Santa Cruz: Fight for Catalyst Club pivots to collective ownership

"The Catalyst Club is one of the city's longest-running music venues. The building that houses the Catalyst Club was put up for sale in 2025 and is now the proposed site of a seven-story mixed-use building. Over the past several months, Santa Cruz residents have expressed strong opposition to the project and have been looking for ways to preserve the cultural icon."

"Most recently, a small team including City Council candidate Hector Marin and local stagehand Kaitlyn McKee circulated a petition in hopes of saving the Catalyst. The petition would have put a measure on the November ballot to designate historic music venues and limit developers' ability to change or demolish those buildings."

"After a monthslong process to write and format the petition, McKee said she became frustrated with the delays and decided to turn the document into the city and begin collecting signatures. By the time she began circulating the petition, there was only about a week left before the deadline to get the measure on the November ballot. By the deadline, McKee and others, including Marin and mayoral candidate Chris Krohn, managed to gather about 2,500 of the nearly 4,000 signatures required, according to McKee."

"Despite the petition's failure to garner enough support to land on the November ballot, the fight to save the Catalyst continues. Stone and Brown have set up a pledge drive on scbuysthecatalyst.com. The goal is to collect monetary pledges and feedback from Santa Cruz residents to help secure the future of the venue."

Local entrepreneurs Jeremy Stone and Jay Brown are collecting community pledges to purchase the Catalyst Club building at 1011 Pacific Ave in downtown Santa Cruz. The Catalyst Club is a long-running music venue, and the building was listed for sale in 2025. The property is now proposed for a seven-story mixed-use development, prompting residents to oppose the project and seek preservation of the venue. A petition effort led by City Council candidate Hector Marin and stagehand Kaitlyn McKee aimed to place a measure on the November ballot to designate historic music venues and restrict changes or demolition. The petition gathered about 2,500 signatures but fell short of nearly 4,000 required. The preservation effort continues through a pledge drive at scbuysthecatalyst.com.

Read at The Mercury News