Less than half of residents evacuated during sweeping debris flow response
The first heavy rains of 2021 moved into the Santa Cruz Mountains in late January, prompting Cal Fire and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office to release preemptive mandatory evacuation orders on Jan. 25 for parts of Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Felton and other...
Casa Nostra comes to Scotts Valley
Mario Ibarra and Raffaele Cristallo, co-owners of the beloved Ben Lomond restaurant, Casa Nostra, opened a new location in Scotts Valley this week.
After nine delicious years off Highway 9 and months of hard work converting their new location, their dishes will be available for...
Falling case rates could mean return to class for valley’s young students
Santa Cruz County’s adjusted case rate recently fell below the state’s threshold (28 per 100,000 per day) needed to reopen in-class instruction for grades K-6, health officials announced at a press conference on Feb. 4.
That means local school districts could start applying to the...
Transportation plan draft prioritizes Scotts Valley Drive, Mount Hermon Road
The City of Scotts Valley’s Active Transportation Plan reached another milestone as the draft was unveiled at a City Council meeting on Feb. 3.
The plan, presented by Ecology Action’s planner Amelia Conlen, focused heavily on the main arterials Scotts Valley Drive and Mount Hermon...
Tensions boil over in SLV water merger meeting
In a tense, two-and-a-half-hour board meeting on Feb. 4 that included more than 100 attendees, San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD) broached the subject of a potential merger with Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD).
The reaction from those who attended the Zoom meeting was anything...
Scotts Valley seeks to curb ‘targeted picketing’
The Scotts Valley City Council will weigh whether to halt “targeted picketing” within 300 feet of a particular person’s residence at its Feb. 17 meeting.
At the Feb. 3 City Council meeting, City Attorney Kirsten Powell introduced Ordinance No. 197, which prohibits picketing within a...
SVWD rebuilds largest water treatment plant
The Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD) has begun construction on its largest water treatment plant, Orchard Run.
GSE Construction demolished the 38-year-old plant in December and plans to finish construction by May 1.
The new plant, which provides 1 million gallons of water per day, will...
Vine Hill Elementary PTA members and community rally for auction
Late January the Vine Hill elementary PTA announced an online auction beginning Feb. 5 and continuing until the PTA’s first-ever virtual live auction on Feb. 20, hosted by Robert Aldana, Bobbie Ward and Garvin Thomas.
These two events form a part of the PTA’s fundraisers...
Beauty-industry workers sue state officials, saying they’ve been unfairly targeted during shutdowns
Jennifer Wadsworth and Mat Weir, Contributing Reporters
If you ask beauty salon owners in Santa Cruz County, they’ll tell you the on-and-off lockdowns during the pandemic have been downright backward when it comes to their industry.
Deborah Riley, owner of Lavish Salon in Santa Cruz, says...
North County water districts explore consolidation
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS—Today the San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD) and Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD) announced their respective boards of directors will consider possibly consolidating the agencies’ operations in the future.
Boards from both water districts will learn more about the consolidation process when...
Scotts Valley roller derby team wins second consecutive national title
Scotts Valley’s Santa Cruz Derby Groms female division team, the Gromshells, claimed their second consecutive Junior Roller Derby Association (JRDA) National Championship on July...
