Local News

In the coming years, as the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors oversees more than 30 departments under their jurisdiction, they will have to grapple with increasing numbers of natural disasters spurred by climate change, as well as homelessness and the housing crisis, and...

On the morning of June 28, 1969, a group of police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village, New York City. As police dragged patrons and staff out of the bar, residents responded—leading to a week of protests and violent...

On Tuesday I went up in a small plane with a friend out of Watsonville Municipal Airport to gather photos of the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire that raged through the Santa Cruz Mountains and was fully constrained last Wednesday. It was nothing shy...

The Santa Cruz County Fair is seeking a new leader. The 14th District Agricultural Association and Santa Cruz County Fair is accepting applications for its Fair Manager, who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of our 105-acre fairgrounds in Watsonville, including planning and managing the...

MOSS LANDING—The Elkhorn Slough Foundation recently acquired a key wetland property along Moro Cojo Slough, a major tributary of the larger Elkhorn Slough.  The 34-acre tract expands the foundation’s holdings in that area to 450 acres. The foundation has protected more than 4,200 acres of...

Zeke Fraser has a lot on his desk, both figuratively and literally. He briefly stepped away from his paperwork-lined desk at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds late Wednesday morning for a quick chat about the upcoming fair, which opens on Wednesday. Vendors and performers were...

WATSONVILLE—Oscar Soto has won the Trustee Area 3 seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees, beating Amanda Hernandez by 51 votes, according to results from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, neither of which have been certified. Soto said he was cautiously...

WATSONVILLE—Covid-19 vaccines are now available by appointment only for residents 75 years and older at the county’s new mass vaccination center at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Residents who are at 95019, 95076 and 95077 zip codes must register at https://mhealthsystem.com/santacruzfairgrounds to schedule an appointment....

A firefighter from Cal Fire chases down flames in a wild land fire that ignited on sloping terrain off of Harkins Slough Road behind Pajaro Valley High School Wednesday. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Sam Filson said the 2pm blaze burned about a half acre...