From the Field to Your Table: How Corporate Growers Exploit Farmworker Vulnerability
The fastest strawberry pickers can complete approximately nine baskets per hour, being paid between $1.75 and $2.00 per basket. Growers say this piece rate can suffice for minimum wage, but that is rarely the case. Exposed to dangerous pesticides, unable to access benefits like healthcare,…
Inequities in Global Vaccine Distribution are Leaving Vulnerable Countries Behind
As I received my second vaccination against COVID-19 at the UC Santa Cruz Health Center on Feb. 12, I couldn’t help but think of the millions of medical professionals and vulnerable populations worldwide who had yet to receive a single dose. It did not feel…
Students are Back in School, but Educators are Reckoning over Underfunded Public Education
As of March 15, there are 15,101 cases of COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County, including 265 active cases, 196 deaths and 14,640 recovered. For updated information on vaccine eligibility, please check the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (HSA) website. As of March 15, UC…
Santa Cruz County Anticipates Mid-March COVID-19 Surge
As of Wednesday Feb. 19, there are 14,438 cases of COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County, including 172 deaths and 13,605 recovered. For updated information on vaccine eligibility, please check the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (HSA) website. As of Wednesday Feb. 17, UC Santa…
Santa Cruz County Health Agencies Prepare for Vaccine Distribution before Predicted COVID-19 Surge
As of Feb. 19, there are 14,438 cases of COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County, including 172 deaths and 13,605 recovered. For updated information on vaccine eligibility, please check the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (HSA) website. As of Feb. 17, UC Santa Cruz has…
Spared of Major Debris Flow Damages, Concerns Remain in the Santa Cruz Mountains
In the span of five months, thousands of Santa Cruz County residents have left their homes, fearing fires, floods, winds, and mudslides, unsure when they’d return. Over 60,000 Santa Cruz County residents were evacuated during the CZU Lightning Complex fires last August. Then, two weeks…
Facing COVID-19 Vaccine Shortages, Santa Cruz County Announces Vaccine Distribution Plans for Phase 1B
As of 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, there are 13,321 cases of COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County, including 148 deaths and 11,326 recovered. For updated information on vaccine eligibility, please check the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (HSA) website. Santa Cruz County is…
Transportation Commission Considers Electric Train for Santa Cruz County
The historic Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line could take you from Watsonville to Davenport by 2040. Though the tracks have fallen out of use, the Rail Trail proposal would establish a passenger train system on these tracks. The Rail Trail proposal lays the groundwork for…