KAZU - Listen Local Podcast

The Santa Cruz Public Libraries Youth Poet Laureate Program hosts free poetry sessions and workshops for teens. And, the White House puts pressure on the University of Southern California and eight other universities to sign a compact agreement in line with conservative ideals.

The world-renowned surf playground is home to miles of steady waves whose riders and landscape keep changing.

A change in federal funding threatens local Head Start programs, which provide free preschool for low-income families. Plus, the City of Santa Cruz is seeking public input on the Wharf Master Plan.

A film documenting the early days of the 2022 Russian invasion in Ukraine is showing this Friday at the Carmel International Film Festival. Ahead of the screening, KAZU's Ngozi Cole spoke to the director.

Federal workers in the region are now facing the government shutdown. And, Santa Cruz County stands to lose millions of dollars from federal cuts.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded its first construction contract for the $599 million Pajaro River levee and floodwall project. And, the Trump administration has launched its latest anti-semitism investigation—this time, across the entire Cal State University system.

The closure of Highway 1 in Big Sur has cost Central Coast communities hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tourism spending. And, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band will regain full access rights to land in their ancestral territory for the first time since their forced removal over 225 years ago.

San Benito County employees represented by Service Employees International Union Local 521 are protesting proposed budget cuts. Plus, new research shows that internet cables could lead to earlier tsunami warnings.

The Salinas City Council decided to leave renter protection laws up to voters. And, a local infectious disease doctor with Montage Health urges people to get vaccinated ahead of respiratory virus season.

KION television newsroom staff was laid off without warning before the station announced that the San Francisco-based CBS station, KPIX, will take over the daily news slot. And, a program helping rural homes save water and money is expanding in the Salinas Valley.

The Marine Mammal Center is highlighting conservation efforts during Sea Otter Awareness Week. And, advocates are urging California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign a bill to protect children from AI chatbots.

Indivisible Pájaro Valley and the Watsonville Film Festival are screening the documentary American Agitators this Friday. Plus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will stop publishing data on food insecurity—a problem that affects tens of thousands of people on the Central Coast.

Almost 1,300 volunteers collected trash from beaches, rivers and parks on the Central Coast over the weekend in 58 local cleanups organized by the nonprofit Save Our Shores.

Local veterans protest for peace at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. And, Santa Cruz and Monterey will join communities around the world in celebrating Sun Day to support solar energy efforts.

The first report breaking down the value and vulnerability of surf breaks in Santa Cruz is out. And an indigenous Samoan chief who lives in Santa Cruz attends the inaugural Communicating Climate Solutions Symposium organized by the UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Program.

Monterey County has updates on cleanup efforts following the January battery plant fire. But residents and some supervisors remain frustrated by the lack of information about possible human and environmental health impacts. Ongoing research from Moss Landing Marine Labs may help answer their questions.

Known for their signature performance of “My Humps” by The Black Eyed Peas, Bob and Patti Vasconcellos have become a staple at Coasters Bar & Grill.

Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf is celebrating 180 years this fall. And, CalFire partners with University of California researchers to look at what's causing cancer in firefighters.

Central Coast State Sen. John Laird's bill requiring more robust emergency action plans and fire hazard inspections for battery energy storage systems is headed to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. And, water pumps and sprinklers have kept giant sequoias within the Sierra National Forest safe from the ongoing Garnet Fire.

Erika Mahoney was news director at KAZU four years ago on what became the worst day of her life. She talks with former colleague Doug McKnight about the mass shooting that took her dad's life.

Kaiser Permanente members can walk in and get the updated COVID-19 vaccine at no cost starting this week. And, the City of Santa Cruz hosted a fun run over the weekend to raise tsunami awareness.

Some local hospitals are seeking healthcare partners to stay afloat. And, a new state bill requiring law enforcement to show identification advances.

Watsonville votes to expand a contract with Flock Safety for automated license plate readers. And, a state bill moves to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk that would make CEQA exemptions for certain transit projects permanent.

En el Valle de Salinas, los agricultores locales se han visto afectados por la reciente pérdida de los programas federales que les abrían el acceso a mercados para comercializar sus productos.

The Salinas City Council voted to wait until September 23 to solidify next steps related to four rental ordinances. And, the trade group Western Growers supports the release of the second "Make America Healthy Again" report.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly is hosting a new national security podcast, Sources and Methods. She talked about it with KAZU.

Valley Fever cases are rising on the Central Coast, with Monterey County's increase larger than others'. And, a bill to allow rideshare drivers to unionize advances.

The U.S. Supreme Court has made it easier for immigration agents to stop people based on their race. And, a Central Coast food distribution network aims to shorten the farm to fork supply chain and help area small farms.

In today's newscast, the home of a local sea glass artist was one of eight venues that featured the work of 32 artists during the 18th annual Seaside Art Tour.

A day of mourning in Santa Cruz for the thousands of children who have been killed in Gaza over the last two years. And, Monday marks 60 years since the Delano grape strike began in the Central Valley.

More than 14,000 people on the Central Coast face contaminated drinking water from nitrates in agricultural fertilizers. The regional water quality control board is searching for alternative water solutions.

Vistra Corp. plans to begin removing damaged batteries from its Moss Landing site later this month, and a bill moving through the state legislature would require schools to alert students and staff when immigration enforcement agents are on campuses.

Activists concerned with the health consequences of pesticide use in the Pajaro Valley rallied around Omar Dieguez who is leading a monthlong hunger strike.

The Salinas Valley produces more than half of the country's lettuce. But the fertilizer used to help grow it has contaminated many of Monterey County's drinking water wells.

Monterey Bay Economic Partnership has received a state grant to support regional airports, and dozens of bills won't move forward in the State House this year.

Access to clean drinking water is considered a human right. But for some farmworker communities on the Central Coast, it's not a reality.

A new report says a commuter train in Santa Cruz County would cost $4.3 billion—far higher than previous estimates. But the head of the Regional Transportation Commission says it is still viable.

A slight earthquake shook San Benito County on Labor Day. And, a local nonprofit marks International Overdose Awareness Day in Seaside.

The Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey has announced it's shutting down within two years. And, a behavioral health bridge house in Marina celebrates its first anniversary.

The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board discusses providing alternative clean water to residents with water contaminated by agricultural fertilizers. And, a new study from UC Irvine shows that California doesn't follow global wildfire trends.

Santa Cruz's new luxury hotel and spa will accept its first reservations next month. Plus, the City Council has opted not to expand pedestrian access to struggling businesses in the Seabright neighborhood.

The San Benito County Arts Council is accepting thought-provoking applications for their "EAT" exhibit that opens in October. And, California's senators fight for emissions limits on heavy-duty trucks following a federal attempt to reject California's state standards.

Barnside murals, giant cut-outs, and a series of panels on the Cannery Row Rec Trail are the work of a local artist who's happy to stay mostly anonymous.

The Marine Mammal Center has opened a new location in Castroville. And, a new Seaside ordinance tightens restrictions on panhandling and vehicle living.

Santa Cruz County's Commission for the Environment hosted its third and final meeting about battery energy storage systems, and PG&E announces a June 2026 restart date for the Elkhorn battery facility in Moss Landing.

The Campaign for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture will co-host an event on Sunday to educate and unite people against the use of toxic pesticides in the Pajaro Valley. And, farmworker rights activist Dolores Huerta supports a redistricting measure that could result in more Democrats in Congress.

Monterey County deputy superintendent of schools confirmed that federal funds that had previously been impounded have been released to schools for programs that support migrant and low income families.And, Governor Gavin Newsom will likely soon advance a proposal that eases permitting requirements for drilling new oil wells in California.

More than 3,000 incoming and returning Cal State Monterey Bay Otters move into campus housing as the fall semester begins. And, Monterey County hosts the West End Celebration in Sand City and the 25th Annual Turkish Arts & Culture Festival in downtown Monterey.

A Monterey County wine trade group is shutting down. And, California Republicans are speaking out against a redistricting proposal.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park employees give an update about the future of California's oldest state park, five years after the CZU Lightning Complex fire.

A new community park opened yesterday in Salinas. Plus, California lawmakers are working on a bill to tackle a quiet invasive species.