Santa Cruz County Relaxes Some COVID-19 Restrictions
Office workspaces, in-store retail, religious services and cultural ceremonies, limited personal services, manufacturing, protests and outdoor museums can resume operation effective 11:59 p.m. on May 26, according to a new Santa Cruz County health order. The order is set to expire July 1. All businesses…
Relieving Food Insecurity During a Pandemic
Food banks and UCSC pantries work to maintain supply
There are 146 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two associated deaths in Santa Cruz as of May 13. One in five adults and one in four children in Santa Cruz County are food insecure, according to a study that was conducted by the Second Harvest…
Extended Census Deadline Opportunity to Revamp Outreach During COVID-19
Reminders to fill out the U.S. Census have probably flooded your mailbox for the last couple months, but as COVID-19 puts a halt on usual outreach tactics, Santa Cruz County census workers have restrategized to make sure as many people as possible fill out this…
Three Santa Cruz Hotels Contracted for Houseless Isolation
On April 3, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Project Roomkey, a statewide initiative aimed at securing up to 15,000 hotel rooms for houseless individuals. The state acquired 12,603 rooms and 1,200 trailers as of April 29. “This is something that’s going on all over the place,…
Despite Council Vote, Food Not Bombs Continues Providing Meals
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Food Not Bombs (FNB) only provided meals to the houseless community on weekends. Since Santa Cruz’s shelter in place order began on March 17, FNB has served about 100 houseless individuals for over 50 consecutive days. “The thing that’s very…
Santa Cruz Updates Shelter in Place Order
Beach restrictions reimplemented Santa Cruz County’s latest shelter in place order, issued April 30 and effective May 1, eases restrictions on movement by expanding the list of essential businesses. Santa Cruz Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel deemed landscaping, construction, plant nurseries, childcare and golf courses…
New Lab Brings COVID-19 Test Processing to UCSC
The UC Santa Cruz Molecular Diagnostic Lab opened its doors on May 1, becoming one of four facilities in Santa Cruz County capable of processing tests for COVID-19. The lab has the theoretical capacity to process upward of 800 COVID-19 test samples per day, though…
CalFresh EBT Use Expanded
Order makes applying for the program easier After the federal government granted California Governor Gavin Newsom’s request on April 28, CalFresh Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cardholders can now purchase groceries online from Amazon and Walmart. The modification is an effort to safeguard residents and make…
Fifteen Reports of Zoom Bombing at UCSC, 8 Open Investigations
Written by Hannah Finley and Haneen Zain As spring quarter kicked off, a number of UC Santa Cruz’s virtual classrooms were bombarded with racist, sexist and pornographic disruptions. These interruptions, known as “Zoom bombings,” have cropped up across the country, putting Zoom’s security into question. …
Small Businesses Face Effects of COVID-19
“We just did not have the resources to weather a lengthy shutdown like this.” – Mia Bossie, co-owner of 99 Bottles, a Santa Cruz restaurant and pub that closed permanently in March Bossie and her husband founded 99 Bottles eight years ago, and it came…