Santa Cruz County Public Safety Digest

Millions of people across the state struggle to pay electric bills as California regulators decide on proposed rate increases. PG&E wants a rate hike to bolster the safety and reliability of its services.

Workers are in the final stages of a long, $217 million project: Install a protective barrier at the Golden Gate Bridge. Roughly 2,000 people have died by suicide jumping from the bridge since it opened in 1937.

Tustin Air Base was destroyed Nov. 7 in a raging fire that could last for days. Authorities said letting the 1942 hangar collapse was the only way to contain the fire.

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Zoe Lofgren introduced the bicameral Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act to increase overtime pay caps to allow U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior firefighters to receive higher compensation for their service.

Voters have just one week left to weigh in on funding the proposed relocation of a community fire station. The $22.2 million Measure W bond would fund construction of a new Scotts Valley Fire Protection District firehouse on La Madrona Drive.

The safety lights, known as pedestrian hybrid beacons, were set up along Mission Street at Olive Street and Berkshire Avenue and facilitate pedestrian crossing at higher-speed roadways, midblock crossings and uncontrolled intersections.

Legislation that was created in response to fire breaking out in 2022 at the Elkhorn Battery Energy Storage System facility was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Ready to hit the streets of Santa Cruz, fire engine 3113 features a number of “aggressive” new fire suppression features.

The European Union has banned certain additives that are used in American candies and baked goods. California is on the cusp of prohibiting their sale by 2027.

As the public protest period ended, no challenges arose to ongoing efforts to dissolve Branciforte Fire Protection District into its Scotts Valley neighbor.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has identified nearly 500 “zones” that are ill-prepared to tolerate flooding, earthquakes, heat waves, wildfires, landslides and other natural hazards. California topped all states with 51 total zones, followed by 35 in Texas and 32 in Florida.

Incidents involving use of the systems, commonly known as drones, in firefighting airspace have led to the temporary suspension of critical aerial firefighting operations a half-dozen times so far this year.

“We’re going to have another storm; we’re going to have another extreme weather event,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta. “I’m obviously proud of what happened in regards to the response, but I also know it wasn’t perfect ... and that’s where we can get better.”

Attila Colar went to prison for lying to the government. After California gave him another contract as a provider in a rehabilitation program, a federal jury convicted him of fraud for using the personal information of Bay Area parolees and others to collect government COVID funds.

After California lost over 4 million acres to fire in 2020, the state funded Task Force Rattlesnake, with National Guardsmen to assist Cal Fire.

San Francisco isn’t going to take last week’s robotaxi decision by the California Public Utilities Commission lying down. Joined by the city's transit authority board, fire department and board of supervisors, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed motions on Wednesday to halt the unrestricted expansion of autonomous vehicles for commercial use.

Locally elected sheriffs manage California jails and are responsible for the safety of the inmates they hold. Record deaths in San Diego’s jail are shaping a plan for new statewide oversight.

Heading into peak wildfire season, PG&E has shifted its strategy, focusing less aggressively on trimming trees and relying more on technology to de-energize damaged lines.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to make prisons a friendlier place for inmate families. An updated strip-search policy has some worried that families will face intrusive encounters during their visits.

Two recent reports on sexual harassment complaints filed against Cal State employees conclude inconsistent data collection makes it difficult to determine a reliable number.

The Biden administration’s app rule makes it harder for migrants to assert a right to asylum, advocates say. Lawsuits are sparking debate about immigration control, safety.

A body overseeing governmental boundaries approved Scotts Valley Fire Protection District's absorption of neighboring Branciforte Fire.

Huge winter rains and snow are continuing to reduce fire risk, experts say.

Buprenorphine can lower the risk of overdose fatalities by 50% by helping to reduce opioid withdrawal and cravings.

Luis Yauri Oyola hopes one day to buy a tractor to start a business in Peru; he estimates that he is six years away from that goal, for which he will have spent more than a decade of his life living thousands of miles away from his family. He is on call 24/7 and doesn’t leave the job site except for necessities.

A 5-year-old sea otter born in captivity and released into the wild has been aggressively approaching surfers and wildlife authorities are looking to return the animal to captivity.

As nights warm and droughts intensify, past models predicting fire behavior have become unreliable. So California is working with analysts and tapping into new technology to figure out how to attack wildfires. Gleaned from military satellites, drones and infrared mapping, the information is spat out in real time and triaged by a fire behavior analyst.

The number of reported hate crimes increased 22 percent in California in 2021. Following a model from Los Angeles County, state leaders launched a statewide hotline and resources.

After several years of devastating wildfires, California lawmakers want to give hefty raises to Cal Fire firefighters. The deal could tie the governor’s hands in contracts.

County leaders endorsed a new plan that charts a path for at least three years of year-round, 24-7 mobile mental crisis response available countywide, among other beefed-up services.

The State of California will provide new protections for prescribed fire and cultural burning practitioners. The $20 million allocated for the Prescribed Fire Liability Claims Fund Pilot will cover losses in the rare instance that a prescribed or cultural burn escapes control.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors directed its staff last week to begin developing policies regarding the usage of artificial intelligence by its workforce.