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Santa Cruz County Government Digest



Residents Invited to Submit Complaints to Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury

10/25/2024

Residents with complaints about local government are invited to get in touch with the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury.

New Government Center Opening in Watsonville

05/14/2024

In advance of the opening of the new Santa Cruz County government center on Westridge Drive in a few weeks, the Human Services Department announced it was moved in and ready to provide services.

California Fails to Track Its Homelessness Spending or Results, a New Audit Says

04/09/2024

There’s so little data available, it’s impossible to even tell if several of California’s largest homelessness programs are working, according to a statewide audit released Tuesday.

CA Budget Deal Gets Early Start on Deficit

04/05/2024

Not filling open positions in state government, cutting a school facilities program and several climate initiatives, delaying funding for public transit — these are some of the first steps that California officials plan to take to deal with a looming multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

These Californians Just Got Protection From Big Rent Hikes

04/05/2024

Tenants in many new privately owned, low-income units will be protected from double-digit increases. So will some in existing units, after a state committee on affordable housing imposed a rent cap.

CA Fast Food Workers Get Higher Wages, but Which Ones?

03/29/2024

According to emails obtained by CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang in response to a public records request, a range of employers have been trying to figure out if they must pay $20 ever since the law was signed late last September.

Homeless Infants and Toddlers Largely Unenrolled in Early Ed Programs

03/28/2024

Evictions have exacerbated homelessness nationwide, increasing the rate of homeless infants and toddlers. Most of those children are not enrolled in early education programs.

Your Doctor or Your Insurer? Little-Known Rules May Ease the Choice in Medicare Advantage

03/28/2024

Disputes between insurers and providers can lead to entire hospital systems suddenly leaving the plans.

California Unlikely to Meet Landmark Goals for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

03/15/2024

California will miss its goals unless it can increase emission reductions threefold, according to a new study.

Capitola City Council Extends Zoom Comment Ban

03/15/2024

The Capitola City Council agreed to extend a ban on remote public comment after anonymous racist, misogynistic and antisemitic outbursts at a meeting in 2023.

Border Patrol Is Dropping Off Hundreds of Migrants at San Diego Trolley Station

02/27/2024

“Street releases” have resumed after the nonprofit that operated a migrant welcome center announced its “finite resources have been stretched to the limit.”

With State Approval, Rancho Palos Verdes to Fast-Track Landslide Mitigation

02/26/2024

State officials determined that Rancho Palos Verdes can utilize an already-established state of emergency to expedite landslide stabilization efforts as the crisis escalates.

California’s Polluted Communities Could Miss Out on Billions Under Flawed System

02/22/2024

The state’s environmental tool skews which communities are designated as disadvantaged, researchers say. Some immigrant neighborhoods could be left out, while other groups are overrepresented.

Conservation Groups Initiate Legal Action Against Feds for Failing to Protect Wolves

02/07/2024

Ten conservation groups filed an intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its failure to list western wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

How a City Is Organized Can Create Less-Biased Citizens

02/07/2024

A study in the latest issue of Nature Communications helps explain why there is more unconscious, or implicit, racial bias in some cities than others.

Feds Reserve $6M for Santa Cruz County Homeless Response

02/07/2024

The latest round of federal homelessness response grant funds—at more than $6 million—is set to be distributed across Santa Cruz County to a handful of service providers this year.

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in Favor of Commission Reforms

01/30/2024

A comprehensive restructuring effort is preparing for roll out within Santa Cruz County's network of more than 40 boards, commissions and advisory bodies thanks to a recent nod of approval from the Board of Supervisors.

California Gave Fast Food Workers a Seat at the Table. What Comes Next?

01/28/2024

A first-in-the-nation council will set work rules in the state’s fast food industry, but can labor and business agree?

L.A. Is Being ‘Stripped for Parts.’ Here’s What the City Council Wants to Do About It

01/26/2024

Among growing concern over copper wire thefts, L.A. City Councilmembers Kevin de León and Traci Park proposed a task force anchored by the LAPD.

Overhaul of Advisory Groups on Docket for Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors

01/26/2024

For the first time, local officials have taken a hard look under the hood of Santa Cruz County's network of more than 40 boards, commissions and advisory bodies and have proposed a series of changes.

A Guide to License Plates

01/23/2024

The numbers and letters on your car can reveal more than you think.

Will $20 Minimum Wage Crush Fast Food in California?

01/22/2024

Fast food lives in a consumer sweet spot: demand, convenience and relative affordability. And this pay hike—equal to minimum wage increases during the past five years—will create grand economic unknowns.

How California Budget Rules Can Prevent Saving for a Rainy Day—and Why Newsom Wants to Change That

01/21/2024

The swing from a $100 billion surplus to a deficit somewhere between $38 and $68 billion in just two years illustrates the volatility of California’s tax system.

California Court Ruling Could Threaten Key Source of Funding for Disputed Delta Water Tunnel Project

01/19/2024

A California judge says a nearly 65-year-old law does not give the state permission to borrow the billions of dollars it would need to build a large water project.

Newsom Blocks Proposed Ban on Youth Tackle Football

01/17/2024

Proposed California legislation that would ban tackle football for kids under 12 had gained momentum until Gov. Gavin Newsom made it clear he’d veto the bill.

Program to Clear Encampments Shows Signs of Success, But Housing Remains Elusive

01/16/2024

A multi-year, $750 million California program aimed at doing away with homeless encampments has had mixed results. Local leaders say ongoing funding is needed.

Capitola City Council Probes Wharf Damage, Outlook

01/15/2024

At its meeting Jan. 11, which also happened to be the 75th anniversary of the city’s incorporation, the Capitola City Council received a comprehensive review of the Dec. 28 winter storm event damage.

Fourth Graders Might Lose Free Access to California State Parks

01/12/2024

California’s projected budget deficit of close to $38 billion likely means some cuts are coming. Among them, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed ending the California State Park Adventure Pass, which offers free access to some state parks for fourth graders.

LAPD Chief Announces Departure at End of February

01/12/2024

Michel Moore, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, announced he will resign. The departure of Moore, who has been in the job since 2018, will spur the appointment of an interim chief and a nationwide search for his replacement, according to Mayor Karen Bass.

Newsom Pitches Spending $22M to Fight Fruit Flies

01/10/2024

California farmers face challenges posed by multiple types of fruit flies. Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed spending just over $22 million to combat the spread of these flies.

Cal State Faculty Reject 'Final' Pay Offer, Set Strike For Jan. 22

01/09/2024

After months of negotiations, university officials offer a 5% pay raise. The union is seeking 12 percent and plans to strike at the end of January.

Gaza Ceasefire Resolution Advances in San Francisco

01/08/2024

A committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 to advance a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The vote came following a tense public hearing.

Featured

With just two courthouses, Santa Cruz County has one of the smaller court systems in the Bay Area.
The Superior Court—Explained
One of 58 superior court systems in the state, here's how the Santa Cruz County courts work.
The Santa Cruz civil grand jury meets in County Government Center
The Grand Jury—Explained
Santa Cruz’s civil grand jury promotes accountability in local government.
California's sprawling public education system encompasses approximately 10,500 schools.
California’s Education System: How the Bureaucracy Works
How California's extensive public school system is organized and managed, explained.
Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz, which might be a huge resort if not for the Coastal Commission.
The Public Shore Protectors
Born amid controversy, this public agency is responsible for managing some of the most precious real estate in the world.
In Santa Cruz County, 10 separate entities manage the water supply.
Santa Cruz County Water, Explained
Santa Cruz County's water system is run by a decentralized collection of entities.
States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained
Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health.
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.
Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population
How local government tries to control the world’s deadliest wild animal—the mosquito.
There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
California continues to work on legislation that would make voting easier.
Voting Rites
And more bills are on the way to help you make your mark on Election Day.
Over two weekends last October, residents of Santa Cruz and Watsonville  participated in demonstration rides aboard an electric streetcar on rails.
The ‘Rail Trail’ Movement, Explained
The heated controversy over what to do with abandoned railroad tracks
California transportation history runs from railroads to today’s car culture.
California’s History of Transportation: From Railroads to Highways
The history of transportation in California has shaped the state, from the earliest stagecoach to today’s car culture.
The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here
The making of Gov. Newsom's plan to help get mentally ill Californians into treatment.
A city-sanctioned homeless encampment directly adjacent to county government offices and across the San Lorenzo River from the heart of downtown Santa Cruz.
How the City and County Work on the Homelessness Crisis
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.
Moss Landing in Monterey Bay is the world’s largest battery storage facility for solar and other renewable energy.
Solar Power and California’s Clean Energy Goals
How the sun is helping push the state toward 100 percent renewable energy.
Owning homes is the primary way the middle class builds wealth, and an option no longer available to most Californians.
Is California’s Housing Crisis Making Inequality Worse?
California has some of the worst economic inequality in the United States. Is housing a cause? Could it be a cure?
The California Supreme Court has defined the state’s legal and political agenda for more than 170 years.
How the California Supreme Court Blazes Legal Trails
From its beginnings in the Gold Rush, the state Supreme Court continues to define the state today.
Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
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.
The Pajaro River levee broke during the 2023 atmospheric river storms, flooding the town of Pajaro.
Is California Ready for More Extreme Weather Driven by Climate Change?
Increasingly extreme weather events are already testing California’s preparedness.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
Translated from the Greek, “Democracy” means “people power.” How much power do the people have in California?
People Power! What Is Democracy, and How Does It Work in California?
The Goddess of Democracy is alive and well in California, but that hasn’t always been true.
Long-duration energy storage, such as this thermal energy storage facility, allows renewable energy sources to operate at full capacity without overloading the power grid.
How California Leads the Race For Long Duration Energy Storage
For renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to be viable, ways to store the power they create are essential.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
California has a goal of 6 million heat pumps cooling and heating buildings by 2030.
6 Million New Heat Pumps: Essential to California's Climate Future
Installing 6 million heat pumps by 2030 is essential if California is to reach its goal of net zero carbon emissions.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
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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