The Housing Authority of Santa Cruz County is facing a number of serious concerns this year, including the expiration of pandemic-era emergency housing vouchers and proposed changes to federal policy that could mean more households are ineligible for assistance. However, the organization’s executive director is “cautiously optimistic” that it will be able to provide an alternative.
Today’s Top Story
A significant story with interest across the county
Posted inEducation
Live Oak superintendent resigns, school board approves cutting 6 teachers, mental health clinician, more staff
Live Oak School District’s superintendent announced his resignation effective June 30 as the school board approved nearly 11 staff reductions — including six teachers and a mental health clinician — to address a structural budget deficit driven by declining enrollment and rising costs.
Posted inEducation
UCSC explores making changes to its unique college system model
UC Santa Cruz administrators are exploring potential changes to the campus’ distinctive residential college system — modeled after Oxford and Cambridge universities — as part of a yearlong review aimed at evaluating how to ensure the colleges best serve students.
Posted inLatest News
California State Parks acquires 153-acre property for Big Basin expansion
The $2.4 million acquisition of the NoraBella property along Highway 236 is seen as a key step in the post-CZU fire recovery of Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
Posted inLatest News
Mapping 218,000 Santa Cruz parking citations: UCSC student tracked city’s parking tickets in real time
Third-year UC Santa Cruz student Ivan Kuria built a website that maps and tracks every parking ticket issued in the city of Santa Cruz, and also shows daily tickets going back years. Although the site no longer updates, viewers can still see daily maps of tickets issued between 2020 and Feb. 11.
Posted inLatest News
‘She delighted in the world around her’: Aptos matriarch, WWII ‘human computer’ Marjorie Albright lived 108 years to the fullest
Marjorie Albright passed away Jan. 28 at age 108. The painter, golfer, bridge player and devoted community volunteer is remembered as being curious, resourceful and joyful. She studied astronomy at Wellesley, worked as a human computer during World War II and moved to Aptos in 1990.
Posted inFood & Drink
New Orleans cocktail lounge Alley Oop debuts next to Kuumbwa Jazz
The Alley Oop, a sophisticated cocktail lounge, is opening Friday at 320 Cedar St. in the former Poet & Patriot space next to Kuumbwa Jazz after a three-year renovation. Owner Max Turigliatto hopes the speakeasy-style bar, which serves vintage cocktails, wine and shareable small plates, will complement the music venue and bring a refined nightlife option to that end of downtown Santa Cruz.
Posted inLatest News
More than 6,000 without power Tuesday afternoon as rain, wind and thunder hit county; possibility of light snowfall in mountains
More than 6,300 Santa Cruz County residents were out of power early Tuesday afternoon as consistent rain fell for the third day in a row, accompanied by high winds and thunder. The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory and a coastal flood advisory, which are set to expire at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
Surfer statue ‘to honor the women of the water’ proposed for Pleasure Point
The Pleasure Point resident spearheading the project said the statue would connect Santa Cruz’s Eastside to the Westside, where a bronze male surfer has stood with his board for nearly 35 years. The approximately 17-foot-tall monument with a female figure wearing a wetsuit and holding a longboard is proposed for a bluff along East Cliff Drive.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Grey Bears warms both hearts and plates at Valentine’s Day senior dating mixer
Grey Bears transformed its Live Oak warehouse into a lively senior dating mixer Friday, drawing nearly 100 older adults. The event reflects the nonprofit’s broader mission to combat food insecurity and loneliness among Santa Cruz County’s growing senior population.