From the Field to Your Table: How Corporate Growers Exploit Farmworker Vulnerability
The fastest strawberry pickers can complete approximately nine baskets per hour, being paid between $1.75 and $2.00 per basket. Growers say this piece rate can suffice for minimum wage, but that is rarely the case. Exposed to dangerous pesticides, unable to access benefits like healthcare,…
City Closes Harvey West “Agreement Camp,” Relocates Residents to San Lorenzo Benchlands
*Pseudonym used to protect source’s privacy. City clearing of the Harvey West “Agreement Camp,” a houseless encampment that had been nestled in the northwest corner of Harvey West Park since December 2020, began the morning of May 19, sending its about 30 residents and their…
Caltrans Clears Highway 1 and 9 Houseless Encampments Ahead of Widening Project
Residents of a houseless encampment alongside of the intersection of Highways 1 and 9 were told to pack up their belongings and leave by the morning of May 10, as Caltrans workers began a weeklong cleanup of the debris and belongings remaining at the site. …
New Executive Director to Lead Expansion of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust
“Growth,” a six-letter word to many a conservationist, isn’t the major goal you would expect from a nonprofit that stewards the land of North Central California. But when Raymond Hitchcock was selected as the Amah Mutsun Land Trust’s (AMLT) new executive director last month, growing…
Cowell’s Surf Shop Found Its Wave
The doors of the surf shop are wide open, letting the crisp ocean air waft around the building. In the center of the room are a dozen colorful surfboards, set back-to-back in a row. Walking through the sandy entryway, shoppers are greeted by a sea…
Newly Created Housing for Health Division Hopes to Revamp Houseless Resources in Santa Cruz
Passed in late March, the Temporary Outdoor Living Ordinance that would have enforced harsh relocation policies toward unhoused people was ultimately withdrawn after widespread community opposition. While the Santa Cruz City Council evaluates next steps, a different, county-wide framework is seeking to provide long-term solutions…
Santa Cruz Cardinals Football Celebrates COVID-Delayed Senior Night
The low murmurs from a restless crowd echo from end to end of Myrtle Street on April 16. The band, the cheerleaders, and the Aptos Mariners await the appearance of the Santa Cruz Cardinals on the field. As the band roared and the announcer’s voice…
Leaves, Logs, and Linebackers: Santa Cruz Claims The Stump in a Victory over Soquel
“The Stump,” a durable redwood barrel that might ordinarily be tossed into a wood chipper, is a wood-carved trophy that symbolizes a rivalry spanning six decades and a lifetime of high school football. Its a tradition that has remained uninterrupted since 1965 — even through…
TOLO Scrapped, City Council Goes Back To Square One
After widespread community opposition, the implementation of the Temporary Outdoor Living Ordinance (TOLO) was suspended. Instead, city officials will go back to the drawing board to draft a new ordinance, based on four points outlined by the City Council, by May 11. “It is very…
Summer Fun Looms as Boardwalk Reopens
It’s just before noon on a sunny Tuesday in Santa Cruz, and while most folks were in their virtual classes or at their Zoom office job, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk had hundreds of people ready to ride the Giant Dipper for the first time…