A town hall and concert event set for Sunday at Vets Hall in downtown Santa Cruz will bring local politicians, environmental activists and musicians together to oppose Donald Trump’s plans to drill for oil and mine for minerals off California’s coast.
Environment
Posted inLatest News
Earth Day returns to downtown Santa Cruz
Community members will be celebrating Earth Day in downtown Santa Cruz along Pacific Avenue, Cooper Street and at Abbott Square Market from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 18.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Endangered salmon returned to California’s far north — then the money dried up
Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to help a Native tribe restore sacred salmon to their ancestral river. Now, California is ending the funding. The fish made it back to their ancestral waters for the first time in 80 years — so why is the state walking away now?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Laird pushing new bill to speed up Pajaro River levee construction project
State Sen. John Laird is backing new legislation that could help speed construction to repair the Pajaro River levee. Work to fix the river’s flood walls started earlier this year.
Posted inLatest News
Sparse snowpack in California fuels concern over fast-approaching fire season
With California’s reservoirs brimming — but snowpack abysmal — experts warn of a potentially early fire season.
Posted inLatest News
This year’s U.S. wildfires have already set records that could foreshadow a smoky, fiery summer
Recently released data show how drought, paltry Western snows and unseasonable heat, all exacerbated by climate change, could be priming the nation for a long wildfire season.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
How sewage pollution in a California beach town is affecting kids’ health: Headaches, rashes and more
Students in Imperial Beach, near San Diego, face sewage pollution that causes headaches, asthma, rashes and brain fog, as schools contend with sewage pollution from the Tijuana River.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz to begin studying Lighthouse Point erosion, potential future projects
The Santa Cruz City Council approved the first steps on Tuesday to study erosion and other potential hazards at Lighthouse Point, awarding more than $387,000 to a San Francisco-based environmental consulting firm to begin the work. The city’s public works department is aiming to have a final report and possible recommendations in about a year.
Posted inFood & Drink
Santa Cruz County strawberries weathered heat wave, with potential upside for vineyards
A record March heat wave caused only minor damage to early strawberry crops in Santa Cruz County, with most fruit and other produce left largely unharmed thanks to proactive irrigation. The warm temperatures could even benefit local wine grapes by accelerating early growth and improving conditions for a strong harvest later in the season.
Posted inLatest News
Record heat, melting snow: What does it mean for California’s reservoirs?
Providing about a third of the state’s water supply, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is a vital source of spring and summer runoff that refills reservoirs when the state needs the water most. But a warm, wet storm followed February’s snow, and now, March temperatures are shattering records — prompting warnings of rapid snowmelt and swift rivers.