All Statewide Region Articles


All articles shown on the County Overview. (More in Topics)

Image caption: A road in Florida flooded by the massive rains brought by Hurricane Helene.
A History of Mutual Aid

Volunteering and looking out for one another is central to community life.

Image caption:
How We Helped Create a National Monument

A spectacular piece of land north of Santa Cruz shows what a determined group of people, with the help of a tenacious little media company, can do.

Image caption: The author, left, with Hilltromper Managing Director Mike Kahn at the Cotoni Coast Dairies National Monument.
A Collective, Monumental Effort

The Cotoni Coast Dairies National Monument, just north of Santa Cruz, brought a community together.

Image caption: Loch Lomond, the reservoir that supplies the city of Santa Cruz with a significant portion of its drinking water, is also a beautiful recreational and natural resource.
Dams and Reservoirs: Up and Down

California's first big reservoir project in decades is underway, as the state finally gets rid of some old dams. Environmental responsibility meets aridification.

Image caption: Democracy is all about having a seat at the table.
The Simmering California Public Service Crisis

What happens if you have a democracy and nobody shows up?

Image caption: Democracy works better when more people actively participate.
Building a Civic Engagement Pipeline

We look at one of many local efforts to cultivate the local civic engagement talent pool.

Image caption: The council chambers in Santa Cruz City Hall has been the scene of countless heated political battles, and at least one melee.
It Takes a Village to Run a Village: Developing Leadership

As some municipalities struggle to find people to run for elected offices and advisory boards, we look at the civic engagement pipeline.

Image caption: A relaxing nap can be a good way to spend the holiday which honors workers.
Happy Labor Day to All Who Celebrate

In which we salute the hard workers who make California the fifth largest economy on the planet.

Image caption: Many hands make the community bloom.
Cultivating Civic Engagement

Things bloom best when people get their hands dirty.

Image caption: The Memorial Rose Garden at McKinley Park in Sacramento. Built and maintained by everyday citizens as a gift to their city.
How Citizenship is Like Gardening

For one thing, "citizen," like "garden," can be used as a verb.

Image caption: Gov. Gavin Newsom walks through a homeless camp with a garbage bag.
California Cracks Down on Homeless Camps & Crime

In the midst of charges that California, and its favorite daughter Kamala Harris, are soft on crime, lawmakers step up in the name of public safety.

Image caption: A homeless encampment in San Jose, California.
California Cracks Down on Homeless Encampments

Nobody is happy with the current situation. Especially California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Image caption: Humpback whales lunge feeding in Monterey Bay.
Biden Comes Through for the Monterey Bay Area

Joe Biden visited the Santa Cruz County beach towns of Aptos and Capitola following bad storms a couple winters ago. Last week, his administration delivered a big pile of money to help these communities and their neighbors build resilience.

Image caption: Robert Mazurek, who helped launch the globally influential Seafood Watch program for the Monterey Bay Aquarium 25 years ago, is now overseeing a historic climate resilience grant, and working on even bigger stuff.
Robert Mazurek Q&A: Preparing for Climate Change

The Santa Cruz-based California Marine Sanctuary Foundation receives a historic $71 million climate resilience grant from Biden Administration.

Image caption: Board of directors come in all shapes and sizes, but by and large, the job is the same.
Anil Dash Explains: What Does a Board of Directors Do?

The writer and Internet dynamo shares his experience and reveals what happens in the board room.

Image caption: A screenshot of the CalFire active incidents web page from August 4, 2024. Yikes.
California Fire Season Grinds On

As July goes down in the history books as the hottest ever recorded, the 2024 California fire season has already burned more than 30 times as much acreage as in 2023.

Image caption: A smoky blanket of particulate matter hovers over San Francisco’s skyline.
Getting Acquainted With AQI

Learn what's getting into Californians’ lungs and why it matters.

Image caption: A CalFire tanker aircraft drops a plume of fire retardant on a forest.
Building Community Resilience in North Tahoe

The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation develops partnerships to prepare and respond to emergencies with its COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster).

Image caption: Will Kamala Harris become the first Californian since Richard Nixon to lead the nation?
Statecraft takes time: Kamala Harris & Gavin Newsom

This week: Two examples of ways people in and around government and politics worked behind the scenes, and in the state house, to make things better.

Image caption: Heather Cox Richardson interviewing President Biden in 2022.
‘Letters From an American:’ A Newsletter for Those Who Choose to Remember the Past

Heather Cox Richardson provides historical context for everyday civic events.