Santa Cruz County Environment Articles

Gas prices are going up. But America has long paid too little for gasoline, along with a low gas tax rate. Is it time for all of that to change?

California’s outdated water rights laws have failed to account for the effects of climate change, says a new expert report, which makes some strong recommendations.

Thousands of miles of railroad track, including some in Santa Cruz County, now sit idle. The fate of those largely abandoned tracks has become a burning controversy.

The nonprofit purchased 153 acres of redwood forest to add to Big Basin

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors took the first step in updating the county’s climate action strategy, a response to global warming and its effects on infrastructure and the people who live here. Updating the County’s Climate …

The San Lorenzo Valley Post published details on a Jan. 12 meeting for homeowners affected by wood debris left behind by PG&E after the 2020 CZU Fire.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Recycling is an idea that has become deeply embedded in modern culture, so much so that many don’t think twice before placing cans, bottles and cardboard into the appropriate bins. Beginning this year, a new law will let …

The climate change era has created a whole new set of terms for a wide variety of storms and other weather phenomena. Here are some of the most important.

In partnership with the city of Watsonville and the “Trash Talkers” volunteer group, Santa Cruz County on Dec. 17 hosted a cleanup along Corralitos Creek near Airport Boulevard and Pajaro Lane to highlight the expansion of the Community Action Board’s …

California has a new law to ban leaf blowers, which both annoy neighbors and pollute the air. Here’s why the law might not do enough, explained.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company is moving into the next phase of wildfire clean-up efforts—clearing out thick tree trunks it chopped down previously. According to Santa Cruz County’s Office of Response, Recovery & Resilience, the electricity provider is taking action …

WATSONVILLE—Residents who reported a strong odor in parts of Watsonville recently helped county officials create an “odor map” and track down the source of the smell, Santa Cruz County spokesman Jason Hoppin said. According to Hoppin, the odor that some …

Santa Cruz city residents to get pails, other areas to mix food waste with yard trimmings

The pesky mosquito can be deadly as well as annoying. Here’s how local governments in California have been waging war on mosquitoes for more than a century.

LA Times staff writer Louis Sahagun reports from the front lines of the battle to preserve California’s most endangered species.

What do resource conservation districts protect? Pretty much everything that’s worth saving.

Why is California still experiencing offshore oil spills half-a-century after the catastrophic Santa Barbara disaster? The answer is found in the state’s longtime, close relationship with the oil business.

In a series of articles, the Los Angeles Times explores the most literal result of global warming: extreme heat.

Here’s why cargo ship traffic has been dangerously heavy at California’s ports in 2021, and how the backup may have caused a disaster.

The state’s largest power utility faced new criminal charges Sept. 24, but PG&E has a long and disturbing history of causing wildfires. Why? And how can the company change?