County of Santa Cruz Government News

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took a first look at this year’s finances in advance of budget hearings in June.

Santa Cruz County supervisors on Tuesday advanced rezones of 43 properties to allow for more housing in Soquel, Aptos, Live Oak and near Corralitos. 
Supervisors removed four properties from a proposed list after backlash from some residents, but the supervisors lacked a plan to replace those properties and are at risk of losing more local housing control if they do not meet state requirements.

A free “profile performance” will be staged on May 9 for the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission’s Artist of the Year Janet Johns.

A $793.5 million General Fund draft budget for the County of Santa Cruz includes layoffs and millions in cuts for mental health services.

A recent report highlighted a need for improved conditions for people with mental health problems in Santa Cruz County lockups.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously agreed to voice their opposition to proposed federal legislation that would require voter ID and retool voter eligibility requirements nationwide, which County Clerk Tricia Weber says would make it harder for many U.S. citizens to vote.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday are expected to join a class action settlement from manufacturers of firefighting foam for contamination of a county well that serves the Rountree jail facility near Watsonville.

Developers at Workbench presented a revised proposal for a five-story, 63-unit apartment building at 841 Capitola Road at an online community meeting Wednesday. The proposal has grown in size over several iterations since Workbench first proposed developing the site into 15 homes in 2023.

After months of public petitions, contentious meetings and letters to the editor, the planned installation of a pump track at Felton Covered Bridge Park is officially underway.

The Redman-Hirahara house has sat on a 14-acre parcel on the outskirts of Watsonville since William Weeks built it in 1897 for farmer James Redman.

Sign up to volunteer for the Quail Hollow Ranch County Park Trails Construction project, a trail-building endeavor that will expand the Quail Hollow's existing 4.5-mile trail network into the Pace Family Wilderness, a 79.5-acre parcel that was gifted to County of Santa Cruz Department of Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services in 1997. 

Justin Cummings, Third District Santa Cruz County Supervisor, talks about efforts to retain his seat as chair of the powerful California Coastal Commission. He also explains other ordinances under discussion at the county level.

In the wake of the Moss Landing battery storage fire in January, some Santa Cruz County activists have battled a New Leaf Energy Inc. proposal to build a more modern battery storage site at 90 Minto Road near Pinto Lake outside Watsonville.

In December, Undersheriff Chris Clark succeeded Jim Hart as Santa Cruz County Sheriff. Clark is an 18-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and was appointed unanimously by the county’s Board of Supervisors in August 2024 after Hart retired with four years remaining in his elected term.

County cannabis lovers will be able to sit and smoke together at dispensaries, the way beer drinkers hang in bars. 

When former Santa Cruz County Supervisor Greg Caput was serving in the 4th District seat, one of his goals was to bring more county services to Watsonville.