Santa Cruz Local

Santa Cruz County health officials said Thursday that hospitals remain relatively quiet, but they anticipate COVID-19 patients to top a “surge capacity” of 50 intensive care unit beds this month or in May. Santa Cruz Local hosts Kara Meyberg Guzman and Stephen Baxter explain the top five takeaways from a news conference Thursday with county health officials. The full news conference with reporters’ questions follows their introduction. Transcript: www.santacruzlocal.org Sign up for our free newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/santacruzlocal/coronavirus Support our journalism with a membership: www.santacruzlocal.org/membership

Santa Cruz County's lockdown may last for months. We have to wait for one of three things: a vaccine, a treatment or herd immunity. A vaccine or treatment could take a year or more. Herd immunity — when enough people have recovered from the disease are now resistant — could also take a while. Local experts agree: A lockdown is needed to save our hospital system from being overwhelmed. But what if there's another way? What can Santa Cruz County learn from countries that are suppressing the coronavirus without long, drastic lockdowns? Read our transcript and related links: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/03/26/global-lessons-for-santa-cruz-in-the-covid-19-response/ Subscribe to our free newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/santacruzlocal/coronavirus Support our work with a membership: santacruzlocal.org/membership Donate protective gear to Watsonville Community Hospital: 831-763-6040 Donate protective gear to Dominican Hospital: 831-462-7712, https://www.dignityhealth.org/bayarea/locations/dominican/about-us/press-ce

The time for coronavirus testing for the general public was in February, says Santa Cruz County epidemiologist Will Forest. The real question is how well can the county’s medical centers expand to meet expected demand. What may determine that is how well residents follow the county health officer's order to stay home. We talk to Santa Cruz Mayor Justin Cummings and leaders from Sutter Health, Santa Cruz Community Health Centers and others about what’s next. Spoiler alert: This could be just the start of mandatory stay-at-home orders. Our coronavirus resource page: www.santacruzlocal.org/COVID-19 Read the transcript: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/03/19/santa-cruz-county-medical-capacity-to-face-coronavirus-test/ Support our work: www.santacruzlocal.org/membership

To stem the spread of the coronavirus, Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel ordered residents to stay in their homes for three weeks and not leave unless necessary. The mandate starts early Tuesday. It follows six Bay Area counties with similar measures. Hear Newel explain how the order protects the community, at a press conference Monday at the county government building. Read our related story here: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/03/16/santa-cruz-county-orders-residents-to-shelter-in-place/ Sign up for our newsletter here: https://santacruzlocal.org/free-newsletter-covid-19/ Get informed, find resources and how to help here: https://santacruzlocal.org/covid-19/ Tell us what questions you have about the local response to the coronavirus: www.santacruzlocal.org/coronavirus

Santa Cruz County has seven confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Thursday night. County leaders now have evidence that the virus has spread within the community. Lives are disrupted by many closures and cancellations, including an announcement Thursday that Santa Cruz County public schools will be closed next week. We talk to county epidemiologist Mikala Caton about the county’s testing capacity. We hear tips on how to be prepared, not scared: what you need to know to stay healthy and prevent the virus' spread. Survey and transcript: https://santacruzlocal.org/2020/03/13/coronavirus-spreads-in-santa-cruz-county/

Despite a concerted effort to stop the recall of Santa Cruz City Council members Chris Krohn and Drew Glover, the pair seemed to be ousted from the council in Tuesday's election, according to unofficial results from the county. The results (which have all precincts reporting but do not include many vote-by-mail and same-day registration ballots) show that Krohn and Glover will be replaced by 87-year-old former mayor Katherine Beiers and elementary school educator Renee Golder. In the Santa Cruz County Supervisor District 1 race, incumbent John Leopold will face a November runoff against challenger Manu Koenig. Santa Cruz Local hosts Kara Meyberg Guzman and Stephen Baxter talk about these and more county election results.

There are two recall votes happening in the City of Santa Cruz right now. This episode focuses on one of the races, for Councilmember Chris Krohn’s seat. We hear from Krohn and the candidates vying to replace him: former Santa Cruz mayors Katherine Beiers and Don Lane. The candidates discuss homelessness, jobs, the environment, housing and discord on the city council. Our questions come from our 10-day  listening tour around the community.

We press the candidates for Santa Cruz City Council on what we heard are your concerns: homelessness, housing, the environment, jobs and discord on the city council. We hear from Drew Glover, Renee Golder and Tim Fitzmaurice. We explain what a recall is and why it's on your ballot. We also discuss who's funding the recall campaign.

Our work on the People's Agenda continues. Candidates for the District 1 supervisor race discuss plans for homelessness, the rail corridor, traffic, housing and jobs. We hear from incumbent John Leopold and challengers Manu Koenig, Mark Esquibel and Benjamin Cogan. If you’re a voter in Live Oak, Pleasure Point, Soquel, western Capitola or the Santa Cruz Mountains north of Soquel, you’ll vote on this race. But even if you don't live in the district, this race still matters to you. The decisions of the board of supervisors affect the entire county. Read the full transcript at www.santacruzlocal.org .

We press Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend and challenger Becky Steinbruner on what we heard are your top issues: homelessness, traffic, the environment, housing and the rail corridor. Friend and Steinbruner are the candidates in the District 2 county supervisor election that will take place March 3. The district covers Aptos, Corralitos, Freedom, La Selva Beach, Pajaro Dunes, eastern Capitola and other areas. This is part three of our local elections series "Vote March 3."

In January, we interviewed more than 200 voters from Santa Cruz, Live Oak, Aptos, La Selva Beach, Corralitos, Soquel, the Summit, Capitola and the surrounding areas. Our goal: Listen to ordinary people's priorities for the upcoming March 3 local election. We tried to find voices that you don't normally hear in city council or board of supervisors meetings. We share with you what we learned from our interviews and our online survey. Based on what we heard, we wrote a list of questions that we asked the candidates for Santa Cruz City Council and the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. For transcript, photos and our newsletter: https://www.santacruzlocal.org Register to vote in California or change your party, your address or your name: https://www.registertovote.ca.gov/ Check your registration and voter history: http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/ElectionSites/

This is part six of our series about us and our company. We take you behind the scenes of our local news startup and show you how we make decisions. In this episode, you meet Natalya Dreszer, our community engagement intern. Natalya shares how she came to Santa Cruz Local and why she’s doing this work. Plus, we share how and why we want your help to create stories that are meaningful and valuable to you. Read our community engagement mission statement: santacruzlocal.org/community Sign up for our newsletter: santacruzlocal.org Locals, our last Open Newsroom Office Hours on the elections is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday Jan. 19 at the Pleasure Point staircase at the end of 33rd Avenue. Come meet us and share your priorities for the election!

We answer your questions on how to vote in Santa Cruz County. Then we break down what's on your ballot in the March 3 primary election. And we explain our approach to reporting on the local elections. Spoiler alert: It's all about you. We're hosting a dozen community events in the next two weeks. Meet us in person and tell us what you want the local candidates to talk about. www.santacruzlocal.org/events Fill out our online survey about the elections: www.santacruzlocal.org/votesurvey Register to vote in California or change party/address/name: www.registertovote.ca.gov Check your registration and voter history: https://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/ElectionSites/ Editor's Note: A previous version of this episode mentioned a vote for more fire service in County Service Area 48. That ballot has been mailed separately to voters in that area and will be tallied in January. It does not appear on the March 3 ballot.

Happy holidays! Santa Cruz Local co-hosts Kara Meyberg Guzman and Stephen Baxter update you on what Santa Cruz Local has been up to last few weeks. We let you in on our plans for covering the March 2020 local election. And we reflect on our first few months as a membership-driven local news organization. Thank you to all our listeners, readers and members for helping us build this organization and community. Sign up for our newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/santacruzlocal/podcast

Tuesday's Santa Cruz City Council meeting was the last with Martine Watkins as mayor. In a ceremony, the city council swore in Justin Cummings as the new mayor for 2020. Donna Meyers will be vice mayor. Cummings is Santa Cruz’s first black male mayor. It was a difficult year for the city council — accusations of disrespectful behavior between councilmembers, an investigation into workplace misconduct by two councilmembers, an ongoing recall campaign against those same councilmembers, and a decision for the council to undergo mediation. Mayor Martine Watkins, Cummings and Meyers all gave speeches Tuesday with ideas on how the city can heal and move forward. We're sharing the audio recording because we thought it was worth a listen. For a full report on Tuesday's meeting, visit santacruzlocal.org.

Much of Santa Cruz’s affordable housing development is dependent on market-rate developers. In December, the Santa Cruz City Council will consider an increase in the number of affordable housing units that developers are required to build. It’s called an inclusionary rate, and the city council may raise it from 15% of new units to 20%. The city needs to set the rate high enough that it forces the maximum number of affordable units. But the rate shouldn’t be so high that the costs scare away developers. Likely the debate will come down to whether the city should do an economic study. We break down the value and shortcomings of economic studies and what’s at risk. We talk to a developer and discuss some economic factors that go into developers’ decisions to build.

There's a flip side to Santa Cruz's housing shortage. Wages here are relatively low. That's a big reason why many can't afford to rent or buy homes. We hear about trends in jobs in our county. And we hear from Hector Juarez and Cynthia Chase, two Santa Cruz residents with similar dreams, and how our local economy has shaped their lives.

Tenants in Santa Cruz will see new protection from arbitrary evictions. The Santa Cruz City Council passed an emergency eviction law Tuesday that enacts part of a new state law immediately. Also, the council may change the number of affordable units that developers are required to build. It's called an inclusionary rate, and the city's looking at increasing it from 15% of units in new development to 20%. Some councilmembers worry that will create less development, and thus, fewer affordable units. Lastly, we hear an update on 190 W. Cliff, the 89-unit condominium project across the street from the Dream Inn.

After much debate, the Santa Cruz City Council approves 190 W. Cliff, an 89-unit condominium project across the street from the Dream Inn. In other news, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors allows rural landowners to vote on a tax for increased fire and medical service. Plus, more news from around the county.

After the Loma Prieta earthquake destroyed much of downtown Santa Cruz in 1989, city leaders and residents came together to rebuild the downtown in a deliberate way. A 36-member committee formed a plan for development which continues today. On the quake’s 30th anniversary, Santa Cruz Local talks to some of the key players and explains how Pacific Avenue came to be. Editor's note: The Loma Prieta earthquake was a magnitude of 6.9 on the moment scale, the scale most commonly used to describe large quakes. This episode lists the quake’s magnitude as 7.1, which was its surface-wave magnitude, not a commonly-used metric for large quakes.