Santa Cruz Neighborhood Court Offers Alternative to Traditional Justice System
Petty theft, like shoplifting bread or eating at a restaurant without paying, can subject California offenders to six months in county jail or a fine of up to $1000 — often leading them into cycles of recidivism and hindering potential employment and housing opportunities. To…
Following Protests, Judge Extends Restraining Order Against Houseless Encampment Evictions
[UPDATE, Jan. 13: Judge Susan van Keulen extended a temporary restraining order against the City of Santa Cruz, keeping houseless encampments at San Lorenzo Park open through Jan. 20 as residents await the final ruling. The motion was announced on Jan. 12, a day before…
Santa Cruz Set to Develop 121-Unit Permanent Housing for the Chronically Houseless
The Santa Cruz City Planning Commission approved a proposal to construct permanent supportive housing for Santa Cruz’s houseless population at a Nov. 19 meeting. Set to be built at 119 Coral St., the building will be a five-story, 121 unit complex providing housing and health…
Benchlands to Golflands: Temporary Housing Encampment Moves Across Town
This is a follow up to a CHP story published about the closing of the Benchlands encampment on Oct. 29. Winding up an isolated road through the De Laveaga golf course, down a smaller fork, through a gated, barbed wire fence, and behind the National…
Boardwalk Closes Again After One Weekend As Santa Cruz COVID Cases Rise
As of Nov. 18 at 11:00 p.m, there are 3,628 cases of COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County, including 27 deaths and 2,962 recovered cases. For a weekend, a Santa Cruz mainstay returned. On Nov. 7, the Boardwalk became the first amusement park in California to…
Elections Update Across Santa Cruz
When the clock hit eight on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the polls closed and many people found themselves constantly refreshing their phones to see the latest results of the presidential election. While 2020 has been regarded as a pivotal election year, the election also saw important…
Santa Cruz County Loosens COVID-19 Restrictions
As of Oct. 29 at 11:40 a.m, there are 2,861 cases of COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County, including 25 deaths and 2,621 recovered cases. A recent decline in reported cases prompted Santa Cruz county officials to relax COVID-19 restrictions on activities and business operations, but…
Benchlands Houseless Camp to Close November 15
The Benchlands houseless camp is set to close Nov. 15 due to its location on a floodplain. City officials currently do not have an alternative location to shelter approximately 70 residents. Outside the chain-link fence at the Benchlands camp is an eight-square-foot plot of dirt,…
Pumpkin Patches Provide Alternative for Safe Fall Fun
Halloween 2020 will be different from any other Halloween we’ve experienced before. Come Oct. 31, streets once filled with candy-seeking children dressed up as ghosts and superheroes will be empty. While trick-or-treating is highly discouraged, there are still ways to have safe fall fun while…
Santa Cruz County Sees Surge in Poll Station Volunteers
With the November election less than two weeks away, Santa Cruz County has received 1,717 applications for the 430 available poll worker positions, according to Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin. “We’re usually begging [for poll workers],” Pellerin said. “It’s now cool to be working…