With the monster Park fire blazing through Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties and other intense blazes elsewhere in California, first responders must play an intricate chess game in maneuvering firefighters and equipment from around the United States.
Wildfires
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Study: California wildfire smoke contributed to 52,000 premature deaths over 10 years
When wildfires rage, the immediate threat is obvious – but smoke from the fires actually kills far more people than the flames. As fires become more frequent, that smoke is leading to a public health crisis. In a new study published in the journal Science Advances, we found that wildfire smoke likely contributed to more […]
Posted inLatest News
Fire once helped sequoias reproduce. Now, it’s killing the groves.
Two recent studies find that sequoia groves burned in California megafires of 2020 and 2021 were so severely damaged that the world’s tallest trees might not be able to naturally regenerate.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County has fared well so far this fire season, but officials aren’t letting their guard down
Fire season has been fairly quiet through the first three weeks of July in Santa Cruz County, despite blazes erupting across California. However, local fire personnel caution that the driest and hottest time of the year is still ahead of us. Departments are taking proactive steps to mitigate fire hazards and are reminding people to always be prepared.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
What should happen in YOUR future? Technologist Frederik Pferdt on how to be ‘future ready’
Inspired by his experience evacuating from the CZU fires in 2020, former Google innovation chief Frederik Pferdt has written a new book about what it’s going to take to be “future ready,” and create a better future for humanity. He’ll talk about it next week at Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
After years under siege, Santa Cruz County voters likely to see local climate resilience tax on November ballot
The Water and Wildfire Protection Act would impose a flat $87 tax annually on all parcel owners throughout Santa Cruz County in order to raise money for climate resilience projects. The group behind it has submitted more than 16,000 signatures, which the county clerk must verify for the measure to qualify for the November ballot.
Posted inLatest News
With 15,000 Santa Cruz County homeowners being ‘non-renewed’ for insurance, anxieties grow as plans are hatched in Sacramento
Amid a local and statewide insurance crisis, the California Insurance Commissioner’s office sent representative Richie Sayavong to Santa Cruz County on Tuesday to discuss the current struggles with the board of supervisors and lay out the ways the office is trying to mitigate impacts. He participated in an insurance forum in Scotts Valley later Tuesday night.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Californians are protecting themselves from wildfire. Why is there still an insurance crisis?
As some insurance companies, citing growing risks and costs, have paused or stopped writing new policies in California, lawmakers want mitigation measures to be tracked, updated and accounted for to help insurance availability and affordability.
Posted inLatest News
California requires new homes to have solar panels. Should wildfire victims get a break?
A California Republican’s bill would exempt low- and middle-income wildfire victims from solar panel requirements on rebuilt homes that didn’t have them when they burned down.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Damage and renewal’: Santa Cruz native Manjula Martin’s memoir tries to make sense of the devastating fires of 2020
The devastating fires of 2020 are now giving way to memoirs, and one of the most vivid comes from Santa Cruz native Manjula Martin. Her new book, “The Last Fire Season,” reflects on the 2020 fires with natural history and personal experience, with insights on language, Indigenous land practices and the enduring power of gardening.