Census: Homeless population declines, except in Watsonville
A census of Santa Cruz County’s homeless population taken in February shows a 21.5% decline since the last count in 2021.
Still, one in every 146 Santa Cruz County residents still do not have access to housing, according to the 2023 Homeless Count and Survey,...
Santa Cruz County Supervisors approve ordinance banning force against kids
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that would prohibit companies forcibly transporting children. Also under the ordinance, families could sue transport companies that use force against their children for $10,000, plus legal costs.
The issue came to...
Sí Se Puede breaks ground for new facility
The new center will include a 30-bed residential treatment building, therapy rooms and a medical clinic.
Council approves self-storage facility near airport
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Jan. 17 unanimously approved the construction of a new self-storage facility to be located in the long abandoned, weed-choked parking lot between Watsonville Municipal Airport and the Community Hospital.
Located at 70 Nielsen St., the facility—called Crocker’s Lockers—will offer 1,072...
Hospital to begin under new owners Sept. 1
WATSONVILLE—With the purchase of Watsonville Community Hospital now a certainty, the nonprofit formed to make the acquisition got another bit of good news Tuesday when Kaiser Permanente announced it was donating $4.5 million to the cause.
With a goal of $67 million to cover the...
Inmate dies in Santa Cruz County Jail
An inmate at the Santa Cruz County Main Jail died Saturday after being found in medical distress.
Ashley Keehn, spokeswoman for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, said 42-year-
old Trevor George died from asphyxia by hanging in a suicide, according to the Sheriff’s forensic pathologist.
He...
Aptos beach cleanup seeks volunteers
On March 25 from 2-4pm, the Mount Madonna School fifth grade class is organizing a community beach cleanup of Platforms Beach in Aptos. Volunteers of all ages are invited to join in the effort; the students will supply trash bags and buckets, and each...
County seeking independent sheriff’s inspector
SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County will send out a request for proposals (RFP) for an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that would have independent oversight of the Sheriff’s Office, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday.
Assembly Bill 1185, a state law passed in 2020,...
Mastodon tooth discovered on Rio Del Mar Beach
About 100,000 years ago, American mastodons roamed California, using their giant trunks and teeth to graze upon the trees growing in forests and wetlands.
While they share their ancestry with today’s elephants, they were larger. The males stood as high as seven feet and weighed...
Evacuation warnings issued for North, Mid and South County
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Evacuation “will be necessary” for the people living along Corralitos and Salsipuedes creeks as Santa Cruz County braces for a second major storm in less than a week, officials said Tuesday.
“We are letting people living in those areas know that, in all...
One dead after van plunges off Santa Cruz Wharf
A Scotts Valley man died Sunday morning after his minivan plunged into the ocean from the Santa Cruz Wharf.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office...






















