With a final budget vote looming for Santa Cruz County supervisors, the only health services funding proposal on the table so far is the original, which includes 12 layoffs as part of the elimination of more than 74 full-time positions, service reductions and closure of medical facilities.
Today’s Top Story
A significant story with interest across the county
Posted inLatest News
Capitola DMV to close for two-plus months of renovations starting June 13
The Capitola Department of Motor Vehicles office will shut down for over two months starting June 13, which means that anyone needing to address matters in person will need to go to either Watsonville or one of the other DMV locations in neighboring counties. However, most things can be done online.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
After two bodies found at Pajaro River levee, Watsonville councilmember’s grave suspicion raises new questions
Watsonville City Councilmember Casey Clark suspected there might be bodies buried on the Pajaro River levee after encountering a memorial during a walk. His suspicions have only increased as Monterey County detectives discovered two bodies on the levee in the past two months.
Posted inLatest News
Nearly 1,000 gather at Main Beach to create ‘Resist!’ human banner protesting Trump administration
Around 1,000 people gathered Saturday morning at Santa Cruz Main Beach to spell out the word “Resist!” The event, organized by Indivisible Santa Cruz County, aimed to protest the Trump administration and celebrate Santa Cruz Pride’s 50th anniversary.
Posted inEducation
UC Santa Cruz international student who had visa revoked was told to leave ‘ASAP’
A UC Santa Cruz graduate student from China was abruptly ordered to leave the U.S. in April after his visa and work authorization were revoked without explanation, one of hundreds of cases affecting international students nationwide. His status was restored by the end of the month, but he says the ordeal cost him thousands in lost income and legal fees.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County firefighters gear up for an active ‘fire year’
Fire departments throughout Santa Cruz County are prepared for a dry, hot summer as they grapple with fire season starting earlier and lasting longer than it ever has. Area fire professionals agree that focusing on defensible space around one’s home is the most important thing to mitigate risk.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville approves $12 million in bonds for Ramsay Park, city plaza renovation projects
The Watsonville City Council voted to authorize a lease revenue bond to help address funding gaps for the city’s Ramsay Park and downtown plaza renovation projects. The $12 million bond will be split between the two.
Posted inEducation
‘Alarming’: UCSC budget cuts ‘affect the whole ecosystem’
Even before the rolling effects of the Trump administration’s budget cuts were fully known, UCSC faculty members describe the possible breadth of the university’s cuts on teaching and learning on campus from its pre-existing budget deficit.
Posted inEducation
UCSC faculty survey describes ‘potential extinction-level event’ for programs, low morale due to budget cuts, poor admin communication
As budget woes afflict the UC Santa Cruz campus, a high-level faculty report points a finger at poor administration communication and planning. A campus spokesman denies “administrative error” as cause for a budget deficit recently projected at $81 million.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘The governor is running for president’: Newsom’s homelessness critique finds few fans in Santa Cruz County
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants local jurisdictions to “take back the sidewalks” from homeless encampments; leaders in Santa Cruz County have largely pushed back against what they say is mostly talk from the state’s top political leader.