Democracy in action: Lookout brings its first Watsonville election forum to South County
Election season is here – and if the energy in the room on April 15 was any indication, South County voters are ready.
Lookout Santa Cruz hosted its first election forum in Watsonville that Wednesday evening, bringing together the three candidates vying for the District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor seat: incumbent Felipe Hernandez and challengers Tony Nuñez and Elias Gonzales. Nearly 80 people packed the room (and 50 joined online) to hear the candidates make their case on issues that hit close to home – housing, economic investment, homelessness and the controversial battery storage project proposed for outside Watsonville.
The conversation was lively, substantive and at times pointed. All three candidates agreed on one foundational truth: South County has long been underserved by county government. What they disagreed on – and debated with real energy – was what to do about it.
Election coverage is free – thanks to our members
All of Lookout’s election coverage – forums, candidate profiles, voter guides – is free and open to everyone. That’s only possible because of our members, who make it their business to ensure that civic information reaches the whole community, not just those who can afford a subscription.
If you want to be part of making that happen, now is a great time to join. We have a special election membership offer: your first year for just $99 with coupon code Election2026.
Democracy works better when people are informed. We’re here to help with that – in English, in Spanish, in Watsonville, and across the county.
Two years ago, we welcomed Tania Ortiz to the Lookout team as our South County correspondent. Tania covers the Pajaro Valley with the depth, context and community trust that only comes from being genuinely embedded in the place you cover. The April 15 forum, with bilingual translation available, was a direct expression of that commitment – bringing Lookout’s civic journalism not just to South County online, but in person.
You can read Tania’s full coverage of the forum and overall South County candidate coverage – including Spanish-language versions – on our election central page.
What’s next: Mark your calendar for May 7
Our election season is just getting started. Join us on Thursday, May 7, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Hotel Paradox for our next forum, covering the Santa Cruz city mayoral race and city council races for Districts 4 and 6. If you care about the direction of Santa Cruz city government, this is the event to be at. Space is limited and spots are filling quickly, so RSVP now.
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Trump acing cognitive tests is not the flex he thinks it is
It seems like President Donald Trump may have recently taken one of his favorite cognitive tests. Speaking at a White House event on Monday, he bragged about being the only president to ever take a cognitive test and have the tenacity to distinguish between an alligator and a squirrel. “No president has ever taken one, except me,” Trump said. “I’ve taken three of them, and I’ve aced each one.
Man shot by Secret Service near Washington Monument
A man spotted carrying a gun in the vicinity of the White House by plainclothes officers and agents was shot by law enforcement Monday after he opened fire on them near the Washington Monument, the Secret Service said. Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said plainclothes agents spotted the man around 3:30 PM in the area near the White House complex and saw the imprint of the weapon on…
The Motion Picture Academy Cracks Down on AI for Oscar Consideration
I’m pretty tired of hearing about, thinking about, and worrying about AI. Technology in our era has rarely come with so much uncertainty. Will it lead to humanity’s downfall or nah? Hollywood, at least Hollywood creative types, have mainly come down on the side of A.I. is not good. We already know one cannot copyright generative AI “art,” but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has also solidified rules pertaining to AI usage with regard to the Oscars. Basically, if your movie uses it, you better be able to prove exactly what and how much if you hope to win a golden statue.Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
In a piece of news we got from The Hollywood Reporter, on Friday, May 1, AMPAS effectively eliminated any gray area about AI and where the organization stands. The only performances which the board of directors say can receive awards consideration are those “credited in a film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent.” This wording seems to point toward recreating actors who’ve passed away. One such high-profile example is a production creating a Val Kilmer performance. If ghoulish producers want to use AI of dead people in perpetuity, they at least can’t win Oscars for it.
Additionally, the new AMPAS rules say only human-authored screenplays can be eligible for Oscars. So don’t use ChatGPT to write a screenplay, you silly billies. Or, if I may, to do anything. Think for yourself. “Under Eligibility (Rule Two), which pertains to Generative Artificial Intelligence, the Academy reserves the right to request more information about the nature of AI use and human authorship.” So don’t try to trick people about it, either.
RELATED ARTICLE
James Cameron Banned Generative AI Use in AVATAR: FIRE AND ASHWhether or not businesses will mandate the continued usage of AI, consumers at least have made it pretty clear they don’t want to watch movies or TV shows made from it. And AI won’t win Oscars. Small victories.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.
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‘Victim shaming 101’: Fox News clutches pearls over Trump criticism
Looks like Fox News doesn’t plan to stop exploiting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting any time soon. During an episode of “The Faulkner Focus” on Monday, pundit Ben Ferguson somehow managed to take it a step further, this time by comparing criticism of President Donald Trump to shaming a victim of rape. “It’s victim shaming 101. This is no different than if someone’s raped…
U.S. government warns of severe CopyFail bug affecting major versions of Linux
MAUL-SHADOW LORD Gives Fans a Long-Awaited Lightsaber Duel
The season finale of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord finally brought to life a lightsaber battle fans have long dreamed of seeing. One that was literally decades in the making. In the episode “Dark Lord,” Darth Vader finally has a lightsaber duel with the man he replaced at the side of Darth Sidious, Maul (Sam Witwer). During the fierce dark side duel, which also involved a Jedi Master, his apprentice, two Inquisitors, and others, the icons of evil clashed red sabers at long last. And for years, fans thought this fight between the two most popular Sith Lords could never happen.
LucasfilmIn the final two episodes of Maul, our cast of characters put aside their differences in an effort to evade Imperial crackdown on Janix. Maul, his Mandalorian foot soldiers, Jedi Master Eeko-Dio Daki and his apprentice Devon, officer Brander Lawson and his son Rylee, the droid Two-Boots, and mob boss Looti Vario escape through the jungles of the planet to rendezvous with Crimson Dawn operative Dryden Vos, played by Paul Bettany in Solo. He hopes to recruit Maul to eliminate his boss for him, so he can move up the ranks. But the Inquisitors find them and engage in battle…but this time, they called in help —their boss, Darth Vader.
LucasfilmAs the episode opens, the Dark Lord of the Sith emerges from the jungle, lightsaber ignited. Maul lunges at him, and their red sabers clash. The two Jedi join Maul in fighting Vader, but he easily handles them all. He injures Maul’s robotic leg, giving himself another advantage over the former Sith. As the rest of the party runs through the Janix jungles, Darth Vader silently pursues them relentlessly like Michael Myers. Even Maul and two Jedi are no match for Lord Vader at his peak. Maul says to him, “You’re no Inquisitor….what are you?” Although we do believe Maul should know exactly what, and who, he is. Hey, maybe Vader still holds a grudge from when Maul nearly ran over him as a kid in The Phantom Menace.
LucasfilmAs Devon fights off the Inquisitors, Vader is wiping the floor with Master Daki and Maul. In his prime, Maul might have been an even match for Vader. But with an injured robotic leg, he can only just hold his own. Ultimately, Vader kills Master Daki, claiming another Jedi for his Order 66 body count. Master Daki’s death causes Devon to erupt in a rage, defeating (but not killing) the Eleventh Brother. Brander Lawson sacrifices himself so his son can get away, as Maul uses the Force to collapse several ruins on Vader. All so they can narrowly escape on Dryden Vos’ getaway ship. Vader stares off into the sky as their ship gets away. He doesn’t like unfinished business, that Vader.
LucasfilmIt is interesting to note that in this otherwise amazing episode, Maul seems perplexed as to who Vader is. As we saw in The Clone Wars finale, Maul is well aware of Darth Sidious’ plan to groom Anakin Skywalker as his replacement. He must sense that this is Count Dooku’s replacement at his former master’s side. And he must then also realize just who is behind the mask. So his confusion was a bit perplexing to us. We genuinely hope these two have a conversation at some point. Because if anyone can plant the seed in Vader’s mind that Sidious will dispose of him when the newer model comes along? We think it might be Maul. He’s been there. The genesis of his turn in Return of the Jedi may have originally come from Maul.
LucasfilmAnother key takeaway in this episode is that while we hear Vader’s iconic breathing throughout, he never speaks. You may be thinking this is because the voice of Vader, James Earl Jones, passed away in 2024. However, the esteemed actor allowed Lucasfilm the rights to use his voice, as long as they compensated his estate. Even though he was credited, James Earl Jones did not voice any new lines for Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022. Lucasfilm used the AI technology Respeecher to recreate his voice, but chose not to do so here. It totally works silently, just as Vader’s Rogue One fight scene did. But one wonders when we’ll hear Vader speak again. After all, we know this is not the last time these two will face off.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord season one is now available on Disney+.
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OpenAI’s cozy partner Cerebras is on track for a blockbuster IPO
Bad news for OpenClaw stans: Apple’s Mac Mini now starts at $799
The Mac Mini is the latest victim of the AI-fueled RAM-pocalypse. Last week, Apple discontinued the 256 GB version of the system, which cost $599. To get in now, you'll need to drop at least $799 on a 512 GB version.…
El presupuesto del condado de Santa Cruz recurrirá a reservas para afrontar desafíos financieros causados por cambios en el financiamiento federal
Esta traducción fue generada utilizando inteligencia artificial y ha sido revisada por un hablante nativo de español; si bien nos esforzamos por lograr precisión, pueden ocurrir algunos errores de traducción. Para leer el artículo en inglés, haga clic aquí.
Funcionarios del condado de Santa Cruz dicen que necesitarán recurrir a las reservas del condado en el próximo año fiscal para ayudar a afrontar desafíos financieros causados por menores ingresos y menos financiamiento federal.
Según un informe del personal, el condado planea usar casi 43 millones de dólares en financiamiento combinado de una sola vez de sus reservas del fondo general y de fondos fiduciarios departamentales para ayudar a evitar despidos de empleados y mantener los servicios de red de seguridad que son proporcionados por la Agencia de Servicios de Salud.
El condado de Santa Cruz ha operado bajo “fuertes restricciones fiscales” durante un tiempo y también está viendo una reducción en los ingresos por impuestos sobre las ventas a medida que más personas compran en línea, escribió Nicole Coburn, la funcionaria ejecutiva del condado, en un artículo de opinión publicado el domingo en la sección Community Voices de Lookout. El condado recibe solo 13 centavos de cada dólar de impuestos a la propiedad, escribió en el artículo.
Tras recortes al financiamiento federal el verano pasado, los desafíos financieros solo se han intensificado a un “grado insostenible,” escribió Coburn. La primera de cuatro audiencias presupuestarias del condado está programada para el 5 de mayo en Santa Cruz.
En marzo, el condado proyectó un déficit de 23.2 millones de dólares para el año fiscal 2026-27 y un déficit estructural a largo plazo que podría superar los 67 millones de dólares para 2028-29 en ausencia de medidas de mitigación. El condado implementó restricciones de viaje y contratación y pidió que los departamentos buscaran maneras de equilibrar sus respectivos presupuestos.
El condado también eliminará un total de 57.88 puestos de tiempo completo, aunque vacantes, en todos los departamentos. Muchos de los puestos vacantes que se eliminarán pertenecían a los servicios de salud y humanos del condado.
El año pasado, la agencia de salud despidió a cuatro de sus empleados como resultado de restricciones presupuestarias, una cifra que habría sido mayor si la Junta de Supervisores del Condado de Santa Cruz no hubiera redirigido más de 500,000 dólares de iniciativas de carreteras y vivienda hacia la agencia.
El uso de las reservas del fondo general tiene un costo, sin embargo. El personal del condado proyecta que las reservas disminuirán de 12.5% a 10.4% de sus gastos del fondo general, por debajo del promedio de los condados de California. También está por debajo del objetivo de 15% aprobado por la junta de supervisores.
La medida reduciría las reservas existentes del condado a 87 millones de dólares. Actualmente, el condado tiene casi 107.8 millones de dólares en sus reservas del fondo general. Al menos 30.8 millones de dólares se usarán de las reservas y 12.2 millones de dólares de los fondos fiduciarios departamentales para ayudar a equilibrar el presupuesto.
Por lo general, las reservas se usan como un fondo para “tiempos difíciles” para desastres naturales, como incendios forestales e inundaciones severas, para ayudar a gestionar el flujo de efectivo y como un colchón contra recesiones económicas. La cantidad que una agencia gubernamental tiene en sus reservas también actúa como una señal para los sistemas de calificación crediticia sobre la flexibilidad financiera.
Para reconstruir las reservas hasta 15%, dicen los empleados, se “requerirá una combinación de crecimiento de ingresos, contención de costos y alineación fiscal estructural” a partir del año fiscal 2027-28. El condado también está desarrollando un plan plurianual para restaurar sus reservas.
El portavoz del condado Jason Hoppin dijo a Lookout que el condado está apoyando una solicitud coordinada al estado a través de la Asociación de Condados del Estado de California por 1.9 millones de dólares para el presupuesto 2026-27 para ayudar a los condados, incluido Santa Cruz, a estabilizar los programas de red de seguridad tras recortes al financiamiento federal.
Hoppin dijo que el condado también podría buscar otras maneras de aumentar el desarrollo económico, que dijo ha sido pasado por alto históricamente.
Pero un objetivo principal, dijo Hoppin, es evitar recortes a su fuerza laboral.
¿Tiene algo que decir? Lookout da la bienvenida a cartas al editor, dentro de nuestras políticas, de los lectores. Pautas aquí.
The post El presupuesto del condado de Santa Cruz recurrirá a reservas para afrontar desafíos financieros causados por cambios en el financiamiento federal appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.
Dying with dignity? Not on Dr. Oz’s watch.
Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz told Fox News that while he’s a “big fan of hospice” care, he’s ready to shut it down in California, Minnesota, and New York. “It’s clear, 1 in 3 hospices in America are in Los Angeles, not California, LA,” Oz claimed. “I mean how many people are dying there? Obviously it’s fraudulent, and the red flags that were…
Pam Bondi keeps up the shady shenanigans in Epstein probe
Shortly after she was fired as attorney general, Pam Bondi refused to appear before the House Oversight Committee to testify about her mishandling of the Epstein files, saying that since she was subpoenaed in her official capacity and was no longer in her job, she wouldn’t show up. Now that she’s agreed to appear in her private capacity, however, she seems to be getting official…
Microsoft fixes VS Code after app gives Copilot credit for human's work
Imagine working your butt off on a project, only to have VS Code put an attribution into your commit that says Copilot helped you, even if it did not. Microsoft has reversed a change that added a default AI attribution notice after user complaints that the bot was claiming credit for human-authored code.…
Spirit Airlines Shuts Down Citing Rising Fuel Costs
If some travelers seemed down this past weekend it’s because they lost their spirit to fly. Literally. After 34 years and many turbulent issues, the recent spike in fuel costs led Spirit Airlines to cease operations.
On May 2, Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc. confirmed reports it was shutting down immediately. In its formal announcement, the discount airline said it closed up shop after “extensive and comprehensive efforts to restructure the business and pursue transactions to strengthen Spirit’s financial position and create a sustainable path forward.” A new, unexpected, ultimately insurmountable problem arose after the US and Israel attacked Iran. Though Spirit didn’t cite the war directly, it’s the event that proved fatal to the airline. It’s responsible for the rise in oil prices Spirit couldn’t overcome. With no cushy government bailout or new investors to save it, Spirit’s runway ran out.
Spirit Airlines“For more than 30 years, Spirit Airlines has played a pioneering role in making travel more
accessible and bringing people together while driving affordability across the industry,” said Dave Davis,
Spirit’s President and Chief Executive Officer, in a statement. “In March 2026, we reached an agreement with our bondholders on a restructuring plan that would have allowed us to emerge as a go-forward business. However, the sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks ultimately has left us with no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down of the Company. Sustaining the business required
hundreds of millions of additional dollars of liquidity that Spirit simply does not have and could
not procure. This is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome any of us wanted.”
Considering the company already faces problems, the reasons for the sudden shutdown make sense. That’s unlikely to make Spirit customers who got stuck at airports without a way home probably feel better, though. The same goes for the thousands of employees now out of work.
One less airline always means less competition. One less discount airline is really going to hurt everyone who flies. Without Spirit around to drive down prices, we’re all going to have less spirit when traveling.
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Kids say they can beat age checks by drawing on a fake mustache
It’s been months since the UK government began requiring stronger age checks under the Online Safety Act, and recent research suggests those measures are falling short of keeping kids away from harmful content. In some cases, even drawing on a mustache has been reported as enough to fool age detection software.…
Florida voters sue over ‘extreme’ new House map
A group of Florida voters filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the state’s new congressional district map just hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law. The lawsuit argues that the redrawn map violates Florida’s Fair Districts constitutional amendment, as it clearly favors the GOP. It alleges that DeSantis and other state Republicans drew it in secret, releasing it first to Fox News…
Justice Jim Crow
A cartoon by David Horsey. Related | How Democrats plan to fight the Supreme Court’s racist ruling…
The Met Gala’s MAGA Problem
“Who would you never invite back to the Met Gala?”
That’s what Late Late Show host James Corden asked Anna Wintour, then-editor-in-chief of Vogue, in 2017, during a game called “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts.”
“Donald Trump,” the fashion executive answered, to thunderous applause. And although neither Trump nor his immediate family have been present at fashion’s biggest night since before the start of his first term, Wintour seems to have no issue with MAGA-adjacent benefactors of his administration’s assault on culture—as evidenced by this year’s lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs: Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who were front and center at Trump’s second inauguration.
In defense of the guest list which she oversees, Wintour, who stepped down as editor-in-chief of Vogue last June but remains Vogue’s global editorial director and head of the Met Gala, told CNN that she’s “grateful” for Sánchez Bezos’ “generosity.” (The amount contributed by Sánchez Bezos and her husband, Jeff, is currently unknown.) Wintour added that Sánchez Bezos is “a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion, so we’re thrilled she’s part of the night.”
Examining the broligarchs’ foray into fashion, in which they attend shows in Milan and Paris clad in couture and court the luxury fashion industry with charity, I can’t help but feel that no matter how many runway shows they attend or which designers they wear, they still come up short in their struggle to conquer cool.
Bezos and Sánchez attended the Met Costume Institute’s spring exhibit and annual fundraiser in 2024. And Big Tech firms like Amazon, TikTok, and Apple, with their deep pockets and powerful algorithms, have been welcome sponsors of the event since the early 2010s. But this year’s benefit has attracted increased scrutiny since Silicon Valley officially hitched its wagon to the Trump train, with anti-billionaire protestors papering the New York City subway with posters calling on passersby to “boycott the Bezos Met Gala” and criticizing Amazon for its allegedly poor working conditions.
Amazon donated $1 million to Trump’s 2024 inauguration fund and subsequently spent a baffling $75 million on a vanity doc about Melania. And as owner of the Washington Post, Bezos blocked the paper from endorsing Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election.
While the Met Gala has long been dismissed as a gross display of wealth (tickets cost $100,000, more than the median down payment on a house in the US), the involvement of the third-richest man in the world, whitewashing his reputation through a fundraiser for one of the country’s most storied museums while contributing to Trump’s war on culture, sort of obscures the costumes with its glaring irony.
Since taking office last January, Trump has canceled National Endowment for the Arts grants, imperiling hundreds of arts organizations across the country; threatened museums via executive order to comply with his anti-“woke” agenda; and taken over the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, renaming it after himself.
Bezos isn’t just a passive observer in these attacks on arts and culture. Under his leadership, the Post laid off wide swaths of its staff as subscribers fled, shuttering its books section and dealing a severe blow to media coverage of the arts.
As the Bezoses, Wintour, and a trio of famous women greet celebrity guests on the Met steps Monday evening, socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani and first lady Rama Duwaji reportedly have other plans. (It’s probably for the best, considering the debacle over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2021 “Tax the Rich” dress and recent uproar over boots Duwaji borrowed for her husband’s inauguration earlier this year.)
Still, though, I know they would have come dressed to impress—and slayed, effortlessly.
What is a HELOC? A simple guide to using your home’s equity
If you’ve owned your home for a while, you’ve likely built up equity without even thinking about it. Equity can be a powerful financial tool, but many homeowners aren’t sure how to access it or when it makes sense. One option you may have heard about is a Home Equity Line of Credit, or a HELOC, but what does that mean for you?
We sat down with Kaila, one of Bay Federal’s Home Loan Consultants, to break it down in a way that actually makes sense.
Kaila Linkswiler, a Home Loan Consultant at Bay Federal Credit Union. Credit: Bay Federal Credit UnionQ: Let’s start simple. What is a HELOC?
Kaila: The easiest way to think about a HELOC is that it’s a way to tap into your home’s equity. You can use the money however you want, but one of the biggest benefits right now is that you don’t have to touch your first mortgage to get cash out.
Q: Why does not touching your mortgage matter?
Kaila: Many homeowners have really good interest rates on their first mortgage. If you refinance, you could lose that. A HELOC lets you access cash without replacing that loan, so you keep your existing rate and only borrow what you need on the side. It also allows you to have access to that equity without necessarily needing to borrow it; you only pay on what you use.
Q: How does a HELOC actually work?
Kaila: Once you’re approved, you get access to a line of credit that you can draw from as needed — it’s flexible, kind of like a credit card in that sense. You’re approved for a limit and can use the funds as needed, rather than taking everything at once. During the first 10 years, which we call the draw period, you only make payments on what you use, not the full amount. Often, there is a low, fixed rate for any draw on your credit line during an introductory period. After that the rate becomes tied to prime.
Q: What happens after the draw period?
Kaila: After the draw period, you move into repayment. At that point, the remaining balance is paid off over time with principal and interest. But before that, you have a lot of flexibility in how and when you use the funds.
Q: What are most people using a HELOC for?
Kaila: Home improvements are the biggest use we see, like remodeling or building an ADU. We also see people use them for debt consolidation, education, or even as a financial safety net. Some members open a HELOC to have access to funds if they ever need them. There’s really no limit for what they can be used for.
Q: Who is a HELOC good for?
Kaila: A HELOC can be a good fit for homeowners who have built equity and want flexible access to funds. It can be especially helpful for larger expenses or ongoing needs, like home improvements, where you may not need all the money at once.
Q: How is a HELOC different from a personal loan?
Kaila: A personal loan usually gives you one lump sum with a shorter repayment term. A HELOC gives you access to a line of credit, so you can borrow what you need, when you need it. Since the repayment timeline is often longer, the monthly payment may be lower than some shorter-term loan options.
Q: What’s one thing people might not realize about HELOCs?
Kaila: A lot of people don’t realize you don’t have to use it right away, or at all. You can set it up and keep it as a backup. You’re only paying interest on what you actually use. A HELOC can be a really helpful tool, but because your home is used as collateral, it’s important to have a plan for how you’ll use it and pay it back.
Q: Any advice for someone considering a HELOC?
Kaila: Go in with a plan. It’s a really flexible tool, which is great, but you want to make sure it aligns with your goals. And if you’re unsure, talk it through with someone. That’s what we’re here for.
For many homeowners, especially in today’s rate environment, a HELOC can be a helpful way to access funds without changing their existing mortgage.
Whether you’re planning home improvements, consolidating debt, or preparing for future expenses, the key is understanding how a HELOC fits into your bigger financial picture.
The best place to start is with a conversation. A Bay Federal Home Loan Consultant can walk you through your options, answer your questions, and help you decide what makes sense for your goals.
About Bay Federal Credit Union
Bay Federal Credit Union is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution that serves over 97,000 members, including 3,100 local businesses and nonprofit organizations throughout Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties. With more than $1.8 billion in assets, Bay Federal is the largest member-owned financial institution in the region. The organization has been proudly serving its members and the community since 1957. Bay Federal is a certified Community Development Financial Institution, with a primary mission of promoting community development alongside their financial activities. Bay Federal has an award-winning employee volunteer program in which employees have given their own money and volunteer for numerous local schools, nonprofit organizations, and community events each year.
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