Local News

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...

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

WATSONVILLE—When the Santa Cruz County Fair opened Wednesday, Watsonville resident Manuel Monroy was one of the first ones through the gate, his 3-year-old son Leo at his side for the boy’s first fair experience. On their agenda was the popular All Alaskan Pig Races, a...

The United Way of Santa Cruz County is accepting applications from agencies that provide food and shelter services looking for financial assistance. The local United Way branch will have $340,041 to distribute to qualifying nonprofit, faith-based and local government agencies through its Emergency Food and...

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.

APTOS—This is the second of two articles showcasing the candidates vying for seats on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees.  Last week, incumbent Jennifer Schacher and Olivia Flores had their say. With four seats up for election, two went uncontested. Daniel Dodge Jr....

Cat & Cloud Coffee threw its doors open early Tuesday in a soft opening to invite the public to their airy indoor, outdoor walk-up counter café.

APTOS—Nonprofit workers in Santa Cruz County are two times more likely than the general public to require the very social services they help provide. That’s according to a recent survey conducted by the Human Care Alliance (HCA), a coalition of nonprofit agencies from around the...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 24 approved a series of bonuses and supplemental payments aimed at retaining teachers and school employees. Every teacher, school worker and administrator employed since April 1—and who plans to stay with the district through...

Juneteenth celebrations of Black liberation and freedom spread out around the country over the weekend, including Monterey, Seaside and Santa Cruz.  Now in its 35th year, the six-hour event in Santa Cruz started with a march from City Hall in downtown Santa Cruz and ended...