Santa Cruz County Business, Economy & Jobs Articles

On Cedar and Lincoln streets since 1990, the Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market will move to Cedar and Church streets on May 21 to make way for library construction. (Tyler Maldonado — Santa Cruz Local)

As National Travel and Tourism Week reaches its midpoint in the United States, Visit Santa Cruz County (VSCC) announced that the local tourism industry grew by just over 3% in 2024.

In a recent interview with Sacramento News & Review Publisher Jeff vonKaenel, California Workforce Development Board Executive Director Kaina Pereira shared his vision for workforce...

Zachary’s restaurant and some other downtown Santa Cruz restaurants now have permanent outdoor seating. (Nik Altenberg – Santa Cruz Local)
SANTA CRUZ >> In response to recent shop vacancies in Downtown Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz City Council Tuesday advanced …

Every year, the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture selects the people, organizations and events that help shape the vibrant community that is Watsonville.

Supporting our local economy by shopping at stores that carry locally produced goods is good for the community and the environment. And in the case of farmers markets, your health as well.

The season of spring is a time of renewal. From blooming bulbs to animals awaking from hibernation, the onset of warmer weather and longer days is a welcome change from the dark depths of winter.

The Ben Lomond Village Alliance (BLVA) is now accepting new vendor applications for the highly-anticipated Wee Kirk Market—an old-fashioned, fun-filled farmers and makers market debuting this summer on June 1.

San Lorenzo Valley High School played host to more than 45 different colleges, universities, state agencies and local businesses at the annual SLVHS College and Career Fair on March 19.

Last week, about 30 teachers got the news they have been dreading since late February, when the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees approved reductions to several teacher positions.

County cannabis lovers will be able to sit and smoke together at dispensaries, the way beer drinkers hang in bars. 

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.”

Capitola city leaders plan to ask residents whether a restaurant and other buildings should be rebuilt on the Capitola Wharf. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
CAPITOLA >> More than two years after the Capitola Wharf buckled under heavy …

Meredith McPherson, a Santa Cruz-based U.S. Geological Survey geographer at right, was researching reefs and coral decline when she was fired in February as part of recent federal layoffs. She stands with her family at a March 7 Stand Up …

Staff of Life Natural Foods teamed up with Smart Chicken Wednesday to donate 2,639 pounds of high-quality chicken to Second Harvest Food Bank through the Smart

Santa Cruz County Supervisors in February. (Marcello Hutchinson-Trujillo — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz County Supervisors on Tuesday advanced rules to allow marijuana use in cannabis businesses outside the county’s four cities. The move would promote …

While cocktail bars are intended to be places where people go to play, the unfortunate reality is they can also be where predators come to prowl. But Santa Cruz is at the forefront of making bars safer by offering patrons …

Microbiology professor Karen Ottemann addresses a crowd of students, faculty and other supporters at a Stand up for Science rally Friday at UC Santa Cruz. (Jesse Kathan — Santa Cruz Local)
SANTA CRUZ >> A de facto funding freeze on …

It has been more than two decades since beloved restaurateur Linda Hopper purchased the Silver Spur restaurant in Soquel and turned it into a cornerstone of breakfast and lunchtime fare for both locals and out-of-towners.

The Highway 17 trek back and forth “over the hill” between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz—with its rush-hour chaos and treacherous turns on rainy days—is a route many are all too familiar with.