County dipping into reserves to cover Covid-19 deficit
SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County Chief Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios told the Board of Supervisors Monday that it should spend $20 million in reserves to fill a deficit for the 2019-20 fiscal year caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
That move will be a sizable slice of...
Newsom closes indoor services in restaurants, other businesses
SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered a statewide closure to indoor services in restaurants, theaters, wineries, museums, zoos, card rooms and family entertainment centers. Bars must cease all operations.
In addition, 30 counties on California’s county watchlist must also shutter their churches, gyms, malls, hair...
Watsonville Covid-19 testing site now open to all area residents
WATSONVILLE—The Covid-19 community testing site at Ramsay Park in Watsonville is now open to all residents of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.
First opened to frontline healthcare workers, first responders and employees working in essential services and roles, the site will now test everyone, including...
Santa Cruz County restricts beaches, loosens order to reopen several industries
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Thursday indefinitely extended the shelter-in-place order issued on March 31. She also closed the county’s beaches between the hours of 11am and 5pm.
Both moves are meant to further reduce the spread of COVID-19 by...
County’s young people invited to spend ‘Noon in the Park’
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Families across Santa Cruz County are invited to participate in Noon in the Park, a free, virtual program featuring community leaders singing, reading books and creating art.
Each day is different.
Kate Pavao and Aaron Lazenby, who run the Live Like Coco Foundation, will...
Dominican Hospital gets $1M donation for workers
SANTA CRUZ—Dignity Health Dominican Hospital announced Monday that it has received a $1 million donation, which will be dispersed to hospital employees who have helped fight the coronavirus.
The anonymous donor is a “long-time friend” of the hospital who wanted to thank the workers specifically...
Santa Cruz METRO steps up disinfecting routines to keep rolling
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Deep cleaning is now routine at Santa Cruz METRO to not only keep their fleet on the road, but to assure riders that busses are squeaky clean.
Every day since early March, before the first person in Santa Cruz County was diagnosed with...
Santa Cruz County jury trials to resume
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Superior Court plans to resume jury trials in late summer, a little more than two months after they were temporarily suspended due to concerns over Covid-19.
Presiding Judge Paul Burdick announced on March 17 that all jury trials—including criminal, civil...
Smaller classes, fewer days lead district’s plans for fall semester
WATSONVILLE—Many students unable to return to class when school starts on Aug. 14 due to Covid-19 restrictions will attend a virtual academy, an all-online option created by Pajaro Valley Unified School District as it plans for the coming academic year.
The PVUSD Board of Trustees...
‘Major modifications’ coming to local summer programs, camps
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—When Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel revised her shelter-in-place order on May 1, she relaxed restrictions on summer programs such as daycare and day camp, allowing families to begin planning activities for their kids after months of restrictions.
The announcement came...
