U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Jimmy Panetta visited the banks of the Pajaro River on Wednesday in an effort to get the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moving faster on not only repairs to the levee whose failure flooded the town of Pajaro in March but also the long-promised levee overhaul. The Corps is aiming to finish emergency repairs by the fall, and to break ground on a long-promised $400 million upgrade by summer 2024.
Storms 2023: Road to Recovery
Posted inEnvironment
An epic 31 atmospheric river storms transformed California. The mystery is why
An onslaught of atmospheric rivers hit California this winter, exposing the delicate balance of the systems that provide crucial water and can prompt dangerous floods.
Posted inLatest News
‘This is beyond’: Recovery underway in Santa Cruz Mountains after wind-whipped trees crush dozens of homes
The March 21 wind event that “sounded like death” left homes and property damaged throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains, with some residents still displaced after trees weighing several tons splintered their homes.
Posted inLatest News
How a Pajaro Middle School teacher and her students are navigating recovery after Pajaro River levee breach
More than 400 students from Pajaro Middle School are now learning in makeshift classroom setups at Watsonville’s Lakeview Middle after their school flooded in March. “I find myself just feeling guilty that I’m trying to make the situation feel normal,” said Ebelin Mata, who teaches sixth and seventh graders. “When it’s not.”
Posted inEnvironment
Striking satellite photos from space show California’s transformation from dry to lush
Photos from NASA show the California landscape turning from brown to green after recent winter storms.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
‘It’s undignified’: Pajaro residents march to voice frustration, call for more help
Close to 200 people marched through Pajaro on Thursday to the bridge separating the Monterey County agricultural town from Watsonville, on the Santa Cruz County side of the Pajaro River. They voiced frustrations at what they say is a slow response and lack of help after the March 11 failure of the river’s levee flooded Pajaro and left many homes damaged or uninhabitable. Here’s what Lookout’s Kevin Painchaud saw and heard.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz to provide update Thursday on West Cliff one-way pilot project, traffic plan
A stretch of West Cliff Drive between Woodrow Avenue and Columbia Street was converted to one-way in January. Since then, traffic on Oxford Way, just off of Woodrow, has increased noticeably. Residents have raised concerns with city staff, prompting discussions about turning Oxford Way into a cul-de-sac ahead of a plan to extend the one-way section of West Cliff to roughly a mile.
Posted inLatest News
Newsom asks Biden to declare a major disaster in Santa Cruz, Monterey counties and others
The failure of the Pajaro River levee on March 11, putting 33,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings and flooding a largely low-income farmworker community, offered yet another generational disaster for the Central Coast this winter.
Posted inLatest News
Pajaro Valley Pride, Fruition Brewing host fundraiser for Pajaro farmworkers
Watsonville’s Fruition Brewing will be the scene Sunday as Pajaro Valley Pride puts on a drag and burlesque show as part of relief efforts for farmworkers affected by the catastrophic flooding that followed the Pajaro River levee failure. The fundraiser also like a raffle for prizes including gift cards for Mentone, Lupulo and Pacific Cookie Company and a tasting experience at Big Basin Vineyards.
Posted inFood & Drink
Hit hard by storms, San Lorenzo Valley restaurants lean on community
Road closures and power outages have been a near-constant fact of life in the San Lorenzo Valley since the parade of atmospheric rivers began New Year’s Eve. And as stressful as that’s been for restaurant owners, they’ve felt plenty of support from residents of the area that’s still recovering from 2020’s ruinous fires.