Local News

Santa Cruz County plans to support a lawsuit challenging a proposed federal immigration enforcement facility near Gilroy by joining an amicus curiae brief alongside Santa Clara County and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, county officials announced Thursday. The lawsuit seeks judicial review of a facility...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The CZU August Lightning Complex fires have so far destroyed more than 500 homes and forced 77,000 people to evacuate from their community. Those people have flooded evacuation centers throughout the county. That, coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic that has upended the economy...

A sand castle spelling out "Capitola" is one of several castles various teams built as part of the Capitola Beach Festival.

SCOTTS VALLEY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s detectives on Wednesday arrested a Live Oak man suspected of using credit and bank cards stolen from a firefighter’s truck to make thousands of dollars in purchases. Brian Lee Johnson, 34, has been charged with using stolen credit cards, receiving...

When the women of the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist first opened their thrift shop, it was solely to raise money for a new carpet.

WATSONVILLE—As lunchtime drew to a close Wednesday, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Starlight Elementary School began to gradually filter into the classroom of art teacher Meredith Branan Freeman. They were there to learn about stop-motion animation and create their own movies. Some students worked individually,...

The annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count conducted in January showed that 1,648 people were experiencing homelessness, a 12% increase from 2025. County officials cautioned that much of the increase reflects changes in how the count was conducted rather than a direct year-over-year increase in homelessness. For the...

WATSONVILLE—A 26-year-old Santa Cruz County man died Saturday after he was bitten by a shark in the waters just off Manresa State Beach, California Public Safety Superintendent Gabe McKenna confirmed. The victim has been identified as Santa Cruz resident Ben Kelly, a prominent surfboard maker...

On Dec. 16, Seascape Village Fitness partnered with Santa Cruz Children’s Charities to host the 10th Annual Beauty Bash Fundraiser to benefit local families in need.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The World Health Organization on Wednesday classified COVID-19 as a pandemic, as lawmakers and leaders worldwide grapple with rapidly growing numbers of cases. There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have died. Thousands more have been hospitalized,...