Santa Cruz County Community Service & Support Articles

City of Scotts Valley is looking for interested residents to participate in the first-ever Citizens Academy, the deadline of which to apply is next Friday. This City-hosted educational series will take place across eight Tuesday evenings, starting Sept. 26 (skipping …

How Capitola residents came together to support the wharf and what lies ahead for the iconic structure

Some independent California community hospitals have struggled with rising costs since the COVID-19 pandemic. Three declared bankruptcy this year, prompting the state to distribute interest-free loans.

American Medical Response has poured more than $3 million into a November 2024 initiative to raise requirements for levying taxes and fees. The company says it’s looking out for patients, but local officials say it’s about the money.

A team of volunteers took on the task to bring new life to the Veterans Memorial Building on East Beach Street in Watsonville by replacing broken windows, pressure washing the front of the building, prepping, varnishing and adding a fresh …

By channeling funds to a number of nonprofits working on various issues in a given region, community foundations help solve big problems throughout California.

A conversation with Stacy Caldwell, CEO of Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation

A recent state survey reveals 2 in 3 Black women are breadwinners; 8 in 10 worry about discrimination or mistreatment and more like Gov. Gavin Newsom than Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building serves as a hub for veteran services—and much more, as Good Times writer Mat Weir reports.

Showing solidarity with other social classes is a prominent union strategy in the so-called “hot labor summer” sweeping California. It’s too soon to say if the inter-union activity will get employers to bargain.

Tommy Moffitt of Santa Cruz was proud of himself Saturday morning, a big smile on his face as he carried six backpacks—one on his back, one on his front and two each on his outstretched arms—through Kaiser Permanente Arena to …

California grants school boards much local control, but recent events have pushed the state to take steps to stop local school board meetings from turning into potentially dangerous culture war battlegrounds.

Community Bridges hired Darren Daley to take over as program director for Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County when Lisa Berkowitz caps off her four-decade career with the program in August. Daley earned his Master of Public Administration in …

Community Bridges seeks to dispel myths surrounding food assistance in Santa Cruz County

Transfer to a four-year institution is a benchmark for success among community colleges, but the numbers are low and disparities across the system persist, especially between colleges in rural areas and those in wealthy suburbs.

Local high schoolers paint murals for Watsonville City Hall

One California mental health crisis center grew its staff by almost 50 percent to handle that number of calls from people in need of counseling that it’s received since the state launched its 988 hotline a year ago.

A new ban on flavored tobacco products is accelerating a decline in nicotine tax revenue that funds California’s early childhood services. Some programs are already making cuts.

Los Angeles’ new homelessness solution is meant to quickly get people out of encampments and into housing—as the city grapples with the state’s largest population of unhoused residents. But the program is struggling to house people and connect them with …

For years, the Salvation Army in Watsonville has provided temporary shelter for homeless people, in addition to services such as showers, clothing, mail, lockers and laundry at the organization’s Navigation Center. This includes roughly 120 dinners per day, as well …