Santa Cruz County News, Traffic & Weather

Updated information, including news and Explainers, about progress in building the 32-mile stretch of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail in Santa Cruz County.

California feeds the nation and the world. Not just with culture and technology, but with food.

We salute the women of the world, who are still struggling with that stubborn pay gap and other vestiges of misogyny as we end the first quarter of the twenty first century.

It's almost spring—and civic engagement is in the air.

California's Poet Laureate talks civic engagement, and bipartisan activists rekindle the art of political conversation.

Lee Herrick explains to the Los Angeles Times why he’s always traveling California.

SC Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson on centering health in policy making, and her path to politics.

For those of you who might enjoy a glimpse of the inner workings of local politics, here's a conversation with Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, the inspired vice-mayor of Santa Cruz, California.

Not long ago, California's Legislative Black Caucus made history. Here's what they accomplished, and how it fits into California history going all the way back.

With the new year fully underway, and government officials under attack back east, we offer a defense of local public servants.

Recent votes to give California's mayors and council members pay raises have led to criticism. Is it justified?

Silicon Valley tech billionaires have placed themselves at the right hand of the president, and they are attacking the US Department of Education. Here is a defense of public schools.

The most populous state in the union has the largest public education system. We explain how it works.

Raymond Martinez and Edgar McGregor are practitioners of the art of digital citizenship. As allies in this endeavor, we commend their righteous efforts.

We celebrate this double-holiday with stories of citizens taking action—from a weather-watching hero in LA county to a student planner committed to the truth.

A call with an evacuated friend fleeing fires in Los Angeles, and journalism's scary "platform problem."

In which we examine the current state of online news and information discovery and distribution platforms, and how we hope to chart a path forward in 2025.

What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.

In the shadow of Silicon Valley, and on California's North Coast, local news outlets deliver essential information.

In Hollister, a nonprofit newsroom keeps local residents apprised of momentous changes.