Santa Cruz County Explainer Articles

2022 was a year that needed a lot of explaining. And California Local was there. Here are 5 "honorable mentions" in the list of our most important explanatory journalism stories from the year gone by, from animal welfare to the …

2022 was a year that needed a lot of explaining. And California Local was there. Here are our 10 most important explanatory journalism stories from the year gone by, from immigration to cryptocurrency to wealth inequality and more.

From its early days of hard-charging, Jewish immigrant moguls to today's domination by megacorporations, here's how Hollywood continues to hold its place as one of California's most important industries.

California is the most American of all states, both setting the direction for the rest of the country, and acting as a mirror of what the U.S. is today. Here’s why, and how it got that way.

Amoxicillin, the most widely prescribed antibiotic, is suddenly in short supply just as a wave of respiratory illnesses is sweeping California. What is causing the sudden shortage?

Proposition 13, the popular tax reform law passed in 1978, has driven increases in economic inequality and racial wealth disparities in California. Here’s how.

California's government was born out of utter chaos. Here's how the state developed some sort of order to the way it operates, and how it makes and enforces laws.

California is full of places and communities, but most are not cities. Here's what it takes for a community to become a city, the benefits of being one—and why the state has a 'de facto moratorium' on new cities.

Billionaires now own Twitter, Facebook and numerous other online and offline media outlets. But there are other information sources not run by the super-rich. We've found a few and listed them here.

California has some of the worst economic inequality in the United States. Is the housing crisis a cause?

Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel, yet it is the source of 40 percent of the world's energy. California remains an exception to coal industry dominance, using and producing less coal that almost any other state.

Founded in 1920, the year that suffragettes triumphed, the League of Women Voters now protects the entire electorate’s rights.

Oil aka petroleum holds a tighter grip on California than any other energy source. Here's how Big Oil came to dominate the state and world economy, and some hints at how oil's grip may finally loosen.

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.

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.

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

Solar power, and a network of giant battery storage facilities, are playing an essential role in moving California toward its goal of exclusive reliance on renewable energy sources.

A bill in the State Legislature to fund journalism, SB 911, is officially dead. But the funding approved for it will still help fund journalism in California.

California’s goal of zero traffic fatalities remains distant. Here are some common causes of deaths on the road that can be fixed, but haven’t been.

For half a century, this group has reduced waste, reimagined local transportation and redesigned buildings. It’s all part of Ecology Action’s quest for sustainability.