Hundreds of millions of dollars flowed to Santa Cruz County companies during the first round of the Paycheck Protection Program. With the pandemic still an economic drag, many are heading back for another potential round of funding — and now they’ll likely have more time.
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Posted inCOVID 2022
Drive-thru vaccination clinic for phase 1A and those 75 and older opens at the fairgrounds
A drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinic opens for eligible people at the Watsonville Fairgrounds this week
Posted inBusiness & Technology
‘Too little, too late’: California small businesses chase COVID-19 relief
As new state grants, tax credits and federal loans roll out, small business owners say their survival will depend more on reopening rules, red tape and resolving unemployment chaos. What happens next will shape the state’s job market for years to come.
Posted inCOVID Today
New coronavirus variants are an urgent threat. Here’s what you need to know
Scientists thought the U.K. variant was more transmissible, but evidence suggests those who have the virus are also more likely to die from it, Dr. Anthony Fauci says.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
California would extend eviction protections to June 30, subsidize rent for low-income tenants under proposal
The proposal would also create a rent subsidy program using up to $2.6 billion in federal rental relief dollars.
Posted inPandemic Life
‘Absolutely essential, especially now’: Year-round farmers’ markets a steadying force
Santa Cruz County’s winter farmers’ markets provide ‘arguably a safer shopping environment,’ one proprietor says. But they also tie together a healthy community of like-minded people who strongly believe in their essential-ness amid the pandemic.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Metro trying to survive the COVID-19 economy — and rolling out new features for when riders return
Without students at Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz, ridership has all but evaporated. Students typically make up 60% of the bus system’s riders.
Posted inLatest News
Four juveniles charged with attempted murder after Hagemann Ave shooting in Santa Cruz
A shooting near Garfield Park on the Westside on Thursday night was followed by what police are saying is an attempted murder case on the Eastside near Arana Gulch on Friday afternoon.
Posted inLatest News
‘A really scary day’: August wounds still raw, winter wildfires and winds spark new fears
Five months after the CZU Lightning Complex Fire torched the Santa Cruz Mountains, the smell of smoke once again permeated the county on Tuesday. For many, it brought back visceral fears that have yet to be fully processed.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Going underground: California business operates in secret amid pandemic restrictions
Many small business owners have taken legitimate operations underground during the pandemic. Owners say they’ve been unable to get by on government loans and stimulus checks.