The state agency responsible for holding employers accountable for workplace safety has launched an investigation into the Dec. 23 Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf collapse, a spokesperson for Cal/OSHA confirmed.
Santa Cruz wharf collapse and harbor damage 2024
Coverage of the Dec. 23, 2024, collapse of the end of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and swell damage to the Santa Cruz Harbor, and the aftermath.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: What is the cause of the wharf collapse?
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident writes that she hopes for clarity about the cause of the Dec. 23 collapse of the city’s wharf after conflicting statements by city officials and a marine engineer who was on the wharf that day.
Posted inLatest News
Police search for plaque pilfered from Santa Cruz Wharf collapse
The Santa Cruz Police Department is on the search for two suspects and a missing interpretive plaque from the wharf after the partial collapse Dec. 23.
Posted inLatest News
Why were three people on wharf during collapse? City officials, on-site engineer offer conflicting accounts
Official explanations have varied about why three workers were on a vulnerable stretch of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf when forecast powerful swells ripped through it on Dec. 23. Although city officials have described it as a safety inspection, a marine engineer who was out there that day offered a conflicting account.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz asks community to report wharf debris
After the partial wharf collapse Dec. 23, Santa Cruz city officials are asking beachgoers to support the cleanup effort by reporting debris sightings and information.
Posted inLatest News
‘I surfed a 150-foot gun’: City worker who survived Santa Cruz Wharf collapse recounts narrow escape
When a record swell ripped through the Santa Cruz Wharf on Dec. 23, Norm Daly found himself on a collapsing deck, swept into a dramatic fight for survival. With waves crashing and a multi-ton crane teetering nearby, Daly narrowly made it out. He tells Lookout, “I’m just glad to be here.”
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz Wharf to reopen Saturday following location of heavy equipment, engineering assessment
The Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf will reopen on Saturday following a nearly two-week closure after huge waves caused the end of the pier to collapse on Dec. 23.
Posted inLatest News
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County provides relief to harbor residents, wharf employees
Nineteen residents who had been living in boats in the Santa Cruz Harbor have received $500 gift cards from Community Foundation Santa Cruz County to help with expenses, and about 180 wharf employees have applied.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz Harbor liveaboards face housing uncertainty after devastating swell
The Santa Cruz Harbor is home to about 50 people who live on their boats, many of whom are seeking refuge from the region’s high housing costs. Now, some of these “liveaboards” are struggling with what’s next after the Dec. 23 ocean swells ravaged the harbor, destroying more than 15 vessels and causing more than $26 million in damage.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Harbor businesses, Santa Cruz fishers still reeling from storm surge that caused $26 million in damages
Port authorities continue to clean up debris and marine equipment after a storm surge ripped through the Santa Cruz Harbor on Dec. 23, causing an estimated $26 million in damages. Area businesses have suffered financial losses from emergency closures, and as the Dungeness crab season prepares to open, local fishers will have to navigate a harbor mouth compromised with sediment pushed in by the storm.