KAZU - Listen Local Podcast

The Friends of the Capitola Branch Library bookstore will close its doors on March 31, but the space will remain a bookstore under local the nonprofit Grey Bears. Plus, California voters polled slightly in favor of a proposed billionaires' net worth tax and more evenly split on a proposed voter ID requirement.

Free dancing lessons from the Chautauqua Hall Dance Club, more cases of avian flu in marine mammals, and a call for accountability from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors.

The Housing Authority of the County of Monterey has opened 45 housing units to support people who were living in an encampment along the Salinas River. Plus, residents react to the heat, and Cal State Monterey Bay responds to discriminatory graffiti.

Monterey County supervisors are demanding more accountability from Vistra after conflicting reports about the ecological impacts of last year's battery fire. And, Marina becomes the latest local jurisdiction to ban Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using its property. Plus, share your thoughts on the news about César Chavez: email news@kazu.org.

Cal State Monterey Bay has received a $15 million gift from Montage Health to expand nursing education in the region. And, one of the state's most powerful labor unions, SEIU California, says it's endorsing East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell for Governor.

California lawmakers begin a bipartisan effort to reform the state's elderly parole program after two convicted child molesters were granted early release. And, Democratic members of Congress warn about Trump Administration legislation that could affect voting access.

Researchers have confirmed avian influenza in at least 16 elephant seals, one sea otter and one sea lion. More animals show signs of infection. Plus, California lawmakers condemn the Trump administration's use of the Defense Production Act to order oil drilling off the California coast.

The cost of nitrogen fertilizer has been going up due to the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran, Monterey County honors victims of COVID-19, a new book meticulously explores a 2019 Santa Cruz murder.

SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is caring for five baby screech owls after their tree was cut down. Plus, a new report highlights challenges Latino and Indigenous farmworkers face in the Salinas Valley.

San Benito County adopts a temporary moratorium on battery energy storage facilities. And, the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran has increased nitrogen fertilizer costs as the spring planting season gets underway—are more conservation-minded farms insulated? Plus, Cal State Monterey Bay president Vanya Quiñones is stepping down.

Monterey County honors those who lost their lives to COVID-19. And, a fire in Capitola Village on Monday night killed one person.

The Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula treated eight elderly patients after nearly 100 Monterey residents were displaced following a fire early Monday morning. And, the state's Legislative Analyst's Office hopes lawmakers will kill a bill to write into law the California State Library Parks Pass program.

The City of Soledad and County of Monterey celebrate the opening of a transitional housing facility for people who were living by the Salinas River. Plus, the Soquel Union Elementary School District board of trustees approves layoffs of 17 staff.

In this episode of Monterey Bay This Week, Monterey Bay area counties get millions from the state's homelessness prevention program, dozens of Pajaro Valley residents are suing the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency over the 2023 flood, and more in this week's local news roundup.

The Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency expects new flood walls to go up along some parts of the Pajaro River levee within the next few days. Plus, a new transitional housing complex in Salinas will offer support for people at risk of homelessness.

The Monterey County District Attorney has filed a lawsuit against a local mammography service. And, California Mental health leaders are criticizing Governor Newsom's threat to pull funding from counties he says aren't rolling out CARE Court fast enough."

Cal State Monterey Bay lecturer, Ava Homa, survived the Iran-Iraq War as a child in the 1980s and is urging people to keep their attention on Iran as the death toll rises.

Laurie Emery of Indivisible Pajaro Valley helped organize a protest in Watsonville calling the attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel unconstitutional. And, Tig Notaro comes to Monterey for two nights after taking two and a half years off touring.

Monterey Bay FC announces its first women's soccer team, it's the last day of Gilroy's Black History Month art exhibition, permanent housing programs could be under threat, and more in this week's local news roundup.

Researchers confirm an outbreak of bird flu in northern elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park. Plus, a Monterey County jury awards $18.9 million to a woman hit by a car in a crosswalk at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

The deadline to submit public comments on a proposed federal oil and gas leasing program off the Central Coast is Feb. 26. And, state senators reaffirm California's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives amid ongoing attacks from the Trump administration.

The annual Black History Month art exhibition at the Gilroy Center for the Arts is honoring lesser known African Americans this year. And, a new report from Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., found Immigration and Customs Enforcement spending on weapons went up 360% from 2024 to 2025.

KAZU's Ngozi Cole followed some volunteers on Saturday morning as they restored native plants in the Marina Dunes.T

A workshop at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, organizing efforts from the California Nurses Association, and the expansion of Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

Santa Cruz County opens two temporary shelters in anticipation of cold weather. Plus, Big Basin Redwoods State Park expands by 153 acres.

A draft version of a new farm bill would bring back a popular program that helps local fruit and vegetable growers, but overall, bigger farms would benefit most. And, California is partnering with the United Kingdom to develop clean energy projects.

The California Nurses Association is pushing for health care reform. And, Caltrans has closed part of Highway 1 south of Big Sur due to slides and debris.

Nurses in Santa Cruz and Salinas plan to join a nationwide day of action calling on Congress to defund federal immigration enforcement agencies. And, the purchase of more than 10,000 acres by the Washoe Tribe marks California's third-largest tribal land return.

Your Allied Rapid Response for Santa Cruz County, or YARR, is expanding its volunteer network and training schedule. And, the California Fish and Game Commission has designated many of the state's mountain lions as threatened.

Skilled trade workers plan to strike at CSU campuses, Salinas healthcare workers wait for their first union contract, Monarch butterfly population continues to decline, and more in this week's local news roundup.

The Davenport school superintendent wants to build a community center at the site of the abandoned cement plant. Plus, four Monterey County traffic safety projects receive $13 million in funding.

A bill introduced this week aims to ensure the future of the popular California State Library Parks Pass program. And, a concerning trend continues for migrating Monarch butterflies.

Care workers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 2015, rallied outside of a Salinas nursing home as statewide contract talks come to a close. And, the California Department of Public Health is urging people to get vaccinated against measles.

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am serves as the season-opener for the first of eight Professional Golfers' Association of America, (PGA) Signature Events this year. And, our newsroom partner, KVPR, hears from healthcare leaders who have dire warnings about cuts to Medicaid.

Surfers rescued a family of six after a small boat capsized offshore in Santa Cruz on Saturday—just hours after the Coast Guard called off a 10-hour search for two surfers along West Cliff Drive. And, a new study from Stanford suggests adopting universal childcare could add billions of dollars to California's economy.

Black History Month events around the region, human remains found in Monterey County, Watsonville's Hope Village welcomes first residents, and more local news in this week's roundup.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office is investigating human skeletal remains that have been found at two locations in the county within the span of a month. And, the City of Salinas changed its rules around homeless encampments and personal property on private lands in a 6-1 vote on Tuesday.

The Hollister City Council has requested a public health study amid concerns about odor near a wastewater treatment facility. And, a study finds a high rate of gambling among adolescents.

Watsonville's Hope Village—a tiny home community for people living unsheltered on the Pajaro River levee—finally welcomes its first residents. And, Santa Cruz Public Libraries is hosting a screening this Saturday of the forthcoming documentary “The Inquisitor," which chronicles the legacy of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.

The City of Santa Cruz considers a plan to demolish the Catalyst Club and rebuild the venue beneath a housing development. Plus, the California Supreme Court changes the definition of an open container for cannabis in cars.

The Peninsula Open Space Trust now owns over 6,000 acres of the 6,500-acre property known as Juristac, or Sargent Ranch. The land is culturally-significant to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.

A state regulator rejects Vistra's plans for assessing the impact on surface water and groundwater from its 2025 Moss Landing battery fire, local residents and elected officials denounce ICE operations, a local writer shares her perspective on the violent crackdowns in Iran, and more in this week's local news roundup.

The annual Point-in-Time count provides data about how many people are experiencing homelessness locally. Plus, U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, and other local leaders hold a press conference about responding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

The Murray Street bridge in Santa Cruz temporarily reopens to eastbound traffic. And, a heated Monterey County Board of Supervisors meeting about local law enforcement's cooperation with ICE.

Santa Cruz Public Libraries have received a grant from the Carnegie Corporation to mark the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. And, California Democrats introduce new legislation aiming to regulate Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Advocacy groups organize events across Monterey County to assemble and distribute whistle kits to immigrant communities. And, a bill to reduce criminal penalties for Californians who accidentally receive overpayments in welfare support is shelved.

Santa Cruz County activists protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Minneapolis. And, a conference about ecological farming returns to Monterey County.

Seaside grieves after the fatal police shooting of 31-year-old Ronald Chyron Tinsley II, access to healthcare is a top priority for Monterey County residents, CalFresh benefits at farmers markets could change, and more in this week's local news roundup.

A community survey lists access to healthcare as the second highest health priority for Monterey County residents behind diabetes. Plus, the California Republican Party has filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court over Proposition 50, the state's redistricting measure.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has taken another step toward implementing the Coastal Rail Trail by cutting ties with the existing railroad operator. And, California's two U.S. senators are sounding the alarm over conditions at an immigration detention center in Southern California.

The Monterey County District Attorney's Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Marina on Sunday evening. And, California limits Medi-Cal coverage for drugs like Ozempic.