There is an important message:

This Holiday Season, Donate to Santa Cruz Gives.

All California Local Articles


Image caption: Sacramento City College in Sacramento on Oct. 3, 2022.
The Equity Gap: Community Colleges Won’t Reach Newsom’s Aspirational Goals

California’s community colleges aren’t on track to reach ambitious goals of closing the gaps in graduation rates between racial and ethnic groups. Its central office leaders doubt they’ll reach those goals, including new ones laid out by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Image caption: Yusbely Delgado Medrano, a UC Davis College Corps fellow, speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for the fellows in Sacramento on Oct. 7, 2022.
This State Program Could Help Undocumented Students Find Jobs

California’s estimated 75,000 undocumented students don’t qualify for federal work-study or most job opportunities. A new state service program launched last week, College Corps, will give hundreds of them as much as $10,000 per year to perform community service.

Image caption: California Secretary of State Shirley Weber is interviewed at the CalMatters offices on Oct. 5, 2022.
What Would Shirley Weber Do Next as California Secretary of State?

In an hour-long interview with CalMatters, Secretary of State Shirley Weber talks about changing California's recalls for governor, increasing voter participation and other issues.

Image caption: Humans have been searching for the perfect energy source for millennia. But clean, unlimited power only exists in science fiction.
California Local Member Newsletter for October 10, 2022

Humanity’s promethean feat of harnessing fire happened about 1.5 million years ago. Now, we’re facing the downside of millennia spent burning fossil fuels.

Image caption: Working conditions and paid time off are at the heart of a potential 2022 railroad strike.
UPDATED: Why Railroads Go On Strike: Trains Prepare to Shut Down

As California and the nation narrowly averted the first railroad strike in 30 years, here's a look at how damaging rail strikes have happened before, from the 19th century to today.

Image caption: The state's housing crisis drags on, but 2 new laws aim to ease the dire situation.
SB 6 and AB 2011: 2 New Bills Try to Turn the Tide on Housing Crisis

In an attempt to slow California's housing crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom signs pair of bills, SB 6 and AB 2011, that will allow development where now-closed businesses once stood, without rezoning those areas for residential projects.

Image caption:
Will Californians Get Even More Gas Rebates?

As California gas prices approach record highs — though costs could soon drop by as much as $1 per gallon — there's "9.5 billion reasons I think people should be appreciative that the state's recognizing the stress and strain that …

Image caption:
California Stuck in Dem-GOP Binary

In California — where the latest voter registration numbers show Democrats outnumbering Republicans nearly 2 to 1 — the R-D binary can make for less-than-exciting statewide elections.

Image caption: Natural gas produces less CO2 than gasoline when burned, but the story is not that simple.
Natural Gas and California’s Energy Future

Natural gas is sometimes called a 'clean' fossil fuel, but it comes with considerable risks to the environment in both its use and how it is extracted. Here's how natural gas is a major cause of climate change.

Image caption: Fossil fuel gasses released into the atmosphere trap heat that reflects back to the surface.
Fossil Fuels and Climate Change: A Brief Introduction

How does extracting and burning fossil fuels cause the planet to heat up, leading to catastrophic climate change? Here's a brief explanation.

Image caption:
Newsom Steps Up His (Nonpresidential?) Campaign

California Gov. Gavin Newsom insists that he's not running for president but continues to cultivate a national political profile that may indicate otherwise.

Image caption: Some four-legged California residents were also covered by legislation passed in 2022.
California Local Member Newsletter for October 3, 2022

A look at some of California’s newest laws.

Image caption: Need legal services, transportation, home health care? You name it—there’s somewhere to turn for assistance.
Senior Momentum

California’s senior population is growing—and these local organizations are here to help.

Image caption: Dogs and cats will no longer be subject to cruel toxicity testing in California, under a new law.
California’s New Slate of Animal Welfare Laws

New laws banning toxicity testing on dogs and cats, and making rental housing more pet friendly are among a slate of new animal welfare legislation signed by Gov. Newsom in September.

Image caption: Members of the public attend a California Reparations Task Force meeting at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 23, 2022.
State Could Owe Many Black Californians $200K

Black Californians could be due hundreds of thousands of dollars for housing discrimination, incarceration, and health disparities alone, consultants said at reparations task force hearings.

Image caption: It may not seem like it, but California has too many parking spaces.
New Housing and Climate Law Cuts Back on Parking Spaces

There's too much parking! Why a new law, AB 2097, cutting back on parking space requirements in new housing and business developments could be a game changer for the climate, and the housing crisis.

Image caption: Watch for the tiny ruby-crowned warbler as it heads south from its boreal breeding range.
California Local Member Newsletter for September 26, 2022

It’s migration season, so watch for new arrivals from the north. And if you’re migrating yourself, be careful out there!

Image caption:
TTCF: Delivering Impact in North Lake Tahoe

California Local is helping a powerful organization tell a big story about confronting problems that threaten the soul of the North Lake Tahoe community.

Image caption: An estimated 30,000 women participated in the 2018 Women's March Sacramento, which concluded with a rally on the steps of the California State Capitol.
Cement Reproductive Rights in California’s Constitution

Proposition 1 is on the November ballot to shore up the rights we’re losing at the federal level and to reaffirm the idea that basic decisions about reproductive health care should lie with individuals, not government officials.

Image caption: Though the Santa Cruz Mountains are known for redwoods and other evergreens, deciduous trees bring color to autumn hikes.
Splendor in the Leaves

We asked the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History to share a few of their favorite things about autumn in the Monterey Bay region.