Santa Cruz County Explainer Articles

Sheriffs in some California counties and across the USA are engaging a dangerous movement toward right-wing extremism. What does this mean for local law enforcement?

California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, 45, reported to be high on Pres. Joe Biden’s list for a U.S. Supreme Court nomination, is known for her cautious, moderate legal opinions.

New Year's celebrations have been around as long as civilization itself. Here's how they started and how California marks the New Year today.

Though they are elected officials, county sheriffs have less accountability than any other law enforcement officials. Here's why, and what California is doing about it.

SB 35 is one of California’s most important affordable housing laws. Here’s what it does, and a look at how well it’s working.

California homicide spiked by 31 percent in 2020. The shocking increase has continued into 2021. Here are several theories that attempt to explain the state’s suddenly rising murder rate.

California has a new law to ban leaf blowers, which both annoy neighbors and pollute the air. Here’s why the law might not do enough, explained.

California keeps on taking legislative steps that will keep it ranked in the top 10 of voter-friendly states.

Santa Cruz County has more than 40,000 students enrolled in its 10 school districts, about 6 percent of all students in the state. Here’s how the school system works, and how it’s grown since its earliest days.

California has historically been ahead of the rest of the country in expanding the legal right to abortion services. Here’s what state laws say today, and how we got here.

Community service districts can do most anything a city government can do. Here’s how they work and how to start one.

Inflation is on the rise, with prices in some parts of California their highest in 13 years. Here’s what caused this round of inflation, and how can it be stopped.

A new California law to lower speed limits, AB 43, is part of an overall effort, called ‘Vision Zero,’ to eliminate traffic deaths completely. Here’s what the law does, and why it can make a difference.

The pesky mosquito can be deadly as well as annoying. Here’s how local governments in California have been waging war on mosquitoes for more than a century.

Despite myriad obstacles, Dungeness crab remains one of the most valuable commercial fisheries in California. Here’s how it works.

California’s history of people getting directly involved in the affairs of government dates back more than a century, but it has sometimes been coopted by business and other interests.

In an era of information overload, here’s how a rising form of journalism helps explain it all for you, and why California Local publishes ‘explanatory’ reporting.

What do resource conservation districts protect? Pretty much everything that’s worth saving.

The short-term or ‘vacation’ rental industry spawns hundreds of horror stories and damages the housing market, but governments struggle with how to bring it under control.

Why is California still experiencing offshore oil spills half-a-century after the catastrophic Santa Barbara disaster? The answer is found in the state’s longtime, close relationship with the oil business.