Supervisors greenlight SHIELD to protect immigrants
Santa Cruz County’s immigrant community got a measure of protection Tuesday after the Board of Supervisors approved an ad hoc subcommittee that will address potential impacts from federal immigration enforcement.
The two-member group, known as SHIELD—short for Safeguarding Health, Inclusion, Essential Services, and Local Defense—will be...
Santa Cruz, Monterey counties to test wireless emergency system Thursday
Officials in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties will conduct a test of the Wireless Emergency Alert system on Thursday, sending emergency messages to mobile phones in flood inundation zones near the Pajaro River.
The test is scheduled for about 3pm and is part of ongoing...
Boys To Men
On Jan. 28, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and Monarch Services will co-present the film “The Mask You Live In,” a documentary film that explores how boys and young men navigate a society that often demands an unrealistic ideal of masculinity.
The screening...
Meals on Wheels to celebrate 50th anniversary
Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County will mark its 50th anniversary this year, and organizers are selling tickets for a Feb. 13 fundraising luncheon they say is increasingly critical as demand grows and funding pressures mount.
The 13th annual Food From the Heart Luncheon...
Capitola’s El Toro Bravo reopens after fire damage
Just over a year ago, a Christmas Day fire damaged El Toro Bravo restaurant in Capitola, forcing the 58-year-old business to close.
Rebuilding the much-loved Mexican eatery has taken a stupefying amount of work, as well as navigating the red tape typical of such projects,...
‘Wayfinders’ exhibit to open at Cabrillo Gallery
Cabrillo Gallery is setting the stage for their first art exhibit of 2026, “Tamera Avery: Wayfinders.”
Avery’s paintings explore “enigmatic, surreal situations peopled with young, often absurdly costumed, protagonists,” organizers said. “Her subjects are portrayed with an empathetic eye for the plight of youth today,...
Gun found at Aptos High tied to ‘off-campus incident,’ authorities say
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s investigators believe a firearm found on the Aptos High School campus this week is likely tied to an incident that occurred during winter break at the school, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.
According...
Watsonville High joins national Free America Walkout
Watsonville High School senior Nayeli Lopez is about a year away from being old enough to vote, but that hasn’t stopped her from getting involved in local activism.
Lopez, 17, is president of the school’s Education, Community, Humanitarian, Outreach (ECHO) Leadership Academy. She and other...
Thousands march for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Thousands of people amassed in the streets of downtown Santa Cruz on Monday morning for the annual People’s March for the Dream, an event held to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The crowd included representatives from religious organizations and nonprofits, several elected leaders and...
ICE agents detain man in Watsonville
At least one person was detained in Watsonville on Sunday morning by armed men who appeared to be U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, according to community members who posted video on social media.
The video appeared to show an unidentified man being handcuffed by...
Egg drop tests amateur engineers
Area youths tested their engineering skills Friday in downtown Watsonville at the 2026 Egg Drop Challenge.
The 23rd annual contest celebrates National Engineers Week, which...

















