Local News

In a brief special meeting on  Dec. 27, three Santa Cruz County Supervisors declared a local emergency, which will allow officials to request state and federal assistance for the damages from the heavy surf, winds and storm surge on Dec. 23 and 24. The waves...

After driving through California, Arizona, New Mexico and half of Texas, my wife, Sarah, and I departed Fort Stockton on day seven of our road trip and headed to San Antonio, the final destination and midpoint of our two-week journey. It was here Sarah checked...

California lawmakers in 2024 introduced 4,821 bills, but most of them did not become law, having been tossed or otherwise rejected during the months-long legislative process during which most never saw the light of day. Just 1,206 made it to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, with...

A Santa Clara County man was arrested Dec. 19 after a months-long narcotics trafficking investigation that spanned Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. Juan Basurto Jimenez, 54, was charged with possession of a controlled substance for sale, transportation of a controlled substance, illegal possession of...

A powerful explosion and fire tore through a two-story apartment building in Capitola Village early Christmas morning. No injuries were reported in the 5:10am incident on the 100 block of Lawn Way. Capitola Police and Central Fire responded to reports of a structure fire and...

The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) on Dec. 19 announced a new rule that will provide notice to the public in advance of applications of certain hazardous and drift-prone agricultural pesticides.  The move was broadly welcomed in the farmworker communities of the San Joaquin Valley...

A group of city workers and volunteers spent the afternoon cleaning massive amounts of trash from a wooded hillside in Watsonville one sunny day in early December, hauling away several full dumpsters. “It’s a hot mess,” said Sally-Christine Rodgers, who founded the Pitch-In Initiative about...

A scam via mobile phones is sweeping the Central Coast and elsewhere, where people are being told they owe money for using Bay Area toll roads.  Scammers typically pose as toll collectors and send phone text messages stating the recipient owes money, with warnings of...

In 2023, the California legislature approved Assembly Bill 102—the Budget Act of 2023—which among other things allocated $20 million to Monterey County to help Pajaro recover from the flooding that occurred after the levee breached and caused widespread flooding. But one year later, just one-quarter...