Santa Cruz County homeowners eligible for wildlife mitigation grant

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- It has been four years since the CZU Fires spread across the Santa Cruz Mountains. A new grant is helping people make their homes more resilient.

The memories still burned in people's minds. Laura recalls evacuating from her home in Glenwood like it was yesterday.

"We were just frightened but scared for other people that were closer and knowing that it could come close to us," said Laurie Carmona who lives in Glenwood.

People like Carmona who live in Santa Cruz County can now receive money to make their homes more resilient to wildfires.

Each household can get up to $50,000.

"Tree removal or defensible space, hazardous fuel reduction, but also things like if you have a wood-sided home and taking the lower three feet of that of that siding and putting something that's more ignition resistant and making what's called a zone zero," said Dave Reid, the Director of the Santa Cruz Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience.

Reid is calling this grant unique because it's available to all county residents, even the ones not directly impacted by the CZU Fires

If each applicant receives $50,000 only 204 households can receive the statewide grant.

At least 1,450 structures were lost in the fire.

Carmona's home was not damaged but there is some prevention work she would like to do.

"Maybe have some trees trimmed or have, some prevention done on our house, that would be amazing. But, I wouldn't want to take it away from someone else that really needed it," said Carmona. "I mean, you're always going to have a fire and living up here, you never know what's going to happen."

Reid tells KION that people in the Santa Cruz Mountains are still rebuilding.

A big struggle for people living in the Santa Cruz Mountains this money could help with is the cost of labor and materials, as many are losing their insurance.

The deadline to apply for this grant is July 1st, 2025. Click here for more information.