 and some of new the schools joining the conference filed a lawsuit in California in 2024, claiming the poaching clause the league agreed to when it signed a
Outdoor rec businesses sought for free business accelerator program
The ActivatOR Outdoor Recreation Growth Accelerator program is aimed at businesses ranging from startups to established companies.
Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Aug. 4
Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.
New Mexico Power Equipment emphasizes customer service, Stihl equipment repairs
Sean Gabriel, a Santa Fe native who moved around in his teens and 20s, said he’s used to launching and running businesses.
Entertainment is a-foot as Zeitgeist Dance Theatre presents An Evening of Contemporary Dance
Santa Fe-based Zeitgeist Dance Theatre's biggest show of the season, featuring more than 75 dancers, is Saturday, August 1, at the Lensic Performing Arts Center.
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, July 30-Aug. 2
With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout's BOLO events calendar.
Health officials announce 2 human cases of West Nile Virus in the South Bay
The West Nile Virus has infected two adults living in the South Bay, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department announced Wednesday.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Local nonprofit partners to help veterans transition into aviation careers; rental market takes dubious top honors for most expensive in the nation
In her latest business column, Jessica M. Pasko highlights a tricounty nonprofit aiming to give veterans more career opportunities, along with dates to keep in mind and more.
Santa Cruz County business filings: week of July 27
Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area. Here is what’s new in local business recently. New businesses
Christus Health expands services to Los Alamos hospital, Albuquerque clinic
The new facilities are the latest in a series of New Mexico expansions for the Texas-based Catholic hospital firm.
At UCSB, this science education program sparks connection, innovation among kids - Santa Barbara News-Press
For around 15 years, SciTrek has led one-week lessons on topics including physics, biology, conservation of mass, fermentation and cellular respiration
Michael Rattray & Robert Kiel: How Science Is Trying to Restore Santa Barbara’s Lost Kelp Forests
The Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment (BEACON) unanimously approved the next phase of the Goleta Bay Kelp Project on July 17. This
The next Kratos God of War game will follow and connect to Laufey, says Cory Barlog
Talking at a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Barlog revealed that "everything" the team at Santa Monica was doing in the Faye game will "set up what comes next".
LANL: UC ‘AI Science At Scale’ Summit Showcases Landmark Innovations With Senior National Lab Leadership Including DDSTE Pat Fitch Present
Attendees of the UC ‘AI Science at Scale’ summit held on June 11 in Santa Fe. Courtesy/LANL LANL News: On June 11, 2026, the University of California (UC) convened researchers and leaders from across the UC system in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for the first annual “AI Science at Scale” summit. The summit was planned […]
Wave of physician departures from Dignity Health in Santa Cruz spark patient concerns
A wave of physician departures from the Dignity Health network in Santa Cruz has raised concerns among local patients and healthcare experts about access to care and the stability of the local healthcare system more broadly.
Next Kratos-Led God of War Game Is Coming After Laufey, and Connects Directly to Her Story
Santa Monica Studio head of creative Cory Barlog has announced that the next Kratos-led God of War game is coming after God of War Laufey, and connects directly to her story.
Health officials urge precautions as two West Nile cases reported in New Mexico
State health officials are urging residents to take measures against mosquitoes after two New Mexicans recently tested positive for West Nile virus.
What to know about the San Jose Children's Business Fair
This Saturday at Santana Row Park Valencia, children between the ages of six and 17 will have booths to show off business ventures they've created.
Pirates Trade for Veteran Reliever, DFA Dennis Santana
The Pirates reshaped their bullpen Thursday, acquiring Ron Marinaccio from the Padres and designating Dennis Santana for assignment.
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, July 23-26
https://www.ecuador.com/blog/pasillo-the-rhythm-of-ecuador/
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry decks the halls for Christmas in July
Healthy stars? Productive WRs? 5 questions to ponder as 49ers open training camp
The 49ers will hit the practice field in Santa Clara for the first time on Sunday. Here are the big questions to keep an eye on.
Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of July 21
Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.
Jose Caballero's "routine'' sparks Yankees-Pirates bench clearer
Pirates' reliever Dennis Santana's overreaction to Jose Caballero's habitual, but legal, stall tactics at the plate led to an eighth inning incident.
Local food policy panel seeks two new members with healthcare backgrounds
The commission is designed to integrate the public and private sectors into an effort to improve food availability.
Shaky political "science": breakdown of the peer review process
[This article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in December 2025, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting (RCV). Many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first four articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report; the second one analyzed a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report; a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research; and a fourth article that analyzed seven studies sponsored by New America’s political reform program that deployed flawed methodology based on “simulated” elections instead of real-world elections, which when combined with some basic misunderstandings of RCV, produced odd and misleading results]. In this fifth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we examine two flawed studies on the impact of RCV on voter turnout authored by San Francisco State University professor Jason McDaniel. McDaniel’s research in these two papers stands out for its puzzling methodology, inadequate and cherry-picked data, and faulty analyses that not only misunderstands ranked choice voting but reflects a basic misunderstanding of politics in general. The first of the McDaniel studies actually passed through a peer review process and then was subsequently published by the Journal of Urban Affairs, despite its obvious errors. It is perplexing that a jury of peer political scientists did not catch the errors and send it back to McDaniel for a rewrite or outright rejection. This calls into question the credibility of the peer review process itself. The peer review process is supposed to represent the intellectual pinnacle of the profession – a way for academics to certify the quality of each other’s work, and to act as a check against sloppy research. In the case of the McDaniel study, the peer review process failed. Yet his flawed study has been cited dozens of times by other political scientists in their own flawed works — an unvirtuous circle of academic research. Here is the first Jason McDaniel study that we analyzed: “Writing the Rules to Rank the Candidates: Examining the Impact of Instant-Runoff Voting on Racial Group Turnout in San Francisco Mayoral Elections,” by Jason McDaniel, 2016, Journal of Urban Affairs. This study covered San Francisco’s use of ranked choice voting (RCV) in mayoral elections, purporting to show that RCV reduces voter turnout overall, increases voter errors, and has a negative impact on “marginal populations,” i.e. racial minorities, mainly as the result of the alleged complexity of RCV asking voters to rank candidates and having to be familiar with multiple candidates and related dynamics. McDaniel reached these conclusions by examining five San Francisco mayoral elections taking place in odd years (i.e. where there are no federal or state races on the ballot) from 1995 to 2011, comparing three earlier non-RCV races (in 1995, 1999 and 2003) with the later two RCV races (in 2007 and 2011). Only two RCV races were studied, and as McDaniel acknowledged, only the contest in 2011 was “competitive” (that contest in 2007 was the first mayoral election using RCV, and incumbent mayor Gavin Newsom won easily in the first round of counting, earning 74% of first choices and far ahead of the second place candidate who had just 6.3% of first choices). Yet even the allegedly competitive contest in 2011was won by an incumbent with a landslide margin of nearly 20 points. No other elections were studied by McDaniel, even though San Francisco elects 17 other offices besides mayor with RCV, including the 11 seats on the Board of Supervisors (the name for the city council) in even years, and six other citywide offices in odd years. Previous academic research has found that competitive elections can stimulate greater voter involvement and higher turnout. For unexplained reasons, this study ignored at least 34 other RCV races between the years 2004 to 2011, many of which were very competitive and had high voter turnout. Instead, McDaniel’s analysis based its conclusions on data from only a single, marginally-competitive mayor’s race using RCV. These 2007 and 2011 mayoral elections were the only two RCV elections that McDaniel used as the sole basis for his small data set to determine the impact of RCV on voter turnout. Despite having no meaningful data to inform his study, McDaniel nonetheless concluded that RCV lowered turnout when compared to the previous three mayoral non-RCV elections using two-round runoffs. Then, using the same inadequate database of San Francisco elections, McDaniel also found that “Instant-runoff voting is associated with a significant decline in Black voter turnout and White voter turnout…On average, Black voter turnout decreases by 18 points and White voter turnout decreases by 16 points …” But how could he credibly arrive at that conclusion when his study was based on voter turnout in two RCV contests that were not even remotely competitive? Beyond that, McDaniel tacitly admits that the key determining factor driving Black voter turnout was not RCV vs non-RCV elections, but the presence of a viable Black candidate. McDaniel wrote, “Black voter turnout was about 17 percentage points higher for the two elections that featured an African American candidate compared to the three elections that did not” — but one of those three elections did not use RCV. The same dynamic was present for White voter turnout, in which higher turnout was not correlated with RCV vs non-RCV elections, but the presence of a viable White candidate. Beyond that, McDaniel’s voter turnout results, whether correlated with the race of the candidates or RCV vs non-RCV elections, showed no clear patterns. In his Figure 1, he shows low Asian voter turnout in the non-RCV elections in 1999 and 2003 when there was no viable Asian candidate running, but in the 2007 mayoral election using RCV, there is still no viable Asian candidate, yet Asian turnout increases dramatically. For Latinos, voter turnout is virtually the same in 1999 (no viable Latino candidate, non-RCV elections), 2003 (leading Latino candidate, non-RCV elections), 2007 (no viable Latino candidate, RCV elections) and 2011 (leading Latino candidate, RCV elections). Meanwhile White voter turnout increased dramatically from a low in the 2007 mayoral election, in which the leading candidate was a white incumbent, to the 2011 election in which there were no leading white candidates that finished any higher than sixth place with 5.6% of the vote. Clearly other factors were determining voter turnout than either the race of the candidates or RCV vs non-RCV elections. Despite these inconsistent findings, McDaniel boldly marches forth to render conclusions about the impact of RCV on different groups of racial voters, even though his conclusions are not remotely supported by his data. This looks like the worst kind of “data cherry picking” to cover up a puzzling conclusion based on a poor data set involving only two RCV elections, neither of which were remotely competitive. McDaniel’s cherry picking didn’t stop there. In calculating voter turnout for the three non-RCV mayoral elections in 1995, 1999 and 2003, he failed to mention that in each of these years there was a two-round runoff election, with a first round election in November in which no candidate garnered a winning majority of the vote, followed by the decisive runoff in December. So there were two non-RCV elections in each election year. But McDaniel only decided to include one of the two elections in his data set, apparently the December runoff in each year (which had higher turnout in two out of the three mayor’s races, and lower turnout in the third). So he ignored the November 1995 election, the November 1999 election when turnout was only 45 percent, and the November 2003 election when turnout was only 45.7 percent. This is flawed methodology based on blatant cherry picking, since McDaniel simply omitted three elections worth of data that did not fit within his frame. His study should never have made it through a peer review process, and it is an embarrassment to political science that not only was it approved for publication, but it has been uncritically cited by dozens of other political scientists. Share A “study” without wider context or credible data Lacking a data set that included even a single competitive RCV mayoral race, McDaniel declared that RCV lowered voter turnout in 2011, when turnout was 42.5 percent. But he also ignored -- or did not realize -- that voter turnout in mayoral elections during 2011 had sharply declined in all big cities, including far more steeply in nearby Los Angeles and other cities. In fact, San Francisco’s election in 2011 had the second highest turnout of any mayoral election in the nation’s 22 largest cities from 2008-2011. Was 2011 just a particularly low turnout year all across the country, perhaps because the country was still reeling from the aftermath of the housing market collapse in 2008-2010? McDaniel ignored this factor and did not search for alternative explanations beyond his flawed thesis. Furthermore, while McDaniel suggested that RCV leads to more “overvotes” – which is an invalidated ballot in which a voter, in either a non-RCV or RCV race, makes a mistake and selects two candidates for a single choice – he failed to address that in the June 2012 US Senate primary contest, which used the typical “one-choice” plurality method and did not use RCV, there was more than five times as many overvotes in San Francisco and Oakland than in the RCV mayoral elections in those cities. Additionally, turnout had been significantly higher and more representative in RCV elections for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors races -- that McDaniel didn’t even bother to study -- as compared to previous “delayed two-round runoffs” for those offices, often higher by as much as 40% in the RCV races. Perhaps the most surprising irony was that an earlier study co-authored by McDaniel (Overvoting and the Equality of Voice under Instant-Runoff Voting in San Francisco by Francis Neely and Jason McDaniel, 2015, California Journal of Politics and Policy) found that overvotes are often more common in lower-income precincts, but that the pattern of overvoting is similar in both RCV and non-RCV contests. Wrote Neely and McDaniel: “[Overvote] errors appear to be a function of complexity in general and not IRV per se…. the pattern of overvoting is similar in both IRV and non-IRV contests…Even among votes cast in a top-of-the-ticket race like U.S. Senate, overvoting occurs in an uneven fashion” (IRV, or ‘instant runoff voting,’ is another name for ranked choice voting in single-winner contests). So McDaniel not only contradicted his own conclusion in his earlier study with Neely, but the earlier study had been an important corrective for one of the most frequently made mistakes made by anti-RCV political scientists – a continual failure to provide crucial context by pairing a comparative analysis of real world RCV elections with an analysis of real world plurality or other electoral methods. Unfortunately McDaniel’s earlier study does not get cited much by other researchers, and McDaniel did not even cite it in his own flawed study analyzed above. Incredibly, McDaniel cherrypicked McDaniel, even as his flawed study has been cited dozens of times. Despite being a textbook example of poor political “science,” featuring both inadequate as well as cherrypicked data, the shelf life of McDaniel’s study has been extended endlessly by other political scientists and media outlets who have cited it uncritically. Equally troubling, the Journal of Urban Affairs put this paper through its peer review process and published it despite its numerous flaws. McDaniel gets it wrong, Part II Not content with producing one shoddy, confused paper, McDaniel produced another one a few years later, here is the link: Electoral Rules and Voter Turnout in Mayoral Elections: An Analysis of Ranked-Choice Voting by Jason McDaniel. San Francisco State Univ. (McDaniel, 2019). In this paper, McDaniel extended his previous flawed research focused on San Francisco, about voter turnout and voter impact, to multiple RCV cities through the 2018 elections. In his data set he included San Francisco, Minneapolis, St Paul, Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro and Santa Fe. He then compared their turnout in mayoral elections to non-RCV cities, and to mayoral elections in those cities held before first RCV usage, and concluded “a significant decrease in voter turnout of approximately 3–5 percentage points in RCV cities after the implementation of RCV.” But he replicated many of the same mistakes as his first study presented above. While in this study McDaniel attempted to distinguish between various factors, such as odd year vs. even year elections, competitive races vs. noncompetitive, contests with open seats and other factors, the analysis is superficial and inadequate. He attempts to incorporate so many often-conflicting variables that his conclusions are once again unsupported by the actual data, and ultimately unconvincing (this second study never underwent a peer review process). For example, McDaniel declared that for RCV cities “in elections that are more competitive than average (margin of victory less than 20%), there is no significant RCV effect on voter turnout.” Yet McDaniel is a professor in a city, San Francisco, in which the 2018 special election using RCV to fill a mayoral vacancy was exceedingly close, decided by a margin of only one percentage point, and resulted in the second highest turnout in San Francisco history for a mayoral election. Illustrating the complexity involved in assessing the critical factors in turnout, that special election was held on the same election day as federal and state offices, which tends to boost turnout. Yet more voters participated in that RCV mayoral election than voted on the same day in the non-RCV primary for governor in which former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom was running. Even more puzzling, in this study McDaniel inaccurately cited his own previous study from 2015 with Neely. McDaniel wrote, “Neely and McDaniel (2015) examine individual ballot image files within a natural experiment, and find higher rates of ballot errors in RCV elections compared to non-RCV elections” (emphasis added). However, we quoted from that 2015 study several paragraphs above, and in actual fact Neely and McDaniel actually concluded the opposite -- that the pattern of overvoting – which is the most common form of ballot error – is similar in both RCV and non-RCV contests. McDaniel also ignored the fact that in Bay Area RCV elections held in even years – at the same time as federal and state elections, when turnout is highest -- the “undervote” (that is, the dropoff in ballots cast for governor or mayor) has declined, which contradicts his thesis that the act of ranking ballots in RCV elections is too complex and presents a barrier for certain demographics of voters. To his credit, McDaniel actually acknowledged another contradiction in his own paper, which found a negative RCV turnout effect in some odd-year elections but not others, admitting that “may present a challenge to the theory that increased complexity [from RCV] will have a marginal negative effect on voter turnout.” But he tried to wallpaper over that contradiction by blaming it on an unlikely source -- bad election administration. McDaniels wrote, “This would suggest that the negative impact of RCV on voter participation may be alleviated by high quality election administration,” without presenting any data or even anecdotes to support such an unfounded theory. While competent election administration of any election, whether RCV or non-RCV, is crucially important, there is no credible research that supports the far-fetched notion that the quality of election administration has much of an impact on voter turnout in US elections, whether using RCV or otherwise. Upgrade to a $5 subscription The unvirtuous circle of academic research It is puzzling how McDaniel’s first study could have survived the peer review process for the Journal of Urban Affairs. The mistakes in McDaniel’s first study above should have been obvious to anyone with a basic understanding of ranked choice voting as well as elections in general, and elections in San Francisco specifically. It undermines faith in the credibility of the peer review process to think that a jury of peer political scientists did not catch the egregious errors and reject McDaniel’s sloppy research and paper. And it remains a black mark on political science that this thoroughly discredited study has been cited dozens of times by other researchers. Indeed, in our research paper it became apparent that many political scientists cite each other’s flawed research to pad their list of citations and to legitimize their own flawed research, creating an unvirtuous circle of political science. More broadly, McDaniel’s voter turnout studies, like other studies evaluating RCV’s impact on turnout, lacked a recognition that no credible opinion or research can claim that RCV increases voter turnout merely because so many voters are excited to vote for their favorite candidates instead of “lesser evil” candidates without worrying about spoilers. Instead, with respect to turnout, the advantage of RCV has always been that, in most places where it has been used, it has eliminated a pre-November primary or post-November runoff, which usually saw about half the turnout of the November general election. This is especially true during even years when there are state and federal elections on the ballot which substantially drive turnout more than local contests. Any study that does not adequately account for this non-November primary/runoff vs November general election dynamic, or odd year vs even year election factors, is simply not credible. Both of McDaniel’s studies largely failed on those grounds. Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to a $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS…your digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe
Ex-politician on mission to save the printed word
Pat Davis, who served two terms as an Albuquerque city councilor, rescued Roswell's newspaper from the brink.
Dog Drowns at Santa Barbara Daycare Facility; Police Investigating as Business Suspends Operations
A local dog daycare and boarding facility has temporarily suspended operations after a dog drowned while in its care Thursday afternoon
Ross Street Live: Bands, food trucks, cornhole and ping pong coming to downtown Santa Rosa block
Starting Aug. 14 through Oct. 31, Ross Street will be closed to traffic for live music and local food, to test a larger effort to improve the downtown area’s walkable options and vibrancy.