Santa Cruz Local

Santa Cruz Local has interviewed and surveyed about 50 Scotts Valley residents in recent months to hear their priorities for the Scotts Valley City Council race. Today, we press the candidates — John Lewis, Donna Lind, Jack Dilles and Randy Johnson — on the concerns of residents. Listen to the candidates’ views on housing, supporting local business, stabilizing the city budget, school funding and policing.

Read the transcript: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/09/29/podcast-vote-nov-3-scotts-valley-city-council/

Visit Santa Cruz Local’s elections webpage: https://santacruzlocal.org/elections/

Register for Santa Cruz Local’s upcoming candidate forums: https://santacruzlocal.org/events/

Read more about Scotts Valley’s recent police reforms, including data on vehicle stops: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/09/17/scotts-valley-police-offer-reforms-vehicle-stop-data/

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We hear from Santa Cruz County Supervisor Bruce McPherson with an update on the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. McPherson’s district covers San Lorenzo Valley, which has been hard hit by the fire. McPherson shares an update on the fire response. He also describes his tour Monday of San Lorenzo Valley and what damage he saw.

Read more stories on the wildfire: https://santacruzlocal.org/

Find resources, shelter, and how to help: https://santacruzlocal.org/wildfire/

Episode transcript: https://santacruzlocal.org/

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COVID-19 shutdowns have hurt many locals on the brink of poverty because of the county’s high cost of living. About 40% of Santa Cruz County residents have received some food assistance since the COVID-19 shelter orders began in March, according to Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County staff.

We hear from four people on the margins, from San Lorenzo Valley to Watsonville. We hear how COVID shutdowns have changed their lives and what solutions they’d like to see.

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Support local journalism with a Santa Cruz Local membership: www.santacruzlocal.org/membership

Episode transcript: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/07/31/how-has-covid-19-hurt-santa-cruz-countys-most-vulnerable/

Residents’ recent calls to reduce police presence and funding in Santa Cruz County come at the same time police say they are overburdened with calls for mental health care and homelessness. We explore the aftermath of two recent, fatal police shootings in our county that involved mental health — and how harm could be avoided.

Looking toward solutions, we examine a program in Oregon that dispatches mental health care workers to crises without police. We talk to a Santa Cruz County 911 dispatcher and law enforcement leaders about the advantages and disadvantages of crisis response without police.

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Episode transcript: www.santacruzlocal.org

Santa Cruz County on Monday recorded its largest single-day increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Local health leaders say the uptick is worrisome but expected, as businesses reopen. We hear advice from infectious disease expert and UC Santa Cruz professor Marm Kilpatrick on small ways people can be safer as they venture out. And we share what we know so far about the recent uptick, how the virus moves, and the county’s shortcomings with contact tracing.

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Apply for Santa Cruz Local's Business Advisory Circle: santacruzlocal.org/apply-advisory/

Take our voter survey: www.santacruzlocal.org/votersurvey

Support local journalism with a Santa Cruz Local membership: www.santacruzlocal.org/membership

Episode transcript: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/06/26/podcast-ep-80-how-to-be-social-but-safer-during-the-pandemic/

A big decision is on tap Tuesday for the Santa Cruz City Council: Should the downtown library be renovated, or should a new, larger library with a parking garage and at least 50 affordable housing units be built on nearby city land? Santa Cruz Local talks to library and city leaders, activists and architects about the $27 million question. 

Join Santa Cruz Local's email newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/santacruzlocal/forward

Apply for Santa Cruz Local's Business Advisory Circle: https://santacruzlocal.org/apply-advisory/

Take our voter survey: https://www.santacruzlocal.org/votersurvey

Support local journalism with a Santa Cruz Local membership: http://www.santacruzlocal.org/membership

Episode transcript (members only): www.santacruzlocal.org

Santa Cruz Local's Stephen Baxter and Kara Meyberg Guzman start their reporting for the upcoming Nov. 3 elections by listening to residents and watching city council meetings. We see the biggest local races as the city councils for Watsonville, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Capitola and the District 1 supervisor runoff. As we kick off a county-wide listening tour, we share what we heard at our first stop: the Nueva Vista Community Resources food bank in the Lower Ocean neighborhood of Santa Cruz.

Take our voter survey: www.santacruzlocal.org/votersurvey

Read the transcript: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/06/11/vote-nov-3-part-1-start-by-listening/

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Support local journalism with a Santa Cruz Local membership: www.santacruzlocal.org/membership

Parents and child care providers worry about the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Santa Cruz Local's Jerimiah Oetting answers your questions about child care rules in Santa Cruz County during the coronavirus emergency: How can we expect young children in daycare to socially distance? What is the county doing to ensure these facilities are safe?

This is the fifth installment of "Santa Cruz Local Answers," where Jerimiah tackles your coronavirus-related questions.

Submit your questions: www.santacruzlocal.org/coronavirus

Read the transcript: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/06/07/tough-decisions-child-care-during-a-pandemic/

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Support local journalism with a Santa Cruz Local membership: www.santacruzlocal.org/membership

Santa Cruz Local's Jerimiah Oetting answers your questions about antibody testing: What is it? Is it available in Santa Cruz County? How reliable are the tests? And is the county pursuing antibody testing?

This is the fourth installment of 'Santa Cruz Local Answers,' where Jerimiah tackles your coronavirus-related questions.

Submit your questions to www.santacruzlocal.org/coronavirus. Or email a question to [email protected].

Get Santa Cruz Local's free email newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/santacruzlocal/coronavirus

Support local journalism with a membership: www.santacruzlocal.org/membership

Read the transcript to this episode: www.santacruzlocal.org

Santa Cruz Local's Jerimiah Oetting answers your questions about Project Roomkey, the state effort to provide hotel rooms to vulnerable parts of the homeless population. Where is Santa Cruz County at with the project? How much money did the state provide? How many rooms are there, and who qualifies? Jerimiah talks to a Project Roomkey resident, county officials and homeless service providers. This is the third installment of "Santa Cruz Local Answers," where Jerimiah tackles your coronavirus-related questions.

Submit your questions: www.santacruzlocal.org/coronavirus or email [email protected].

Get Santa Cruz Local's free email newsletter: mailchi.mp/santacruzlocal/coronavirus

Support local journalism with a Santa Cruz Local membership: www.santacruzlocal.org/membership

Read the transcript to this episode: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/05/07/whats-the-status-of-project-roomkey/