This episode features interviews with Liz Broughton and Ross Johnston from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural HistoryVon thinklocalfirst

In this episode, Host, Susan O'Connor Fraser talks to Gayle Ortiz owner and co-founder of Capitola's Gayle's Bakery.Von thinklocalfirst

In this episode of Think Local First Radio, hosts Susan and Tam talk to Bill Wolverton of Good Morning Monterey Bay and Michael Olson of Food Chain Radio and China Now about Santa Cruz Voice.Von thinklocalfirst

In this episode, Susan and Tam O'Connor Fraser talk to Matthew Pinck the founder and teacher at Be Natural Music.Von thinklocalfirst

In this episode, Tam and Susan O'Connor Fraser interview Daniel Janick the brains behind New Way Growers.Von thinklocalfirst

In this episode, hosts Susan and Tam O'Connor Fraser talk to Jill Troderman of Santa Cruz Holistic NutritionVon thinklocalfirst

This episode features hosts Tam and Susan O'Connor Fraser interviewing Cami Corvin and Janet Romanowski about the benefits to businesses and non-profits for joining Think Local First of Santa Cruz County.Von thinklocalfirst

Tam and Susan interview Shaz Roth from the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce.Von thinklocalfirst

Hosts Tam and Susan O'Connor Fraser interview Amy Redfeather of Native Animal Rescue.Von thinklocalfirst

In this episode of Think Local First radio, Susan and Tam interview Jenna Gallant of Treehouse Dispensary in Soquel.Von thinklocalfirst

This episode features an interview with Scotts Valley-based chiropractor Dr. Rob Adams on Back on Track Cranial Center. Dr. Adams describes his services and how chiropractic care can help improve an individual's overall health and wellness.Von Think Local First

Santa Cruz Local recently published a three-part investigation into how public money is spent on homeless services in Santa Cruz County. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss why we took on this investigation and several of the key takeaways from our reporting. We also hear from some key leaders in homeless services management. Read the transcript with…

In today’s episode we meet the five candidates for Capitola City Council. They are Yvette Lopez Brooks, Joe Clarke, Enrique Dolmo Jr., Gerry Jensen and Alexander Pedersen. The five candidates are running for three seats. They appear before Capitola voters on the Nov. 8 ballot.We explain what a council member does. Then we press the candidates on th…

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. For the first time, Santa Cruz voters will choose a mayor. We meet the two candidates: Joy Schendledecker and Fred Keeley.We explain the new format for Santa Cruz City Council elections and the new mayoral role. Then we press the candidates on the issues important to Santa Cruz residents. Read the transcript with li…

We meet two candidates for Santa Cruz City Council: Renee Golder and Sean Maxwell. They’re running for the District 6 seat on the Nov. 8 ballot.You’ll vote in the District 6 council race if you live in these areas: areas of the Lower Westside west of Younglove Avenue and Columbia Street; areas along Western Drive; and a western part of the UC Santa…

We meet three candidates for Santa Cruz City Council: Hector Marin, Gregory Hyver and Scott Newsome. They’re running for the District 4 seat on the Nov. 8 ballot.You’ll vote in the District 4 council race if you live in these areas: Downtown; Beach Flats; part of the Upper Westside, east of Bay Street and south of High Street; and areas along Missi…

In the Nov. 8 election, Scotts Valley voters will choose two city council members. In today’s episode we’ll learn about the role of a council member. Then we’ll meet the three candidates: Derek Timm, Allan Timms and Jim Reed. Santa Cruz Local presses the candidates on the issues important to Scotts Valley residents. Read the transcript with links t…

Santa Cruz Local wants you to decide what the local candidates talk about as they compete for your vote in the Nov. 8 election. This year, Santa Cruz Local’s team conducted nearly 300 interviews and collected 150 survey responses from Santa Cruz County residents. Here is what residents told us they want from local government, in order of frequency:…

In the June 7 primary election, North Coast and Santa Cruz residents will choose a new District 3 representative on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. We hear from residents about their priorities for the election. Then we meet candidates Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Justin Cummings and Ami Chen Mills and press them on residents’ concerns.We…

Bakersfield and Kern County, California, solved chronic homelessness in part through better coordination of service providers, shared housing databases and a fearless approach to experimentation and results monitoring. Despite Santa Cruz County’s housing shortage, there are lessons from Kern County that start with making housing searches more effic…

We hear from four Santa Cruz County residents: a 25-year-old caregiver in Santa Cruz, a 54-year-old janitor in Watsonville, a father of three in Santa Cruz and a 24-year-old sales associate in Capitola. They share their experiences with homelessness and the keys to getting housed. This episode is part of Santa Cruz Local’s Solutions to Homelessness…

Responses to mental health crises are set to change in Santa Cruz County with a new 988 system as an alternative to 911. Non-police responses are expected to be dispatched through the system, and advocates say the 24-hour, non-police system is overdue. Santa Cruz Local’s Stephen Baxter talks to Assemblymember Mark Stone, advocate Jeffrey Arlt and o…

Tuesday, the Santa Cruz City Council will consider a proposed law that aims to prevent large homeless camps by limiting where and when people can camp and requiring most tents to be removed each morning. We explain the proposal. And we hear from three Santa Cruz residents who are homeless. We hear their stories: their goals, their barriers and thei…

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a need for mental health services in Santa Cruz County’s public schools. We hear from a director at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education about virtual mentoring, an approach that has shown promise in addressing student mental health needs. We discuss how it works and where it falls short. This episode is the t…

Were some COVID-19 deaths preventable in Santa Cruz County long-term care facilities? This episode investigates why some senior homes — which had more than half of the COVID deaths in the county — waited for vaccines through January while others received vaccines. Separately, the episode includes a conversation with contributing reporter Jerimiah O…

Many students in Santa Cruz County feel stressed and disconnected after months of online-only school. We hear from three Aptos High students about their social and emotional well-being needs. A program administrator responds to these stories and shares tips on how adults can help. This episode is the second in Santa Cruz Local’s Distance Learning s…

This episode is the first in Santa Cruz Local's Distance Learning series. Today we explore how the state's public education system is organized and funded, and how decisions are made. Many of you wanted to know: How can students, parents and teachers make their voice heard in such a huge, complicated system? We hear from former county superintenden…

In the wake of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in Santa Cruz County, this episode explores forest management policies in the state and county. It also looks at the role of prescribed burns in land management in the county, and a new Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association.Support local journalism with a Santa Cruz Local membership: https://santacr…

Santa Cruz Local presses the Santa Cruz City Council candidates on the priorities we heard from residents: housing and homelessness. We meet eight of the nine city council candidates: Martine Watkins, Sandy Brown, Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Kelsey Hill, Kayla Kumar, Maria Cadenas, Elizabeth Conlan and Sonja Brunner. Voters will pick four.Read the t…

Santa Cruz Local presses the five Watsonville City Council candidates on the priorities we heard from residents: affordable housing development, city-sponsored youth programs, the high cost of rent and more. We break down the differences between District 2 candidates Aurelio Gonzalez and Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, District 6 candidates Jimmy Dutra and …

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 the District 1 Santa Cruz County supervisors 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. We press incumbent John…

Santa Cruz Local has interviewed and surveyed about 50 Scotts Valley residents in recent months to hear their priorities for the Scotts Valley City Council race. Today, we press the candidates — John Lewis, Donna Lind, Jack Dilles and Randy Johnson — on the concerns of residents. Listen to the candidates’ views on housing, supporting local business…

We hear from Santa Cruz County Supervisor Bruce McPherson with an update on the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. McPherson’s district covers San Lorenzo Valley, which has been hard hit by the fire. McPherson shares an update on the fire response. He also describes his tour Monday of San Lorenzo Valley and what damage he saw.Read more stories on the wild…

COVID-19 shutdowns have hurt many locals on the brink of poverty because of the county’s high cost of living. About 40% of Santa Cruz County residents have received some food assistance since the COVID-19 shelter orders began in March, according to Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County staff.We hear from four people on the margins, from San Lo…

Residents’ recent calls to reduce police presence and funding in Santa Cruz County come at the same time police say they are overburdened with calls for mental health care and homelessness. We explore the aftermath of two recent, fatal police shootings in our county that involved mental health — and how harm could be avoided.Looking toward solution…

Santa Cruz County on Monday recorded its largest single-day increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Local health leaders say the uptick is worrisome but expected, as businesses reopen. We hear advice from infectious disease expert and UC Santa Cruz professor Marm Kilpatrick on small ways people can be safer as they venture out. And we share what we k…

A big decision is on tap Tuesday for the Santa Cruz City Council: Should the downtown library be renovated, or should a new, larger library with a parking garage and at least 50 affordable housing units be built on nearby city land? Santa Cruz Local talks to library and city leaders, activists and architects about the $27 million question. Join San…

Santa Cruz Local's Stephen Baxter and Kara Meyberg Guzman start their reporting for the upcoming Nov. 3 elections by listening to residents and watching city council meetings. We see the biggest local races as the city councils for Watsonville, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Capitola and the District 1 supervisor runoff. As we kick off a county-wide…

Parents and child care providers worry about the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Santa Cruz Local's Jerimiah Oetting answers your questions about child care rules in Santa Cruz County during the coronavirus emergency: How can we expect young children in daycare to socially distance? What is the county doing to ensure these facilities are safe?Thi…

Santa Cruz Local's Jerimiah Oetting answers your questions about antibody testing: What is it? Is it available in Santa Cruz County? How reliable are the tests? And is the county pursuing antibody testing?This is the fourth installment of 'Santa Cruz Local Answers,' where Jerimiah tackles your coronavirus-related questions. Submit your questions to…

Santa Cruz Local's Jerimiah Oetting answers your questions about Project Roomkey, the state effort to provide hotel rooms to vulnerable parts of the homeless population. Where is Santa Cruz County at with the project? How much money did the state provide? How many rooms are there, and who qualifies? Jerimiah talks to a Project Roomkey resident, cou…

Santa Cruz County’s health officer limited beach hours and hotel visitors in her latest revision to the COVID-19 shelter order. How deep are the county’s economic problems, with the prospect of far fewer tourists? How do shelter orders impact a county where the largest share of jobs are in leisure and hospitality? We hear from California economist …

Dr. Catherine Sonquist Forest answers frequently-asked questions on COVID-19. How long do we have to wait for a vaccine and treatment? Can I get an antibody test and what does that mean? Can people without COVID symptoms spread the disease? Does social distancing and wearing masks work? Sonquist Forest is a Santa Cruz County resident and a medical …

Santa Cruz Local's Jerimiah Oetting answers a listener's question on what UC Santa Cruz is doing to help with COVID testing. This is the second installment of 'Santa Cruz Local Answers,' where Jerimiah tackles your coronavirus-related questions. Submit your questions to www.santacruzlocal.org/coronavirus , by email or voice memo to answers@santacru…

Santa Cruz Local hosted its first town hall meeting Friday, April 17 on Zoom. Our guests: Dr. Larry DeGhetaldi, Sutter Health Palo Alto Medical Foundation Santa Cruz division president, and Dr. David Ghilarducci, Santa Cruz County’s deputy health officer.Some takeaways: Santa Cruz County can maybe expand to 60 intensive care beds, but models predic…

Details emerged this week from California and Santa Cruz County leaders on what it will take to lift the shelter orders. The county still lacks about 50 ventilators it needs for a potential peak of 100 severe COVID-19 cases, county health leaders said. That peak could come as late as June. Santa Cruz summer traditions remain up in the air, includin…

Santa Cruz Local is seeing its fastest growth since its launch in August. Co-founders Kara Meyberg Guzman and Stephen Baxter take you behind the scenes. We share where we're heading with the company. One of the biggest things that sets Santa Cruz Local apart is our commitment to community listening. We discuss our business goal for April ㅡ reaching…

At a news conference Thursday, Santa Cruz County health officials said they were encouraged by the relatively low numbers of COVID hospitalizations in our county. However, the county still only has a maximum intensive care unit capacity of 50 beds. Dr. Gail Newel said she plans to extend her shelter-in-place order past May 3. Santa Cruz Local co-ho…

We share tape from a special Santa Cruz City Council meeting that took place Tuesday. Mayor Justin Cummings spoke about coming together after the March 3 election. New city council members Katherine Beiers and Renee Golder also gave statements after they were sworn in through a video conference call.…

Santa Cruz Local's Jerimiah Oetting answers your questions on coronavirus testing: Who gets tested? What is the process? How long does it take? Why is testing limited in Santa Cruz County and when will that change? Jerimiah talked to a medical leader, a scientist and others to get some answers. This is the first installment of 'Santa Cruz Local Ans…