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Monterey Bay This Week: Vistra battery fire anniversary, anti-ICE protests, Highway 1 reopens and more

KAZU | By Ngozi Cole,
Elena Neale-Sacks, Erin Malsbury, Katie Brown
Published January 17, 2026 at 5:00 AM PST
Smoke drifts up into an otherwise blue sky from a fire next to the Moss Landing Power Plant. In the foreground are sand dunes next to the ocean at Moss Landing State Beach.
Tobias Osborne
The battery plant fire was still visible from Moss Landing State Beach on Friday afternoon, Jan. 17, 2025, almost 24 hours after it began.

Highlights from this week's news roundup:

  • Highway 1 reopens through Big Sur.
  • The one-year anniversary of the Vistra battery fire in Moss Landing.
  • Santa Cruz joins nationwide anti-ICE protests.
  • Greenfield City Council votes to add Flock cameras as the City of Santa Cruz ends contract with the license plate-reader company.

Plus other stories from the week.
Tags
KAZU News Monterey Bay TodayMonterey Bay This WeekLocal Newsbattery fireMoss LandingCity of Santa CruzCity of SalinasBig SurHighway 1Watsonville Community HospitalMLKGovernment
Ngozi Cole
Before joining KAZU, Ngozi covered health, business and economy stories for WYSO in southwest Ohio and The Ohio Newsroom. She’s also worked as a freelance reporter for Reveal, The New Humanitarian and other outlets.
See stories by Ngozi Cole
Elena Neale-Sacks
Elena is an Emmy award-winning researcher, reporter, and producer. At KAZU, they cover agriculture, housing and homelessness, and the aftermath of the January 2025 lithium battery fire in Moss Landing. Their reporting and research has been featured on NPR, KQED, Netflix, Reveal, CalMatters, and more. Elena is an alum of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and UC Santa Cruz. You can reach them at elena@kazu.org.
See stories by Elena Neale-Sacks
Erin Malsbury
Erin is an award-winning journalist and photographer. She's written for local and national outlets, including the Smithsonian and Science Magazine. She has a master's degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
See stories by Erin Malsbury
Katie Brown
Katie Brown comes to KAZU after earning spot news and investigative journalism awards for her reporting and photography in Maine. A Report for America alumna and former Metcalf Institute fellow, Katie’s reporting beats span business, environment, and public health.
See stories by Katie Brown