Santa Cruz County History Articles

Disney icon Mickey Mouse is now in the public domain, meaning anyone can create their own Mickey Mouse cartoons. Here’s what that means, and how it could affect the California economy.

A judge rules that the Bakersfield Republican is eligible to run in the 2024 election for Congress even though he had already filed to run for his state Assembly seat.

California's homelessness numbers continue to rise despite new spending on housing, services. Here's where the fight to end the crisis stands. This story has been updated for 2022 and 2023.

Tune in, turn on, and drop into these California-focused documentaries—only some of which are about the ’60s San Francisco sound.

One Hundred Thousand Welcomes! A Legendary Boulder Creek Watering Hole Remembered.

By Mary Andersen

 
Derek R. Whaley is a historian and research librarian, who was born and raised in Felton, California. He earned a doctorate in history from the University of Canterbury in 2018. He began researching Santa Cruz County history in 2011 …

Democracy is a 2,500-year-old system of government still looked on today as the best system, because under a democratic system, the people govern themselves. But is that all there is to it? What is democracy? And how does it work …

After a 2018 vote authorizing the state legislature to make daylight saving time year-round, Californians are still changing their clocks twice per year. How did we get here?

After the Supreme Court ended affirmative action in college admissions, some students are rethinking their school selections. Some colleges are also boosting their student outreach as they seek diversity.

It’s happened more than 300 times in the state’s history: a once-bustling town is abandoned, leaving behind ramshackle houses, crumbling roads and forlorn tableaux.

California has more gun laws than any other state. Here's how it took a series of mass shootings to make the state the toughest in the country on guns.

A family-owned business for over 40 years staffed almost entirely by long-term employees, El Chino has been owned by Maria Gallardo since 2017. Her parents were the founders, and to them it was a dream come true. Maria worked in …

Former President Trump claims mail balloting is rife with fraud. But to win more elections, the state GOP is expanding its efforts to collect mail ballots to boost turnout.

California Local enters the world of book publishing with its upcoming book, ‘How California Works,’ explaining the inner workings of this ‘most American state.’