Santa Cruz County Resilience Digest

In their July 1 meeting, the Felton Fire District Board of Directors approved a reciprocal service agreement with the Zayante Fire Protect District.

In their June 25 meeting in which residents expressed deep public safety concerns, Santa Cruz County Supervisors withdrew a proposed a Low-Impact Camping Area proposal.

There are few answers and no solution yet for the slow moving landslide on Mountain Charlie Road isolating a Santa Cruz mountain neighborhood.

Before the first official day of summer, almost 90,000 acres have been burned in California wildfires.

The Felton Fire Protection District is considering future options, including working with CalFire or putting a tax measure on the November ballot.

Santa Cruz County Health Department officials note a spike in local COVID cases.

With multiple fires already burning in the state, forecasters predict the coming fire season will be "very active."

The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau announced the 2024 Farmer of the Year is Janet Webb, president of Big Creek Lumber.

Tens of thousands of California homeowners, especially those who live in areas at risk of wildfires, have lost their insurance or have to pay more to keep coverage. One after another, major companies have pulled out of the state, many citing the cost of claims.

The two-day CalMatters Ideas Festival wrapped on June 6 with more than a dozen events examining critical policy issues impacting the lives of millions of Californians.

Cal State Fullerton researchers released findings of ancient floods in Southern California which indicate the state may be more prone to mega flooding than previously thought.

After collecting more than the required signatures, on May 22, the Board of Supervisors approved the Santa Cruz County Water and Wildfire Protection Act go to county voters on the November 2024 ballot.

As funds for climate change programs are cut, Democrats and environmentalists are pushing for a bond measure on the ballot to restore some funding.

Santa Cruz County's first cleanup day held on May 11 had 431 volunteers from 30 organizations collecting 1,548 pounds of litter.

Group behind Water and Wildfire Protection Act, which would add a $87 annual parcel tax in Santa Cruz County, has submitted signatures to the county clerk for certification.

While it might be reopening in August, Capitola is still in the process of developing a long-term vision for the iconic wharf.

Because of damage to pilings sustained in a December storm, the Dolphin Restaurant is set to be taken down to effect repairs to the end of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.

Repairs to roads damaged in recent storms, including the slow-moving slide on Mountain Charlie Road, depend on state and federal funding and could take years to complete.

The Sempervirens Fund has purchased two adjacent parcels to be transferred to park ownershipfor use as a new entrance and to replace other facilities destroyed in the CZU Fire.

A 34-unit tiny home village for people displaced when Pajaro was flooded will begin construction in Watsonville on a church-owned parcel in Watsonville.

The California Public Utilities Commission will consider on May 9 a new proposal that would change how Californians pay for electricity.

California State Parks and partner Friends of California State Parks are working together on a project to rehabilitate a number of dunes at Rio Del Mar State Beach to reduce erosion, increase resilience and restore wildlife habitat.

A California Republican’s bill would exempt low and middle income wildfire victims from solar panels requirements on rebuilt homes that didn’t have them when they burned down.

Marimo Berk and Brad Lewis joined the Board of Directors of Sempervirens Fund, the oldest land trust in California.

It quickly became clear that Elon Musk’s SpaceX was responsible for the show. The lights were a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 new Starlink satellites into orbit. The rocket blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:30 p.m., and it’s trail was visible from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree National Park.

Legislation would fast-track approval for temporary or relocatable housing on vacant land when local shelter emergencies arise.

Work on repairing and rebuilding the Capitola Wharf has been complicated after inspections reveal structures at the end of the structure will require demolition.

Reprepresentatives Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta, and Senators Laphonza Butler and Alex Padilla sent a letter to the Biden administration are requesting full funding for the Pajaro River Levee project.

A tornado stuck Kings county briefly, and another touched down in Madera county, as favorable conditions came together during a powerful winter storm which swept the region.

The agency announced it has secured two Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which will push the construction of the Watsonville Slough System closer to fruition.

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

The California Public Utilities Commission is reviewing an application from AT&T California to be relieved of its decades-old obligation to provide landline service in many regions, including parts of Santa Cruz County.