The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for shipping energy in the Persian Gulf, has sent the prices of diesel and petroleum-based fertilizer – key farming resources – soaring globally. Now, the supply crunch is coming home to roost in agrarian communities like Santa Cruz County.
Agriculture
Posted inHealth & Wellness
UCSC researcher aims to fill gaps in Pajaro Valley air monitoring data, help farmworkers deal with pollution health impacts
Javier González-Rocha, an assistant professor of mathematics at UC Santa Cruz, has been working to identify air monitoring data gaps in the Pajaro Valley to better inform farmworkers and the local community.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Profesor de UCSC busca llenar vacíos en los datos de monitoreo del aire en el Valle de Pájaro para ayudar a trabajadores agrícolas a enfrentar posibles impactos de salud por la contaminación
Javier González-Rocha, profesor asistente de matemáticas en UC Santa Cruz, ha estado trabajando para identificar vacíos en los datos de monitoreo del aire en el Valle de Pájaro con el fin de informar mejor a los trabajadores agrícolas.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
How Santa Cruz County cannabis businesses will benefit from recent reclassification of medical marijuana
After the Department of Justice eased medical marijuana’s legal status, full reclassification could come as early as this year – a move industry participants say would help level the playing field for cannabis businesses by lowering taxes and fostering financing and trade opportunities.
Posted inLatest News
Labor rights leader Dolores Huerta says she was sexually abused by César Chávez
Labor rights leader Dolores Huerta says she was sexually abused by César Chávez amid reported allegations of abuse by others during his tenure as president of the United Farm Workers union.
Posted inLatest News
New report by UCSC researchers examines financial, social and legal hardships faced by farmworkers
A new report by UC Santa Cruz’s Institute for Social Transformation and the Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueño examines the harsh conditions faced by farmworkers and how immigration fears contribute to the severity of their challenges.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Regional air corridor project closer to kickoff; new vendors sought for Abbott Square
State efforts to create special aerial pathways among the airports in Watsonville, Salinas, Marina and Hollister could get off the ground as soon as the end of January, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly look at Santa Cruz County business.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Newsmakers 2025: Food and toiletries distributions for undocumented ag workers become offseason lifeline
As the Pajaro Valley’s growing season comes to a close, many of its workers turn to a monthly food distribution event hosted by the Center for Farmworker Families to alleviate the financial burdens that come with no work for a few months.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How fear of Trump’s immigration blitz is changing life in California farm towns
Tax receipts are down almost 30% in one California farm town, where immigrants are afraid to go out and some longtime workers are weighing self-deportation during the second Trump administration.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Local fintech company’s latest acquisition; startup pitches surf helmet on ‘Shark Tank’
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko reports on Paystand expanding payments to include some types of cryptocurrencies, previews a local startup’s appearance on “Shark Tank” and notes the debut of the Lookout List.