Santa Cruz County Local News

State Sen. Scott Wiener wants to allow California cities and counties to designate “entertainment zones” where bars and restaurants could serve alcoholic drinks that people can consume on public streets and sidewalks.

A pending bill would extend the so-called 5150 confinement authority to county-designated psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and clinical counselors.

As an underground fire burns deep within Chiquita Canyon Landfill, air regulators are raising alarms over the possible spread of toxic vapors.

Districts are trying to create or expand vocational training programs that “integrate” students with disabilities into careers and into society.

What is an ARkStorm and why is everyone talking about it on social media right now?

Take a period of limited rainfall. Add heat. And you have what scientists call a “hot drought”—dry conditions made more intense by the evaporative power of hotter temperatures.

The March ballot measure would raise billions for mental health care, but some clinics fear it would strip them of revenue they need for services they provide today.

A first-in-the-nation council will set work rules in the state’s fast food industry, but can labor and business agree?

A bill would let state legislators, who say they fear for their safety, shield their property holdings from disclosure forms. But critics say that could conceal potential conflicts of interest.

In the first year of California’s Feather Alert system, authorities denied some requests to issue bulletins on missing people, causing concerns.

Rates of routine childhood vaccination hit a 10-year low in 2023. That, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, puts about 250,000 kindergartners at risk for measles.

The proposal aims to help working artists become arts teachers in elementary schools.

Gabriela Trigueiro, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County, is competing for the Santa Cruz City Council’s District 1 seat against Dave Tannaci of the Santa Cruz Water Department.

Among growing concern over copper wire thefts, L.A. City Councilmembers Kevin de León and Traci Park proposed a task force anchored by the LAPD.

Disneyland’s plan to reimagine the theme park into a more “immersive” experience may require up to $2.5 billion and a plan to privatize some Anaheim streets.

The annual point-in-time count took place with about 130 volunteers, local officials and homelessness service workers hitting the streets before sunrise to try for the most accurate picture of homelessness in Santa Cruz County possible.

After the historic Alba Schoolhouse in Ben Lomond burned down in the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire, there was hope for rebuilding. But insurance payments complicated those plans.

Salud Para La Gente in Watsonville was one of two health care programs in Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s district to receive funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Center Program.

For the first time, local officials have taken a hard look under the hood of Santa Cruz County's network of more than 40 boards, commissions and advisory bodies and have proposed a series of changes.

Susie O’Hara, who has served on various local boards and commissions, is running against UC Santa Cruz student Joe Thompson in the race for the Santa Cruz City Council’s 5th District seat.