Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a four-part strategy to deal with the county’s homeless crisis, an ambitious three-year plan that has the goal of reducing by 50 percent the number of households experiencing homelessness by 2024. The...

Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) approved the merger of the fire departments that serve Scotts Valley and Branciforte on Aug. 2. Scotts Valley Councilmember Allan Timms said he was glad to see the Scotts Valley Fire District absorb its beleaguered neighbor. “The Branciforte...

“I don’t want to die from Covid.” For all the answers as to why folks were showing up at the pop-up Covid-19 vaccine clinic held at Liberty Bank on July 17, Boulder Creek resident Makayla Lockard had the most succinct, pull-no-punches response of the day.  The...

A Texas man was killed Friday afternoon when his car shot off of Highway 1 near Davenport and careened over a steep cliff into the sea. The California Highway Patrol said the  29-year-old man, from Dallas, was driving a black 2017 Subaru Outback north of...

A man who says he was overcharged thousands of dollars by the Scotts Valley Water District didn’t get a payout after pleading his case in front of its board, last week. But Jim Chelossi learned his prediction had come true—several other customers now say they,...

SAN FRANCISCO—The Ben Lomond man who used a homemade assault rifle to kill a federal law enforcement officer outside an Oakland courthouse nearly two years ago pleaded guilty on Feb. 11 to the charges in Northern District Court in San Francisco. Steven Carrillo, who formerly...

​​Since 2015, Santa Cruz Gives, the digital holiday fundraising program for local nonprofits, has provided financial support to an array of agencies that do good work for others. Whether providing meals, financial assistance or access to job opportunities, the 501c3 organizations selected by Santa...

Scotts Valley police say they don’t have much in the way of militaristic crime-fighting gear. During the April 6 Scotts Valley City Council meeting, Capt. Jayson Rutherford noted the Scotts Valley Police Department only has items that fall in a couple of the categories outlined...

Updated June 27, 2022 at 5:22pm: 90% containment. A fire burning along Highway 17 was 90% contained at 5:20pm after burning two acres Monday, authorities said. Cal Fire learned of the blaze near the summit—on the Santa Cruz County side in the Alta Vista Lane area—at...

It was a bit of a love-in when State Senator John Laird updated the Scotts Valley City Council on the goings-on in Sacramento last week. With a slew of housing, wildfire prevention and social service bills moving through the upper chamber, there’s been a lot...