After David Scott Smith and his son, Travis Shane Smith, were arrested a day earlier, prosecutors filed several felony charges against them Thursday.
Wildfires
Posted inEnvironment
Democrats eye massive shift in war on wildfires: Prevention
The Democrats’ social spending bill includes the largest-ever investment in forests, including major wildfire prevention funding.
Posted inHousing & Development
Interested in tiny homes? Santa Cruz County wants to hear from you
County officials are holding a series of public meetings, beginning Wednesday, to gather input on building and regulating tiny homes. While tiny homes are currently permitted as stationary dwellings, the county wants to establish development guidelines moving forward.
Posted inEnvironment
‘There is nothing alive on that tree’: Inside a giant sequoia grove scorched by the KNP Complex fire
Most of the giant sequoias killed by the KNP Complex fire were in a single grove, where flames might have blanketed the tops of the trees that rise more than 250 feet.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘They assured us they would pave this’: Damaged roads creating a rebuild headache for many CZU families
The Board of Supervisors voted to asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to pressure Anvil Builders Inc. to repair damage the county says it caused to local roads as part of a debris-removing project that followed the CZU fire. Anvil responded that it only used equipment allowed under its contract and is not at fault.
Posted inLatest News
Rain, wind to hit Santa Cruz region Monday evening — power outages likely in mountain areas
A weak atmospheric river is forecast to bring Santa Cruz County up to 2 inches of rainfall and wind gusts of up to 45 mph overnight Monday and into Tuesday, leading Pacific Gas and Electric to prepare for outages. Rainfall and potential thunderstorms are expected to arrive after 4 p.m. Monday and clear out by early Wednesday.
Posted inLatest News
PG&E under federal probe in Dixie fire, expects more than $1 billion in losses tied to blaze
New Leaf Community Markets brand manager Lindsay Gizdich said the store is moving from Pacific Avenue in order to have…
Posted inPolitics & Policy
The criminalization of car homelessness? How oversized vehicle ordinance could affect Santa Cruz’s unhoused
With a vote of 5-2 last week, the Santa Cruz City Council approved an oversized vehicle ordinance in its first reading, with a second reading yet unscheduled. Opponents to the ordinance, both local activists and legal experts, say it criminalizes homelessness, and could lead to greater issues for the city in addressing the unhoused.
Posted inEnvironment
PG&E must reduce outage impacts on customers, says California Public Utilities Commission
Following a series of Pacific Gas & Electric outages meant to reduce fire risk in parts of Santa Cruz County over the summer, the California Public Utilities Commission is requiring the company to mitigate the effects on residents who were left without power, sometimes for days. The commission responded to a letter sent by Santa Cruz County Chair of the Board of Supervisors Bruce McPherson in September.
Posted inEnvironment
Climate change is now the main driver of increasing wildfire weather, study finds
New study says climate change is essentially two-thirds to 88% responsible for the conditions driving wildfire woes in the western United States.