55 F
Aptos
January 1, 2026

Woman arrested for felony vandalism

SANTA CRUZ — A Santa Cruz woman was arrested Thursday for allegedly slashing 25 tires on vehicles parked on the 2800 block of Soquel Avenue on Feb. 16.

Three decades of PVUSD tales

James Baker spent 30 years in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, working his way up from a teacher to superintendent. Over those three decades, the school district was faced with integrating bilingual education, a teacher strike, a year-round schedule, the devastation of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and many other trials and tribulations.

Santa Cruz man charged with sex crimes involving minor

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Monday arrested a Santa Cruz man on several felony sex crimes, sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said. Lucas Klatt, 39, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child, annoying or molesting a child and burglary. Klatt is known...

Carrillo pleads guilty to Gutzwiller killing

Steven Carrillo
SANTA CRUZ—The man who shot a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s sergeant to death—days after killing a federal building security guard in Oakland during a crime spree two years ago—pleaded guilty Monday to the local charges. Steven Carrillo, 33, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant, will...

Sheriff: We will enforce county beach restrictions

Santa Cruz County coronavirus
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said Friday that his deputies–along with law enforcement officials across the county–plan to enforce the beach restrictions issued Thursday by Health Officer Gail Newel. The health officer imposed the rules to slow the spread of the novel...

Santa Clara County announces third coronavirus case

SANTA CLARA COUNTY—The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department announced Friday that a third case of coronavirus has been diagnosed in that county.   The case is different from the other two previously found, in that the victim does not have a travel history nor...

State prioritizes farmworkers for Covid-19 vaccinations

CALIFORNIA—As California deals with a surge of Covid-19 cases, hope is in sight as the vaccine begins to be administered to healthcare workers and long-term care residents. And on Jan. 13, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that farmworkers would be included in the next tier. The announcement...

Keeping pets safe on Fourth of July

fourth of july pets
WATSONVILLE—After months of being shuttered during the countywide response to Covid-19, Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter’s (SCCAS) Watsonville location has opened once again. The reopening came a few days before the Fourth of July, a holiday known to cause lost pets and disrupted wildlife from...

Santa Cruz County health officer again limits access to beaches

COVID-19 orders
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Wednesday issued new restrictions on the county’s beaches, restricting their use between 11am and 5 pm starting on Saturday. The new restrictions came after hordes of people crowded the beaches and ignored social distancing rules...

Massive memorial honors fallen Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy

damon gutzwiller
APTOS—Hundreds gathered Wednesday for Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller's memorial at Cabrillo College under brilliant sunny conditions. Gutzwiller, a former Cabrillo student and Aptos resident, was gunned down while on duty June 6 in Ben Lomond. The event began at 7:45am with a...