Cuts to public libraries are taking their toll on the system. Libraries across the Santa Cruz County system (which excludes Watsonville) are reporting a 26 percent decline in the number of people they are serving now that hours have been reduced. At the same time, they are also experiencing a 40 percent increase in the number of people who use the libraries when they are open.
Articles by Danny Wool
Earthquake Rattles Watsonville
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a 3.9 magnitude earthquake struck an agricultural area about 7 miles outside of Watsonville at 5:51 pm Monday.
City, County Take on Homeless Camp
After a long standoff, officers from the County Sheriffs Office raided the homeless encampment outside the county courthouse and arrested five people.
EPA Praises Wastewater Treatment Facility
The Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the city of Santa Cruz for its efforts to fight climate change.
Migrant Worker Housing Destroyed in Fire
The only people still at home on Thursday morning at the Buena Vista Migrant Center in Watsonville were a handful of latchkey kids. Their parents, migrant agricultural workers, had all gone off to work, in the fields, some of them as far away as Arizona. Then a fire erupted in one of the three bedroom apartments, which was empty. It spread quickly to a neighboring apartment, where only a 14-year-old girl was home. Local and county firefighters struggled to put out the blaze, but when they were done, the duplex and everything in it were destroyed.
Tensions Mount as City and County Confront Peace Camp
“The greatest irony is that the County Courthouse is a place that represents the law, even as people are in flagrant violation of the law on its steps.” That’s the feeling among many courthouse employees, who have to step gingerly between sleeping bags, trash and feces on their way to work every day. Both the city and county agree that the nightly sleep-in and the daily protest by the city’s homeless are illegal, but neither is willing to take the necessary steps to break up the “Peace Camp.” Meanwhile, the protesters are talking about their “plans to resist” next time the city or county interferes with them.
Teen Receives 16 Years to Life for Motel Slaying
Jonathan Cardenas, 19, received a sentence of to 16 years to life in prison for the murder of Robbie Reynolds, 18,in a Beach Hill motel room in 2008.
Santa Cruz Approves Rental Inspections
At its meeting on Tuesday night, Santa Cruz City Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that would require all landlords to register their properties with the city so that they can be inspected.
Tough Times for Otters
Let’s start with the numbers. There are only 2,711 sea otters who call the California coast their home. This is the second year in a row that the number has declined, but even more worrying to naturalists is the fact that the number of pups has dropped even more dramatically. It is down 11 percent, at just 267.
Watsonville Launching Biz Campaign
Strawberries, apples and raspberries. That’s what Watsonville is best known for today. But the city is attempting to change its image and diversify its economy. To achieve that it launched Growing Opportunities, an initiative intended to draw new businesses from outside the agricultural sector.
