Santa Cruz County Local News

On August 29, backers of Santa Cruz Measure Measure Q to fund wildfire and climate resiliency and infrastructure announced the support of the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council.

Free and discounted fairs and a special bus route to the Santa Cruz County Fair are being offered by Santa Cruz Metro September 11-15.

Data from the office of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff indicates a decrease in local fentanyl-related deaths in 2024.

California Highway Patrol officers received historically high raises in 2022 and 2023, but it continues to face a high vacancy rate of 16%.

Some Democrats are pushing bills that could put their colleagues on the hot seat in an election year. The authors say they’re representing their constituents and there’s never a perfect time for votes.

In their August 27 meeting, the Watsonville City Council approved moving forward with a complete restoration of the City Plaza gazebo.

Highway 1 between Western Drive in Santa Cruz and Pigeon Point Road in San Mateo County will be closed on parts of September 8 to make way for the biking leg of the 70.3 Santa Cruz triathlon.

The Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to approve $400,000 in funding necessary for the reopening of the Harvey West Pool by Memorial Day 2025.

A Housing Matters hosted meeting held on August 27 at the Capitola Branch Library covered how the nonprofit sees the effects of criminalization of homelessness.

A letter from Santa Cruz City Manager on the city's approach to homelessness and homeless encampments.

A look at Digital NEST as it celebrates a decade of service to Central California youth.

Learn more about Tamara Vides, the new Watsonville City Manager.

Pharmacy benefit managers attempt to negotiate cost savings for insurers. California is considering new rules that would require them to pass their discounts on to consumers.

As COVID cases surge, health officials are recommending people take advantage of a recently approved and updated vaccine when it becomes available.

The recently restored Capitola Wharf is preparing to reopen soon, and a community work day is scheduled for September 7 to install some crowdfunded final items.

About 4 in 10 Californians are carrying medical debt. Lawmakers are advancing a bill that would prevent that debt from affecting credit scores.

A trio of California Democratic lawmakers say they’re frustrated by high cost estimates that helped kill their health care legislation. Did the Newsom administration inflate the numbers to quietly kill the bills?

In the final week of session, legislators are debating whether to give more leeway to public school teachers when to report students to law enforcement. Supporters say disabled and students of color are unfairly disciplined, but opponents say school safety is at risk.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken to using state resources to fight crime on a local level. Not everyone in the cities he’s taken an interest in is thrilled with the results.

Birth centers are popular options for families who want to deliver a baby outside of a hospital. Nineteen of them closed in California in the past decade, deepening the state’s maternity care crisis.