Santa Cruz County RTC cuts ties with rail operator, CA senators denounce ICE detention conditions

KAZU | By Elena Neale-Sacks

Published January 22, 2026 at 5:00 AM PST

A woman walks along an unused railroad track. — The Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line runs approximately 32 miles from Davenport through Watsonville, including this section in Aptos. Discussions about repurposing the largely-unused freight line for a commuter train and an adjacent pedestrian and bicycle trail date back to the mid-1980s.

In today's newscast, 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.

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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.

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