Santa Cruz County Government Articles

Natural gas is sometimes called a 'clean' fossil fuel, but it comes with considerable risks to the environment in both its use and how it is extracted. Here's how natural gas is a major cause of climate change.

New laws banning toxicity testing on dogs and cats, and making rental housing more pet friendly are among a slate of new animal welfare legislation signed by Gov. Newsom in September.

There's too much parking! Why a new law, AB 2097, cutting back on parking space requirements in new housing and business developments could be a game changer for the climate, and the housing crisis.

Solar power, and a network of giant battery storage facilities, are playing an essential role in moving California toward its goal of exclusive reliance on renewable energy sources.

Loyal readers of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto messages may have noticed a new theme popping up lately; Newsom, again and again: “With our state facing lower-than-expected revenues over the first few months of this fiscal year, it is important to …

California’s goal of zero traffic fatalities remains distant. Here are some common causes of deaths on the road that can be fixed, but haven’t been.

The Vision Zero program sets a goal for California cities to eliminate traffic fatalities, but almost a decade into the effort, the goal remains distant, and horrific tragedies on the road continue to stack up.

A wave of public government meeting disruptions by right-wing groups often inspired by Donald Trump has inspired a new law designed to help officials restore order to the process of running local government.

Homicide rates remain high in some of California's most Republican, Trump-voting counties. Are law-and-order policies against crime a bust? Here’s why political voting patterns are a strong indicator of violent crime in states and counties.

Critics of Joe Biden's student debt relief plan say that it causes inflation and is unfair to blue-collar workers. Do they have a point? Here's what the facts say about it.

California will ban sales of gasoline vehicles starting in 2035, phasing in electric cars each year until 100 percent of new car sales will be EVs under the new requirements. Here's what it means for you.

President Joe Biden announced a plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for each borrower. Here are the details on who is eligible and how the plan works.

Hydroelectric is widely thought of as renewable energy that can help California achieve its climate goals. But the state doesn't even count large hydro plants toward its goal of 100 percent renewable electricity sources.

Gov. Newsom's calls to reduce water consumption to combat the ongoing drought have fallen short. His new approach? Add more water to the California's supply. A new state report details how to achieve that.

The chances of a 'biblical' megastorm devastating California have doubled over the past century, thanks to climate change, a new study warns. And as the globe continues to warm, the possibility of disaster only gets worse.

Was the deadly McKinney Fire made worse by the decline of commercial logging, or were factors such as poor forest management and climate change more important in causing the fire to explode in Siskiyou County?

Wind power is essential to meeting California's goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2045. Moving wind farms offshore is the next step. Sites off of Morro Bay and Eureka will soon be leased by the federal government.

As the population of unhoused individuals and families in Santa Cruz has exploded, officials from the City of Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz County tackle the issue.

Putting more electric trucks and buses on California roads will improve air quality and grow local jobs. But for many fleets, the transition to electric will require innovative policy and finance solutions to get the job done on pace with …

Marin County created the state's first Community Choice Aggregator to deliver energy in 2010. Now, CCA's cover almost the entire California coast, with more than 200 communities choosing to take part in this new way of powering homes and businesses.