2024 In Review
What a year it’s been for Santa Cruz County. From an election that was consequential both for the county and the nation, to the return of nature’s dramatic flourishes in the form of tornados, tsunami warnings and catastrophic waves, 2024 kept our 10-person newsroom busy.
As we wrap up this rollercoaster of a year, we’ve assembled some of our most-read stories and opinion pieces that captured your attention in 2024. Consider this a highlight reel of the moments that defined our community this year.
Stay curious, stay connected. Our newsroom will be ready for whatever 2025 may bring.
In the face of $4.8 million fine, Rio Del Mar HOA doubles down and erects a new coastal fence
What’s in a fence? For a Rio Del Mar homeowners association, state regulators and local residents, a brand-new barrier blocking the public from a beachside walkway represents the latest turn in a winding, yearslong battle around public access and private property rights.
Yes, Santa Cruz County is again named country’s most expensive rental market — and the gap has widened
For the second year in a row, Santa Cruz County has been named the country’s most expensive rental market. Further, the gap between the county and the second-most-expensive area, the San Francisco metro area, widened considerably. Housing advocates are not surprised.
Riding my bike on the Santa Cruz levee bike path is making me change my politics – it’s too dangerous here to be green
We are building biking paths all over Santa Cruz County, but if we can’t keep what we already have safe, will that new infrastructure be underutilized? Jamie Barsimantov shares what it’s been like to ride on the San Lorenzo River levee bike path over the past 20 years.
‘Blue Mind’ environmentalist and ‘Slow Coast’ advocate Wallace J. Nichols dies at 56
Entrepreneurial scientist Wallace J. Nichols created the Blue Mind movement from his home on Santa Cruz County’s rugged North Coast. “I wish you water,” he offered the world, and gave away blue marbles to friends and fans as a keepsake as he plumbed the deep-seated human attraction to water.
After residents told to move their mobile homes for Coastal Rail Trail, some mull legal action
Residents in two Live Oak mobile home parks directly beside the rail line fear they could be displaced by the Coastal Rail Trail project, specifically, Segments 10 and 11 that run right between the two parks. As the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission prepares to consider options for the residents, those living in the parks have begun seriously weighing legal action.
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MORE TOP STORIES FROM 2024
