Local News

At least 46 homes in the San Lorenzo Valley area were more than 50% destroyed by the recent wave of storms, according to a preliminary survey completed by Boulder Creek nonprofit Coongie, which says the number of homes could be as high as 65. Their...

In line with state and local efforts to develop a statewide Master Plan for Aging, the County of Santa Cruz has announced it has been designated an “Age-Friendly Community” by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The County’s Human Services Department sought the designation...

A 5-year-old boy died Wednesday after his twin brother reportedly stabbed him in the back with a kitchen knife. Ashley Keehn, public information officer for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies were dispatched to a report of a stabbing at a home on...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a temporary ordinance prohibiting new cannabis cultivation licenses within 500 feet of residential structures. The moratorium stemmed from the supervisor’s Aug. 24 meeting, during which they discussed potential conflicts between residential parcels and...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved this year’s budget, a behemoth $932 million spending plan that represents an 8% reduction in spending from the previous year. That decrease came as the county recovers from the CZU Lightning Complex...

A 76-year-old Davenport pedestrian was killed Dec. 16 after she was struck by a fellow community member’s vehicle at Swanton Road, just east of Pacific Coast Highway. The incident occurred around 3pm as a 77-year-old male driver, also from Davenport, was reversing a 2002 Ford...

The 2023 State of the Workforce report by the Santa Cruz County Workforce Development Board (WDB) shows that the local economy is experiencing a robust recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, recovering faster than the state and the rest of the country. Overall,...

The Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County has opened the nomination period for the 15th Annual Be the Difference Awards. The awards honor the individuals, groups, nonprofits and businesses that transform Santa Cruz County through volunteerism. People can share their stories of inspiration by nominating...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Animal shelters across California are currently seeing an influx of rabbits and other “pocket pets” being surrendered and put up for adoption.  Erika Smart, program and development manager at Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCCAS), says that the increase in rabbits, guinea pigs,...

After a bit of a snag in the legislative process, Congress approved a $1.4 million allocation to replace a Scotts Valley childcare facility that’s in such bad shape it’s a danger zone. Scotts Valley Vice Mayor Jim Reed remembers the time his own child was...