Restraining order temporarily blocks sweep of San Lorenzo Park homeless camp
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) Late Wednesday afternoon a judge approved a temporary restraining order that pauses the clearing out of the once growing…
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Santa Cruz Spa struggles through pandemic, accumulating debt
The holiday season is typically the busiest time of year for Yoso Wellness Spa, but this year New Year’s will pass with the Santa Cruz spa…
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Vaccine rollout continues at Central Coast hospitals
The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered on the Central Coast about a week and a half ago. Watsonville Community Hospital has…
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Santa Cruz man building “micro tiny homes” for homeless
Alekz Londos thought of an idea that could give people on the street a warmer place to sleep, and a safer area to leave their belongings. The…
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Central Coast hospitals face record number of COVID-19 patients during Christmas Holiday
233 residents on the Central Coast are currently in the hospital due to…
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Local officials: Health equity will be prioritized in vaccine distribution
South Santa Cruz County residents make up nearly 62% of all COVID-19 cases in the…
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Teachers push for vaccine priority
This week front line health care workers and nursing homes across the country are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. However, there is still some…
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Local small businesses plan to apply for PPP in new stimulus package
Congressional leaders reached a deal Sunday on a new $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief…
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Skilled Nursing facility residents are next to receive vaccine in Santa Cruz
Skilled Nursing facilities in Santa Cruz County have made up 46 of the county’s 64 COVID-19 related deaths. Facility residents and staff are expected…
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SPECIAL REPORT: Police and mental health response
Police are tasked with responding to all public safety calls, which includes mental and behavioral health response on a regular basis.…
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Majority of undocumented immigrants in California need COVID-19 relief, new study shows
A new survey by the California Immigrant Relief Assistance Coalition shows that more than half of undocumented immigrants in California have unmet…
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KION EXCLUSIVE: After charges dismissed, initial suspect in deadly Salinas crash shares his story
A Carmel resident who was initially the suspect in a deadly Salinas crash had the case against him dismissed in court…
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Central Coast health providers prepare for first vaccine doses to arrive
California is expected to receive 327,000 doses of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine this month, and several thousand of the doses will be distributed to…
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Large gathering among Santa Cruz correctional officers investigated as potential source of COVID-19 outbreak
Multiple correctional officer at the Santa Cruz County Jail that tested positive for COVID-19 attended a large gathering that contact tracers are…
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Santa Clara County restrictions bring sports teams to Santa Cruz
Several colleges came to Santa Cruz County to practice, Tuesday. New Santa Clara County restrictions prohibit contact sports for the next three…
Continue Reading COVID-19 outbreak among staff at Santa Cruz County Jail
There is an active COVID-19 outbreak at the Santa Cruz County Jail, according to the county…
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Santa Cruz passes policing changes to improve racial equity and social justice
More than twenty policy changes within the Santa Cruz Police Department were approved by city council earlier this week. Chief Andy Mills led a…
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UCSC expands COVID-19 lab and testing capacity on campus
The University of California Santa Cruz diagnostic lab is processing up to 1,000 COVID-19 tests per day. The lab’s capacity has drastically improved…
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Thousands show up to Second Harvest Food Bank distribution ahead of Thanksgiving
There are twice the normal amount of people relying on the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County this holiday…
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Central Coast hospitals are experiencing sharp increase in COVID-19 patients
As coronavirus numbers spike across the country, locally hospitals are noticing a concerning trend too.…
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Group of mothers graduate Nurse-Family Partnership program
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) The county of Santa Cruz recognized mothers in a drive-through graduation ceremony, Wednesday for a new cohort of graduates…
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Rollback delays move to hybrid learning for Santa Cruz County schools
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) A concerning spike in California coronavirus cases led to a rollback across the state that included Santa Cruz County…
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Santa Cruz County confirms first death at Santa Cruz Post Acute related to COVID-19 outbreak
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) — County health officials have confirmed the first death at the Santa Cruz Post Acute center related to the coronavirus…
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Santa Cruz Mountain wildfire victims feel mistreated by insurance provider
More than 900 families in the Santa Cruz Mountains lost their home in the CZU Lightning Complex in August. Following the life altering disasters,…
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CBS golf prepares for a Masters “unlike any other”
The Masters will be played at Augusta National in the fall for the first time in the tournament’s 84 year history. The typical blossoming azaleas in…
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How a vaccine will be prioritized, according to local health officials
The drugmaker Pfizer announced Monday that early data from its coronavirus vaccine shows it’s more than 90% effective.…
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Santa Cruz Boardwalk opens to county residents Saturday
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk closed its rides in March and has not opened since. Santa Cruz moved to the less restrictive Orange Tier in the…
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Narrow margin in Santa Cruz City Council race as candidates wait for final votes to arrive
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) A field of nine candidates were running for four seats on the Santa Cruz City Council. The all-women group of candidates…
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Nine women vie for four seats on Santa Cruz City Council
Four seats are up for grabs on Santa Cruz City Council. Nine candidates are running to fill the…
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Koenig defeats Leopold for Santa Cruz District 1 Supervisor seat
A runoff in the March primary led to two candidates vying to fill the seat for District 1 Supervisor in Santa Cruz County. In the primary, incumbent…
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Polling place safety is the top priority for police on election day
Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills has assigned specific officers to be ready to respond to any voting related problems…
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Watsonville pushes for advanced public notice when growers use hazardous pesticides
Farmers in Santa Cruz County have to send an application to the Agricultural Commissioner to use hazardous agricultural pesticides. Watsonville City…
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SCPD to hand out triple-fines Halloween weekend
Downtown Santa Cruz is typically full of people Halloween weekend. However, this year the festivities downtown were canceled due to the pandemic.…
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Extensive tree removal continues in Santa Cruz County
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) The CZU Complex Fires in August left thousands of trees in danger of falling on roadways and homes. Over the last…
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Donations pour in for SLVUSD families that lost homes in Santa Cruz mountain wildfires
More than 100 students in the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District lost their home in the CZU August Lightning…
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Scotts Valley students create drive-thru haunted house for a good cause
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (KION) Every year Scotts Valley High School students put together a haunted house, with all of the proceeds going to the…
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Fire threat looms with Red Flag Warning in Santa Cruz Mountains
A red flag warning begins at 1 a.m. Thursday for the Santa Cruz Mountain areas. The combination of strong winds and dry conditions causes the concern…
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Leopold and Koenig compete for District 1 Supervisor seat in Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) One seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is up for grab in November. Incumbent John Leopold is facing…
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All-women field of candidates vie for four seats on Santa Cruz City Council
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) A field of nine candidates are running for four seats on the Santa Cruz City Council. The all-women group of candidates…
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Cause of death released for Watsonville murder victim, search continues for suspect
47-year-old Watsonville resident Cesar Hernandez is the suspect in the murder of his 24-year-old wife. Police are still looking for Hernandez who…
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How the Central Coast is using its federal funds to improve the voting process
In 2002, the Help America Vote Act was signed into law aimed at providing states with funding to improve the voting process and security. The law was…
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City of Santa Cruz eliminates Park Ranger positions in latest round of pandemic-related cuts
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) The Santa Cruz City Council finalized nearly $6 million in budget cuts Thursday night. The police department was forced to…
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Family of residents inside Watsonville Nursing Facility fear for loved ones during COVID-19 outbreak
WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) 46 residents and 15 staff members at Watsonville Post Acute Skilled Nursing Facility have contracted COVID-19, Since Sept.…
Continue Reading New equity metric could impact Santa Cruz County’s economic recovery
Health equity is a new metric in the state’s road map to recovery. The state said it added the metric because some communities within counties have…
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340 homes still without drinkable water in San Lorenzo Valley Water District
The water tests are continuing daily to determine if part of San Lorenzo Valley Water District’s water source was contaminated by the CZU August…
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A busy flu season could overwhelm hospitals; one local hospital believes it’s prepared
Health officials fear a “twindemic” is possible this winter if COVID-19 cases rise during flu season.…
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Santa Cruz County Public Works: Evacuations are the only way to deal with debris flow this winter
Experts are sending a clear message to fire affected areas of Santa Cruz County: debris flow or landslides are imminent.…
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Some schools return to in-person learning in Santa Cruz County
Testing capacity has drastically improved in Santa Cruz County, which is now allowing the option for schools to open in-person with lots of…
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Central Coast Comeback: Entertainment
Some of the most popular activities on the Central Coast were closed this summer due to COVID-19 restrictions. As we enter fall, some of those…
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Registering to vote during the COVID-19 pandemic
It is National Voter Registration Day, and it will look different for many voters this year during the COVID-19…
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