COVID-19

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County on Monday saw its largest single-day jump (20) in Covid-19 cases since the virus started its spread along the Central Coast in early March. The case spike increases the county’s active cases to 100, and raises its total case count...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials on Monday ordered all residents to stay home unless engaging in “essential activities, essential governmental functions, or to operate essential businesses.” In addition, all public and private outdoor gatherings are prohibited, as is all non-essential travel. Residents can still go...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Outdoor amusement parks in California counties in the red tier of the state’s Covid-19 reopening plan will be allowed to welcome back customers next month, the California Department of Public Health announced Friday afternoon. Live outdoor sporting events and performances will, too, be...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A team of local educators is teaming up with a Santa Cruz internet provider to bridge the so-called digital divide and bring broadband service to families who have been unable to access it. The Equal Access Santa Cruz County (EASCC) fund is a...

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville was one of the first municipalities in the Monterey Bay to close down its network of recreational centers to slow the spread of COVID-19.  It was also one of the first to reengineer its recreation department for the shelter-in-place era, which...

WATSONVILLE—If all goes according to plan, Watsonville’s Ramsay Park over the next five years will become the “community space that it really needs to be,” says city of Watsonville Administrative Services Director Cindy Czerwin. The City plans to pump roughly $22 million in local, state...

SANTA CRUZ— The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an $874 million budget for the coming year that includes cuts and position reductions to every department in the county. According to County Budget Manager Christina Mowrey, the reductions include furloughs of 5-10%,...

SACRAMENTO—California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday submitted his budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year to the State Legislature, a $227.2 billion package that prioritizes vaccines for all Californians, and gives $90 billion to K-14 education. Newsom says that the state now has a $15 billion...

CAPITOLA—Pier 1 Imports announced Tuesday that it will close all 540 of its stores nationwide, sell its inventory and liquidate its assets. The sales will begin at the Capitola store as soon as the Santa Cruz County Health Department allows it to open. The company’s website...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congress on Monday approved a $900 billion, 5,000-page federal package that could be a boon to California, which like all other states is struggling under the weight of an economy wracked by the Covid-19 pandemic. If signed by President Donald Trump, it will provides...