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By Eric Johnson
Published Dec 02, 2024

Giving Locally Tuesday

ICYMI: It goes: Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday. Brilliant branding, all around. And here we are.

"Today, Giving Tuesday is a year-round global generosity movement made up of thousands of leaders, and millions and millions of people, who are working to transform their communities and their world—one small act at a time."

That’s Asha Curran, the current CEO of the organization she co-founded. And while we're glad that this movement has gone global since being launched just 12 years ago, we want, today (and tomorrow) to bring it home. 

I want to urge you to put some of your generosity to work in the places you know and love. A number of our friends and colleagues are launching giving campaigns this week, and I want to take this opportunity to let you know about them. And wherever you live in CALocal’s ten-county service area, I’m sure there are similar campaigns near you.  

Below are links to a handful of campaigns, each of which benefit multiple charities. I promise you, they deserve your support.


Santa Cruz Gives

“Local nonprofits work incredibly hard to improve the quality of life in Santa Cruz County, from cleaning our beaches and monitoring our drinking water quality to mentoring our children and providing informative local news.”

Monterey County Gives!

“In last year’s campaign, Monterey County Gives! raised over $11.9 million in six weeks, thanks to more than 8,000 donors. That’s impactful. Since its inception, the program has raised and donated over $68 million to approximately 500 local nonprofits.”

Give Back Tahoe

“The Give Back Tahoe Giving Season is an end-of-year fundraising campaign that raises awareness about our local nonprofits and all they do to support this community. In 2023, 1,026 people donated over $627,206 for 70+ participating nonprofits!”

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

“These trusted nonprofits are helping to meet our communities’ most vital needs while also striving to make our region a more equitable place for all its residents.”

Community Foundation for San Benito County

The Community Foundation is running three fundraisers during Giving Tuesday—for the Latino Generations Endowment Fund, the Women’s Fund, and the Community Foundation itself.



 


Philanthropic Megafauna, Part II

Last week we introduced you to The Elks—an old-school philanthropic organization that you've probably heard about, even if you were unaware of the spcicific good that they do in your community. This week, meet The Lions, another venerable institution that is doing more good in your town—and in the world—than you might know.


Doing Good: Lions Clubs International

Lions Club International is made up of more than a million individuals and operates across the globe, including in Quezon City, Philippines.
In the wake of the First World War, a group of business leaders built an international organization of more than 1,000 local service clubs in less than a decade. It has grown to be one of the biggest philanthropic organizations in the world.


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Santa Cruz County's Homepage

Direct your browser to https://santacruz.californialocal.com/ to catch up on the latest news in California and Santa Cruz County. Bookmark the link and visit often, there's a lot happening in your community!


Recipe of the Week

Our friends at Sacramento Digs Gardening publish a recipe from their gardens every Sunday, which we feature here so you can start your week with some yum.

See more recipes in their Taste Fall! cookbook.


Citrus-packed mandarin muffins can brighten a winter morning

The first citrus fruit of the season flavors this bright muffin.
New! Bakery-style mandarin muffins with raisins

Support the Groups Making Santa Cruz County Better

Remember the less fortunate in the community this holiday season. Donations to Santa Cruz Gives are accepted until midnight on December 31.


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Get to Know a Group

Museum of Art and History logo Museum of Art and History

Back in the mid-1980s, the Santa Cruz Historical Society and the Art Museum of Santa Cruz County came together to build a museum for art and history at the site of the former county jail.

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From Our Media Allies

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Biblical scholars debate over the locale of the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:10–14 lists four rivers in association with Eden, and scholars only guess where it might have been. It turns out that the Garden of Eden is near the …

Press Banner logo Founder of Mountain Community Resources Dies at 87

The San Lorenzo Valley and the broader Santa Cruz County community are mourning the loss of Mary Hammer, a beloved founder and lifelong advocate for the region. Hammer died Nov. 6 after a brief illness, leaving behind a profound legacy …

Press Banner logo Scotts Valley Council Eases ADU Rules, Expands Junior Unit Options

They didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter, but when it came down to updating their secondary residence policy, Scotts Valley City Council opted to allow larger accessory dwelling units than required to incentivize building these further away from …

Press Banner logo Cabrillo College Receives $150K to Expand Veterans Mental Health Services

Cabrillo College has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office to implement the Veterans Mental Health Demonstration Project. The two-year grant is one of 10 awarded to community colleges statewide for the project term starting …

Santa Cruz Local logo City of Santa Cruz Must Provide UCSC With Water as University Expands

The City of Santa Cruz must supply the entire UC Santa Cruz campus with water if the university develops the north campus and expands further outside city limits, an appeals court panel of judges decided last week.

The Pajaronian logo Students Help Spruce Up Struve Slough

The organization responsible for keeping Watsonville’s wetlands healthy joined forces with city officials and a herd of volunteers Saturday to spruce up the Struve Slough trail.

The Pajaronian logo With Measure M Passage, PVUSD Planning Projects

Measure M, which will raise millions of dollars for construction, rebuilding and maintenance projects at each of Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s 35 schools has passed, and officials are starting to make plans for the money.

The Pajaronian logo Dutra Keeps Seat on Watsonville City Council

Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra has fended off a challenge from Trina Coffman-Gomez to hold onto his Sixth District seat, garnering a weighty 54% of the 2,321 votes in the race, results released Friday showed.

The Pajaronian logo Capitola Looks to Replace Historic Stockton Bridge

The City of Capitola is considering replacing the heavily traveled Stockton Avenue Bridge that spans Soquel Creek in the heart of the village.

Hilltromper Santa Cruz logo Rare Santa Cruz Brittle Star Fossils Shine New Light on Local Paleontology

Ancient “serpent star” fossils, Amphiura sanctaecrucis, not seen in the area since the early 1900s have been unearthed in the Santa Cruz Mountains and donated to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Santa Cruz Local logo Rockin’ Holiday Party Benefits San Lorenzo Valley Families

At Joe’s Bar in Boulder Creek, bartop dancing is strictly prohibited. That is, for everyone but musician Sharon Allen, who, with her band The Dusty Blues, will play a benefit concert on Dec. 14 to raise money for the nonprofit …

Santa Cruz Local logo Soquel Drive Bike Lane Project Continues in Aptos, Soquel, Live Oak

After more than a decade of residents’ requests and some construction in the past year, new sidewalks have been added to parts of Soquel Drive and protected bike lanes are in the works, county officials said this month.

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Recent Local News

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Watsonville Community Hospital Investigating Computer Network Outage

Third party specialists are investigating a computer and network outage that has Watsonville Community Hospital working with backup paper systems and files. Find out more about the outage and what's being done to bring systems back online.

(12/02/2024) → Lookout Local

Porter Gulch Celebrates 40 Years

Plan to attend the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Cabrillo College's Porter Gulch Review literary journal on December 9. Read on to learn more.

(11/28/2024) → Santa Cruz Sentinel

FEMA Funds CZU Fire Debris Removal

A $3.6 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will fund the clearing of debris left in the aftermath of the CZU Fire on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo-owned 3,200-acre Swanton Pacific Ranch north of Davenport. Read on to learn more.

(11/27/2024) → Lookout Local
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Recent Statewide News

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California Democrats Plan to Crack Down on Cities That Block Abortion Clinics

California Democrats have passed two dozen laws to protect abortion access since the Supreme Court in 2021 overturned Roe vs. Wade. New bills are on the table.

(12/02/2024) → CalMatters

5,000 Bills Is Too Many. California Legislature Sets New Max on Legislation.

Reflecting concern about too many bills, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas lowered the number legislators are allowed to introduce.

(12/02/2024) → CalMatters

California Birth Centers Are Shutting Down. A Lawmaker Has a New Plan to Help Them

Birth centers are midwife-run facilities that deliver babies outside of hospitals. They have struggled to stay in business in part because of strict state licensing requirements.

(12/02/2024) → CalMatters

Landlords Are Using AI to Raise Rents — And California Cities Are Leading the Pushback

California and federal prosecutors have accused software company RealPage of enriching itself ”at the expense of renters who pay inflated prices.”

(12/01/2024) → CalMatters

Unstoppable Invasion: How Did Mussels Sneak Into California, Despite Decades of State Shipping Rules?

Most ships discharging ballast water into California waters are inspected, but state officials have tested the water of only 16 ships. Experts say invaders like mussels are inevitable under current rules and enforcement.

(11/25/2024) → CalMatters

The Price Tag on Project 2025’s Abortion Plan: $300 Million Cut to Medi-Cal

Gov. Gavin Newsom is urgently preparing to protect reproductive rights from the incoming Trump administration—and the looming possibility of Project 2025-inspired policies.

(11/25/2024) → CalMatters

Busing People Out of Homelessness: How California’s Relocation Programs Really Work

Many California cities offer their homeless residents one-way bus tickets to other places.

(11/25/2024) → CalMatters

California Dairies Ignore Bird Flu Threat

Learn how health officials and California dairies are responding, or not, to the explosive spread of bird flu through dairy herds across the state.

(11/25/2024) → Los Angeles Times
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Government Announcements

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Image of County of Santa Cruz seal. County of Santa Cruz   (12/02/2024)

12/2/2024 - Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Joins BISSELL Pet Foundation to Bring Holiday Hope to Shelter Pets During Empty the Shelters™ Through Dec. 17

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Russ Davis Wholesale Recalls Multiple Products Due to Potential Salmonella Risk

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Image of United States seal. United States   (11/28/2024)

Gracie's Kitchen's Inc. Recalls Read-To-Eat Products Manufactured Between 11/4 and 11/13/24 Because of Possible Health Risk

Gracie's Kitchens of New Haven, CT is recalling all ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products manufactured at the facility from 11/4-11/13/24, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young c
Image of Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission seal. Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission   (11/27/2024)

Milestone 3 Updates for the Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail Project!

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Handsome Brook Farms Issues Recall of Kirkland Signature Organic Pasture Raised 24-Count Eggs Because of Possible Health Risk

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4Earth Farms, LLC. Recalls Organic and Conventional Vegetable Medleys and Organic Whole Carrots, Containing Grimmway Farms Carrots, Because of Possible Health Risk

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Sunfed Produce, LLC Recalls Whole Fresh American Cucumbers Because of Possible Health Risks Due to Salmonella

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Thanksgiving Lobby Closure 2024

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Library Closure: Staff Event

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The Vital Link: Watsonville's Early Railroad Monopoly, 1871–1876

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