KAZU - Listen Local Podcast

In this week's episode of Monterey Bay This Week, Cal State Monterey Bay hosts it's fourth annual gift drive for student-parents, a UC Santa Cruz program dedicated to preserving community history is ending just three years after its debut, and more local news.

A new year means new laws set to take effect in California. One measure will grant certain high school seniors automatic admission to many California State University campuses. Another will make it easier to build mid-rise apartments near public transportation.

Multiple agencies have suspended their search for a swimmer who went missing at Lover's Point Beach in Pacific Grove on Sunday. And, a new California law will make it illegal for AI chatbots to misrepresent themselves as licensed clinicians.

A UC Santa Cruz program dedicated to preserving community history is ending just three years after its debut.

In this episode of Monterey Bay This Week, stories from around the region include an ongoing investigation into an officer-involved shooting in Soledad, a story about local TV news, a Christmas walking tour in Monterey, and more.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission requests public input on the regional transportation plan, which gets updated every four years. Plus, a state auditor's report finds wasted or misused funds in several agencies.

The Monterey County District Attorney's office is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Soledad. And, migrant children are stuck alone in federal shelters across the country even when relatives have been cleared to take them.

Nurses at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula say they want a fair union election. And, Covered California officials say early data shows a decline in new signups compared to last year.

Major layoffs in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, local growers are unhappy with a Trump farm bailout, and new approaches for housing gain steam. That and more in this week's roundup.

Doctors in Monterey County have treated at least 15 people for mushroom poisoning after a recent bloom of death caps. Plus, the Salinas City Council votes to reduce landlord fees for rental registration and rent stabilization programs.

Nurses at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula have filed to unionize. And, University of California researchers are working with state ag officials to monitor an invasive insect.

President Trump announced a $12 billion bailout for farmers in response to the effects of his tariffs, but it leaves out most small-scale fruit and vegetable producers. Plus, a new cohousing community is coming to Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz County officials approve a compromise on the long-debated Rail-Trail, Carmel bans pickleball, nonprofit Al & Friends delivers fresh fish to local residents facing food insecurity, and more in this week's local news roundup.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission approves a compromise that could help settle the rail trail debate. Plus, an update on the California gubernatorial race.

YWCA has opened a location in South Monterey County. And, Carmel bans pickleball at its only public park.

Newly published research confirms the January battery fire in Moss Landing released toxic metals into a protected marine estuary. And, an investigation into “Protect Salinas Renters” did not find evidence of wrongdoing in the group's efforts to gather signatures for a petition earlier this year.

The local nonprofit Encompass Community Services steps down from administering the Head Start program after 40 years. Plus, Governor Gavin Newsom announces the development of affordable housing on California state land.

Local organizations bring some of Monterey Bay's freshest catch to the region's hungriest residents through the Fisheries Trust's Community Seafood Program.

As state lawmakers prepare to return to the Capitol next year, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas says he's starting a new oversight process to judge the effectiveness of legislation. And, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office is warning people to beware of scams this holiday season.

SPCA Monterey County hosted a Black Friday pet adoption event, CSUMB layoffs averted, and more in this week's local news roundup.

The University Corporation at Monterey Bay, an auxiliary of Cal State Monterey Bay, has rescinded layoff notices sent during the federal government shutdown. And, the Trump administration has sued California over laws that let undocumented college students access in-state tuition and financial aid.

A recent study finds that hospitals in Monterey County are among the most expensive in the state. And, a proposed Trump Administration rule would give immigration officers more discretion to deny permanent residency to immigrants lawfully in the country who rely on public safety net benefits.

In today's newscast, hundreds of people gathered at Asilomar Conference Grounds over the weekend for a film screening about kelp restoration efforts in Northern California.

Federal funding for permanent housing is about to plummet, Joby Aviation takes flight at the Dubai Air Show, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties trudge slowly toward battery storage regulation, and more in this week's local news roundup.

Monterey and Santa Cruz counties are at the center of a power struggle with the state over a key part of the clean energy transition—battery storage.

A San Mateo-based tech company has permission to test its flying cars at the Hollister airport. BenitoLink reporter Noe Magaña shares his reporting about the company and the region's growing rapport with electric aircraft businesses.

Monterey and 12 other counties sue three pest control companies over improper disposal of hazardous waste. Clark Pest Control of Stockton, Orkin Services of California, and Crane Pest Control settled and will pay $3.15 million. Also, Joby Aviation expands its footprint in Dubai and plans to start commercial operations there next year.

The Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner's office publishes its fourth report analyzing the region's $11 billion agriculture industry. And, California farmworker families and environmental groups are calling for stronger protections against a cancer-causing pesticide used on berry, grape and nut crops.

How local homeless service providers are preparing for a sharp reduction in federal funding for permanent housing. And, Santa Cruz County takes a baby step toward regulating new battery energy storage facilities.

Parents are urging Pajaro Valley Unified School District to reconsider proposed layoffs and budget cuts. And, a new report shows California improving in prenatal care, but more work is needed on maternal mental health.

Monterey County hosts California's first police training focused on missing and murdered indigenous people, Santa Cruz wharf reconstruction, flying cars headed for Hollister airport, indigenous interpretation services in Salinas, and butterflies landing at the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary.

After last year's record low migration season, monarch butterflies find their way back to the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary.

Monterey County begins a program focused on improving how police, public health, and legal professionals address cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). Plus, repairs to the end of the Santa Cruz Wharf are slated to begin in the next two weeks.

Santa Cruz County public health officer urges healthcare providers to call the state's hotline and for families to seek medical attention if babies are showing signs of botulism. And, a video from an incident in Santa Ana shows an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent pointing a gun toward a woman allegedly recording him.

Monterey County is expanding its hiring policy for veterans. And, the Hollister airport signs a lease with a flying-car company.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission approved the construction of a temporary pedestrian path next to the Murray Street Bridge. The decision now goes to the Santa Cruz City Council. Plus, GOAT Santa Cruz offers free workouts for people affected by the government shutdown.

SNAP benefit upheaval coincides with the end of some local farm contracts, a film screening in Watsonville tackles masculinity, Mixtec farmworkers as doulas, and more in this week's local news roundup.

Some Mixtec farmworkers in Watsonville have trained as doulas to support other Indigenous women during pregnancy and childbirth. They want to offer physical and emotional support, and serve as translators during hospital visits.

A regional housing summit in Salinas envisions how the city can build new affordable housing quickly. Plus, the City of Santa Cruz seeks public input on neighborhood-scale coastal resiliency plans.

The Newsom administration is urging Californians to donate to food banks while SNAP benefits are halted. And, as the shutdown continues, military families and federal workers across the Central Coast are living with financial uncertainty.

Santa Cruz voters approve Measure C and Monterey Bay counties overwhelming vote for temporary redistricting. And, a violence prevention organization co-hosts a film screening about society's narrow expectations of masculinity.

How the federal government shutdown has impacted local universities. And, Santa Cruz County supervisors weigh whether to approve $500,000 in emergency funds for Second Harvest Food Bank amid SNAP upheaval.

Local food pantries say they're seeing more people in food lines as CalFresh benefits are on hold. And, a UC Davis study found over 80% of elementary schools in California experienced some loss of trees between 2018 and 2022.

SNAP food benefits are set to expire today. The Food Bank for Monterey County, which serves roughly 160,000 people every month, is preparing for a surging need.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show turned 50 this year. A local Monterey Bay production of the original stage show has been delighting audiences for over two decades.

In today's newscast, ethical and legal ambiguity surrounding a recent Salinas City Council meeting.

Monterey County wants to adopt a moratorium on new battery energy storage systems. And, local representatives condemn plans for offshore drilling and seabed mining in California.

The Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust created their Community Seafood Program to support commercial fishing during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue delivering fresh seafood during the government shutdown.

Local nonprofit Community Bridges says the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) assistance program will continue through November, even if the government stays shutdown. And, California and more than 20 other states sue the Trump Administration for withholding SNAP benefits during the shutdown.

A new report says a proposed passenger rail line between Santa Cruz and Watsonville is not getting any cheaper. And, Monterey County wants to hear from residents about how best to address sustainable transportation gaps.

UC Berkeley journalism instructor and historian Adam Hochschild says he wrote American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis during the first Trump administration because he was struck by similarities between President Woodrow Wilson's agenda and some of President Donald Trump's aspirations.