Santa Cruz County Local News

The Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) is pleased to announce that Halloween 2024 transpired without any significant incidents of violence downtown.SCPD deployed patrol officers throughout city neighborhoods and a contingent of officers on foot in the Downtown corridor. At the peak, SCPD estimated the crowd size to be 15,000.  The Downtown Deployment reported the following activity for Halloween Night 2024:

Santa Cruz County voters have several ballot initiatives and two county supervisor races to vote on, including city council races in three cities. We took time to go through several measures and candidates with Santa Cruz Local editor, Stephen Baxter and reporter, Jesse Kathan. Santa Cruz Local is a nonprofit, nonpartisan online news service covering Santa Cruz County. Below is a link to the Santa Cruz Local election guide.
Santa Cruz Local Election Guide

San Lorenzo Valley High seniors and sweethearts Jessica Stoelting and Jack Dagan were crowned 2024 Homecoming Queen and King after last Saturday’s Homecoming football game, which was preceded by a parade Friday in downtown Felton. Cougars quarterback Dagan and his team crushed Santa Cruz, 41-0, in the home game. SLV remains undefeated in the Santa Lucia Division with a 4-0 league record (8-0 overall) as they prepare to host Stevenson (4-0 league, 5-2 overall) on Saturday.

A call to vote ‘No’ on Measure U

Fairer solution for Scotts Valley lies in housing, not higher taxes

Damians Ladder hosts fundraiser for home repairs

Some of you may have heard: We're having an election next week. And while there's, rightly, lots of focus on the various candidates and the measures that voters will weigh in on in only a few days, there is not as much attention on how elections are actually run. To help shed some light on the months of planning and preparation done by county workers and local volunteers –not to mention the many sleepless nights that lie ahead– Talk of the Bay Host PK Hattis in conversation with Tricia Webber, the Santa Cruz County clerk of elections.

Cold rain showers managed to slip in the door before October wrapped up, with temperatures dropping and a dowsing shower early Thursday morning.

The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency celebrated its 40th anniversary Tuesday during a lively open house gathering.

Lakeside Organic Gardens owner Dick Peixoto will receive the seventh annual Grower of the Year award at the Organic Grower Summit, which runs Dec. 4–5 in Monterey.

Pajaro Valley Unified School District Student Trustee Daniel Esqueda filed a formal complaint against Trustee Oscar Soto on Oct. 25 for remarks the latter made at recent board meetings.

The Scotts Valley High girls’ tennis team closed out the regular season with a 5-2 win over Harbor High in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play Oct. 24.

The Scotts Valley High girls’ tennis team closed out the regular season with a 5-2 win over Harbor High in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play Oct. 24.

Listen tonight (on the dark moon) to the Gypsy Scholar present (originally broadcast Monday, October 28th) the first installment of the Orphic Essay-with-Soundtrack series for the Celtic cross-quarter festival of Samhain and the American festival of Hallowe'en (“All Hallows Eve”) entitled “Samhain & Hallowe’en,” which are both celebrated on the eve of November 1st. Listen and discover that the simultaneity of dates is not mere happenstance, since Hallowe'en has its origin in Samhain, a dark time when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is at its thinnest and the dead return.
This extended program is now available for listening on the “Archived Musical Essays” webpage, along with the corresponding playlist on the “Program & Playlists” webpage, of the Tower of Song website at revradiotowerofsong.com
Be sure to check out the amazing “Samhain” webpage which is dedicated to this musical essay series, at revradiotowerofsong.com.

Live Music Santa Cruz! The weekend roundup of concerts and festivals. Easy at-a-glance quick reference music guide!

Published in cooperation between Techopedia and Good Times

On Saturday, Nov. 9, the storied history of Ben Lomond will come to life in an exciting new event at Park Hall Community Center.

“Adam did not want the apple for the apple’s sake; he wanted it because it was forbidden.” —Mark Twain

In today's fast-paced, ever-changing world, mental health is often overlooked in the pursuit of productivity, success and keeping up with life's demands. Just as regular physical check-ups are crucial for maintaining physical health, mental health check-ups are essential to ensure emotional well-being.

Unlike some of its neighbor municipalities on the Silicon Valley side of the hill, like Monte Sereno and Los Gatos—which canceled their council elections when no more hopefuls put their name in the ring than the number of seats available—Scotts Valley has seen an incredible burst of enthusiasm this year, as seven people vie for three seats (with Councilmember Donna Lind the only incumbent).