KAZU - Listen Local Podcast

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.

An officer-involved shooting in Marina. A Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in Santa Cruz contends with a national background of civil rights regression. And, a state program that doubles CalFresh dollars spent at farmers markets may be at risk.

In this episode of Monterey Bay This Week, stories about the one year anniversary of the Vistra battery fire, anti-ICE protests in the region, Highway 1 reopening through Big Sur, and more

The CEO of Watsonville Community Hospital assures the public that the intensive care unit will remain open despite financial challenges. Plus, death cap mushroom poisonings continue.

Highway 1 through Big Sur reopened Wednesday after a three year closure. Salinas City Council member Andrew Sandoval has been censured. And, Santa Cruz City Council will end its contract with a license plate-reading company.

Some seniors in Santa Cruz are opposing a proposed housing development. And, Californians can use a new state website to block hundreds of data brokers.

Andrew Sandoval cites his support of renter protection laws as the impetus behind the Salinas City Council's move to consider a resolution that includes censuring his social media behavior. And, California Attorney General says he will not run for governor this year.

In this episode of Monterey Bay This Week, stories about an extended ban on red abalone harvesting, resisting Trump administration efforts to cancel research grants and move forward with offshore drilling and mining, and more.

Monterey County joins Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties in opposing the Trump Administration's plans for offshore drilling and mining. Plus, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and other local groups host a "people's hearing" about the drilling plans on Friday, January 9, at 6pm at the Portola Hotel in Monterey.

The latest sampling report on the Vistra battery fire in Moss Landing last January. And, the Trump administration is trying to halt billions of dollars in childcare funding for California and other Democrat-led states.

After a federal grant was cancelled last year, Cal State Monterey Bay agriculture researchers will appear before a judge this week to appeal that decision. Plus, Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa has died at 65. He represented rural northeastern California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office repeats their ask for supplemental federal funding a year after winter wildfires killed over 30 people and obliterated thousands of structures in Los Angeles. And, state Sen. Scott Wiener calls for President Donald Trump's impeachment after Nicolas Maduro's capture.

Groups along the Central Coast protest the Trump Administration's actions in Venezuela. Plus, local leaders and activists gather outside the Santa Maria ICE Facility on Friday.

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.