Stray Population Influx Strains Resources for Santa Cruz County Animal Shelters
In 2023, Santa Cruz County animal shelters experienced a 23 percent increase in animal intake, with a 56 percent rise overall in the last two years. This jump called local communities and organizations to action to support animals in need. Adoptable “Prescilla” located at Santa...
A Look Inside Santa Cruz County Main Jail
The only sunlight that penetrates the concrete walls of Santa Cruz County Main Jail seeps past a ceiling of barbed wire and metal into the exercise yard. If they’re lucky and the weather is just right, incarcerated people in the general population can spend at...
Activists Unite in Weeklong Global Strike for Palestine
On one of the first warm days of the year, families flocked towards the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Sticky-fingered children grabbed arcade controllers. Spilled popcorn and candy wrappers littered the ground. But unlike any other day, a chant could be heard in the distance with...
Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties Face Ongoing Lawsuit From Pajaro Valley Residents After Levee Failure
Flooding in Pajaro Valley during storms has turned into a disastrous routine. When the levee fails, agricultural areas are disheveled and submerged. Homes are evacuated to avoid the unlivable conditions that follow. In the wake of last spring’s disaster, Pajaro Valley residents are once again...
Not Cold Enough: Santa Cruz Cold Weather Shelters Open Temporarily, Close Soon After
Xan walks along damp train tracks on the side of Depot Park. It’s 7:30 p.m. and the sun has long set in Santa Cruz. Dark clouds hint at heavy rainfall predicted for that night. She stops under the overhang of a rusted bridge and talks...
Santa Cruz City Council Rejects Ceasefire Resolution, Passes Alternate Peace Resolution
Hours before the meeting began, people gathered in the square of City Hall. Many held signs, with messages including, “Ceasefire now,” and “All children are our children — Stop Genocide.” The line for public comment wrapped around the Santa Cruz City Hall and extended down...
A New Vision For Downtown
The face of downtown Santa Cruz could soon dramatically change. The City Of Santa Cruz began developing the Downtown Plan Expansion in June 2021 and is now in the late stages of planning. If fully approved, it will extend the boundaries of downtown south toward...
Kuumbwa Jazz: Looking Behind to Move Straight-Ahead
The Kuumbwa Jazz Center is my neighbor, but we’re not very close. We barely know each other, and I wouldn’t go to them first if I needed flour or an egg. However, Kuumbwa gives me gifts every other evening. When I’m making dinner in the...
Santa Cruz County Debates New Main Jail
Santa Cruz County’s Main Jail was at capacity the day it opened in 1981. In years since, the jail has been so overcrowded, that at times, it has housed over 500 incarcerated individuals – despite only having beds for 319. Problems including overcrowding, maintenance failures,...
Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Set for Enforcement in Winter of 2023
After going through multiple commissions, appeals and changes, the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (OVO) is set to be enforced winter 2023 on a one-year pilot program. The ordinance will prohibit overnight parking of vehicles larger than 20 feet in length and eight feet in height on...