Firefighters battling blaze at Monterey Bay Academy near Watsonville
LA SELVA BEACH—Firefighters on Saturday night were battling a blaze on the Monterey Bay Academy campus on the outskirts of Watsonville.
https://twitter.com/CALFIRECZU/status/1284721308358422530
The fire started around 10:30pm, according to Cal Fire, and was confined to an old movie theater on the private school's campus on 700...
Man arrested for large cache of drugs, guns
SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Thursday arrested a man after finding more than three pounds of heroin and several illegal firearms in his possession.
Joseph Watts, 65, was charged with drug possession, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He...
County’s budget cuts to Sheriff’s Office eased
SANTA CRUZ— The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an $874 million budget for the coming year that includes cuts and position reductions to every department in the county.
According to County Budget Manager Christina Mowrey, the reductions include furloughs of 5-10%,...
Dentistry, clinics hope to bounce back after closure
SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on April 22 announced plans to allow hospitals to resume surgeries and other procedures that were delayed while the state grapples with the novel coronavirus pandemic.
These procedures include heart valve replacements, angioplasty and tumor removals, and key preventive care services, such...
Weather gives firefighters a break; CZU Complex fires 5% contained
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS—Mother Nature is lending a hand in the fight against the CZU August Lightning Complex fires in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Mark Brunton said a much welcomed marine layer wandered into the Central Coast as the weekend got...
Santa Cruz County Covid-19 cases see steady rise
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County health officials identified 37 new Covid-19 cases—the county’s largest single-day jump since the virus started its spread—on Monday, increasing the number of new cases over the last eight days to 142.
There are 216 active cases in the county, and...
Hundreds of evacuated animals held at Fairgrounds; room still available
WATSONVILLE—While the fire evacuation center at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds is reaching capacity for humans—only single cots and limited tent camping space are available—there is still room for pets and other animals.
Hundreds of animals have been evacuated to the fairgrounds since the CZU...
County Supervisors green-light SHIELD ordinance
Santa Cruz County’s immigrant population received an additional measure of protection Tuesday when the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance which, if adopted March 24, would prohibit federal immigration officials from using county property or facilities for immigration-related enforcement...
County still weeks away from opening restaurants for dine-in
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Though some rural counties around the state are allowing their restaurants to open for dine-in service, Santa Cruz County officials are still at least several days away from giving their restaurateurs the green light.
That’s according to county spokesman Jason Hoppin, who on...
Deputy Sheriffs’ Association makes record donation for memorial park
SOQUEL—The Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriffs' Association (DSA) has offered a $100,000 “challenge” grant to help fund a memorial for Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, who was killed on duty on June 6, 2020.
The grant is the largest donation in the organization’s history.
The DSA now...
