County homelessness plan sets goal of more than 700 new units by 2023
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...
Report Spells Out Scotts Valley’s Options for Wastewater System Upgrade
Last week, Scotts Valley held the unboxing of the $79,873 wastewater study it ordered for itself from Kennedy/Jenks Consultants Inc., during its regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Aug. 17.
But unlike a small gadget shipped from Amazon, what the elected officials do with the...
News Briefs | Published Aug. 8, 2025
Intertie Project paving scheduled for Saturday
Construction on the Santa Cruz-Scotts Valley Intertie Project is entering its final phases, with roadway restoration on La Madrona Drive scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 9.
To minimize disruption for weekday traffic and nearby schools, the work is planned for the...
Deputy Sheriffs’ Association makes record donation for memorial park
SOQUEL—The Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriffs' Association (DSA) has offered a $100,000 “challenge” grant to help fund a memorial for Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, who was killed on duty on June 6, 2020.
The grant is the largest donation in the organization’s history.
The DSA now...
Scotts Valley Police arrest elder fraud suspects
Scotts Valley Police officers met with an elderly adult on Dec. 12 regarding the theft, and subsequent fraudulent use, of his debit card.
The 71-year-old victim had been at the Safeway store when a female approached him saying he had dropped a $20 bill. When...
Powers Forestry scoops up contract for SLVWD tree work
Powers Forestry LLC has been tapped to complete tree work along a 1.3-mile section of Foreman Creek and Peavine Creek, as part of ongoing community efforts to rebuild after the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD) announced the emergency contract—approved...
Johnson & Johnson’s ‘pause’ not expected to slow county’s distribution
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Though the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be delayed for an undetermined amount of time, the pause of the single-dose inoculation is not expected to significantly slow the county’s vaccination efforts.
That’s according to Santa Cruz County health officials, who...
Community Meetings Aim to Help Rebuilding County Residents
Living in a tight-knit community like the San Lorenzo Valley has its advantages. When a neighbor needs assistance or a business is in trouble, locals rally to help. And when hundreds of residents lose their homes in a devastating wildfire and are in desperate...
Local Agencies’ Conservation Efforts Hope to Help Coho Salmon Populations Rebound
They’re an average of eight pounds, with distinct pink scales, and in this area, they’re officially endangered. Local coho salmon have declined more than 95% from their historic population level, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
The main culprit is the degradation of spawning...
Local Couple Celebrates 70 Years of Marriage
According to U.S. Census data, just half of the marriages occurring from 1970 to 1984 for both men and women reached their 25th anniversary.
Scotts Valley residents Darrell and Sue Yeaney have overcome those unfavorable odds—easily.
They met at Westminster College in Pennsylvania in the fall...
News Briefs | Published Sept. 12, 2025
Fun run, emergency preparedness fair set for Saturday
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the City of Santa Cruz will be hosting Race the Wave, a 3K...