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California’s Coastal Bluff Diversity
A walk on the ocean bluff is invigorating, so close to many amazing natural phenomena, but these areas see too little ecological protection. Ecotones- the area between two habitats- are well known...
Actors’ Theatre
Listed under: Art & Culture
Happy 5th Anniversary to our friends at Sacramento Digs Gardening!
Mental-Health Crisis Response Could Expand in Santa Cruz County
Programs would dispatch mental health workers, not police.
Michelle Rodriguez Leaving PVUSD
Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez will be leaving the district, after taking the same position with Stockton Unified School District.
From Lookout Santa Cruz...
Ambitious New Downtown Public Art Project to Reflect Water’s Centrality to Santa Cruz
Mosaic artists are working on a stained-glass art piece that is expected to be unveiled sometime in June on what is known as the River Front parking garage.
From CalMatters...
The New Payday Loans? California Moves to Regulate Cash Advance Apps
In May, a video featuring a young woman named Brooklyn in heart-shaped glasses implored viewers to tell the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation how important a company named EarnIn was to their day-to-day life. EarnIn is part of a relatively new app-based industry that provides cash advances to people based on their wages.
Cabrillo Music Festival Names New Executive Director
Composer, performing pianist and arts executive D. Riley Nicholson is returning to California to lead the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County Announces $1.58M in Grants
One of the 77 grants by the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County will allow the nonprofit Salud y Cariño to continue bringing physical fitness and socio-emotional programs to Santa Cruz County girls.
The One Big Flaw in California’s Local Redistricting Reforms
The state Assembly has passed legislation to require large cities, counties and school districts to use independent commissions to redraw districts for their governing boards, but the measure exempts five major counties.
From Santa Cruz Sentinel...
Improved Alert and Warning System Launched in Santa Cruz County
In addition to providing alerts during natural disasters, the new system can share information on roadways, community-level impacts and public meetings using targeted alerts based on a user’s specific location.
Pájaro Flood Victims Struggle as Shelters Close and Jobs are Scarce
In April, Beatriz Lopez returned to the ramshackle apartment she shares with 10 family members, after spending 45 days in an emergency shelter. She is one of the lucky ones.
Mastodon Tooth Discovered in Santa Cruz
The centuries old mastodon tooth will be displayed at Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History through June 4.
Parking Rates Slated to Increase in Downtown Santa Cruz
The city of Santa Cruz announced that parking rates on the street and in structures will increase downtown starting in July.
CA Legislature Beats Deadline on Key Bills
The deadline for bills to pass their first house in the California Legislature has come and gone. Most made it. A few failed. And a handful of intriguing bills that didn’t pass may resurface because their authors aren’t giving up.
The New York Times Magazine spends an entire issue explaining why California matters, and CalMatters wins gold for giving the state the coverage it deserves.
Renewable energy sources provided 37 percent of California electricity in 2021, a new record for the state as it moves toward its 2045 goal of 100 percent clean energy. Battery storage will play a huge role in reaching that goal.
California’s new CARE Court system that compels treatment for people with severe mental illness is set to roll out in seven counties this October, despite efforts by civil liberties groups to stop it.
Let’s face some hard facts—and still be able to celebrate the beginning of the best season of the year.
A new analysis shows that the California State University system doesn’t make or receive enough money to cover its costs, even with state support. The report and lawmakers urge the system to increase tuition, but even that might not be …
Ecology Action’s many programs make Central Coast communities greener. But it takes money to keep them running—and that’s where Jeanne LePage comes in.
More than 4 percent of death penalty convicts have been wrongfully convicted, data shows. But courts including the U.S. Supreme Court have failed to provide protections for the innocent facing death at the hands of the state.
The death penalty remains legal in California, but Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a moratorium on executions in 2019. Will capital punishment end in the state? Here’s what’s happening.
California will cut use of water from the Colorado River drastically under a new agreement announced by the Biden Administration on May 22. Nevada and Arizona have also agreed to the cuts.
You probably know that The Newsletter goes out only to California Local members and subscribers. Today I am writing to bring the good news that we have just been given two big awards.
Voting is just the beginning. Stay connected with your representatives to make sure your government is working for you.
We've made it one-click convenient for members to contact their elected representatives.
On the Santa Cruz City Council, then as mayor, and then as county supervisor, Ryan Coonerty learned to love politics.
The California Supreme Court has kept the state at the forefront of legal issues surrounding abortion, the death penalty and same-sex marriage, starting in its earliest days in the Gold Rush era.
The state’s most important industry relies on workers who are not given a chance to obtain legal status.
The future of farming in California is changing as the planet warms, altering the rain and heat patterns that guide which crops are grown where. “We’re adjusting for survival,” one grower said.
California stands as America’s agricultural powerhouse, growing half of its fruits and vegetables. Here’s how California farming has shaped the state, from the early missions to today’s “factories in the field.”
How the SF state senator was changed by California; how our great state spawned a cultural phenomenon; how many Californians are being denied life's most basic necessity.
Comics may have been born in New York, but they came of age in California. And there’s more to the story than San Francisco comix.
Members of the California Legislature took nearly $1 million worth of trips sponsored by interest groups in 2022. The California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy accounted for 40% of the travel spending. Over the years, some of its …
Santa Cruz County Newsletter
Weekly digest of curated state and local news, upcoming government meetings and community events.
Controlled Burn at Henry Cowell S.P
Land stewards at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park recently had a controlled burn to remove some of the undergrowth that has overgrown parts of the park. Elissa Welle, a student in the UCSC Science...
Death and Lucid Living with Sahlah Dubel
Dreaming can help us prepare for and recover from loss, but how do we continue to engage with Spirit during our waking lives? Today, we have a conversation about Lucid Living with Sahlah Dubel. Th...
KSQD Marched with Joy in this Year’s Pride Parade!
KSQD marched happily in the SC Pride Parade 2023, which was richly attended this year with large crowds and big hearts filled with community connection and a determination to stand together to sup...
Martha Kendall – Wheels
Martha Kendall spins a good life.
Weekly Review June 4 to June 10
NOTE: With the end of the Covid-19 emergency declaration, county and city meetings have returned to in-person or hybrid meetings. Unless otherwise noted, meetings are in-person and no longer acces...
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