KAZU News

SPCA takes in five baby screech owls, new report details challenges for Salinas Valley farmworkers

KAZU | By Elena Neale-Sacks,

Published March 13, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT

Five fluffy screech owl babies look at the camera from inside a wicker nest. — SPCA Monterey County is caring for five orphaned baby screech owls, who will eventually be released back into the wild.

In today's newscast, the 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.

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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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Martha Tabares

Martha Tabares is a student intern at KAZU News, and started in January 2026. She is a third year at Cal Sate Monterey Bay, and is majoring in Humanities and Communications with a minor in Journalism. Martha has hopes for a career in fashion journalism.

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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.

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