Santa Cruz County History Articles

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.

WATSONVILLE—The historic 1903 Roache schoolhouse is on the move, once again.  In order to make way for heavy equipment and ground moving, the building at 221 Airport Blvd. was recently hoisted across the property and now sits perched on cribbing …

Sheriffs in some California counties and across the USA are engaging a dangerous movement toward right-wing extremism. What does this mean for local law enforcement?

California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, 45, reported to be high on Pres. Joe Biden’s list for a U.S. Supreme Court nomination, is known for her cautious, moderate legal opinions.

WATSONVILLE—Judy Doering Nielsen’s love for the Watsonville community led her to become thoroughly entrenched in its inner workings, from its history to its politics to its people. She served as Watsonville Mayor and President of the Pajaro Valley Historical Association …

Since 2002, ‘UCSC’ has met nearly every third Thursday of the month

By Julie Horner It’s full steam ahead for rebuilding the historic Alba Schoolhouse in Ben Lomond, which was destroyed in the 2020 CZU fire. Last August, the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to replace …

New Year's celebrations have been around as long as civilization itself. Here's how they started and how California marks the New Year today.

By Lisa Robinson Have you ever thought about how the street where you live got its name? In the Streetwise column, we look at street names in the San Lorenzo Valley and explore the history hidden in their names.  Fetherston …

California homicide spiked by 31 percent in 2020. The shocking increase has continued into 2021. Here are several theories that attempt to explain the state’s suddenly rising murder rate.

Alverda Orlando’s History of Davenport, California By Julie Horner Retired teacher and librarian Alverda Orlando started working on the idea of a book about Davenport when she was in college. Facing a two-unit deficit from graduating and not wanting to …

California keeps on taking legislative steps that will keep it ranked in the top 10 of voter-friendly states.

WATSONVILLE—“The Apple King,” a novel inspired by Watsonville’s Croatian community and its historic role in the region’s apple industry, recently won the Connecticut Author Project Award and will be featured in an issue of the national Library Journal publication. Author …

California has historically been ahead of the rest of the country in expanding the legal right to abortion services. Here’s what state laws say today, and how we got here.

For decades, the Chiodo Brothers’ 1988 horror comedy was the best movie shot in Santa Cruz.

California’s history of people getting directly involved in the affairs of government dates back more than a century, but it has sometimes been coopted by business and other interests.

In an era of information overload, here’s how a rising form of journalism helps explain it all for you, and why California Local publishes ‘explanatory’ reporting.

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.

Sacramento-based news outlet talks to Jonathan Burgess and L. Dee Slade, both testifying before the Reparations Task Force.

LA Times reporter Deborah Netburn was on a witch hunt, and she found a prime one: Zsuzsanna Budapest.