PVUSD delays decision on school opening plan
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously voted to delay a decision on how to resume classes in August, to give district officials time to investigate all of their options.
Still undetermined is which risk level the district will use...
Gov. Newsom to close beaches, parks statewide Friday
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday is expected to announce the closure of all beaches and state parks starting Friday, multiple national news agencies reported late Wednesday night.
The news comes days after Gov. Newsom expressed concern over numerous photos of people crowding beaches throughout the...
County unveils vendors for senior meal program
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The County of Santa Cruz announced that five local food businesses have been chosen to deliver fresh, nutritious meals to hundreds of local seniors during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Great Plates Delivered serves food to vulnerable older adults through a federal economic stimulus for...
Bus operators push back on METRO’s rider increases
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz METRO has increased its passenger capacity by 50% in an effort to accommodate more riders, but that decision has raised concerns within the union representing the bus operators still working during the Covid-19 pandemic.
METRO CEO Alex Clifford announced on June...
Officers balancing enforcement, education of COVID-19 orders
Additional reporting by Todd Guild
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—With the onset of warmer, sunny days, droves of people have been showing up at area beaches and parks, especially on weekends, even as the shelter-in-place order has hit day 41.
And beginning April 25, Santa Cruz County also...
Cabrillo sees enrollment drop following fires, pandemic
APTOS—When Covid-19 began to sweep the U.S.—and brought with it an economic recession—Cabrillo College officials expected a jump in enrollment that typically comes with a battered economy.
But the college is now seeing a significant drop in those numbers, which it pins on the double...
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...
Cabrillo students wrestle with academic, economic uncertainty
By Jazmin Juarez, Special to the Pajaronian
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The coronavirus has brought many changes to people’s everyday lifestyle. Among them, the transition from in-person to online classes for students.
In Santa Cruz County, Cabrillo College switched to online courses on March 16. The school has...
Santa Cruz County to revise rules for retail
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel said she will revise her shelter-in-place order later this week, after Gov. Gavin Newsom releases information about slightly loosening statewide restrictions.
Newsom is expected to launch Stage 2 of his “Reopening Roadmap,” which will allow retail...
Second Harvest food distributions to run through August
SANTA CRUZ—Second Harvest Food Bank hosted a drive-thru community food distribution Friday at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Supported by numerous volunteers and members of the California National Guard, the distribution unfolded under overcast skies as part of ongoing county-wide distributions that alternate between the...