Q&A: Santa Cruz County’s First Public Defender Goes on the Record
After a four-year transition, Santa Cruz County has chosen its first official public defender: Heather Rogers, a Santa Cruz native who’s worked in public defense for more than 17 years.
Interactive Murals Create ‘Sensory Path’ for Watsonville Students
When Amy Thomas, principal at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts, noticed that her students were a bit restless, she began searching for something new to engage them. Thomas reached out to artist Martina Goulart, who came on board for a mural project.
SLVUSD Students Falling Behind in Some Academic Subjects
Trustees of the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District got both positive and negative news at their Sept. 14 board meeting. Though the district is improving its physical structures, it’s also facing a steep drop in student academic achievement.
Fire Victim Issues Call to Action Against Board of Supes Decision
Antonia Bradford, a Santa Cruz Mountains resident who lost her Boulder Creek home to fire, strongly criticizes actions taken by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors intended to streamline rebuilding.
Meet the Woman Behind the Bay Area’s Last Redwood Sawmill
Janet McCrary Webb, president and chief forester of the family business—Big Creek Lumber Co., founded in 1946—speaks with the Santa Cruz Sentinel about recent challenges: a pandemic and wildfires that destroyed acres of timberland and two family homes.
Interim City Manager Brings Years of Experience to Scotts Valley
When Scotts Valley’s city manager left, Brian Haddix stepped in. Noting that Haddix came out of retirement to fill the void on an interim basis, Mayor Derek Timm says the city is lucky to have him. “We have so many balls in motion,” Timm said. “We couldn’t afford to have them drop.”
‘Listening Sessions’ for Cabrillo College Name Change Begin Sept. 21
Cabrillo College is planning a series of 90-minute Zoom discussions as college officials weigh changing the school’s name. The first sessions are scheduled for Sept. 21, 23 and 30.
The Central Coast YMCA is offering free membership for 12- to 18-year-olds who can show proof of vaccination. The offer runs through Oct. 31 at YMCA locations in Salinas, San Benito County and Watsonville.
PVUSD Trustees Bring Officers Back to High School Campuses
After a late-night special meeting with hours of testimony, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to return school resource officers to Watsonville and Aptos high school campuses—but now paired with mental health workers.
Santa Cruz City Council Rethinks Peyote Decriminalization
Since the Santa Cruz City Council decriminalized psychedelics in 2020, Native American communities have raised concerns about unsustainable peyote harvesting, leading the council to remove it from the list of decriminalized psychedelics.
Three years after changing its name to reflect the contemporary news business environment, the CNPA makes another change with the times, admitting freelance writers and content creators as members.
Gavin Newsom's star is on the rise after a dominant victory over a recall attempt, but leading Republican candidate Larry Elder says he's only getting started.
The switch from at-large to district-based city council elections has yet to get the entire council on board, according to a 'Santa Cruz Local' report.
Cumbersome state bureaucracy and competition from their illegal counterparts has made life perilous for California's nascent legal cannabis businesses.
Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health, even to suspend certain laws and commandeer private property. Here's why, and how it works.
Even though 41 candidates to replace Gavin Newsom in the Sept. 14 recall election have revealed their tax returns, a judge now says that wasn’t necessary.
When California adopted the recall law 110 years ago, it was to keep big money out of politics. Now billionaire donors are dominating this year's gubernatorial recall campaign on both sides.
Local Digest
Traffic
Weather
