Santa Cruz County jail system still free of Covid-19
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has released 93 people from its jail system since March 20, when county Health Officer Gail Newel imposed a series of restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Of the 93 that were released,...
With parade nixed, Aptos celebrates Fourth of July from afar
Since 1961, the World’s Shortest Parade has packed Soquel Drive in Aptos with floats, decorated cars, bands and other community displays of patriotism in celebration of Independence Day.
That will not be the case this year.
With the novel coronavirus still spreading and stay-at-home orders in...
Goodwill Central Coast adapts, looks ahead
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—For many, Spring has always been the season to clear out unused and unneeded items from garages, attics and closets. And with people at home during shelter-in-place, Spring cleaning has increased exponentially.
“People are cooped up with nothing to do,” said Alan C....
County’s places of worship, retail stores allowed to open at reduced capacity
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Tuesday revised her shelter-in-place order to align most of the county’s restrictions with that of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order.
The new county order will open places of worship, in-store retail, outdoor museums and limited...
State gives central coast counties greenlight to open dine-in restaurants, barbershops
The California Department of Public Health approved Covid-19 County Variance Attestation Forms for both Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, the agencies announced Saturday morning.
The acceptance will allow the neighboring counties to advance into Stage 2 of the state's so-called resilience roadmap.
Restaurants can now...
Second Harvest Food Bank facing financial strain
WATSONVILLE—Gov. Gavin Newsom announced increased funding for the Farm to Family Program on April 29. The program directly connects farmers and ranchers to food banks to feed Californians around the state. The state intends to seed a $15 million campaign with $3.64 million to...
Temporary aid inbound for PVUSD budget
WATSONVILLE—The road has been rocky this year for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, as the state went from a rosy pre-coronavirus budget surplus in January to the potential of $19 million in reductions in May.
Those numbers have changed yet again, after Gov. Gavin...
New housing program helps farmworkers during Covid-19 pandemic
WATSONVILLE—Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 24 revealed a new temporary housing program that aims to help agricultural workers across the state better protect themselves and their families during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Housing for the Harvest will offer temporary hotel housing to workers who need to...
Santa Cruz County fair canceled
WATSONVILLE—Every year on the outskirts of Watsonville, late summer brings the intoxicating aroma of fried food, along with the sweet summer cacophony of carnival rides, livestock and giant, jubilant crowds.
But those voices will fall silent this year at the Santa Cruz County Fair, after...
Supervisor Friend hosting tele-town hall to discuss farmworker protections
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend tonight will host a tele-town hall from 6-7pm with guest Tom AmRhein to talk about the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
AmRhein, the former president of the Farm Bureau and the current chair of...
