County offering free lunches for fire evacuees
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center has announced it will be offering a free lunch program for evacuees of the CZU Lightning Complex fires beginning Tuesday.
The meals are being provided by an anonymous donor through local participating restaurants, food trucks and companies...
Sheriff’s deputy arrested for allegedly having sex with inmate
SANTA CRUZ—A Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy assigned as a correctional officer in the jail has been arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship win an inmate, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn announced Saturday.
Jessica Smith was charged with sexual activity with an inmate, assault by...
City Council, D6: Next Mayor to be determined in November
Editor’s note: This is the first entry in a series of interviews with candidates running for office in the upcoming local elections. Interviewees will include candidates for the Watsonville City Council, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees, the Pajaro Valley Water...
Save Our Shores kicks off Coastal Cleanup Month
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—For years Save Our Shores (SOS) has hosted Coastal Cleanup Day, where residents help clean beaches, parks, and other sites across Monterey Bay.
Due to Covid-19, the event—usually held the third weekend of September—will not take place in 2020. But that is not...
Serial rooftop burglar arrested, again
WATSONVILLE—A man with a history of burglarizing businesses by entering through their rooftops was arrested again on Aug. 25, when he allegedly broke into Cabrillo College’s Watsonville campus, Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said.
Fermin Sanchez, 33, faces new burglary and trespassing charges. He was...
Shelter sites begin to transition as fire recovery begins
SANTA CRUZ—With the repopulation of a few towns in the CZU August Lighting Complex evacuation zone, the Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is now shifting attention to the needs of people who have been displaced from their homes.
As of Thursday, the fire...
Census workers finding residents where they live
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—With a Sept. 30 deadline to complete the nationwide 2020 Census, the federal agency has its hands full making sure every resident is counted.
But that can be difficult when residents have been evacuated due to an emergency such as the CZU August...
State makes deal to boost Covid-19 testing capacity
SACRAMENTO—A contract with a San Jose diagnostics company will allow the state to increase its Covid-19 testing capacity up to an additional 150,000, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Aug. 24.
Under the deal with Perkin Elmer, the state will be able to process up to an...
Local museums, galleries hold steady during pandemic
In late July, the New York Times published an article which revealed an alarming statistic: About 16% of museums and galleries in the U.S. are at risk to close permanently because of Covid-19.
Immediately after, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) began...
Corralitos winery navigates pandemic, heatwave
Winemaker Alex Prikazsky says it had always been a dream of her father, Bob Prikazsky, to open a winery someday.
“My folks would go tasting on the weekends,” she said. “We’d go to wine auctions together. There was always this idea in the back of...
Bill H.R. 4696 would provide pathway to citizenship
Martin Rubalcava came to the U.S. in 1979 from Mexico, and before he earned his citizenship constantly worried about getting rounded up by immigration...
