Santa Cruz County is seeking young adults ages 14 to 24 to serve on a newly formed Youth Advisory Task Force.
Civic Life
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Folklorico dance celebration arrives in Santa Cruz County, with classes and performances
Esperanza Del Valle and Cabrillo College join forces for an ambitious deep dive into folklorico dance with a 10-day conference featuring visiting performers from Veracruz, Mexico. The group will perform four shows over two weekends at two separate venues, teach lessons for beginners and advanced dancers, and be the headliners at a big community bash Aug. 23 in downtown Watsonville.
Posted inHousing & Development
Can Scotts Valley finally fill the hole in its heart with a new town center?
Scotts Valley has grappled for nearly 40 years with a vacant lot at the heart of its city. Long envisioned for a vibrant Town Center development, the overgrown expanse has become a symbol of unfulfilled promises. Now, a federal earmark and a shift in state housing mandates offer a lifeline. Will this time be different?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
With no room in Santa Cruz County budget for even basic fixes, bleak financial trail lies ahead
“Unprecedented” has become an overused term since the pandemic, but Santa Cruz County faces budget struggles brought on by natural disasters that are unique in the county’s history.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz became only the second California city to close the gender pay gap in sports. How?
All city-sanctioned competitions in Santa Cruz that offer prize money must offer equal payouts to men and women. How is Santa Cruz only the second California city to require this?
Posted inLatest News, Politics & Policy
Union says animal shelter petition mistakenly altered to call for administrator firings amid labor dispute
An online petition supporting Santa Cruz County Animal Services workers was changed to call for the firing of three shelter administrators before being restored to its original wording due to a “language error” according to the union representing the workers. Shelter workers have been raising concerns about working conditions, including chronic understaffing and low pay, since June.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors backs sales tax ballot measure, parking ban near Henry Cowell
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to place the question of a sales tax rate increase on the March 5 primary ballot. The proposal would increase the county’s sales tax by a half-cent to 9.5%, funds local leaders say they need to address weather-related infrastructure issues and to pay salaries that reflect the escalating cost of living. Supervisors also proposed a parking ban on Highway 9 near Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
County says sales tax increase crucial to funding services
Voters in March could decide on whether to increase Santa Cruz County’s sales tax rate by a half-cent to 9.5% if the board of supervisors approves including the question on the March 5 primary ballot. The increase could bring in $10 million annually to a county struggling financially.
Posted inLatest News
Sheriff’s office confirms hunger strike in Santa Cruz jail as inmates say ‘we are treated abominably’
Five inmates are on a hunger strike in the Santa Cruz Main Jail, and their complaints mirror many of the issues cited in a civil grand jury report earlier this year. A similar demonstration led to changes in the jail in May 2019, but activists say the focus should remain on funding programs and services aimed at rehabilitation.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘Do you want us to get into a gunfight?’ Santa Cruz cannabis industry decries police response to burglaries
Santa Cruz County cannabis businesses are seeing a rapid rise in sophisticated burglary operations, boiling over last month into one business owner attempting to intervene with gunfire. Industry leaders say the police, which have not made any arrests after multiple burglaries in 2023, are failing. The cops disagree.