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California Native Plant Society conserves native plants and their habitats by working closely with decision-makers, scientists, and local advocates.

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Support Meals on Wheels

01/15/2025

Donate to Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County, which is facing a waitlist for the first time in 50 years in the face of increasing need. Read on for details and learn how you can help.

A Surprising Immigration Raid in Kern County Foreshadows What Awaits Farmworkers and Businesses

01/09/2025

“If this is the new normal, this is absolute economic devastation,” says one local economist.

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Watsonville Residents Among More Than 500 Laid Off at Monterey Mushrooms

Hineal Nieto, left, worked for Monterey Mushrooms in Royal Oaks for 44 years until the facility closed in December. He talks to a job recruiter at a county-led event Dec. 12 in Watsonville. Nieto. (Fidel M. Soto — Santa Cruz …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Telling the Story of the Braceros

In 1942, the U.S. and Mexico hammered out a deal that allowed millions of Mexican men to enter the country to work as Braceros.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Fairgrounds CEO Resigns

Less than two years after he was hired to run the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Zeke Fraser announced his resignation from the post.

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Widespread Cockfighting in CA Identified as Possible Source of Bird Flu Emergency

California may have more than a million fighting birds, according to the Center for a Humane Economy.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Protest, Film Target Pesticide Regulations

About 40 people gathered outside the CineLux Green Valley Cinema in Watsonville Friday to protest new regulations by the Department of Pesticide Regulation regarding 1,3-dichloropropene, also called Telone, a pesticide widely used in California.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Child Care, Meals on Wheels Could Be Reduced With Local Funding Changes

Santa Cruz County supervisors on Nov. 19 are expected to consider money for nonprofit groups. (Marcello Hutchinson-Trujillo — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >> Some nonprofit programs that have long relied on grants from the county and the city …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Second Harvest Kicks Off Annual Food Drive

A cadre of nonprofit leaders and county officials gathered at Cabrillo College Thursday to kick off Second Harvest Food Bank’s (SHFB) annual Food and Fund Drive, when that organization takes in the lion’s share of its donation for the year …

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From Local News Matters: Water War on the Delta

“This is a local story about a global issue, the future of water. In a three-part series of field reports and podcasts, Bay City News reporter Ruth Dusseault looks at the tunnel’s stakeholders, its engineering challenges, and explores the preindustrial …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Commercial Crab Fishing Season Delayed Until at Least Nov. 15

The recreational dungeness crab season will open statewide beginning Nov. 2.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Downtown Library to Consider Adding Rooftop Cafe

For years, Watsonville Public Library’s Main Street location has drawn community members young and old to find their next great book, perform research or to simply sit and read in silence.

Featured

RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt
RCDs were created to avoid a repeat of the Dust Bowl. Now they work with landowners to preserve the air, water and natural habitats that sustain us all.
Dairy products are California’s top agricultural commodity, but the industry is often criticized for its impact on the environment.
Sustainable Sustenance
Greener ways to feed the world’s growing population
Fresh and dried fruit, wine, nuts and more can be found at Casa De Fruta, a venerable stop for drivers traversing Pacheco Pass.
Roadside Attractions
Apples and berries, steaks and dairy...and much more
They help feed the whole country, but life for California’s farm workers remains a struggle.
How California Feeds the Country
California, a state known for high-tech and show business glitz, is also America’s farming powerhouse.
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment
The hidden price tag of “reclaiming” swamps and marshes as usable land.
Working together with many volunteers, this crew feeds 65,000 people in Santa Cruz County every month.
California’s Oldest Food Bank Pays It Forward
California’s first food bank has helped residents of Santa Cruz County for more than 50 years.
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.
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