Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—In response to the state’s declaration of a State of Emergency as a result of the threat of COVID-19, and other recent federal, state and county guidance, Santa Cruz (METRO) announced sweeping changes set for Monday. On Thursday Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered California’s...

In that vision, thousands of people using that trail will significantly reduce the load on Highway 1, thus improving commute times and solving a problem that has long plagued the county. That vision is different from that of the county’s rail advocates, who hope that a passenger train will one day serve more than 3,600 people daily. On Tuesday, a group of Greenway supporters handed a stack of petitions with more than 10,000 signatures to Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s new director Guy Preston. Supporters say the petition shows overwhelming support from county residents to convert the rail line into a pedestrian and bike trail.

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to expand the county’s Focused Intervention Team (FIT), which pairs law enforcement officials with behavioral health specialists and other supportive services to address high-frequency criminal offenders. The program launched on Jan....

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...

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...

CALIFORNIA—Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide “stay at home” order on Thursday evening, bringing California’s nearly 40 million residents in line with shelter-in-place orders recently issued by Santa Cruz and Monterey county officials. The directive goes into effect this evening, Newsom said at a press...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved placing a moratorium on new vacation rentals countywide, along with several other rules meant to limit the growing industry. The trustees will consider on June 30 whether to extend the 45-day moratorium. Supervisor John...

WATSONVILLE—Five years after Michel Escobar gunned down a rival gang member, and killed a young girl when one of his bullets went astray, a jury convicted him of two counts of first-degree murder and several special allegations. Escobar, now 36, will likely be sentenced to...

Big changes are under way in Aptos. On top of the sprawling Aptos Village Project, which saw the opening of New Leaf Community Market Wednesday, next comes Betty Burgers.

RIO DEL MAR—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Monday arrested two men for drug and gun charges after one of them pointed a loaded gun at another driver in a road rage incident. Damian Hernandez, 20, and Israel Ibarra, 18, both Morgan Hill residents, were...