Local News

Watsonville High last week named Max Gonzales and Austin Luigard the new head coaches for the baseball and boys basketball teams, respectively. 

Gonzales replaced current head football coach Tige McSwain after he spent the past three years in the dugout, while Luigard stepped in for Andre Bailey following his three years at the helm.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead this program and represent Watsonville High School and our community,” said Gonzales in an email. “Watsonville has been home to me, and I am excited to continue building a program that develops our players on and off the field, while creating something our school and community can be proud of.”

Gonzales has been coaching baseball in the area for 11 years, including six years at the high school level. His first stint as an assistant coach at Watsonville was from 2018–19, and then became head coach at Anzar High from 2021–22. He returned to Watsonville in 2022 as an assistant coach.

Gonzales’ vision for the baseball program is to emphasize player development, accountability, teamwork, academics and character.

“My goal is to develop young men who are prepared to succeed not only on the baseball field, but in the classroom and in our community,” he said. “I am excited to work with our players, families, coaching staff and community to build a program that Watsonville can be proud of for years to come.”

Luigard grew up in Los Banos, where he was team captain of the Pacheco High basketball team. He went on to play at Gavilan College for three years and during the off-season would coach at his alma mater at Pacheco.

In an email, Luigard said his calling to coach came during the summer going into his last season at Gavilan.

“I knew I’d rather be a coach than a player when I found more fulfillment helping players get better than myself chasing a scholarship,” he said.

Luigard spent the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach at Notre Dame de Namur University — an NCAA Division II school. His time was cut short after the school shut down its athletics department due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Luigard coached AAU basketball with West Coast Elite Silicon Valley in the summer of 2021. He took a break in 2022 following the birth of his daughter, but returned two years later as the freshman head coach at Pacheco.

Fast forward to April, Luigard’s dream of becoming a varsity boys basketball head coach came true. 

“I was honored to receive this amazing opportunity to accept the position at Watsonville High School,” he said. “It’s more than just being a coach to me, it’s about creating a special culture and community. My vision is to mentor young men and prepare them for life outside of high school through the beautiful sport of basketball.”

Top 10 exciting job opportunities in Santa Cruz County – Apply today!

Are you searching for your next career move in Santa Cruz County? Look no further! We’ve curated a list of the top 10 job opportunities recently posted to our job board, spanning various industries and roles. Whether you’re a recent graduate, seasoned professional, or someone seeking a fresh start, Santa Cruz has something to offer for everyone.

1. Housing Coordinator, Village, UTC and Delaware Apartments at UC Santa Cruz
2. Recording Services Supervisor The County of Santa Cruz
3. Early Education Teacher (Preschool) at UC Santa Cruz
4. Behavioral Support Specialist at BalanceSCC
5. Undergraduate Advisor at UC Santa Cruz
6. Senior Building Maintenance Worker – Warehouse at UC Santa Cruz
7. Senior Land Transactions Manager at Sempervirens Fund
8. Member Services Representative (Temporary) (Bilingual) at Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance)
9. Physical Therapist at MedXcare Health Professionals
10. Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving at Homeless Garden Project

Why work in Santa Cruz County?

Santa Cruz County boasts a vibrant community, picturesque surroundings, and diverse career opportunities. From academic roles at UC Santa Cruz to impactful positions in healthcare and local government, the perfect place to support both your professional growth and work-life balance.

Ready to take the next step?

Apply for these exciting job opportunities in Santa Cruz County today!

FIND MORE ON THE LOOKOUT JOB BOARD >> Looking to hire? Build your team with us

• List your open positions: Amplify your job listings to reach engaged Santa Cruz County job seekers – post your job today.
• Save with job bundles: Purchase a job board bundle of 4 or 8 listings and save 25%. Redeem your jobs anytime. Bundles never expire. Get Your Bundles Here.
• Exclusive discounts for Marketing Partners: Are you a Lookout Marketing Partner? Contact your representative today to access your exclusive discount.

Questions about the job board? Reach out to Brittany at brittany@lookoutlocal.com.

The post 10 Hot Jobs in Santa Cruz County: Week of August 7 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

This post is updated throughout the day to reflect the latest incidents. It was last updated at 7:01 a.m..

Here’s what’s happening on the roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents

Road incidents as of 7 a.m. on August 21

• Highway 9 at Cascade Avenue in San Lorenzo Valley has one-way traffic due to ongoing work. This closure will last until 7:01 a.m. on Aug. 31.
   
• Alternating lanes are closed on Highway 9 at Riverdale Park in San Lorenzo Valley because of bridge work. The closure is expected to end at 6:59 a.m. on April 30, 2027.
   
• 455 Valley View Ave. in San Lorenzo Valley will be closed to through traffic on Aug. 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for tree removal.
   
• CHP helped with construction at the intersection of Highway 9 and Graham Hill Road in San Lorenzo Valley. The work was scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today.
   

Disclosure: Traffic incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

The post Friday morning traffic: Highway 9 lane closures, Valley View Ave. closed for work appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

The Santa Cruz County housing market looked similar in July to what it has for most of the summer, despite sales temporarily dipping as prospective buyers leave for vacation and school gets back into session.

The post Santa Cruz County housing market stalls, then rebounds as AI wealth boom looms appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for its daily newsletter.

As schools reopen amid a national surge in measles cases, California students will continue to follow the state’s existing vaccination requirements, despite President Donald Trump’s latest effort to change the country’s childhood vaccine schedule. 

California has the authority to determine which immunizations are required for students to attend school. The state will continue to follow guidelines created by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other experts, said Dr. Erica Pan, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the state’s public health officer. 

The executive order, issued Aug. 10, calls for spreading childhood vaccinations across multiple medical visits. It also recommends administering the combined measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine as three separate shots, and reduces the number of recommended vaccinations for all children from 18 to 11. 

Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the recommendations during a news conference in which they repeated claims that immunizations cause autism, a theory that has been debunked by extensive research.

Pan and American Academy of Pediatrics President Andrew D. Racine said there is no evidence to justify making changes to the childhood immunization schedule. 

“The only purpose of this announcement is to sow confusion so that more people doubt the importance of vaccines,” said Racine in a statement. “Delaying or skipping shots is risky, especially as measles continues to spread and children go back to school.”

Although the order only advises states to consider updating their vaccination policies, it also calls for the U.S. attorney general to launch legal challenges against states that do not allow religious or medical exemptions. California only allows medical exemptions.

California rules won’t change

California was among a coalition of 15 states that sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in February for attempting to remove the recommended status for seven vaccines. The lawsuit also challenged the replacement of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an expert panel that has guided U.S. vaccine policy for decades, calling it “unlawful.”

In March, a federal judge ruled that the advisory committee had been replaced improperly and halted the plan to make changes to the vaccination schedule.

California law requires students to be vaccinated against 10 serious communicable diseases. Proof of immunization is required in kindergarten and seventh grade, as well as upon entering childcare, transitional kindergarten, or when transferring schools from out of state. 

“This executive order will not change anything in California,” Pan said. “We are really committed to protecting access to vaccines for our communities.”

Measles cases are increasing

The president’s executive order comes as measles cases in the U.S. hit a 35-year high. There have been 2,566 confirmed cases in the U.S. so far this year, compared to 2,289 confirmed cases during the entire year of 2025.

California has reported 58 cases of measles so far this year, up from 25 in 2025, according to the CDPH. All but 14 of the cases were people younger than 20, and all but four were either unvaccinated or their status was unknown, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.

Catherine Flores Martin, executive director of the California Immunization Coalition, worries that the number of cases nationwide could be higher.

“Some parents have gotten comfortable with not reporting their cases,” Flores Martin said. “So that is a big concern.”

Measles is highly contagious. About 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed to someone with measles will contract the disease. 

Flores Martin said requiring children to receive vaccinations over multiple visits could make it more difficult for lower-income parents. 

“It will be way more onerous for parents and terrible for children,” Flores Martin said. “You know, the stress. I would say every time I went to the doctor as a child I was always stressed because I was worried about getting the shots.”

Is the order causing confusion?

Vaccines are safe and are continuously monitored and studied in the United States and California, Pan said. Still, she and other health experts worry that the White House announcement could create confusion about vaccinations just as students return to school.

Top health officials at San Diego Unified and Sacramento City Unified school districts told EdSource they have not noticed increased vaccine hesitancy this school year and have not received questions from parents about the president’s recommendations. That doesn’t mean parents have stopped raising concerns about vaccinations.

Sacramento City Unified lead nurse Susan Sivils reassures hesitant parents it is safe for their children to receive multiple vaccines in one visit.

“If they are uncomfortable with that, it is their decision as a parent,” Sivils said. “… But if they are set on that, then I just make sure they understand that until they are up to date with all of those vaccines, they won’t be allowed to start school.”

Sivils said she knows of only one family this year that chose to bring their child in for multiple visits to receive their vaccinations.

More parents are opting to wait to immunize their children until they are older, said Flores Martin.

“They say they are not hesitant, they just want to wait,” she said. “Those are informed, educated people, but what they’re deciding is very wrong from a scientific standpoint and a health standpoint for their children. So, we’re in uncharted territory because parents used to trust their doctor so much, but they’re not trusting them on this.”

State immunization rates high

California’s kindergarten vaccination rates remain above the national average of 92.4%. But the rates have been ticking down, from 95.6% during the 2016-17 school year to 93.7% in 2024-25. Measles vaccination rates are a little better with 96.1% of kindergartners vaccinated in 2024-25, compared to 97% in 2018-19. 

Even relatively small declines can make a big difference in a state that had 355,391 kindergartners and 213,313 transitional kindergarten students last school year. A 1% drop in measles vaccinations, for example, means that there would be approximately 5,600 fewer students in those two grades who received the MMR vaccine.

The share of students with medical exemptions remains low, at about 0.1%. But state health experts say the number of students enrolled in home-based private schools or independent study programs without classroom-based instruction is increasing. 

Although students in these schools don’t have to be vaccinated, their schools are required to maintain immunization records or risk losing some state funding.

Vaccination rates also are uneven across the state, with rural, charter and schools in low-income communities more likely to have under vaccinated students, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. 

If the immunization rate falls below 95% in a school or community, that opens up the possibility of an outbreak, Pan said. 

“So, yes, we want people to be up-to-date on their measles vaccine and make sure they have their two doses. That is part of the school vaccine requirements,” Pan said.

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

The post California maintains school vaccine rules despite Trump order appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for its newsletters.

A California Senate committee just gutted one of the state’s most substantial DUI reform bills in years, despite widespread support from other lawmakers and families of drunk driving victims.

The bill would have required in-car breathalyzers for anyone convicted of a DUI, bringing California in line with most states. State law currently requires the devices, called ignition interlock devices, only after repeat offenses or injury crashes.

Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat from the Inland Empire and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, provided a hint of changes last week when she said there were amendments to the bill that had been approved unanimously by the committee. This week, an updated version of the legislation emerged, and it effectively killed a key provision to start requiring the devices for thousands of first-time offenders. Such changes are commonly referred to as “hostile amendments” because they are made without the involvement or support of the bill’s author. 

Cervantes was arrested for a DUI in a high-profile incident in Sacramento in May 2025. The district attorney’s office did not prosecute her after a blood test showed no drugs or alcohol in her system. Cervantes then sued the City of Sacramento and several of its police officers, alleging that that police fabricated evidence and falsely arrested her. Cervantes’ sister, state Assembly candidate Clarissa Cervantes, has herself been convicted of two DUIs in Southern California, according to media reports.

Sabrina Cervantes did not immediately respond to CalMatters’ request for comment for this story.

As news of the bill’s gutting spread this week, Kellie Montalvo was left wondering if there’d been some sort of horrible mistake. Montalvo, whose 21-year-old son Benjamin was killed by an impaired driver in Cervantes’s district in 2020, said she was just in Sacramento two weeks ago lobbying lawmakers – including Cervantes – on a slate of dangerous driving bills. Many of those bills have already failed.

“It’s heartbreaking, and I try to tell myself not to lose hope,” Montalvo said. “I mean, California has got to do something. Our numbers are horrific.”

Alcohol-related roadway deaths in California spiked more than 50% in a decade — an increase more than twice as steep as the rest of the country, federal data shows. More than 1,300 people die each year statewide in drunken collisions.

Over the past two years, a CalMatters investigation has shown how state officials have allowed dangerous drivers to stay on the road and kill, and how elected leaders have looked away even as the death toll skyrocketed. 

For years, lawmakers have tried and failed to require in-car breathalyzers for all DUI offenders. Progressive justice reform groups and the DMV have opposed similar bills in the past, citing fears about unfairly penalizing poor DUI offenders, high costs and the DMV’s aging technology.

Montalvo and other advocates thought this year might be different. The DMV has actively participated in state hearings and, she and others said, provided technical advice to make sure the bill was realistic. Gov. Gavin Newsom also instructed lawmakers last year to continue to work on the state’s breathalyzer laws and develop a “a lasting program that strengthens public safety.”

It’s unclear why this year’s bill was gutted at the eleventh hour. Public records show that Senate Appropriations Committee staff recently expressed concern about costs. 

The amendment process is opaque even to Sacramento insiders. 

“Honestly it’s sometimes a bit of a black box even for us as legislators,” said the bill’s author, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, an Orange County Democrat. “I am still trying myself to get to the bottom of it.”

Petrie-Norris, who has spent the past three years trying to pass a version of this bill, said she does not believe Cervantes’ personal experience played a role in the decision to amend the bill. She added that she is still working to re-amend the measure after “unintended consequences” that she says would make the policy unworkable for the DMV and hurt California’s eligibility for federal funding. 

Asked for an interview to explain the changes to the bill, Senate President Pro Tem Monique Límon’s office referred questions to Cervantes. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, Newsom’s chief deputy director of communications, also declined to answer questions about the breathalyzer bill, saying the office does not typically comment on pending legislation.

While the bill heads into the final days of negotiations, Montalvo and other victims’ families are grappling with deja vu. It was just about a year ago that they were standing in the Capitol with photos of their loved ones and told the bill was doomed.

She stays busy checking in with the parole officer for the Riverside County driver who killed her son. Last she heard, the driver was trying to get her license back after being released early from prison.

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

The post Lawmakers gut major DUI reform through ‘hostile amendments’ appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Daily newscasts have become powerfully redundant.

Observers have to strain to ignore the impression that the world is on the cusp of rapidly disintegrating. Southern Europe, Northern and Western U.S. and Southern Canada are suffering from uncontrolled wildfires. This year alone, firefighters have already responded to 48,000 wildfires that have burned more than 6.5 million acres across the country.

In January, wildfires killed at least 31 people, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures, and burned more than 57,000 acres of land. During the past two decades the frequency and intensity of the most extreme wildfires more than doubled. By mid-2025 floods in Texas killed 137, with 117 of its inhabitants losing their life in Kerr County alone. Storms dumped an amount of water greater than the daily flow of Niagara Falls in just a few hours, raising the Guadalupe River by more than 20 feet.

Extreme weather is becoming the new normal. Rising global temperatures add more energy and moisture to the atmosphere, turning once rare climatic events into frequent severe realities. Hurricanes are growing more powerful as global temperatures rise because these storm systems draw their energy from warm ocean water.  Wildfires burn longer and wider, growing in size, ferocity and speed. Already hot temperatures are constantly rising. 

July this year logged the highest temperatures ever recorded in the U.S. Temperatures in Death Valley even reached 130 degrees in 2020 and 2021. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 175,000 people die from heat-related causes each year. The European Mortality Monitoring Network recorded around 16,000 excess deaths across multiple European countries in a single week. And the horrific statistics continue their destructive paths. Governments are facing a significant increase in loss of life, coupled with a tremendous drain on financial resources.

Between 97% and 99% of actively publishing climate scientists agree that human activity is causing global climate change. Multiple peer-reviewed studies examining scientific literature and direct surveys confirm this overwhelmingly global consensus.

The World Health Organization estimates that between 2030 and 2050 climate change will result in 250,000 additional deaths each year from factors like heat stress, malnutrition and malaria. 

However, recent attribution research actually suggests that historical warming may have already killed millions, and that future projections run significantly higher. The World Economic Forum projects an additional 14.5 million deaths worldwide by 2050, driven directly by climate-induced health crises, with flooding and droughts acting as primary triggers. The approximate cost related to damages from weather and climate disasters in the U.S. between 1980 and 2025 will reach $2.95 trillion—a burden our government is more than likely not ready for.

Being unprepared to cope with predictable future disasters is not insignificantly influenced by an unhealthy skepticism of core climate science exhibited by a significant segment of our population. Roughly 35-40% are global warming skeptics, 14-15% of U.S. general public completely deny that global warming or climate change is happening, while 22-28% acknowledge that the planet is warming but reject that it is primarily due to human activity. (Center for Climate Change Communication – July 2025). The issue at stake is not science – the evidence is omnipresent – it is politics. The upper echelon of our government is deliberately spreading scientifically unsupported misinformation, presumably to protect the economic well-being of stakeholders. Consequently, many efforts to remedy the predicted consequences will prove to be ineffective.

In March of 2020, the United Nations published a list of myth busters about climate change. It is useful to reiterate these:

1. “Climate has always changed – this is natural.” 

• While earth’s climate changed in the past, current warming happens in decades, instead of thousands of years.

2. “Scientists do not agree on global warming.”

• Over 97% of climate scientists agree that human activities are heating the planet.

3. “Cold weather and snow disprove global warming.”

• Weather is short term local conditions. Climate is long term average.

4. “Carbon dioxide is plant food, so more is good.”

• Plants need CO2, but excess emissions trap heat and surpass what global plant life can absorb.

5. “The sun causes the earth to warm.”

• Solar output shows minor cyclical changes that do not match the rapid temperature spike since the 1800s.

6. “A small temperature rise is harmless.”

• Even a 1 to 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) global change shifts weather systems, melts icecaps, and raises sea levels dangerously.

7. “Renewable energy is too expensive.”

• Wind and solar power cost the same or less than fossil fuels in most of the world.

8. “Climate models are not reliable.”

• Computer models accurately predict temperature trends and match decades of observations.

9. “Animals and plants can just adapt.”

• Rapid habitat changes outpace the survival and migration speed of many species, causing extinction.

10. “It’s too late to do anything, so why try?”

• Every fraction of a degree reduces damage. Cutting emissions now still protects future stability.

As long as the veracity of climate change  continues to remain disputable among stakeholders, chances are that governments will have difficulty reacting proactively to future disasters. British scientist Stephen Hawking, fearing that humanity might not reverse environmental damage in time, published an unusual suggestion. He advocated for space exploration and colonizing other planets as an insurance policy for the human race.

The Timber Fire in Big Sur has burned 5,626 acres and is 27% contained as of Wednesday. 

“Containment of the Timber Fire continues to increase,” said CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Josh Silveira. 

To date, no homes in Big Sur have been damaged or destroyed. Nearly 2,000 personnel, along with aircraft, heavy equipment and logistical support, are assisting with the response, with resources coming from across California and federal partners from around the country.

The ongoing closure of Highway 1 changed on Wednesday: The north side of the closure moved to just half a mile south of Deetjens Big Sur Inn near mile marker 42.6.

On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office listed MRY-FO27-A as an evacuation warning. Zones MRY-F023, MRY-F025 and MRY-F026 were made evacuation warnings on Tuesday.

Evacuation orders remain in effect for MRY-F027-B and MRY-F028-A. Evacuation warnings remain in effect for MRY-F027-A, MRY-F023, MRY-F025, MRY-F026, MRY-F021-B, MRY-F022, MRY-F024, MRY-F028-B and MRY-F029.

Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced Aug. 13 that Nicolas Mejia Ruvalcaba and Ana Ortiz Ruvalcaba, both 73, entered no contest pleas to charges of unlawful and dangerous housing they provided on their 23-acre property in Royal Oaks.

Nicolas Ruvalcaba pled no contest to two felony counts of tax evasion with the aggravated white collar crime enhancement, as well as misdemeanor charges of providing unpermitted housing and failure to maintain workers’ compensation insurance. Ana Ruvalcaba pled no contest to misdemeanor tax evasion, providing unpermitted housing and failure to maintain workers’ compensation insurance. 

Judge Mark Hood is scheduled to sentence the Ruvalcabas on Sept. 29.

A civil enforcement action addressed numerous violations, including maintaining dangerous structures unfit for human occupancy, failing to install smoke detectors in occupied structures, operating a public water system without a permit and performing unlawful grading of slopes, among other violations.

Under the plea agreement, the Ruvalcabas will pay $800,000, which includes $450,000 in victim restitution, $134,560 in unpaid taxes to the California Franchise Tax Bureau, $67,174 in fines and costs to Monterey County Housing and Community Development, $10,588 in costs to the Monterey County Environmental Health Bureau, $10,000 in workers’ compensation fines, and $127,678 in civil penalties. 

The Ruvalcabas must pay those amounts within 60 days or the court may appoint a receiver to sell their property to satisfy any remaining amounts, court records show. 

Both defendants face up to 364 days in county jail when they are sentenced.

During the investigation and search of the Ruvalcabas’s property—which included interviews with witnesses—investigators determined that the Ruvalcabas received over $1 million in cash rental payments from tenants between 2020 and 2022, which they failed to report on their tax returns. An auditor calculated that the unreported income resulted in $134,560 in evaded taxes.

“The conditions uncovered in this case were not simply unlawful, they put families and children at serious risk,” Pacioni said.

Editor’s note: This is the first of a series of stories on the four seats up for election on the PVUSD Board of Trustees. Look to future editions for trustee areas 1, 4 and 7.

Two candidates are vying for the seat.

Alicia Jimenez recently retired after a 24-year career with the district and is hoping to continue serving the community.

See the story on Curt Wilcox here.

Alicia Jimenez

Alicia Jimenez spent nearly 25 years working for Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Now, months after retiring, she hopes to return to the district in a new role—as a member of its Board of Trustees.

Jimenez, who is running for the Trustee Area 5 seat, said she began considering a school board campaign as she prepared to retire from PVUSD, where she worked from 2001 until 2025. 

She said the idea offered a way to continue serving students and remain connected to a district.

Jimenez’s connection to PVUSD stretches back much further than her employment there.

Born in Michoacán, Mexico, she came to the United States at age 8 and attended Radcliff Elementary School, then Mintie White Elementary School and Watsonville High School. She graduated in 1988 before attending Smith College in Massachusetts on a scholarship. She graduated from Smith in 1992.

Jimenez said her appreciation for education was shaped in large part by her mother, who grew up poor in Mexico and was not able to attend school because she was expected to stay home, cook and care for her brothers, Jimenez said. 

She also had to work at times to help support the family.

Her mother later taught herself to read and write and made education a priority for her daughters.

“She just made sure that we had a huge appreciation for education and for educators,” Jimenez said.

That history was part of her family’s conversations as she weighed whether to seek the board seat. Jimenez said serving on the board would be a continuation of the legacy her mother helped create.

After graduating from college, Jimenez moved to Los Angeles, where she took journalism courses, including at Santa Monica College, while working executive assistant jobs. She later returned to the Watsonville area and worked briefly in human resources at CSU Monterey Bay before joining PVUSD.

Jimenez initially worked as executive assistant to superintendents John Casey, Mary Ann Mays, Dorma Baker, Michelle Rodriguez and Heather Contreras. 

She earned a master’s degree in public administration in 2012, and eventually moved into the district’s newly created public information office, where she served for eight years. Later in her career, she moved into a position connected to community schools while continuing to support district communications.

Jimenez said that her experiences have given her an inside view of the relationship among the board, administration, staff and community.

If elected, she would like to refine the way in which meetings are held.

Jimenez said meetings that stretch past midnight make it difficult for trustees to make sound decisions.

“I don’t think anyone would disagree that you cannot make good decisions at 12 or 1am,” she said. “You cannot. I think it is a disservice to everyone to do that or to expect it even of ourselves.”

Jimenez acknowledged that trustees have already been trying to reduce meeting lengths and that doing so has been difficult. She said the district could consider adding meetings if necessary rather than allowing individual sessions to run so late.

“I think it takes everyone to recognize that that’s our job to make good decisions on behalf of the students,” she said.

Jimenez said she also wants the board to maintain a focus on students and listen closely to the community. Through school board governance training she participated in as a staff member, she said, she learned a model in which the community guides the board and the board guides the district.

She said she wants to be “a very strong voice and advocate for students” and ensure that discussions remain centered on how district decisions affect them.
While Jimenez said her years with PVUSD provide institutional knowledge and familiarity with district administration and the board, she acknowledged that becoming a trustee would put her in a different position.

“I do think that I have a lot of learning to do,” she said.

Jimenez said she would rely on fellow trustees and the community as she adjusts to the role and learns how to balance its responsibilities.

“I’m looking forward to learning about that and listening to how I can be a good advocate,” she said, “for the families in the area and in our district and the students for sure.”

Pajaro Valley Unified School District is beginning the new school year with rising test scores at several campuses, students taking a larger role in shaping district policy and construction poised to begin on a long-awaited performing arts center at Pajaro Valley High School.

In an interview Tuesday with The Pajaronian, Superintendent Heather Contreras said nine schools showed what the district considers significant growth on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, with other schools also showing improvement.

That comes after two difficult years in which PVUSD grappled with budget problems and made a series of cuts to bring its finances back into balance.

“We’re starting out the school year with a sense of celebration at several of our schools,” Contreras said. “We’re seeing them pay off, and so it’s a great way to start the school year.”

Contreras pointed to H.A. Hyde, MacQuiddy and Calabasas elementary schools as examples of campuses where academic initiatives are beginning to show results.

H.A. Hyde and MacQuiddy were the first schools to adopt SWUN Math, an instructional model that includes regular coaching for teachers. After a year and a half in the program, both schools saw 5% growth in math on the state accountability measure, Contreras said.

Eight more schools have since adopted the program, including Calabasas.

PVUSD has also introduced training through Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS, which teaches educators the science behind how children learn to read and how to identify gaps in their skills. The district has paired that effort with a phonics program for students and reading coaches at some campuses.

Growth was not limited to elementary schools. Contreras said Aptos and Pajaro Valley high schools each showed 11% growth on the state accountability measure compared with the previous year.

Contreras said the results give the district a clearer picture of which strategies are working and can be expanded elsewhere.

Another initiative puts students at the center of district decisions.

The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, which includes students from across the district, helped develop new district policies on cellphones and homework last year.

Students studied state law and policies from other districts before working in small groups to develop their own proposals. They took those ideas back to their schools, presented them to one another and eventually reached consensus on recommendations for PVUSD.

Their cellphone proposal ultimately became the policy approved earlier this year by the school board. Students also presented their work directly to trustees.

“It just makes sense to me that they would get involved in the policies that affect them,” Contreras said.

Students also considered whether elementary students should have phones at school, when middle school students should be allowed to use them and how restrictions could affect athletics and after-school programs.

Their homework discussions similarly included the different needs of Advanced Placement students, athletes and younger children, along with whether students have internet access or adults available to help them at home.

This year, the group will tackle an even larger issue: the possibility of school closures as the district grapples with a moribund budget and declining enrollment. 

PVUSD is studying how to respond to declining enrollment, including whether some schools should close or consolidate. Contreras said students will receive information similar to what has been presented to the district’s adult advisory group before developing their own recommendations.

“We want to hear from them,” she said.

While students take on a greater role in district policy, one of PVUSD’s largest facilities projects is preparing to move from planning to construction.

The district expects to break ground in early September on the new performing arts center at Pajaro Valley High School, district spokesman Alejandro Chavez said.

The school board recently approved Santa Clara-based Swinerton to manage the project and its subcontractors. District officials hope construction can be completed in about two years.
Contreras said reaching the construction phase so quickly required navigating state approvals and other regulatory hurdles.

“From bond passing to shovel in the ground, to do that in two years is outstanding,” she said, crediting the district’s facilities staff and bond manager.

The performing arts center is one of several facilities projects underway across PVUSD. Summer work included new or improved playgrounds, painting and other upgrades, while groundbreakings are also planned for fields at Rolling Hills Middle School and Pajaro Middle School.

For Contreras, however, the academic gains provide perhaps the clearest reason for optimism as students return.

The goal now, she said, is to determine what produced those improvements and reproduce them throughout the district.

“We’re excited to see that what we thought would happen is happening,” she said, “and we see it translating into the results for the students.”

Anselmo Rivas has spent much of his life working in agriculture, from tending his family’s farm as a teenager in Mexico to managing apple orchards in the Pajaro Valley. He now owns and operates Rivas Bees.

But his passion now, after retiring from a lifetime of farming, is his family’s beekeeping business.

That work earned Rivas recognition as the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau’s 2026 Farmer of the Year. The award, which recognizes farmers who contribute to the community beyond their regular farming duties, was presented during the organization’s 109th annual meeting June 25 at Jacobs Farm del Cabo in Watsonville.

Rivas said the honor came as a surprise, particularly since he retired from the apple industry about a decade ago.

Rivas was traveling in Portugal when Farm Bureau Executive Director Jess Brown sent him a text message with the news. With limited internet access, Rivas did not see the message until that night.

Rivas was born in Milpillas de Allende, Zacatecas, Mexico, and worked on his family’s farm growing alfalfa, gladiolus, pomegranates and corn. His family moved to Watsonville in 1967, where Rivas began working in agriculture, first picking strawberries and later pruning and harvesting apples.

In 1979, he joined Resetar Brothers Apple Orchards, where he spent 37 years helping manage orchards and operations. After retiring, he worked for several years as a grower consultant for Martinelli’s.

His beekeeping career grew from a swarm his father found in a vegetable field. The two began collecting swarms and harvesting honey, and Rivas eventually encouraged his father to sell it rather than give it away. When his father died, Rivas took over his nine hives and expanded the operation into what became Rivas Bees.

Today, Rivas said the operation has roughly 450-500 hives. The bees pollinate crops including berries, apples and almonds, while Rivas Bees is sold in about 35 stores, including Ace Hardware.
Rivas has also worked with local schools, Cabrillo College, the Farm Bureau and other organizations to teach people about bees, pollination and agriculture.

Asked what he is most proud of after a lifetime in farming, Rivas’ answer was simple.

“Everything.”

For information on where to purchase Rivas Honey, visit rivasbees.com.

A candidate for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District governing board has numerous convictions on his record, including felony assault and child endangerment, but those crimes don’t disqualify him from running in this November’s election. 

Curt Street Wilcox, 65, told Lookout that he’s running because he believes he’ll be an asset for the district. 

“I think our kids are our future,” he said Thursday. “And, just giving them hopefully a positive role model of trying to make things better for them.” 

Despite his convictions and decades of other criminal accusations filed against him in Santa Cruz, Monterey and Shasta counties, Wilcox met the requirements to file and run in the PVUSD school board race for Trustee Area V. Santa Cruz County Elections Clerk Tricia Webber told Lookout that candidates sign an oath under penalty of perjury stating that they live where they say they do, that they’re a registered voter in the county and that they’ve not committed disqualifying crimes. 

State code says anyone who has either been convicted of, or convicted of conspiracy to commit, felony bribery, embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money or perjury, can’t be considered a candidate for, and isn’t eligible to be elected to, any state or local elective office.

Wilcox told Lookout that he recently moved back to Watsonville, where he said he was born and raised, and is looking to purchase a property. He said his father lives in Watsonville, and he used his father’s address in his candidacy paperwork “for the time being.”

He said he has many places that he bases himself out of. “My residential address, you know, it kind of varies,” he said. “But it’s pretty much been the Costanoan burial ground in the Elkhorn Slough.” 

Webber told Lookout that by signing his declaration of candidacy, Wilcox affirmed that he lives in the Trustee Area V of the district and has met all of the other requirements for the office. She said that the elections office isn’t the agency tasked with investigating whether each detail a potential candidate has signed under penalty of perjury is correct. 

“We’re not required to go and do a background check to see if that statement is true,” she said, adding that the Secretary of State training for elections officials says that “we’re not supposed to do background checks.” 

Webber said only after a complaint is made to the Watsonville City Attorney, Watsonville Police Department or the Santa Cruz County District Attorney would those offices investigate whether or not Wilcox committed fraud and is not qualified for office.

However, she said, that would have to take place in the courts and would take time to investigate and advance through the legal process. Webber added that as of Thursday morning, she hadn’t received any formal complaints about Wilcox’s listed residential address on his paperwork. Voters will still see his name on the ballot this fall. 

Webber said at this point, candidates’ names can be removed only if they have died, and her deadline to finalize ballots for print is next week. 

Wilcox’s criminal background

Wilcox has convictions including vandalism, resisting an officer, fleeing a police officer, felony assault and child endangerment, among others, over the past couple decades. Lookout asked how he felt about possible concerns from community members regarding his ability to serve as a member of a school board considering his convictions. 

“If they want to look at the facts of the case, that’s one thing; if they want to look at the convictions, that’s another,” he said.

Lookout did not find any convictions of felony bribery, embezzlement, extortion or theft of public money or perjury in his record. He told Lookout he hasn’t been convicted of any. 

Among Wilcox’s convictions is one for felony assault in 2017, in which the victim was his daughter-in-law. Brooke Wilcox, who is married to one of Wilcox’s three sons, Shaun, talked about her father-in-law’s impact on her family and how he attacked her with a Taser.

Pajaro Valley Unified School District offices in Watsonville. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

“This isn’t about revenge, and it isn’t about politics,” she said. “It’s about whether someone with a documented history of serious criminal and child-safety issues should be entrusted with the responsibility of making decisions about anyone’s children.” 

Brooke Wilcox, who moved with her family to Texas in 2021, in part to avoid her father-in-law, told Lookout that her family does not have contact with him. 

She described how in 2017, he attacked her with a Taser in front of her children. Brooke, her husband and children had been renovating a house on her father-in-law’s property. After fixing the home, she said he gave them an eviction notice and forced them to leave by turning off their power. Finally, they moved to Los Gatos to get away from him, she said.

After they had moved away, they went to his property to grab some of their belongings, on June 2, 2017. Brooke said he approached her with a Taser and she told him to get away. 

“He ran at me and Tased me,” she recalled. “He got me in the neck, in the side, in the head, in the face, in the stomach. He was holding it in my stomach to the point where I lost consciousness.”

Brooke’s daughter ran to find her father, who helped save Brooke. Brooke said she regained consciousness eventually and she and her family fought him as he tried to get into his truck to try to run over her. She said if it wasn’t for her daughter running to get Shaun, she thinks she would be dead.

A judge sentenced Wilcox to four years in prison.

“I have pretty bad [post-traumatic stress disorder] from everything that happened to me with him,” Brooke Wilcox said. 

More recently, in 2024, Curt Wilcox was convicted of fleeing a police officer stemming from an incident in 2021 in Watsonville. The Watsonville Police Department posted a video clip on Facebook of the damage to cars he caused, and Wilcox is seen in the background as officers arrest him. 

Wilcox denies that he had Tased Brooke, saying “the whole thing was a farce,” and added that the 2021 incident involving fleeing an officer was about “an assault by my boss.” 

He and Brooke also both told Lookout that he has long struggled with mental health challenges. 

Pajaro Valley Unified School District officials told Lookout they have no control over qualifications for candidates of school board races but said that candidate filing and eligibility requirements are managed by county election officials. 

“PVUSD maintains a neutral position in all local board elections,” they wrote in a statement. “As a courtesy, PVUSD extends invitations to all registered Board of Education candidates to attend an informational briefing to learn about district data and operations. In the case of Mr. Wilcox, he has not responded to our invitation.”

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

The post Pajaro Valley school board candidate has felony assault, child endangerment convictions – but can still run appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Curt Wilcox says he is running for a seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees with a lifetime of experience as a working-class businessman and father, though he acknowledged he has never attended a district board meeting and has not yet studied the issues facing the district.

Wilcox, 65, who is retired after a career in auto glass, construction and general building work, said his experience with public education comes primarily from his own schooling and that of his sons.

He described himself as ambitious and entrepreneurial from an early age, working while attending school and pursuing an interest in motorcycle racing. Asked what leadership qualities he would bring to the board, Wilcox said he has generally thought independently.

“I guess I’ve always been trying to think my own way, and it’s always seemed to work out okay,” he said.

Curt Wilcox (Monterey County
Sheriff’s Office)

Wilcox said he has not previously served on an elected body. He also said he has not attended a PVUSD board meeting and has not researched the district’s current challenges.

“I’m looking forward to getting involved in the procedures with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and see what we can do to improve upon what’s already in place,” he said.

Wilcox currently resides in Shasta County but said he plans to move to Santa Cruz County. He said he is currently using his father’s District 5 address as his mailing address.

His candidacy also raises questions about a criminal history that includes a prison sentence stemming from a 2017 confrontation with his daughter-in-law, Brooke Wilcox.

Brooke told The Pajaronian that Wilcox attacked her with a stun gun as she and her children were preparing to leave property where her family had been living. She said he shocked her repeatedly, causing her to lose consciousness, and that she suffered a broken foot during the confrontation.

Brooke said the attack followed years of conflict after she and her husband, Wilcox’s son, moved onto Wilcox’s property on Fruitland Avenue in Royal Oaks in 2014. She alleged Wilcox drilled out locks, interfered with their electricity and repeatedly harassed the family.

Wilcox offered a sharply different account. He characterized his son and daughter-in-law as “squatters” who damaged his property and said the confrontation was an act of self-defense after previous altercations.

“I was convicted because it was self-defense after being beat up three times,” he said, acknowledging that he had a stun gun during the final confrontation.

Brooke disputed Wilcox’s description of the family as squatters. She said they had a five-year contract signed by Wilcox allowing them to live on the property and that she has receipts documenting tens of thousands of dollars the family spent improving it.

“There are no records anywhere that would say we were squatters,” she said.

In her earlier interview, Brooke said the family used its savings to build a home on the property after entering into an agreement with Wilcox that they would live there for five years, with the possibility of eventually purchasing the property. She said they received an eviction notice after completing the home.

Wilcox said he was nevertheless content to serve his prison sentence, describing incarceration as “a wonderful experience” that gave him time to read and participate in religious activities.

Brooke said she has a 10-year protective order prohibiting Wilcox from contacting her family. Wilcox said he was unaware of such an order.

Brooke also questioned whether Wilcox should be entrusted with decisions affecting children, pointing to his past experience as a foster parent. She alleged she witnessed Wilcox grab a foster child by the neck and hold him against a wall, after which she contacted Child Protective Services and the children were removed.

Wilcox denied grabbing a child by the neck. He said the foster children were ultimately removed from his home, but that he never learned the allegations against him. He described caring for several troubled children as overwhelming.

“My heart was in the right place,” he said, adding that he would not become a foster parent again without a partner to help care for the children.

Wilcox also addressed a previous incident in 2021 in which Watsonville police pursued him before he drove into a fire training facility and struck vehicles there.

Wilcox said he had been under significant stress at the time, including a difficult interaction with his boss the previous day and a lack of sleep. He acknowledged driving erratically, saying he was overwhelmed by work-related stress and grief over the deaths of family members and friends.

“The situation that led me to my erratic driving behavior” came after his boss had “mentally” pushed him “over the edge,” Wilcox said. He said he drove into the fire department training area and entered a vehicle that was going to be demolished.

Wilcox said he raised his hands and surrendered when officers confronted him, but that officers shot him with what he described as a “cork gun,” leaving a cut above his left eye. He said he was subsequently taken to a hospital.

Wilcox again attributed his behavior at the time to stress and unresolved grief rather than drugs, saying the accumulated deaths of people close to him had become overwhelming.

“Sometimes I’m just kind of beside myself,” he said.

Court records show that Wilcox was convicted in a separate Capitola case stemming from June 2023. The records show a conviction for resisting or deterring an officer, which was later reduced to a misdemeanor under Penal Code Section 17(b), as well as a vandalism charge listed in his sentencing records.

He was sentenced in January 2024 to 364 days in county jail, with the custody term deemed served after credit for time already served and conduct credit. He was also placed on two years of supervision, which was later modified to a conditional sentence.

As part of the sentence, Wilcox was ordered to stay away from 828 Bay Ave. in Capitola, not possess firearms or other dangerous weapons, complete an ACCESS evaluation and take all medications prescribed by mental health professionals. Court records also ordered him to pay $110 in restitution and submit to drug testing and searches.

Asked about his mental health history, Wilcox acknowledged receiving psychiatric treatment and said he was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, although he said the doctor who diagnosed him later told him he might have been misdiagnosed.

Wilcox instead attributed his struggles to grief over the deaths of family members and friends.

“If you want to call it mental illness or bipolar, that’s fine,” he said. “But it’s a mourning process of grieving people that have passed away.” He said he is not currently prescribed ongoing medication.

Despite the controversies surrounding his candidacy, Wilcox said voters should consider the breadth of his background.

“You would find few people that have more life experiences than myself,” he said.

Meet Rafael and Rosa.

For them, life looks brighter now. But not long ago, life was different.

Rafael was struggling with serious health issues and his family faced housing uncertainty. The family had difficulty facing Rafael’s medical diagnoses and proposed treatment. They were overwhelmed by the systems responsible for his medical and housing benefits. It was hard to know where to start — until they found support through Santa Cruz County’s Long Term Case Management team.

Long Term Case Management (LTCM) is a program which focuses on helping elderly and dependent adults maintain independence through advocacy, counseling and referrals to community agencies. Social workers connect one-on-one with clients, fostering special bonds and relationships that enable people like Rafael and Rosa to stay safe and maintain independence. 

When older adults experience a crisis, whether due to abuse by another person or because they are having difficulties caring for themselves, they may not know how to get help. They may be ashamed, fearful of the government or worried they will lose their independence. The County of Santa Cruz’s Adult and Long Term Care (ALTC) division and Adult Protective Services program advocates for people experiencing abuse and helps them stay safe and independent. ALTC is dedicated to protecting the elderly (60 years and older) and dependent adults, ages of 18-59, who have physical or mental limitations that restrict their ability to carry out daily activities or to protect their rights.

With bilingual social workers and nurses by his side, Rafael began facing his fears — one appointment, one conversation, one small victory at a time.

In addition to accompanying Rafael to medical appointments and advocating for him, his team leveraged additional resources through the Home Safe program. Through Home Safe, Rafael and Rosa had support to find a safe place to live, received security deposit assistance, navigated the complicated Housing Authority requirements and were provided furniture. 

Through long-term, intensive care coordination and continuous social-emotional support by his team, Rafael was able to overcome his fear of the healthcare system. Without the level of support that LTCM provided, Rafael may not have survived. 

Rafael now attends medical appointments on his own. He is more independent with taking his medication and takes a more active role in household chores and gardening. Rafael and Rosa love their new home and recently adopted a cat. Rafael loves his grandchildren and is eager to continue working in therapy to better express his needs and his feelings.  

Rafael and Rosa’s story is a reminder: accepting help can change your life. Santa Cruz County’s Adult and Long Term Care Services are here for you — to help you stay healthy, safe and supported.

“Since 2023, Adult Protective Services Long Term Case Management program has served nearly 100 older and dependent adults throughout the county,” said Whitney Barnes, supervisor at Adult and Long Term Care. “The program has consistently improved client’s health and outlook on life.”

If you or someone in your life needs help, please reach out to the Adult and Long Term Care Division at 831-454-4101 or www.santacruzhumanservices.org/AdultLongTermCare.

The post Accepting help can change your life – Meet Rafael and Rosa appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

The Timber fire in Big Sur has continued to grow over the past week, but containment is improving and crews appear to have slowed the rate of progress.

The blaze, first reported the morning of Aug. 9, had spread to 5,772 acres as of 8:08 a.m. Thursday. Containment had reached 27%, up from 7% last Thursday.

A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection incident management team, a specialized group of emergency personnel that provide leadership and coordination during complicated incidents, continues to lead the fire response. The Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County had also sent a team that included a battalion chief, fire captain, and three firefighters.

Only two zones were under evacuation orders as of Thursday morning, but nine remained under evacuation warnings. State parks within the Big Sur area are still closed, including Point Sur State Historic Park, Andrew Molera State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. According to County of Monterey spokesperson Nicholas Pasculli, the disaster shelter at Carmel Middle School was closed on Wednesday, and there were no remaining evacuees that the county is aware of.

The Highway 1 road closure is now located at Mile Marker 44.5, near Alila Ventana/Post Ranch Inn. The southern portion of the closure is located at Mile Marker 37 at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Vista Point. 

Crews will be working on “rock scaling” Thursday and Friday, per Cal Fire’s incident page, to remove loose rock material. This could require temporary closures of some of the currently open areas of Highway 1 in the fire zone, as debris may be falling onto the roadway. Caltrans trucks will clear the roadway and coordinate with traffic to allow drivers to pass through once it is safe.

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

The post Timber fire in Big Sur reaches 5,772 acres, 27% containment appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County, with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.

The post Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, Aug. 20-23 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Races on the Nov. 3 ballot include city council seats in Capitola, Scotts Valley and Watsonville. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local file/CatchLight Local)

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY>>  As Election Day on Nov. 3 grows closer, Santa Cruz Local is starting to create our free, nonpartisan election guide for local races. We’re beginning like we always do — by asking residents what they need from their elected leaders, what changes you want to see and what helps you decide who to vote for. 

Take our five-minute survey about the local issues that matters most to you. The survey is open until Aug. 28. 

Your responses will help inform the questions we ask candidates for local office. In early October, we’ll report back on what they told us. 

Competitive races on the November ballot include:

• Santa Cruz Mayor.
• Two seats on the Watsonville City Council.
• Two seats on the Scotts Valley City Council.
• Three seats on the Capitola City Council.
• School board seats in Pajaro Valley Unified School District, San Lorenzo Valley School District, and Soquel Unified School district. 
• A Cabrillo Community College District trustee.
• Two directors for Felton Fire Protection District.

See more details on upcoming races.

Questions or comments? Email info@santacruzlocal.org. Santa Cruz Local is supported by members, major donors, sponsors and grants for the general support of our newsroom. Our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Learn more about Santa Cruz Local and how we are funded.

Learn about membership Santa Cruz Local’s news is free. We believe that high-quality local news is crucial to democracy. We depend on locals like you to make a meaningful contribution so everyone can access our news. Learn about membership

The post Tell us what local issues you care about. We’ll press candidates running for office. appeared first on Santa Cruz Local.

Here’s what’s happening on Santa Cruz County roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents

Road incidents as of 6 a.m. on August 20

• Highway 9 at Cascade Avenue in the San Lorenzo Valley has one-way traffic due to ongoing work. This closure is expected to last until Aug. 31. 

Disclosure: Traffic incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

The post Thursday morning traffic: Highway 9 lane closures in San Lorenzo Valley appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

After Santa Cruz ended its contract with Flock Safety, activists are stepping up efforts to persuade Watsonville to do the same — and at least one councilmember who previously supported the surveillance cameras is beginning to have second thoughts.

The post Watsonville Flock debate gains momentum as councilmember rethinks support appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.