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Santa Cruz Superior Court Seeks Civil Grand Jury Applicants

The Superior Court of Santa Cruz County is inviting applications for the 2025-26 Civil Grand Jury, an independent 19-member panel that investigates local government operations and addresses citizen concerns.

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Supervisor Cummings on CA Coastal Commission

Justin Cummings, Third District Santa Cruz County Supervisor, talks about efforts to retain his seat as chair of the powerful California Coastal Commission. He also explains other ordinances under discussion at the county level.

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Explainer: Public Pension Debts in Santa Cruz County

Leaders at Santa Cruz City Hall have been trying to tackle pension debt — about $220 million as of June 2023. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
Editor’s note: Many Santa Cruz Local readers have asked about the role …

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Steve Pleich – Grand Jury

Steve Pleich shares his experience with the Grand Jury.
Photo courtesy of RDNE.

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Informational Meetings Planned for Civil Grand Jury Recruitment

The Superior Court of Santa Cruz County will be hosting two informational meetings on the Civil Grand Jury.

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International Women’s Day: A Conversation With Watsonville’s Mayor and Vice-Mayor

When Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and Maria Orozco were sworn in late last year as Watsonville’s Mayor and Vice-Mayor, it was only the second time in the city’s history two women have held the roles.

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Coastal Commission Voted To Fine Rio Del Mar Homeowners $5.3 Million

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County Grapples With Millions In Unpaid Federal Disaster Relief

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Scotts Valley gets first look at General Plan

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Creating a Community Forum Requires SLV to ‘Choose Our Own Adventure’

By Jayme Ackemann

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City of Scotts Valley fills 2 key vacancies

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Zach Friend Invited To White House

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Robert Rivas sworn in as State Assembly Speaker

Robert Rivas was sworn in as the 71st Speaker of the California State Assembly during a special session Friday at the Capitol. “California is still the greatest state in the union,” Rivas, a Hollister Democrat who represents the 29th Assembly …

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Santa Cruz County takes back flood mitigation funding

Santa Cruz County has withdrawn from an agreement with Pajaro Valley Regional Flood Management Agency (PRFMA) after the two disagreed on how to spend roughly $1 million in funds meant to address flood risk in South County. PRFMA is made …

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Supervisor Bruce McPherson to Retire at End of Term

5th District Supervisor Bruce McPherson has announced that he will not seek a fourth term on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. McPherson was first elected in 2012, re-elected in 2016, and ran unopposed in 2020. His current term …

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Campaign finance probe remains unresolved in Santa Cruz County

State leaders aim to reduce 1,300 case backlog.

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Monte Sereno appoints Powell as city attorney

Monte Sereno has voted to appoint Kirsten Powell, Scotts Valley’s top legal official, as its new city attorney. The new post in Silicon Valley, however, doesn’t mean she’s quitting her gig with the Santa Cruz County municipality. On June 6, …

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More diverse Santa Cruz County residents wanted for commissions

June events planned to attract new volunteers.

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Santa Cruz County launches budget hearings as recession looms

As the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors prepares to approve its $1.04 billion budget—a process that includes presentations from every department later this month—they must consider a grim prediction: a recession will hit this year, and is estimated to …

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How Santa Cruz Cities are Approaching Outdated Language

The process of changing the gendered pronouns and stereotypes in old government documents is arduous

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Featured

With just two courthouses, Santa Cruz County has one of the smaller court systems in the Bay Area.
EXPLAINER
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
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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?
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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?
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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?
EXPLAINER
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.
EXPLAINER
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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