The Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency announced Wednesday it will move forward with scheduling its encampment sweep along the Pajaro River for the end of August, which will displace dozens of levee residents before temporary housing is available for them.
Tania Ortiz
Tania Ortiz joins Lookout Santa Cruz as the California Local News Fellow to cover South County. Tania earned her master’s degree in journalism in December 2023 from Syracuse University, where she was a Newhouse Diversity News Fellow. In Syracuse, she covered life and culture for Syracuse.com, writing features on local artists and organizations making an impact on the community.
While studying for her master’s, Tania also reported on feminist collectives in Mexico and their efforts to support families of femicide victims as a Pulitzer Center grantee. She’s also written for other publications such as the Charleston City Paper, The South Side Stand and the Los Angeles Journal.
Originally from Oceanside, Tania is excited to be reporting in her home state after living on the East Coast for two years. She looks forward to learning more about Santa Cruz County and connecting with the community through her reporting.
Posted inLatest News
Nearly 19,000 PG&E customers in Aptos, Corralitos without power Tuesday morning
Nearly 19,000 in Santa Cruz County, mainly in and around Aptos, were without power Tuesday morning. PG&E spokesperson Stephanie Magallon told Lookout the outage was triggered after crews switched residents to a different source of electricity.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Facing immigration fears and inflation, a 25-year Watsonville family business fights to survive
Watsonville businesses are struggling with the dual pressures of inflation and immigration fears, with some reporting sales down 70%. At La Minita clothing store, inside a discount mall on Rodriguez Street, Maria Ceballos has added home delivery as customers opt to stay home.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Enfrentando temores de inmigración e inflación, un negocio de Watsonville con 25 años lucha por sobrevivir
Los negocios de Watsonville están lidiando con la doble presión de la inflación y el temor a la inmigración, y algunos reportan una disminución en las ventas de hasta el 70%. En la tienda de ropa La Minita, dentro de un centro comercial de descuentos en la calle Rodríguez, María Ceballos ha añadido el servicio de entrega a domicilio mientras los clientes optan por quedarse en casa.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County homeless count shows uneven progress as budget cuts loom
Santa Cruz County’s annual homeless count hit record lows this year, but the numbers mask a troubling rise in older adults and people with disabilities living on the streets, along with increases in Santa Cruz and Capitola as federal aid dwindles.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
ICE agents visited Santa Cruz at least 7 times since January, SCPD records show
On seven occasions this year, The Santa Cruz Police Department has received advanced warning from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers operating within city limits, according to records provided by the department.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
City of Watsonville loses $2.3 million in federal funding for traffic safety study
Watsonville officials said Wednesday that the city lost a $2.3-million federal transportation grant to study the effects of heavy truck traffic on residential neighborhoods because of changes passed as part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law.
Posted inLatest News
EPA, Vistra reach agreement for urgent battery cleanup at Moss Landing fire site
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached an agreement with Vistra Corp. to remove lithium-ion batteries damaged by a massive fire at its Moss Landing facility in January.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
A promise of shelter, but not soon enough: Pajaro River levee residents face uncertain future even as ‘tiny village’ breaks ground
As construction finally begins this week on the 34-unit “tiny village” shelter intended to house people living along the Pajaro River levee, time is running out for residents to figure out their next move as an encampment cleanup could happen sooner than the anticipated opening of the shelter.
Posted inLatest News
‘It’s looking like a test run’: False ICE alarm at illegal cannabis operation readies community for potential immigration raids
When law enforcement raided a Royal Oaks cannabis warehouse Wednesday in connection with an illegal cannabis investigation, local activists mistook it for an immigration operation, demonstrating how the community’s rapid-response network springs into action when potential ICE threats emerge.