Local News

During President Donald Trump’s first term in office, which began in 2017, his administration proposed a sweeping plan to open nearly all U.S. coastal waters to offshore oil and gas drilling, including 47 proposed lease sales. Those plans were thwarted amid opposition from local, state...

Young voters barely turned out for the June primary, while people over 55 made a heavy showing.  Registered voters over the age of 55 displayed a turnout rate of about 67.83%, while those between the ages of 18-34 had a  29.52% turnout rate, based on...

Editor's note: This story has been modified to correct an error: The family of Mas Hashimoto did not oppose having the school named after him. After news broke in March on Cesar Chavez’s sexual assault allegations, local leaders across the nation have begun removing his...

The annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count conducted in January showed that 1,648 people were experiencing homelessness, a 12% increase from 2025. County officials cautioned that much of the increase reflects changes in how the count was conducted rather than a direct year-over-year increase in homelessness. For the...

This story has been updated from an earlier version. Hundreds of people around the county joined up with law and fire agencies Tuesday during the annual National Night Out. Over four decades ago 2.5 million people in 400 communities in 23 states around the U.S....

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to place a half-cent sales tax measure on the November ballot that would fund an array of “safety net” services in the face of looming state and federal cuts. The board also declared the...

A year and a half after the massive battery fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant, a final environmental assessment concludes that off-site soil, sediment and surface water sampled around the facility do not appear to pose an unacceptable long-term risk to people or...

In a special meeting Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will consider declaring a state of fiscal distress and asking voters to approve a temporary half-cent sales tax that county officials say is needed to offset steep federal funding cuts and protect...

The annual Strawberry Festival drew scores of people Saturday, who browsed among merchandise sales booths, sampled from dozens of food vendors, rode rides, played games and watched live entertainment. 

More than 150 volunteers gathered Saturday at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz with a simple mission: make sure thousands of Santa Cruz County students are ready to begin the school year. Working assembly-line style during the 17th annual Stuff the Bus Stuff-A-Thon, volunteers filled...