Santa Cruz County needle exchange program possible target of lawsuit

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) Organizers of a Santa Cruz County needle exchange program are responding to reports of an apparent lawsuit targeting the program.

A petition and complaint document shows the names of some of the plaintiffs, and they include the Grant Park Neighborhood Association.

The document includes claims that organizers of the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County have been negligent in handling the needle exchange program, and it describes an apparent presence of thousands of needles littered around Santa Cruz, including at beaches.

Organizers say they have not been notified of a lawsuit and that they have not received a notice at this time.

They refer to reports of a lawsuit as "an outrage" and "disheartening to see during the current pandemic."