Santa Cruz Archives

Bernie Escalante is named Interim Chief of Santa Cruz Police

October 21, 2021 10:18 AM Melody Waintal

Deputy Chief Bernie Escalante will be serving as Santa Cruz Chief of Police starting Oct. 30 following Chief Mills…

People in Santa Cruz County prepare for rain

October 19, 2021 10:45 PM Erika Bratten

You might need to dust off that umbrella, Sunday’s evening rain kicked open our storm door, leading us into what could be the start of our wet…

Santa Cruz Fire reports two smaller fires in Pogonip Park “suspicious in nature”

October 19, 2021 12:18 PM Melody Waintal

Santa Cruz Fire Department and Cal Fire reported two other smaller fires started at the same park on Emma McCrary Trail on…

Nine crew dispatched and four firefighters reported injured in Santa Cruz Pogonip Park Fire

October 18, 2021 5:09 PM Melody Waintal

Santa Cruz Fire Department said the wildfire in Pogonip Park is currently contained. The department also reported four firefighters were…

Power outages affect residents in San Benito and Santa Cruz counties

October 17, 2021 11:52 PM Taryn Mitchell

Sunday evening a number of residents were left without power in Monterey and Santa Cruz…

Estrada Fire not expected to grow much more

October 16, 2021 12:01 PM Lisa Principi

CAL FIRE says they do not expect the Estrada Fire to grow much more…

Santa Cruz County preparing to vaccinate kids aged 5-11 pending FDA approval

October 15, 2021 11:14 AM Lisa Principi

Children aged 5 to 11, could get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as next month if it gets authorization from the FDA, and Santa Cruz County is already…

Santa Cruz County receives $3 million grant to fight homelessness

October 14, 2021 11:13 AM Melody Waintal

The County of Santa Cruz Behavioral Health received a $3 million grant to address mental health-related issues for people experiencing…

Santa Cruz County asks residents to register for ‘CodeRED’ to receive emergency alerts, notifications

October 12, 2021 4:02 PM Melody Waintal

Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 will launch a drill of the county’s alert and warning system on Oct. 21 at 10 a.m.…

Santa Cruz Chief of Police to resign

October 12, 2021 10:27 AM Melody Waintal, Lisa Principi

Santa Cruz Chief of Police Andrew Mills announced he is resigning on Oct. 29, 2021.…

Religious leaders will help Pacific Grove Police in crisis situations

October 12, 2021 11:17 AM Edgar Olivares, Melody Waintal

They will train local faith-based volunteers to assist both community members and police officers during times of crisis, including lockdowns or…

Third COVID-19 death reported among vaccinated individuals in Santa Cruz County

October 4, 2021 6:53 PM Stephanie Aceves

Santa Cruz Public Health announced the death of two people due to COVID-19, both were fully vaccinated and both had underlying conditions.…

Meth addict caught behind a Walgreens in Santa Cruz

October 6, 2021 11:51 AM Melody Waintal

Santa Cruz Police found a male subject behind the Walgreens on Soquel with a metal crowbar next to him Tuesday morning.…

Free METRO rides in Santa Cruz

October 5, 2021 5:35 PM Melody Waintal

For California Clean Air Day, Santa Cruz Metro is offering to cover metro fares all day Wednesday, Oct. 6 across the county.…

Flu and Covid shots safe to be given at same time, study finds

October 4, 2021 3:55 AM Max Tarlton

New groundbreaking research shows flu shots are proven safe to get at the same time as certain Covid-19…

Pipe bomb found at Harbor High School

October 3, 2021 4:39 PM Amelia Rosenberg

A makeshift pipe bomb was found at Harbor High School Saturday…

Central Coast schools prepare for state vaccine mandate for students

October 1, 2021 11:54 AM Lisa Principi

Dr. Deneen Guss, Monterey County Superintendent of Schools, said the county is preparing to host vaccine clinics for students in preparation for the…

Monterey Bay FC host first tryouts at CSUMB

October 1, 2021 5:25 PM Melody Waintal

Over 70 players are expected to be participating including 20 local players from Salinas, Monterey, and Watsonville.…

Santa Cruz County lifts indoor mask mandate

September 29, 2021 10:21 AM Melody Waintal

Santa Cruz County is now in the Moderate (Yellow) Community Transmission category, according to the Centers for Disease…

Santa Cruz households could be reimbursed for wildfire preparations

September 28, 2021 6:45 PM Sarah Rosenthal

SANTA CRUZ, California (KION) The Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz is reimbursing neighborhoods for chipping costs to create defensible…

75-year-old Aptos man dies in car crash

September 24, 2021 8:52 PM Sarah Rosenthal, Melody Waintal

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) UPDATE Sept. 27, 2021 5:40 p.m. California Highway Patrol reported that the 75-year-old man driving a 2008 Toyota Prius…

Santa Cruz Police: Shotgun recovered after road rage incident

September 26, 2021 2:40 PM Victor Guzman

Santa Cruz Police say a road rage incident in city limits led to the arrest of a man who was later found to be in possession of a…

A breakdown of the CDC tier system for community transmission

September 26, 2021 11:00 AM Max Tarlton

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) — When the pandemic began, California created their blueprint for a safer economy with the metric tier system. That system…

Cal Fire CZU reports 3 deaths in 8 days near Davenport

September 23, 2021 2:39 PM Melody Waintal

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) Over the past week, Santa Cruz County State Park teams have been on 3 missing person and bodies recovery missions in…

UCSC students arrive ahead of first-ever “Downtown Day”

September 21, 2021 12:03 PM Victor Guzman

Thousands of UC-Santa Cruz students are slowly pouring into the university on the first real move-in days since the beginning of the…

Santa Cruz discusses additions to framework for oversized vehicle ordinance

September 21, 2021 1:53 PM Victor Guzman

The City of Santa Cruz continues to put together the framework for an oversized vehicle ordinance targeting RV’s and other large vehicles in city…

Three people rescued after car goes over cliff at Sunny Cove Beach

September 17, 2021 9:51 AM Lisa Principi

Three people, including two juveniles, had to be rescued from a car that had driven into the ocean at Sunny Cove…

Vote-Mobile stays on the road to reach Santa Cruz voters before polls close

September 14, 2021 4:22 PM Erika Bratten

The Vote-Mobile allows Santa Cruz County Clerks and elections workers to go out prior to the election and do voter outreach, making several stops at…

Monterey County Sheriff’s Office reports COVID-19 outbreak among dozens of inmates, staff at jail

September 13, 2021 5:34 PM Victor Guzman

Dozens of Monterey County Jail staff and inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 in a new outbreak reported by the Monterey County Sheriff’s…

Santa Cruz Police alongside US Marshals attempting to apprehend suspect

September 13, 2021 5:25 PM Victor Guzman

A portion of Santa Cruz is blocked off as US Marshals and the Santa Cruz Police Department attempt to apprehend a suspect who is believed to be…

Santa Cruz County proposes ordinance to stop discriminatory 9-1-1 calls

September 13, 2021 12:33 PM Lisa Principi

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is introducing a new ordinance to ban discriminatory reports made to law…

What to do if you don’t have recall ballot that was sent in the mail

September 12, 2021 11:22 AM Max Tarlton

If you haven’t received your ballot in the mail or if you can’t find the ballot you’ve received, it’s too late to get the ballot re sent. However,…

Cal Fire suspends all outdoor burning in Santa Cruz & San Mateo Counties

September 3, 2021 8:01 AM Carina Nocon

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) All residents in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties will not be allowed to conduct any outdoor burning starting…

Three men arrested in connection to shooting on Blaine Street in Santa Cruz

August 30, 2021 2:37 PM Victor Guzman

Three men have been booked into the Santa Cruz County jail for their alleged involvement in a shooting that happened in Santa Cruz on Sunday…

Driver who went over West Cliff Drive uninjured

August 28, 2021 2:28 PM Amelia Rosenberg

A driver who lost control of their car along West Cliff Drive Friday night and subsequently drove over a cliff is…

Santa Cruz Police arrested a suspected stalker with two loaded firearms

August 22, 2021 6:07 PM Melody Waintal

Santa Cruz Police Department responded to someone’s report about another driver “intentionally following them” and found the suspect had two loaded…

Law enforcement cite Santa Cruz resident over disruptive bike event Saturday

August 21, 2021 1:58 PM Lisa Principi, Josh Kristianto

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) Law enforcement agencies in Santa Cruz County have cited a 54-year-old Santa Cruz resident, identified as Thomas Laughron…

Santa Cruz Fire Chief retires after more than 20 years with department

August 19, 2021 11:07 AM Avery Johnson

The Santa Cruz Fire Department announced Thursday that its Chief, Jason Hajduk, is…

Central Fire District to require COVID-19 vaccination for employees

August 18, 2021 1:27 PM Avery Johnson

The Central Fire District announced Wednesday that its Board of Directors has decided to implement a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all…

Four people displaced after house fire on Pearl Street

August 13, 2021 12:01 PM Avery Johnson

Four people are displaced from their home following a house fire on Pearl Street early Friday morning, according to the Santa Cruz Fire…

Santa Cruz police search for suspect in robbery at Comerica Bank

August 13, 2021 6:00 PM Avery Johnson

Santa Cruz police are looking for the suspect in a robbery at Comerica Bank Friday…

Water Department considers overuse penalties as drought conditions worsen statewide

August 13, 2021 7:27 AM Carina Nocon

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) The Santa Cruz Water Department is closely monitoring water supplies and water use in Santa Cruz amid the worsening drought…